Date: 1st February 2014
Led By: Sister Rosyiidah & Sister Nafisah
Topic: Trials
Trials
| Allah, Glory be to Him, says in the Quran: "Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, 'We believe,' and that they will not be tested? We did test those before them, and Allah will certainly know those who are true from those who are false" (Quran, 29: 2-3) |
|
To purify usWhat is the purpose of trials?
-
- The Prophet ﷺ said, “No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that,” [Bukhari]. Our ultimate aim is to earn Allah’s pleasure and Jannah (paradise), and all of us fall short in truly worshiping Allah (swt) as He should be worshiped. Many of us fail to ask for forgiveness regularly, or to reflect on our state and return to Allah (swt). These tests, as burdensome as they are, ease our burden on the Day of Judgment, if we respond with patience.
- To remind us of our purpose in life- Surah az-Zariyat: 56
- To test our resilience if we are close to Allah swt- Are we only close to Allah (swt) in times of ease, or does our trust extend to the times of hardship? When we are tested, do we leave the good deeds that we used to do? Allah (swt) describes such people in the following verse:- “And of the people is he who worships Allah on an edge. If he is touched by good, he is reassured by it; but if he is struck by trial, he turns on his face [to the other direction]. He has lost [this] world and the Hereafter. That is what is the manifest loss.” [Qur’an, 22:11]
- A sign of Allah's love and mercy- The Prophet ﷺ said, “When Allah loves a servant, He tests him,” [Tirmidhi]. In a hadith qudsi (a hadith relating the words of Allah [swt]), Allah (swt) tells Jibreel to delay the response to the du`a’ of a servant because Allah (swt) loves hearing his voice [Tabarani]. Sometimes the answer to a test is that need for Allah (swt), those long hours spent in the night, and the tears of sincerity
Sometimes, we don't really
understand why we are tested with certain things..
“Look at those people who have less
than you and never look at those who have more grants than you, this
will ensure that you will not depreciate Allah’s favors” [Muslim]
Nabi Ibrahim was tested with the test
of being thrown into the fire. How did he respond? He was patient and
left the decision to Allah. When asked by Malaikat Jibril of his one
wish he just asked that Allah is pleased with him.
Sometimes our tests makes us
question ourselves,”What if..?” or “If only I had not done
that, all this wouldn't have happened..”
Realise that this is the trap of the
our accursed and clear enemy, the shaytan.
The Prophet (pbuh) taught us:
“If anything (in the form of trouble)
comes to you, don’t say: If I had not done that, it would not have
happened so and so, but say: Allah did that what He had ordained to
do. Your ‘if’ opens the (gate) for the Satan.” [Muslim]
Never forget, you have a Lord that is
more Merciful towards you than your own mother. He would never test
you with anything greater than you can bear. The effort you put in,
your striving to do things for His sake and your contentment with the
result is the sign of your reliance and trust in Him, that He knows.
So that is tawakul- when you do
something, or prevent yourself from doing something, as best you can
for the sake of Allah, and still the worst scenario occurs- you still
say alhamdillah. Even when you don’t understand why. Allah says in
the Qur’an:وما كان ربك نسي
ا
“…And never is your Lord forgetful” [Surat Mariam, 19:64]
“…And never is your Lord forgetful” [Surat Mariam, 19:64]
Your Lord does not forget- He does not
forget the tears, He does not forget the du’as, He does not forget
the hopes, the dreams, the intentions… He does not forget the
prayers in the night, the stress or the pain. That those things you
did, or didn’t do, for His sake alone are not a waste. It will
return in a way He knows best.
So it’s not lost. Don’t ever think
“if i had done this…”. If you did things right for Allah, Allah
will never cause that to be lost.
That is tawakkal. When things don’t
work out the way you hoped, remember it is ALLAH you have relied on.
Not a human being. And He would never break that trust.”
How to deal with this situation?
- Refer to article
Sometimes, we may feel that we've failed His tests miserably and that makes it much harder to return to Him...
- Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah . Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.”
- Those who have trangressed can be those who committed a particular sin, or who repeatedly commit the same sin, or those who have turned away. Allah is calling us, all those people, that He is there. There is a beautiful hadith that the Prophet (pbuh) told us:
- “Indeed, Allah extends His Hand in the night to forgive the one who sins in the day, and He extends His Hand in the day to forgive the one who sins at night, and this continues until the sun rises from the west.” [Bukhari]
- The fact that you want to be guided and you want to be forgiven is the first step! The danger is when we sin and become numb and just don’t care. Ibn Taymiyah was asked about sin: Is it good for someone? He said:“Yes, with the condition that it is followed by being remorseful and repentant, by seeking forgiveness, and by being sincerely moved (to submission) on the inside.”
- Because the Prophet (pbuh) taught us about Allah:“Indeed, Allah is Shy and Beneficent. His is Shy when His servant raises his hands to Him (in a du’a) to return them empty, disappointed” [Ahmad]
Sometimes, when things don't go the way we want it to, we wonder if it's a test or punishment?
- It doesn't really matter because there is no sure way of knowing.
- What matters is, if you knew you did wrong, return to Allah.
- Allah says in the Qur’an:“And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins – and who can forgive sins except Allah ? – and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know.” [Qur'an, 3:135]
- Allah also tells us:“Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah . Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” [Qur'an, 39:53]
The greater the calamity, the
greater the reward. To be of those who endure difficulties with
Patience.
**KEY POINTS: PATIENCE &
GRATITUDE instead of Complaining and Ingratitude**
It was narrated from Anas ibn Malik
that the Prophet (S) said:
What does being patient do for us?
It raises our status in front of Allah:
“…Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full, without reckoning” Quran (Surah Az-Zumar:10)”
The Prophet (S) said:
“Nothing befalls a believer, a (prick of a) thorn or more than that, but Allah will raise him one degree in status thereby, or erase a bad deed.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5641) and Muslim (2573).
The Messenger (S) said in a well known hadith the following:
“How wonderful is the affair of the believer, for his affairs are all good, and this applies to no one but the believer. If something good happens to him, he is thankful for it and that is good for him. If something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience and that is good for him.” (Narrated by Muslim, 2999).
The Believer and non-believer on difficulties
“… if you are suffering (hardships) then surely, they (too) are suffering (hardships) as you are suffering, but you have a hope from Allah (for the reward) that for which they hope not; and Allah is Ever All-Knowing, All-Wise” Quran (Surah An-Nisa:104).
“… and give glad tidings to As-Sabirun (the patient).Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: “Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.They are those on whom are the Salawat (i.e. who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided ones.” Quran (Surah Al-Baqara:155-157)
Clearly, we all know that the shaytan is our accursed enemy. Until the Day of Judgement, he will never stop trying to mislead us away from the straight path, may Allah protect us all. Trials are Opportunities to either get closer or the opposite from Him so it is our choice!
The Muslims of the past had an abundance of patience and perseverance which are two important traits of this beautiful tree of Iman.
Two Muslims who were of the most firmly rooted of believers were Sumayyah and Yasir, may God be pleased with them. After being among the first Muslims and agreeing to accept Islam in a very tumultuous period, Sumayyah and Yasir along with their son Ammar were tortured mercilessly at the hands of Abu Jahl. The family was left unprotecte since they had no tribal affiliations in Makkah.
Unable to physically help them at the time, the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, would visit them and say, "be patient, O family of Yasir, because your promised place is Paradise." He would then turn his face to the sky and say: "O Lord! Forgive the family of Yasir." The Prophet (s) also prayed for the alleviation of Ammar's suffering by placing Ammar's head in his lap and saying: "O fire! Be cool and harmless for Ammar in the same manner in which you became cool and harmless for Ibrahim."
Sumayyah and Yasir were both martyred in the cause of Allah, Glory be to Him, after refusing to leave their faith which was dearer to them than life itself. The family was honoured with the best of honours: the prophet's guarantee of their home in paradise. These are the examples we should take as guides to our own lives. Too often do we compromise what we believe in to accommodate the uneducated assumptions of others. Too often do we forget the immense history of Islam and Muslims.
References: |
http://www.iqrasense.com/muslim-character/a-muslim-believers-attitude-during-times-of-difficulties-and-calamities.html
http://www.missionislam.com/knowledge/overcomingtests.html
(NYPMSN Sharing Session at Bishan Park)
No comments:
Post a Comment