TRIALS
with
CHILDREN
&
WEALTH
My Dear Friends: Allah (SWT) says in the Holy Qur’an: “Be sure that We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, some loss in goods, your lives, and the fruits of your toil, but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere, who say when afflicted with calamity, “to Allah we belong and to Him is our return (Inna lil laahi Wa Inna ilayhi Raji’oon). They are those on who descend blessings from their Lord, and His mercy, and they are the ones that receive guidance”. Further, if Allah (SWT), out of His wisdom, closes a door against you, He opens out of His mercy a door better for you than the closed one. It is by afflictions that righteous and understanding people are increased in rank and reward. Sa’ad bin Abee Waqqaas (RA) said: I said, “O Messenger of Allah, who are the most afflicted of all people? He (SAW) replied, “The Prophets, then the righteous people, then those who are nearest to them in perfection and those who are nearest to them. Man is tested according to his religiosity; if he is strong religiously, his test is increased and if he is weak in religion, his test is reduced. And a believer will be tested until he walks on the earth sinless [i.e. his sins have been erased by series of afflictions that he endured.” (Al-Bukhari) My friends, we are tested in many different ways and in many different degrees, some may be minor, and some may be major. Hardship and afflictions could affect our health, our wealth, our sustenance, our children, our parents, our family and our friends. These calamities especially those that are sudden and unexpected wrench our hearts and impact us physically, psychologically, emotionally, financially and spiritually. When we are hit with such adversity, our first reaction, is to reach out to Allah (SWT) for help. We make dua and beg for help and continue to do so until ease comes. Depending on the severity of the affliction, we spend the majority of our time begging Allah (SWT) for help, for relief, for support, for mercy. Sometimes during these tests we repent and we make bargains with Allah, that if He brings ease to us, we will be a better person, we will give more charity, we will pray more, we will be more patient, we will make more effort to do good, we will stop doing all the wrong things that we have been doing. If we really live up to these promises, Allah has now made us a better servant and lifts us up to a higher rank. Subhanallah!! Allah (SWT) loves us so much, that He does this for us. Sometimes we forget and may go back to our old ways, again Allah (SWT) may allow affliction to happen to remind us of our prior promise and His love for us to be of those who are righteous. Allah (SWT) is the One that gives us the courage, strength, perseverance, patience and hope to help us through our difficulties. Just as when we see our children making a mistake, we correct them and put disciplinarian action into place, so that they will learn and not repeat that mistake again; and if they subsequently make another or the same mistake, we again discipline them, so that they will become obedient. So too Allah (SWT) wants to keep us in check and make us obedient servants. After every test, their comes relief, Allah (SWT) has assured us of this (Qur’an Chapter 94). Many of us have gone through difficulties, tragedies and devastating news, we feel it is unbearable, overwhelming and unending. We become distraught, grief overtakes us, but Allah is there with us to hold us up and eventually show us how to continue our lives and heal. Tests and trials are sent to test our patience, our faith and our love for Allah (SWT). We must be strong at these times and not question Allah as to why it happened. Know that Allah (SWT) will always bring us through these afflictions and we will be a better person, a better family, once we make more effort to worship Allah and do good and stay away from evil.
“A calamity that makes you turn to God is better for you than a blessing which makes you forget the remembrance of God.”
“Trials will continue to befall the believing man and woman—with regard to themselves, their children, and their wealth—until they meet God with no sin on them.” ~(Al-Tirmidhi)
