(keywords: Patience, Gratefulness, Ingratitude and Complaining)
قال الله تعالى: { أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تَدْخُلُواْ الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُم مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْاْ مِن قَبْلِكُم مَّسَّتْهُمُ الْبَأْسَآءُ وَالضَّرَّآءُ وَزُلْزِلُواْ حَتَّى يَقُولَ الرَّسُولُ وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَهُ مَتَى نَصْرُ اللَّهِ أَلاَ إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ} سورة البقرة 214.
God -the Exalted- says: { Do you think that you will enter Paradise without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you. They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, ‘When will the help of God come’. Yes! Certainly, the help of God is near (to come)} (Surah 2, verse 214).
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عن أبي يَحْيَى صُهَيْبِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسولُ الله صَلّى اللهُ عليهِ وسلَّم: « عَجَباً لأمْرِ المُؤْمِنِ إِنَّ أَمْرَهُ كُلَّهُ لَهُ خَيْرٌ، وَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ لأِحَدٍ إِلاَّ لِلْمُؤْمِن: إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْراً لَهُ، وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبَرَ فَكَانَ خيْراً لَهُ» . رواه مسلم .
Narrated Abu Yahya, Suheib Ibn Sinan -may God be pleased with him- that the Messenger of God -prayer and peace be upon him- said:
“How wonderful is the case of a believer for there is good in every affair of his, and this is not the case with anyone else except for the believer. When a good thing happens to him, he thanks God and that is good for him; and when a trouble befalls him, he endures it patiently and that is better for him.” Related by Imam Muslim.
God the Almighty created the humans and jinns to worship Him and obey His commands. God -the Exalted- says in Qur’an:
{And I (God) did not create the jinns and humans except to worship Me (Alone)} (surah 51, verse 56).
Then those who obey God will have the reward of Paradise, and those who disobey God and reject His commands will have the punishment of Hell-Fire. Therefore, this life is a test for humans and jinns; whether they believe or disbelieve, whether they obey or disobey the commands of God, and whether they show thanks and gratitude or impatience and ingratitude.
This life is a test for people to see who among them believes and disbelieves, who obeys God’s commands and who disobeys, who refrains from sins and who commits sins and misdeeds. The Son of Adam will then see the results of his actions on the Day of Judgment.
But to distinguish between people and their categories, people will face and go through certain tests. These tests could be problems or troubles in their health, wealth, relatives, income, food and drink, belief system, and the like.
Thus, the test of the worldly life includes having problems, trials and tribulation that the son of Adam must go through in order to distinguish between the true believers and the hypocrites and disbelievers. As the above verse mentions, in order to get the greatest Reward of Paradise the believer must pass a test. Everyone must pass through this test, both past generation and present, both righteous and sinners, and both old and young. These tests come in the form of problems, trials and tribulations. The test may afflict the person in his health, wealth, family, life, or worse of all in his religion.
When the test afflicts the son of Adam, his reaction and responses are recorded. Then the recompense is tended based on that. For the believer who stands firm in the face of these calamities, bears them patiently, returns to God and seeks His help, the result is great reward and the promise of peace of heart and contentment in this life and Paradise in the Hereafter. But for that who complains and shows impatience and ingratitude, the recompense is more misery in this life and punishment in the Hereafter.
Many times we forget the real purpose of the worldly life and as soon as a problem befalls us, we tend to complain and show signs of impatience and ingratitude. Some people go further and ask: Why this happened to me? When a natural disaster strikes, some wonder: why us?
But how soon the son of Adam forgets his own actions and ignore the consequences of his bad deeds until it is too late. God -the Exalted- states in Qur’an: {And whatever befalls you of disaster, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much} (Surah 42, verse 30).
Ali Ibn Abi Talib said: “Hardships befall you in the world because of your sins.”
Instead of complaining and showing ingratitude, the believer must:
First, repent of all sins and ask God’s forgiveness.
Second, the believer must remind himself of the real purpose of this life. The believer must ponder upon the reason behind the trials and tribulations of this world, and that is to test his faith, his patience, and his firmness in religion. These problems and troubles are a test for the believer, whether he stands firm and bear the problem patiently seeking God’s help, or does he waver and starts having doubts and worse deny the bounty of God.
And third, the believer must surrender to God’s will and accept Pre-destiny, believing that God has judged it this way and the don of Adam must accept it, while in the meantime try his best to find a solution.
The believer must remember that previous nations went through the same trials and tribulations and now they are being tended the reward or punishment of their actions (in their graves). One day we will be considered a past generation and we too will see the results of our actions in the Hereafter after death.
And just like when previous nations indulged in sins, they saw the effects of that in their worldly life, so will we unless we repent and avoid those sins. Prophet Muhammad -prayer and peace be upon him- warned of such sins:
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ، قَالَ أَقْبَلَ عَلَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَقَالَ “ يَا مَعْشَرَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ خَمْسٌ إِذَا ابْتُلِيتُمْ بِهِنَّ وَأَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ أَنْ تُدْرِكُوهُنَّ لَمْ تَظْهَرِ الْفَاحِشَةُ فِي قَوْمٍ قَطُّ حَتَّى يُعْلِنُوا بِهَا إِلاَّ فَشَا فِيهِمُ الطَّاعُونُ وَالأَوْجَاعُ الَّتِي لَمْ تَكُنْ مَضَتْ فِي أَسْلاَفِهِمُ الَّذِينَ مَضَوْا . وَلَمْ يَنْقُصُوا الْمِكْيَالَ وَالْمِيزَانَ إِلاَّ أُخِذُوا بِالسِّنِينَ وَشِدَّةِ الْمَؤُنَةِ وَجَوْرِ السُّلْطَانِ عَلَيْهِمْ . وَلَمْ يَمْنَعُوا زَكَاةَ أَمْوَالِهِمْ إِلاَّ مُنِعُوا الْقَطْرَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ وَلَوْلاَ الْبَهَائِمُ لَمْ يُمْطَرُوا وَلَمْ يَنْقُضُوا عَهْدَ اللَّهِ وَعَهْدَ رَسُولِهِ إِلاَّ سَلَّطَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ عَدُوًّا مِنْ غَيْرِهِمْ فَأَخَذُوا بَعْضَ مَا فِي أَيْدِيهِمْ . وَمَا لَمْ تَحْكُمْ أَئِمَّتُهُمْ بِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ وَيَتَخَيَّرُوا مِمَّا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ إِلاَّ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ بَأْسَهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ. ” رواه ابن ماجه والحاكم والبيهقي، بإسناد حسن.
It was narrated that Abdul-Allah Ibn Omar said: “The Messenger of God -prayer and peace be upon him- turned to us and said: ‘O group of the Muhajireen (the migrants), beware of being afflicted with five characteristics, and I seek refuge in God of them befalling you:
- Adultery never appears among a group of people to such an extent that they commit it openly, but plagues and diseases that were never known among their predecessors will spread among them.
- They do not cheat in weights and measures, but they will be stricken with famine, hardship in provision, and the oppression of their rulers.
- They do not withhold the Zakah (charity) of their wealth, but rain will be withheld from the sky, and were it not for the animals, no rain would fall on them.
- They do not break their covenant with God and His Messenger, but God will enable their enemies to overpower them and take some of what is in their hands.
- And unless their leaders rule according to the Book of God and seek all good from that which God has revealed, God will cause them to fight one another.’” Related by Ibn Majah, Al-Hakim, and Al-Beihaqi.
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Then, the sensible person should reflect upon his action when afflicted with a problem or a calamity.
The believer should remind himself of the real purpose of this life and the test he must pass through to attain Paradise. The Muslim should always think of trials and tribulations as something that will absolve him of his sins and increase his reward.
Therefore instead of complaining and showing ingratitude, he should bear the problem patiently, turn to God and seek His help, and then surrender to Pre-destiny and accept God’s Judgment while trying his best to find a way out of his trouble. We ask God to guide us to the Right Path, and make us die on Faith. And God knows best.
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Prophetic Profit 