Alhumdulilah Rabil-Alameen(Praise Be To The Lord of mankind),
As Muslims, we are told that this dunya, or this world is nothing but a test for the believer. ALLAHSWT tells us in the interpretation of the meaning:
You will surely be tested in your possessions and in yourselves. And you will surely hear from those who were given the Scripture before you and from those who associate others with Allaah much abuse. But if you are patient and fear Allaah – indeed, that is of the matters [worthy] of determination. (Ali-Imraan: 186)
We have to stay mindful that our reason to live is to worship ALLAH, believe in ALLAHSWT, and make it to Jannah, but of course there will be tests in our lives for ALLAH to see who truly believes in him. Allah tells us in the quran that we will not be left alone for merely saying we believe:
Do the people think that they will be left to say, "We believe" and they will not be tried?But We have certainly tried those before them, and Allah will surely make evident those who are truthful, and He will surely make evident the liars. Quran: 29:2-3
Allah is warning the believers that there will be trials for us to overcome. These trials
can be our wealth, our family, our possessions, and etc, and just saying that you believe
is not enough. We must prove ourselves to Allah, and stand firm upon his guidance
and the Prophet's(peace and blessings be upon him).
Allah tells us in the interpretation of the meaning:
"I have only created jinns and humans to worship Me. I do not need from them to provide
for Me, and I do not need from them to feed Me. Allah is surely the One Who gives
providence, and He is the Mighty and Strong."
Quran( Chapter 51, Verses 56-58)
When going throughout our lives we have to strive for our ultimate goal, and what is that
goal? That goal is Jannah, or paradise. When striving each and every day to do the pleasing
things to ALLAH we will become stronger in our faith, and we will be tested with the most
dearest things in our lives. We have to make a choice between striving for the
Face of ALLAH or striving for just the pleasures of this world.
One of the sahaba states:
Al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Our brothers are dearer to us than our families, for our families remind us of this world,
but our brothers remind us of the Hereafter.
When we surround ourselves by other Muslims that are striving to the Jannah then we are able to keep ourselves firm upon the guidance of ALLAH and his messenger RasululahSAW.
Insha'ALLAH, by reading this brief, but important post on the purpose of life, and about the tests we will be given by ALLAHswt then it will become easier for the believer to face the tests with the guidance of ALLAH and to prepare for struggles in their path to reach the ultimate goal of paradise.
Wa alaikom salaam,
Lauren And Ruqayah
Benefits of believers’ trials
ReplyDeleteWhy does Allaah burden the believers who do many acts of worship with sickness and other trials, when the sinners are enjoying all the good things in life?
Praise be to Allaah.
This question may be asked in two ways, either as an objection or as a quest for understanding. If it is asked as an objection, then it is an indication of the questioner’s ignorance. For the wisdom of Allaah is too great for our minds to comprehend. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And they ask you (O Muhammad) concerning the Rooh (the spirit). Say: The Rooh (the spirit) is one of the things, the knowledge of which is only with my Lord. And of knowledge, you (mankind) have been given only a little”[al-Isra’ 17:85]
This spirit is something which is within us and is the very essence of our lives, but we do not know it and the philosophers and thinkers are unable to define and describe it. If we are unable to know anything about this spirit, which is the closest thing in creation to us, apart from that which has been described in the Qur’aan and Sunnah, then what do you think about other matters beyond that? Allaah is Most Wise, Most Great, Most Majestic and Most Powerful, and we must submit to His will and decree with full submission, because we are unable to comprehend the ultimate goals of His wisdom. On this basis, the answer to the question is that we should say: Allaah knows best and He is Most Wise, Most Powerful and Most Great.
If the question is asked as a quest for understanding, then we would tell this questioner: the believer is subjected to tests and Allaah’s testing him by means of things that may harm or hurt him brings two great benefits. The first benefit is that Allaah tests this man with regard to his faith, to see whether his faith is sincere or shaky. The believer whose faith is sincere will patiently accept the will and decree of Allaah, and will seek reward from Him. In this case the matter becomes bearable for him. It was narrated that one of the female worshippers of Allaah suffered a cut or wound in her finger, but she did not complain about the pain or show any sign of distress. She was asked about that and she said: The sweetness of its reward makes me forget the bitterness of bearing it. The believer seeks reward from Allaah and submits to Him completely. This is one benefit.