Allah tells us in the Quran that we will be tested throughout our lives. Through difficulty, our resolve is tested, we are forced to practice patience, Allah turns to us in His Mercy and removes some of our sins. We may draw closer to Allah SWT. Through all this, perhaps we are meant to gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of our blessings as well as easier admittance to jannah (heaven) and a higher rank there inshAllah (God Willing). I know that I am far more grateful for my blessings today. Losing my daughter made me understand how much I used to take every blessing in my life for granted and as my due.
Do you suppose that you will enter the Garden without first having suffered like those before you? They were afflicted by misfortune and hardship, and they were so shaken that even [their] messenger and the believers with him cried, ‘When will God’s help arrive?’ Truly, God’s help is near. (Baqara 2:214)
Be aware that your possessions and your children are only a test, and that there is a tremendous reward with God. (Al-Anfal 8:28)
Every soul is certain to taste death: We test you all through the bad and the good, and to Us you will all return. (Al-Anbiya 21:35)
Losing one’s child is a difficult test, indeed. But Allah also tells us that He only tests us with what He knows we have the capacity to bear. The harder the test, the more positive the indicator of the good Allah SWT has in store for you inshAllah. He knows you best, He is your Creator and Master. He knows you are equipped to pass this test of His.
God does not burden any soul with more than it can bear: (Baqara 2:286)
It was narrated from Mus’ab bin Sa’d that his father, Sa’d bin Abu Waqqas, said: “I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, which people are most severely tested?’ He said: ‘The Prophets, then the next best and the next best. A person is tested according to his religious commitment. If he is steadfast in his religious commitment, he will be tested more severely, and if he is frail in his religious commitment, his test will be according to his commitment. Trials will continue to afflict a person until they leave him walking on the earth with no sin on him.’” (Grade Hasan. Sunan Ibn Majah 4023, Vol. 5, Book 36, Hadith 4023. Sunan At-Tirmidhi 2398)
It was narrated from Anas bin Malik that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The greatest reward comes with the greatest trial. When Allah loves a people He tests them. Whoever accepts that wins His pleasure but whoever is discontent with that earns His wrath.” (Grade Hasan. Sunan Ibn Majah 4031,Vol. 5, Book 36, Hadith 4031)Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “If Allah wants to do good to somebody, He afflicts him with trials.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5645, Vol. 7, Book 70, Hadith 548)
“The joys and responsibilities of everyday life lull us into a false sense of security regarding the true nature of this world. In reality, loss is an unavoidable, integral part of existence. Nothing is everlasting, except Allah SWT. This is a basic principle of our faith as Muslims.” Sheikh Fahmy
One of the most hurtful pieces of misinformation I was given was that I had lost my daughter because of my sins. It took many years of reflection and research to understand that I did not lose my child because I was a bad person or because I deserved such a terrible thing to happen to me. The best of mankind, the prophets of Allah SWT, suffered the most terrible of losses and calamities. Allah sent one loss after the other to the Prophet (SAW) to get him to his strongest spiritual self. The Prophets of Allah are a shining example of loss being a test, not a punishment.
“Your child is with Allah because Allah has decreed that for you. Comfort your heart with the knowledge that Allah knows your pain and grief and will remove some of your sins out of His Mercy. Whether this is a test or a punishment lies in how you choose to react to Allah’s decree. Do you accept it with as much patience as you can muster, despite all the pain? Or will you choose to respond with constant anger and bitterness, which is admittedly the easier but destructive path?” Sheikh Fahmy
By the morning brightness and by the night when it grows still, your Lord has not forsaken you [Prophet], nor does He hate you, and the future will be better for you than the past; your Lord is sure to give you so much that you will be well satisfied. (Ad-Duha 93:1-5)
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah(s.a.w) said: “Trials will not cease afflicting the believing man and the believing woman in their self, children, and wealth, until they meet Allah without having any sin.” (Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2399)
Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that: The Messenger of Allah said: “Nothing afflicts the believer, whether fatigue, grief, disease – even a worry that concerns him – except that by it, Allah removes something from his bad deeds. (Jami` at-Tirmidhi 966, English translation Vol. 2, Book 5, Hadith 966)
Mus’ab bin Sa’d narrated from his father that a man said: “O Messenger of Allah(s.a.w)! Which of the people is tried most severely?” He said: “The Prophets, then those nearest to them, then those nearest to them. A man is tried according to his religion; if he is firm in his religion, then his trials are more severe, and if he is frail in his religion, then he is tried according to the strength of his religion. The servant shall continue to be tried until he is left walking upon the earth without any sins.” (Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2398)
He is Ar-Rahman (Most Compassionate), Ar-Rahim (Most Merciful). Assume the best about Allah. If you truly believe in His infinite mercy and love for you and that He is Al-Wali (The Protecting Friend), then He will guide you and help you.
Narrated Abu Huraira:Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Allah said, ‘I am to my slave as he thinks of Me, (i.e. I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for him). (Sahih Bukhari 7505 Vol 9 Book 93, Hadith 596)
Life in the modern world, especially one disconnected from our deen, can delude us into thinking that life is meant to be easy or perfect. But it is not. If it was, it would be jannah. As Muslims, we believe that our life is a temporary stepping stone to the eternal akhirah. We believe that we are here to obey Allah SWT and by doing so, earn our way to jannah, inshAllah. Our faith teaches us to trust in His Wisdom and Mercy and that He alone knows best.
…You may dislike something although it is good for you, or like something although it is bad for you: God knows and you do not.’ (Baqara 2:216)
God gives abundantly to whoever He will, and sparingly to whoever He will- and though they may revel in the life of this world, it is but a fleeting comfort compared with the Life to come. (Ar-Ra’d 13:26)
Declaring our submission as Muslims is simple. It is when we are faced with the most difficult of situations and yet still place our trust in Allah, turning to Him and responding in the manner He has asked of us, that we actively show our submission to Him and our belief in Him. It is very hard. Yet Allah knows we are capable of it. Try your best.
We shall test you to see which of you strive your hardest and are steadfast; We shall test the sincerity of your assertions. (Muhammad 47:31)
We are human and therefore our understanding of the world, knowledge and wisdom is limited by human constraints. Allah alone knows why this particular test is ours.