Al Haqeeqa
Eman Sakina/ New Delhi
This world is the place of striving and the hereafter is the place of reward or punishment, where the believers will be rewarded with Paradise and the disbelievers will be punished with Hell.
Paradise is good and none but those who were good will enter it. Allah is Good and accepts nothing but that which is good. So, the way of Allah with His slaves is to test them with calamities and tribulations, so that the believer may be known from the ‘kaafir’ and so that the truthful may be distinguished from the liar, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: ‘We believe,’ and will not be tested? Victory and success cannot be achieved except after tests that will bring the good forth from the evil and tell the believer apart from the kaafir, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which they are now until He distinguishes the wicked from the good. Nor will Allah disclose to you the secrets of the Ghayb (Unseen)” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:179]
The most severely tested of the people are the Prophets. In his book, Allah has mentioned different kinds of calamity that befell the Prophets.
Allah says: “And indeed, we gave Moosa (Moses) the Book and followed him up with a succession of Messengers. And We gave ‘Isa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), clear signs and supported him with Rooh-ul-Qudus [Jibreel (Gabriel)]. Is it that whenever there came to you a Messenger with what you yourselves desired not; you grew arrogant? Some you disbelieved and some you killed”[al-Baqarah 2:87] Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was tested with the enmity of his father and his people, and by being thrown into the fire.
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“They said: ‘Burn him and help your aalihah (gods) if you will be doing.’
We (Allah) said: ‘O fire! Be your coolness and safety for Ibrahim (Abraham)!’
And they wanted to harm him, but We made them the worst losers”
[al-Anbiya’ 21:68-70]
And he was tested with the command to sacrifice his son Isma’eel
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And, when he (his son) was old enough to walk with him, he said: ‘O my son! I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you (offering you in sacrifice to Allah). So, look what you think!’ He said: ‘O my father! Do that which you are commanded, In sha’ Allah (if Allah wills), you shall find me of As‑Saabiroon (the patient).’
Then, when they had both submitted themselves (to the Will of Allah), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (or on the side of his forehead for slaughtering);
We called out to him: ‘O Abraham! You have fulfilled the dream’ Verily, thus do We reward the Muhsinoon (good‑doers. See 2:112).
Verily, that indeed was a manifest trial. And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice. [al-Saaffaat 37:102-107]
Ibn al-Qayyim said in al-Fawaa’id (p. 42)
The path is the path for which Adam exerted himself, and for which Nooh wept, al-Khaleel was thrown into the fire, Ismaa’eel was laid down to be sacrificed, and Yoosuf was sold for a low price and remained in prison for several years, and Zakariya was cut in two with a saw, and Yahya was slaughtered, and Ayyoob suffered severe illness, and Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) suffered poverty and all sorts of trials and tests.
Just as Allah protects the Prophets and takes care of them, so too He tests them as He wills with the kaafirs’ persecution of them. So that they may attain a level where they deserve His honor in full. These are some of the reasons why Allah tested His Prophets and Messengers with the persecution of their people. Great Wisdom is His and from Him come perfect blessings. There is no god but Him and no Lord besides Him. Think about the story of our father Adam (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and how his test ended with him being chosen and brought close to Allah, repenting, and being guided and raised in status.
If you ponder Allah’s wisdom in that with which He tests His slaves and chosen ones, by means of which He directs them to achieve the highest goals and reach the highest positions, which they could not have achieved without these tests and trials… all these tests and trials are in fact a kind of honor, for while they appear to be trials and tests, in fact, they are mercy and blessings.
