How great is He who created us all, and made inherent within us our weakness, our fragile natures, our emotional lability, our forgetfulness. How great is He who made us like this and despite this is so Merciful to us that He provides us with trials and tests as opportunities for us to try and sift out the evil effects of these traits that we, some more than others, use to indulge ourselves in this life so deeply. So deeply that any human being who has the audacity to take another man as an object of worship is truly seen as an irrational ignoramus by anyone with an atom’s weight of eman in his Lord and Creator.

SubhanAllah. Far exalted is He above that place we consign Him to. That place in many of our hearts, regrettably, which arrogantly considers itself noble just because we care to think of Him when it is convenient for us.

How much we read from the statements of the nobles before us, the salaf, and pretend to take in their wisdoms. We academically absorb their admonitions, and memorise them to complete that tick-box list in our brains that proves we have the correct ‘aqida. But when Allah is Merciful enough to place an affliction over you, you may then realise the truth in what the salaf would say about the blessings found deep in every trial and tribulation. Let me go beyond that; you would realise the essence of life itself as Allah says:

“Verily, We have created man from drops of mixed sexual discharge, in order to try him, so We made him hearer and seer” [al-Insan 76:2]

“And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to the patient. Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: “Truly, to Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return. They are those on whom are the salawat (i.e. who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided ones.” [al-Baqarah :155-157]

Perhaps the most testing trials are in those problems that are not directly addressed by individual ayat or ahadith. How easy, in theory, for one to turn back to Allah when there is a clear-cut hadith or ayah that addresses one’s troubles. For instance, Allah may test us when we leave off some of his commandments, or indulge in his prohibitions. But the nature of human dealings is that they are often tainted with shades of grey. That flavour of life, purportedly. Weighing up situations and trying to sacrifice some good for a greater good. And subhanAllah, how great is Allah that He often saves us from choosing the wrong option; yet we despair, believing that lost option to be the one that would have benefited us!

“The affair of the believer is amazing! The whole of his life is beneficial, and that is only in the case of the believer. When good times come to him, he is thankful and it is good for him, and when bad times befall him, he is patient and it is also good for him.”[Muslim]

Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (r) mentioned:

“Humans by their nature are social creatures. They must mix with others. However, they have different natures and desires that may cause difficulties. The believer is obliged to fulfill his responsibilities concerning them and this makes the trial much easier.”

May Allah allow us to know our responsibilities to our fellow brothers and sisters, and guide us to fulfilling them, and save us from the hastiness of the impatient, ignoble ones.