Embracing the Struggles of

this Life’s Journey

Embracing the Struggles of this Life’s Journey

‫ﺑﺴﻢ اﻟﻠﻪ اﻟﺮﺣﻤﻦ اﻟﺮﺣﻴﻢ‬

َ
ُ‫ ﻗ َﺎلَ ر َﺳُﻮلُ اﻟﻠَّﻪِ ﺻ َﻠَّﻰ اﻟﻠﻪ‬: َ‫ ﻗ َﺎل‬،َ‫أ ﺑ ُﻮ ﻫُﺮ َﻳْﺮ َة‬
َ ‫ »إِنَّ اﻟﺮ َّﺟ ُﻞ َ ﻟِﻴَﻜ ُﻮنُ ﻟَﻪُ ﻋ ِﻨْﺪ‬:َ‫ﻋ َﻠَﻴ ْﻪِ وَﺳَﻠَّﻢ‬
‫ ﻓ َﻤَـﺎ ﻳَﺒْﻠُﻐُﻬ َـﺎ ﺑِﻌَﻤَـﻞ ٍ ﻓ َﻤَـﺎ‬،ُ‫اﻟﻠَّـﻪِ اﻟْﻤَﻨْﺰ ِﻟَـﺔ‬
ُ‫ ﺣ َﺘَّﻰ ﻳُﺒَﻠِّﻐَﻪ‬،ُ ‫ﻳَﺰ َالُ اﻟﻠَّﻪُ ﻳَﺒْﺘَﻠِﻴﻪِ ﺑِﻤَﺎ ﻳَﻜ ْﺮ َه‬
‫»إِﻳَّﺎﻫَﺎ‬

Abu Hurairah (radi Allahu anhu) said Allah’s Messenger(‫)ﷺ‬

said: A man has a fixed status with Allah and he is unable to
reach it due to his actions. Therefore, Allah continues to
test and trial him with things he dislikes until he reaches
that status.”[1]

Benefits for this topic

This hadith teaches us that when we fall short in our

worship and we are worthy of a certain reward from
Allah, He tests and trials us with difficulties in our
lives.

There is another hadith that carries the same meaning

collected by Abu Dawud, Ahmed and others.

ِ‫إِنَّ اﻟْﻌَﺒْــﺪ َ إِذ َا ﺳَــﺒَﻘَﺖْ ﻟَــﻪُ ﻣِــﻦ َ اﻟﻠَّــﻪ‬

ُ ‫ اﺑ ْﺘَﻼَ ه‬،ِ‫ﻣَﻨْﺰ ِﻟَــﺔٌ ﻟَــﻢْ ﻳَﺒْﻠُﻐْﻬ َــﺎ ﺑِﻌَﻤَﻠِــﻪ‬
َ َ
‫ـﻲ‬‫ أ وْ ﻓ ِـ‬،ِ‫ـﺎﻟِﻪ‬ ‫ـﻲ ﻣَـ‬
‫ أ وْ ﻓ ِـ‬،ِ‫ـﺪِه‬ ‫ـﻲ ﺟ َﺴ َـ‬ ‫اﻟﻠَّـ‬
‫ـﻪُ ﻓ ِـ‬
ُ‫ ﺛُـﻢَّ ﺻ َـﺒَّﺮ َه ُ ﻋ َﻠَـﻰ ذ َﻟِـﻚ َ ﻳُﺒَﻠِّﻐُـﻪ‬،ِ‫وَﻟَـﺪِه‬
ِ‫اﻟْﻤَﻨْﺰ ِﻟَﺔَ اﻟَّﺘِﻲ ﺳَﺒَﻘَﺖْ ﻟَﻪُ ﻣِﻦ َ اﻟﻠَّﻪ‬
The Prophet(‫ )ﷺ‬said: When Allah has previously decreed for a
servant a rank which he hasn’t attained by his action, He
afflicts him in his body, his wealth and with his children. He
then enables him to endure that so that He can bring him to
rank previously decreed for him by Allah.[2]

These trials and test come to us in many different

forms. Allah says: We will certainly test you a touch of
fear, hunger, loss of wealth , life and crops. Give good
news to those who patiently endure.[3] This verse
mentions five things. The word touch could apply to a
small amount or great amount. There are two types of
fears; general and specific. The general is similar to
when a person living a particular place face an
invasion. The specific fear relates to a person being
afraid of a life threating illness. The test of hunger
could result from three things, famine , not enough
money to buy food, or an illness that restricts food
from entering his stomach. The test from loss of wealth
could be a person being unemployed. The test of life
could result on losing a loved and the loss of crops
could result from a drought or flood.[4]

Allah knows based on His Qadr the exact level of Jannah

the servant is entitled to; however, his actions aren’t
sufficient enough to help earn that rank. Therefore
Allah tests him, so that he can earn his rightful place
in Jannah. This from Allah’s blessings.[5]
 This hadith is proof that acts of obedience raise a
person’s status and when they aren’t many in number then
Allah will raise a person’s status by way of tests and
trials.

When we are going through difficult times, we must have

good thoughts of Allah and be certain that what’s
happening is part of His plan and in our best interest.
The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬said

ُ‫ﻣَﻦ ْ ﻳُﺮ ِد ِ اﻟﻠَّﻪُ ﺑِﻪِ ﺧ َﻴ ْﺮ ًا ﻳُﺼ ِﺐ ْ ﻣِﻨْﻪ‬

Whoever Allah intends good, He makes him suffer from some

affliction.[6]

When Allah intends good for the servant then from His
Mercy He tests with a sickness in his body, causes death
to one of his children; which causes him grief, or He
tests him with a decrease in his wealth which brings him
to a difficult period in his life. Then Allah rewards
him for his patience if the servant is patient
anticipating a reward from the Most High. The servant
will then find the results from this affliction on his
scale of good deeds, or find it as an expiation for his
sins.[7]

The wording in the above hadith, “He makes him suffer

from some affliction, could mean to that his affliction
from other means as well. i.e a humanbeing.

Having an ease in your life, with good health and

sufficient wealth results in a person being heedless of
Allah and thus turns away from Him. Nonetheless, if a
person is grateful to Allah during that the period of
 ease in his life then he doesn’t spoil his situation.
Affliction breaks the soul from its evil and results in
a person with true faith to return to Allah allowing him
to attain the reward of the Hereafter.[8]

At times the servant of Allah may find the trial in his

life quite difficult and feel its unbearable, then he
must be mindful that Allah doesn’t burden a soul beyond
its capacity.

The greater the trial the greater the reward. What

reward is better than Jannah? The Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬

ِ‫إِنَّ ﻋ ِﻈ َﻢَ اﻟْﺠ َﺰ َاءِ ﻣَﻊَ ﻋ ِﻈ َﻢِ اﻟْﺒَﻼَ ء‬

Great rewards come with great trials.[9]

A powerful supplication to make to during your times of

the struggle are those the Prophets made during their
hardships found in the Quran.

A dua found in the Sunnah to frequently use during

difficult times.

َ‫ وَاﻟْﻌَﻔَﺎف‬،‫اﻟﻠﻬ ُﻢَّ إِﻧِّﻲ أَﺳْﺄَﻟُﻚ َ اﻟْﻬ ُﺪ َى وَاﻟﺘُّﻘَﻰ‬

‫وَاﻟْﻐِﻨَﻰ‬

Oh Allah I ask you for guidance, piety, chastity and self-

sufficiency.[10]

[1] Collected by 1/344 ‫ واﻟﺤﺎﻛﻢ‬، (2908) ‫اﺑﻦ ﺣﺒﺎن‬

[2] Abu Dawud 3090 graded as authentic by Shaykh Al-Albani

[3] 2:155

[4] Refer to Tafsir Al-Uthaymeen, vol 2/pg 178

[5] Refer to Mulla Ali Qari vol 5/pg 262 ‫ﻣﺮاﻗﺔ اﻟﻤﻔﺎﺗﻴﺢ‬

[6] Al-Bukhari 5645

[7] At-Tamheed Ibn Abdul Bar, Vol 13/pg 119

[8] Ibn Al-Jawzi Kashful Mashakil vol 3/529

[9] Jami At-Tirmithi 2396

[10] Sahih Muslim 2721