A Lecture by Dr.Luqman Idris Sekoni (Hafidhahu Llāhu wa ra’aah). Transcribed by; Hikmah Waliyullah (Umm Ammām). Enjoy!
So, what should be our reactions to trials as believers in Allaah?
• The very first thing a Muslim is expected to do in the face of trial, affliction or distress is “Ad-du’aa”! (Supplicating to Almighty Allaah) coupled with patience, pondering over the glad tidings Almighty Allaah has promised any of His servants who exercise patience when afflicted and not losing hope in His mercy. Remember how all His Prophets patiently persevered when they were severely tested and Almighty Allaah rewarded them beautifully for their patience.
Therefore, supplicate to Allaah with certainty and do not doubt the acceptance of your du’aa. Also, have it ingrained in your mind that no matter how great an affliction/ loss is, Almighty Allaah is capable of making you conquer it or replacing your loss from an angle you never envisaged/least expected. After all, He was the one that made it happen, why then would you doubt His greatness? Nothing, absolutely NOTHING surpasses the power of Almighty Allaah, He alone possesses absolute control over EVERYTHING! So then, have absolute trust in Allaah and watch how He comes through for you.
• Having an unwavering belief in Qadar (divine decree). Knowing that nothing will afflict you except that which has been destined by Allaah will enable you to have a rest of mind. Knowing that no one is capable of harming you except with the permission of Allaah will make it easy for you to exercise patience when tried and prevent you from casting negative aspersions on people. There is nothing like snatching away someone’s glory, everything has been predestined by Allaah. The belief in Qadar is what majority of the Muslims lack thereby consulting those self-acclaimed disbelivers. Believing in Qadar is among the essentialities of a person’s faith which every Muslim must possess.
Ibn ad-Dailami said: I went to ‘Ubayy bn Ka‘b and said to him, “I am confused about the divine decree (Qadar), so tell me something by means of which Allaah may remove the confusion from my mind.” He replied, “Were Allaah to punish everyone in the heavens and the earth, He would do so without being unjust to them, and were He to show mercy to them, His mercy would be much better than their actions merited. Were you to spend in support of Allāh’s cause an amount of gold equivalent to (the mountain of) Uhud, Allaah would not accept it from you till you believed in the divine decree and know that what has come to you could not miss you and that what has missed you was not meant for you. Were you to die believing anything else, you would enter Hell.” He said: I then went to ‘Abdullah bn Mas’ud and he said something to the same effect. I next went to Hudhaifa bn al-Yaman and he said something to the same effect. I next went to Zayd bn Thābit and he told me something from the Prophet to the same effect. [Tansmitted by Ahmad, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah. Mishkaatul- Masaabīh 115]
• Knowing that trials are evidence/manifestation of Allāh’s love and mercy for us and are not meant to torture us. Allaah tries us for different reasons; it might be that He intends to use that trial to wipe away a person’s sins or to uplift his rank or to chastise him for a sin he has committed for him not to receive its punishment in the hereafter or to determine the firmness of one’s faith i.e to differentiate between the true believers and hypocrites. So, whenever you are afflicted with a thing, think of any of these possibilities and be patient!
• Husnu dhann biLlaah (Having a good/positive thought about Allaah). When an affliction strikes, don’t think that Allaah is being unfair to you for our Lord is never unjust. And He has made us known that He tries those He loves and intends goodness for. The people most severely tested are the Prophets of Allaah, then the righteous, then the next best and the next best. A man will be tested by Allaah in accordance with the degree of his commitment to the religion of Allaah. So, have it mind that, the stronger your commitment to the deen of Allaah, the stronger your trial.
• Then, when a calamity strikes, observe people around you and you will surely see someone whose affliction is far greater than yours. This will lessen the impact of that affliction, make you glorify Allaah despite all and make it easy for you to exercise patience. Also, proclaim it in your heart that you are being patient towards that affliction to seek the pleasure of Allaah.
• Also, it is from the traditions of the Noble Prophet (Salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) to express sympathy towards those that are going through any form of affliction and as his followers, we are also expected to imitate this.
We beseech Allaah to not burden our souls beyond what our Eemān could bear. We earnestly seek the refuge of Allaah from afflictions that will take us away from Islaam. We ask Allaah to alleviate our fears, anxieties and grant ease to our troubled hearts for You are the controller of all affairs and no matter how unpleasant a condition is, You are totally capable of granting its bearer ease.
FassaLāmu ‘alaykum warahmatuLlāhi wabarakātuh.
