Affliction

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and all his Companions. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone who has no partner and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger.

This worldly life is the abode of trials and affliction. In which, a believer is afflicted by good and evil, adversity and prosperity, health and sickness, richness and poverty, desires and doubts. Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "Everyone is going to taste death, and We shall make a trial of you with evil and with good. And to Us you will be returned." [Surat Al Anbiya': 35].

It means that We try you with afflictions and blessings to see who will show gratitude and who will show ingratitude, who will observe patience and who will show anger. Ibn `Abbas said: "and We shall make a trial of you," We try you with evil and goodness i.e., with adversity, prosperity, health, sickness, richness, poverty, lawful, unlawful, obedience, disobedience, guidance and aberrance."[1]

Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "And to us you shall return" to hold you accountable for your attitudes, so whoever preserves his belief in all these conditions and fears Allah shall gain the reward, but those who disobey shall receive the punishment.

Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sâbirûn (the patient). * Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: Truly! To Allâh we belong and truly, to Him we shall return. * They are those on whom are the Salawât (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." [Surat Al Baqarah: 155 - 157].

Allah (Exalted be He) says: "Or think you that you will enter Paradise without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said: When (will come) the Help of Allâh? Yes! Certainly, the Help of Allâh is near!" [Surat Al Baqarah: 214].

Al Bukhari reported in his Sahih from the Hadith of Khabbab ibn Al Arat (may Allah be pleased with him) who narrated: "We complained to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) (of the persecution inflicted on us by the infidels) while he was sitting in the shade of the Ka`bah, leaning over his Burd (i.e. covering sheet). We said to him, Would you seek help for us? Would you pray to Allah for us? He said: Among the nations before you a (believing) man would be put in a ditch that was dug for him, and a saw would be put over his head and he would be cut into two pieces; yet that (torture) would not make him give up his religion. His body would be combed with iron combs that would remove his flesh from the bones and nerves, yet that would not make him abandon his religion. By Allah, this religion (i.e. Islam) will prevail till a traveler from Sana (in Yemen) to Hadrarmawt will fear none but Allah, or a wolf as regards his sheep, but you (people) are hasty."[2]

At-Tirmidhy reported from the Hadith of Sa`d ibn Abu Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) who narrated: "I asked: O Messenger of Allah, which people will face trials most? He said: The Prophets, then the likes, then the likes. A man is tried according to his religion. If he is firm on his religion then the trial is severe and if he is soft in observing his religions then he is tried according to his religion. Then, the trial does not remove from the slave till he walks over earth having no sin on him."[3]

A man asked Al Shafi`y (may asked Allah bestow mercy on his soul): O Abu `Abdullah, which is better for a person: To be healthy to thank Allah (may He be Glorified and Exalted) or to be afflicted to observe patience? Al Shafi`y said: A person shall not be healthy but after affliction. Allah (Glory be to Him) afflicted Noah, Abraham, and Muhammad (peace be upon them), but when they observed patience, He made them superior. So, a person should not think that he will get rid of pain for ever.[4]

Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "Allah has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them." [Surat An-Nur: 55].

Ibn Al Qayyim (may Allah bestow mercy on his soul) said: I ask Allah to make you from those who whenever they are given, they show gratitude, when are afflicted, they observe patience, and when they commit sins, they repent. These three things are the causes of happiness and the sign of success in the world as well as in the Hereafter. A person always is inflicted, so he always swings between these three cases.[5]

A believer is inflicted by adversities so that his sins are forgiven, his degree is lifted, and to distinguish the good from the bad...etc.

Al Bukhari reported in his Sahih from the Hadith of Ibn Mas`ud (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: "I visited Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) while he was suffering from a high fever. I said: O Allah's Messenger! You have a high fever. He said: Yes, I have as much fever as two men of you. I said: Is it because you will have a double reward? He said: Yes, it is so. No Muslim is afflicted with any harm, even if it were the prick of a thorn, but that Allah expiates his sins because of that, as a tree sheds its leaves."[6]

Al Bukhari reported in his Sahih from the Hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "If Allah wants to do good to somebody, He afflicts him with trials."[7]

Abu `Ubaydah Al Harawy said: The meaning is: To inflict him with afflictions to reward him. The Muslim nation may be afflicted by the attacks of disbelievers as a punishment for their negligence in worshipping its Lord or as an affliction to raise its degree. Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "But if it had been Allah's Will, He Himself could certainly have punished them (without you). But (He lets you fight), in order to test you, some with others." [Surat Muhammad: 4].

Allah (Exalted be He) says: "Alif Lam Mim, * Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: "We believe," and will not be tested?" [Surat Al `Ankabut: 1 - 2].

What we are seeing these days of the attacks of non-Muslim nations against the Muslim nation confirms the Prophet's saying in the Hadith that Abu Dawud reported from the Hadith of Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) who narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The people will soon summon one another to attack you as people when eating invite others to share their dish. Someone asked: Will that ibn because of our small numbers at that time? He replied: No, you will be numerous at that time: but you will be scum and rubbish like that carried down ibn a torrent, and Allah will take fear of you from the breasts of your enemy and last enervation into your hearts. Someone asked: What is wahn (enervation). Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): He replied: Love of the world and dislike of death."[8]

Salvation of these trials and afflictions is through holding firm with the book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace be upon him) and freeing oneself from polytheism and its people. A believer should have firm confidence in Allah and certainty that the victory of Allah is near even if enemies are abundant and their power is huge, but Allah will surely make His Religion superior. Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "(They were reprieved) until, when the Messengers gave up hope and thought that they were denied (by their people), then came to them Our Help, and whomsoever We willed were rescued. And Our Punishment cannot be warded off from the people who are Mujrimûn (criminals, sinners, disbelievers, polytheists)." [Surat Yusuf: 110].

Allah (Exalted be He) says: "Certainly no one despairs of Allah's Mercy, except the people who disbelieve." [Surat Yusuf: 87].

Allah (Glory be to Him) says: "Verily, We will indeed make victorious Our Messengers and those who believe (in the Oneness of Allâh - Islâmic Monotheism) in this world's life and on the Day when the witnesses will stand forth, (i.e. Day of Resurrection)- *  The Day when their excuses will be of no profit to Zâlimûn (polytheists, wrong-doers and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allâh). Theirs will be the curse, and theirs will be the evil abode (i.e. painful torment in Hell-fire)." [Surat Ghafir: 51 - 52].

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds [i.e., people], and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and all his Companions.

                                         
                                       
      

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[1] Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 3/178.

[2] No. (3612).

[3] No. (2398). He said: This is a good and authentic Hadith.

[4] Al Fawa'id of Ibn Al Qayyim (P. 232 - 233).

[5] Al Wabil As-Sayyib Min Al Kalim At-Tayyib (P. 3).

[6] No. 5660.

[7] No. 5645.

[8] No. 4297, and Al Albany graded it as authentic in Sahih Sunan Abu Dawud 3/810 No. 3610.