By: Shaykh
‘Abdur-Rahmaan as-Sa’dee رحمه الله
One is faced with trials and difficulties
in every moment of life, but having faith and certainty serves to comfort and console one of them. Strong faith,
reliance upon Allaah, hope in the reward of Allaah and desire for His
beneficence are the basic constituents that help bring this state about. The
sweetness of the reward lessens the bitterness of patience. Allaah, Exalted is
He says:
“If you feel
pain, they too are feeling it just as you are, but you hope for something from
Allaah which they cannot hope for.”
[Soorah an-Nisaa,
4:104]
This is why you can find two people who have been afflicted with the same calamity, or almost the same calamity; one of these two having faith and the other not; and there is a huge difference between the states of the two and the way that it affects them, inwardly and outwardly.
Just
as faith consoles one at the onset of calamities, it also consoles one when he
does not attain, or loses what he desires. Therefore, if the believer loses his
beloved, be it his family, son, property, close friend etc., he is comforted by
the sweetness of faith. Faith is the best replacement that the believer has for
anything he loses, and this is something clearly seen and experienced. In
reality losing something beloved is counted amongst the calamities.
It
was the faith of Jacob that allowed him to bear the losing of his son, Joseph,
despite his immense love for him. When his brothers asked him to allow Joseph
to come and play with them he said:
“It grieves me to let him go with you.“
[Soorah Yusuf, 12:13]
thereby
informing them that the cause of his grief, preventing him from letting him go,
was that he would not be able to bear being away from him for even a mere hour.
However they argued with him until they were able to convince him:
” …so that
Allaah would settle a matter whose result was preordained.”
[Soorah al-Anfaal,
8:42]
So
if this was his state, having this intense love that cannot be expressed in
words, is it possible to imagine that he could have born this separation for so
many years? Rather one would expect that the pain of parting with him would
have soon rent asunder his liver! However it was the strength of his faith and
his hope in Allaah that allowed him to restrain himself for all these years
until Allaah brought about the relief that He has promised the believers.
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Excerpt: The Tree of Faith |
Pages 71-72
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