Ibnul Qayyim رحمه الله said:
…If
you ponder Allaah’s wisdom in that with which He tests His slaves and chosen
ones, by means of which He directs them to achieve the highest goals and reach
the highest positions, which they could not have achieved without these tests
and trials… all these tests and trials are in
fact a kind of honour, for while they appear to be trials and tests, in fact
they are mercy and blessings.
How
many great blessings from Allaah are the direct consequences of tests and
trials?
Think about the story of our father Adam, and how his test
ended with him being chosen and brought close to Allaah, and repenting and
being guided and raised in status.
Think about the story of our second father Nooh, and how his test
and patience with his people all those centuries led to his victory, when the
people of earth were drowned in answer to his prayer; and mankind after that
were all descended from his offspring; and Allaah made him the fifth of five,
namely the Messengers of strong will, who are the best of the Messengers. And Allaah
commanded His Messenger and Prophet Muhammad صلّى اللَّهُ
عليه وسلّم to be patient like him, and
praised him for his gratitude, saying:
إِنَّهُ
كَانَ عَبْدًا شَكُورًا
“Verily, he was a
grateful slave”
[al-Isra’ 17:3]
And
He described him as being perfect in patience and gratitude.
And think about the story of our third father Ibrahim, the Imaam of the
monotheists and the Sheikh of the Prophets, the pillar of the world and the
Close Friend of the Lord of the Worlds among the sons of Adam. Think about what
his trials and patience and his offering himself to Allaah led to. Think how
his offering himself to Allaah and supporting His religion led to Allaah taking
him as a close friend (khaleel) for Himself… And Allaah multiplied his
descendants and blessed them and increased them until they filled the world;
and He caused Prophethood and Noble Books to be limited to his progeny
thereafter; and He brought forth from them Muhammad صلّى
اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم and
commanded him to follow the path of his father Ibrahim.
Then think about the one who spoke with Allaah, Moosa, and what his
trials and tests from the day of his birth until the end of his life led to,
until Allaah spoke to him directly and brought him close to Him; He wrote the
Torah for him with His hand and raised him up to the highest heavens, and He
forgave him for what He may not forgive anyone else – for he threw the Tablets
to the ground and they broke; and he seized the beard of the Prophet of Allaah,
Haroon, and pulled him towards him; and he smacked the face of the Angel of
Death and put out his eye; and he argued with his Lord on the night of the
Isra’ concerning the Messenger of Allaah, but his Lord loved him in spite of
all that; and none of that made his Lord get upset with him, or lowered his
status before Him. Rather he is close to Allaah. Were it not for the great
trials and calamities that he had already gone through for the sake of Allaah,
and the immense hardships that he had suffered with Pharaoh and his people then
with the Children of Israel, and the harm they caused him and the patience with
which he bore it, he could not have achieved all that.
Think about the Messiah and his patience in dealing with his
people; his forbearance for the sake of Allaah and how much he had to put up
with, until Allaah raised him up and cleansed him of those who disbelieved and
wrought vengeance upon his enemies, scattering them throughout the earth and
taking away their kingdom and their pride until the end of time.
And when you come to the story of the Prophet صلّى
اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم and
think about his experience with his people and his patience for the sake of Allaah, how he put up with things that no other Prophet
before him had had to bear, facing all kinds of
situations, safety and fear, richness and poverty, security and stability in
his own homeland then moving away and leaving it for the sake of Allaah, the
killing of his loved ones and friends before his eyes, the disbelievers
persecution of him in word and deed, using magic, lies and fabrications against
him – but despite all that he was patient in obeying the command
of Allaah and calling people to Allaah.
No
Prophet was persecuted in the way that he was persecuted, or went through what
he went through for the sake of Allaah; and no Prophet was rewarded as he was
rewarded, for Allaah raised high his fame (al-Sharh 94:4), joined his name to
His and made him the leader of all mankind; He made him the closest of creation to Him, the greatest in status before
Him and the one whose intercession is always accepted. Thus
these trials and calamities were in fact an honour for him, by means of which Allaah
increased him in honour and virtue, and granted him the highest status.
And this is the
case with his heirs after him; each one will have his share of trials and
tests, which will help him to attain perfection according to his following of
the Prophet.
{Miftaah Dar
al-Sa’aadah (1/299-301)}
No comments:
Post a Comment