By AbdelRahman Mussa

This small series of articles aims to explore the following questions:

• Does Islam promote ease or difficulty?
• Does Islam state that the path to Allah is that of difficulty?

Previously we discussed:

• With Hardship There is Ease
• Wondrous Are The Believers’ Affairs
• Seek Help Through Patience
• He Always Chose The Easiest of Two Matters
• Allah Wants Ease For You
• Allah Wants To Alleviate The Burden
• We Shall Test You With Something of Fear
• Hell is Surrounded By Worldly Desire
• When Is The Help Of Allah Due?
• Allah Tests What Is In Your Breasts
• So That They Might Return To Allah
• The Misunderstood Hadith
• Difficulty or Ease or Something Else?
• A Word on Sacrifice

A Practical Example of Pro-Difficulty Thinking

I’m giving this example to allow you to begin analyzing what you see and hear so that you can distinguish.

One of my disciplines is hypnotherapy. One of the most prevalent things I see is people hypnotizing each other with words and sentences without them being aware that this is what they’re doing. The problem isn’t that they’re hypnotizing one another; The problem is what they’re hypnotizing one another to do, think, and believe!

So with that said, I want to show you how I analyze one of Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rumi’s statements that I don’t agree with. But first, I’ll share what I think of Rumi’s work. He’s very poetic. Many of his sayings are extremely ambiguous. Out of context, many of his sayings can be misunderstood. Sometimes you’re not actually sure who he’s talking to, never mind what he means. So I analyze his words, not by what he meant because only Allah and him would know that and I can’t ask him because he’s been dead for more than 7 centuries. Just because I disagree with this particular saying doesn’t mean that he’s a bad person at all, or that he doesn’t have other sayings that are good. Maybe he meant by it something completely different and just wasn’t able to convey that meaning.

He says what I’m about to share with you. As you read it, imagine it was someone else who was saying it, a normal person you just met and didn’t know much about:

“Don’t turn your head.

Keep looking at the bandaged wound.

That’s where the light enters you.

And don’t believe for a moment that you’re healing yourself.”

What would you think if someone whom you had just met told you that? How would you feel?

Hearing that saying and assuming that the word light is used to refer to guidance or something good leads me to ask the following questions. Some of these questions might sound silly, but bear with me; they all come from what is implied within the above statement:

• Why are you assuming that the light enters through a wound? Does the light only enter through the wound?
• Can’t the light enter through my eyes, mouth, pores, nostrils, or any other opening for that matter?
• Will the light only enter the wound if I’m looking at the wound?
• What if the wound gets infected?
• What is the relevance of telling me that I don’t heal myself after telling me not to look away from the wound?
• If I don’t have any wounds, will the light not enter me?
• If I don’t have a wound, should I create a wound so that the light can enter me?
• How is the light entering if there’s a bandage covering the wound?
• Is the bandage transparent?
• If I have a wound, shall I make more wounds so that more light can enter?
• If I have a wound, shall I stop it from healing to ensure that the light doesn’t stop entering me?
• Is it wrong to seek-out healing?

Again, I’m not critiquing Rumi. I’m critiquing these words. In essence, my disagreement with this saying of Rumi’s is that it implies that growth can only happen through pain and difficulty. This isn’t true.

It also assumes that pain should be celebrated, which is not right. Pain should be met with patience, not jubilation. This is what the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) taught us:

“…When something pleasing happens to him, he is grateful, and that is good for him;and when something displeasing happens to him, he is patient, and that is good for him.”  (Muslim; 7138)

If we celebrate difficulty, then we are not abiding to the teachings of he Prophet ﷺ.

Practical Examples of Pro-Ease Thinking

These examples are also sayings of Rumi. As I said before, I agree with some of his work and you’ll notice a stark contrast between this saying and the one previously mentioned. I’ll leave you with the following two sayings that are truly upbeat:

“You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?”

“Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form.”

AbdelRahman Mussa, a graduate of sharia and a therapist, is the founder of ipersonalenrichment.com, a site specializing in practical tazkiyah (purification of the heart). To receive his free newsletter about tazkiyah, please visit the ipersonalenrichment.com website.

By AbdelRahman Mussa         

This small series of articles aims to explore the following questions:

• Does Islam promote ease or difficulty?
• Does Islam state that the path to Allah is that of difficulty?

Previously we discussed:

• With Hardship There is Ease
• Wondrous Are The Believers’ Affairs
• Seek Help Through Patience
• He Always Chose The Easiest of Two Matters
• Allah Wants Ease For You
• Allah Wants To Alleviate The Burden
• We Shall Test You With Something of Fear
• Hell is Surrounded By Worldly Desire
• When Is The Help Of Allah Due?

In this article we will discuss 3 additional evidences.

Allah Tests What Is In Your Breasts

There is a pair of verses that come separately from one another but within close proximity that can also be misunderstood to favor difficulty as a path to Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He). These verses use the term: “li yumahisa” which literally means “to purify.”

“And that Allah may purify the believers  [through trials] and destroy the disbelievers.” (Qur’an, 3:141)

“[It was] so that Allah might test what is in your breasts and purify what is in your hearts. And Allah is Knowing of that within the breasts.” (Qur’an, 3:154)

When reading the Qur’an, you have to read before and after the particular verse to see if there’s a specific context that the verses are referring to. In this case, the verses surrounding these two verses are talking about fighting and Jihad.

In verse 141, the meaning of “purify the believers” is very closely related to “eliminate the disbelievers.” In other words, Allah is purifying the believers BY eliminating the power of those who hold onto impurity (the disbelievers). When truth overpowers falsehood, it cleanses it. What is left is only truth (purity) or that falsehood is so weakened, such that it’s as if there is only truth.

You see the same meaning in verse 154.

So That They Might Return To Allah

The following piece of evidence can’t really be used as evidence for the claim that difficulty is the path to Allah, but I heard it quoted by a speaker. So in the interest of covering all bases:

“And We sent to no city a prophet [who was denied] except that We seized its people with poverty and hardship that they might humble themselves [to Allah].”(Qur’an, 7:94)

It’s very clear from the verses before and after this one that Allah is only talking about towns that turned away from the truth, towns that were arrogant.

It’s very clear that Allah doesn’t send with his messengers affliction, courtesy of the truth!

The Misunderstood Hadith

Let us narrate one of the most misunderstood occurrences and Hadiths of the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him).

The Prophet ﷺ is looking for a tribe or city to accept Islam and to protect him ﷺ so he goes to Ta’if. It’s a town where his maternal relatives reside and he ﷺ invites them to the path of Allah.

They reject him and set their slaves, the downtrodden, and the children of their town to humiliate and stone the Prophet ﷺ. His injuries were such that his blessed body was flowing with blood and by the time he sat down to rest after fleeing, his slippers were stuck to his feet because of the extent of his wounds.

Was this an easy experience? No; This is the definition of difficulty.

What does the Prophet ﷺ do? He raises his hands to make du`a’ (supplication):

“O my Lord, to you I complain of my weakness of strength and my lack of resourcefulness (that I couldn’t attain what I set out to get.) O most Merciful… If you are not angry with me, then I don’t care! [i.e.: If the stoning that I received was because of your anger, then I care. However if it wasn’t, then I am content]… Except that I would prefer that you would make things smoother/more-open.”

Many misunderstand this hadith to show that the Prophet ﷺ was feeling sorry for himself. Re-read the prayer he makes to Allah and ask yourself: Is this a man wallowing in sorrow and self pity?

“O my Lord, to you I complain of my weakness of strength and my lack of resourcefulness (that I couldn’t attain what I set out to get). O most Merciful.”

When you complain of your weakness, you are asking for more strength. A person wallowing in self-pity wouldn’t ask for that. A person pursuing difficulty would not ask for strength either; He/she would ask for weakness, for weakness would increase the difficulty.

“…If you are not angry with me, then I don’t care!”

Understand this literally. The Prophet ﷺ actually doesn’t care about what happened; It’s as if it didn’t happen, so long as it wasn’t a sign of Allah’s Wrath upon him ﷺ.

“…Except that I would prefer that you would make things smoother.”

I don’t think that these can ever be the words of a broken man. I don’t think that these can ever be the words of a man wallowing in self-pity nor are they the words of one who would prefer hardship over ease! In fact, verbatim, the Prophet ﷺ says that he doesn’t care so long as this isn’t indicative of Allah’s Wrath upon him. This isn’t a man broken.

I heard a speaker once say that this hadith teaches us that Allah gives us difficulty to break us so that we turn back to Him. How does this hadith teach us that?

In fact, saying that implies that the Prophet ﷺ was looking away from Allah to start with! Find me one occurrence in his blessed life where he strayed from Allah. The only reason this happened to him was because he went to Ta’if on the path of da`wah, calling to Allah! From the words of the Prophet ﷺ, it’s clear that difficulty wasn’t even on his RADAR!

Allah and the angels cared that this occurred to the Prophet ﷺ, so Allah gave him the power to avenge this tribe. Allah sent the angel of the mountains:

“…If you wish I will bring down the two mountains surrounding the people of Ta’if upon them.”

But Messenger of Allah ﷺ responded:

“No, I hope that Allah will raise from amongst their descendants people that will worship Allah the One, and will not ascribe partners to Him (in worship).” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

This story illustrates many lessons:

To the untrained eye, it would seem that the Prophet ﷺ went through a harrowing experience. But his words refute this.

How is it that the Prophet ﷺ can say that he doesn’t care?

Simply put: Allah is His only goal. Not ease and not difficulty. And with such a huge goal, one doesn’t feel the nuances of pain or difficulty.

For example, if you paper-cut your finger whilst being bored then you will instantly feel the pain. However if you obtain a paper-cut doing something fascinating, you will only realize later that you sustained this injury. Why?

The goal nullifies the pain! If you keep in mind why you are doing something, then the so-called difficulties that you come across will seem totally insignificant. If you feel difficulty, it’s because you are chasing after ease or chasing after difficulty. Make your goal Allah so that you will not feel difficulty. Realize that the bigger goal, the greater the nullification of pain and difficulty!

The bigger your goal, the more insignificant the challenges. There is nothing bigger than Allah. We say Allahu Akbar – Allah is Greater (than anything).

Yusuf `alayhi assalam (peace be upon him) did not feel bitter in prison as people asked him for advice! Had he focused on his ‘hardships’ and ‘difficulties,’ he would never have interpreted the dreams for the fellow prisoners. His bigger goal nullified any pain, challenge or difficulty faced by him in his life – of which there were many!

The next article will discuss:

• Difficulty or Ease or Something Else?
• A Word on Sacrifice

AbdelRahman Mussa, a graduate of sharia and a therapist, is the founder of ipersonalenrichment.com, a site specializing in practical tazkiyah (purification of the heart). To receive his free newsletter about tazkiyah, please visit the ipersonalenrichment.com website.

Whether through death, loss, or disagreement, when we lose someone or something dear to us, we become overwhelmed by the pangs of grief; the pain of loss feels overbearing as though it would never end. Having to face the consequences of detachment can be a traumatic experience. All we can think of is the pain enshrouding our hearts and consuming our minds. With tears streaming down our faces, our faces contorted with emotion and our hearts too feeling as though a heavy burden has landed—the misery takes a hold of us and, blinded by our tears, we fail to see the light.

But there is a light; a light to behold even in the darkest corner of the earth, even in the murkiest depths of the ocean. We don’t have to drown in the quicksand of trauma. Nothing and nobody by Allah’s Will subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) has the ability to overpower the underlying depth of:

Inna lilLahi wa inna ilayhi raji`oon.

Verily, unto God do we belong and, verily, unto Him we shall return.

When we actually give some time and thought to reflect upon the words which constitute this statement, we come to realise that there is an extremely powerful and truthful message behind it—an answer to all our questions, grief and emotions.

This profound phrase captures the essence of our entire existence; it encapsulates where we came from and also where we are headed:

Allah

Understanding the statement has the ability to eradicate regrets and past events. It holds the key to finding contentment during those times when we think, ‘Why did that have to happen?’ We can become immersed in questioning, and drown in the misery of relentless searching for the answer…Or we can discover patience by asserting that regardless of whatever has occurred, we will indeed return to Allah (swt).

When we truly understand the meaning of inna lilLahi wa inna ilayhi raji`oon, we find that no sadness will last forever, and that we shouldn’t destroy ourselves by holding even the slightest bitterness or anger within us. By understanding that Allah (swt) is the One, the only One to Whom we belong, we should be able to move on from painful moments in our life (which we should assert as not being able to occur except that Allah (swt) Willed for it to be) and strive for our goal of meeting Him.

There should be no space for bitterness or anger when one truly comprehends the deep truthfulness of this phrase, and we should be able to forgive those who have intentionally or unintentionally wronged us because we know that Allah (swt) alone holds all sovereignty and that even our emotions belong to Him. By forgiving ourselves and others, by showing sabr (patience) in the face of death or loss, and by aspiring for Allah’s Mercy and Judgement, we open ourselves to a whole new level of understanding ourselves in the context of space and time. We can understand by His Will that Allah (swt) is all that matters, and everything else in this dunya (current life, world) is a means for us to reach Him because we want to be able to See Him at the end, for without a doubt we will have to return to Him.

‘Inna’ meaning ‘verily’ tells us that with certainty we belong to Allah (swt), that is, He Created us and bestowed on us our beginning without a doubt. ‘Inna’ occurs twice in this phrase, providing an emphasis on the certainty of Allah’s Ever-Lasting existence, emphasising the certainty of our beginning AND our end. So Allah (swt) is Al-Awwal (the Beginning, the First) and Al-Akhir (the End, the Last). Al-Awwal ul Akhir (The Ever-Lasting) is the source of light in every single moment of despair, hardship, and difficulty where our tears and grief blind us. Instead of allowing or hearts and souls to become blinded by the darkness of sadness, we can train ourselves in times of positive feelings and negative feelings to find contentment in Allah’s Decree, for nothing happens without His Decreeing it.

Allah (swt) tells us in Surah Baqarah, verses 155-156:

And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sabirun (the patient). Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: “Verily! To Allah we belong and verily, to Him we shall return.” (Qur’an 2:155-156)

This is our Lord, the One Who Created us when we were nothing, telling us in His Divine Book—tanzil (sent down) to humans and jinn as a dhikr (reminder)—that He will definitely test us with trials, but that He has Promised reward for those who are patient.

And how do we be ‘patient’ in the face of turmoil?

Just as Allah (swt) has created tests involving struggle, risk and loss, Allah (swt) has also told us how to approach these tests; He has revealed to us that the patient are those who, when afflicted with calamity, say, “Inna lilLahi wa inna ilayhi raji`oon.” In His infinite Mercy, Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala has allowed for relief to accompany difficulty. This also shows us that the losses and difficulties won’t last forever, and that everything which we regard as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ in the dunya is of temporal nature.

No pain or grief or disagreement can last forever, but with certainty, Allah (swt) lasts forever and from Him we came to be and it is to Him we will with certainty return.

This means that the events which take place in this dunya are mere moments. We become so consumed by our grief that we fail to see that al-Qahhar (the Conqueror, the Ever-Dominating) has provided us with light and that even in the most difficult times, Allah (swt) provides ease with hardship.

Upon coming to terms with the truth and power imbued in inna lilLahi wa inna ilayhi raji`oon and proceeding to integrate this magnificent statement into each moment of your daily life, when you are faced with any minor or major losses, you will see a whole new world of contentment and serenity opened up to you, insha Allah (God willing).

The trials faced by Umm Salamah radi allahu `anha, may God be pleased with her, teach us important lessons about how to handle tests, loss and situations in which we do not get something we had hoped for. Her approach towards calamity shows us what it means to be patient in the face of adversity and to recognise that Allah (swt) will always restore what He takes away from a patient believer with something better.

All is NOT lost.

The beautiful way in which she approached her afflictions reminds us to rely on Allah (swt) and to never despair for He is Able to do anything at any moment; Allah (swt) is our Provider, and when we are struck by loss, and things don’t go the way we want them to, Allah (swt) is Ever-Watching and He is the Best of planners. Umm Salamah’s first husband was Abu Salamah radi allahu `anhu, may God be pleased with him, who returned to Allah (swt) during Jumada Al-Akhir in the fourth year after Hijra, after receiving wounds in the Battle of Uhud. His passing from this dunya resulted in grief for she had loved him sincerely; nonetheless, Umm Salamah (ra) did not fail to turn to Allah (swt). Heartbroken by his departure, she remained steadfast in her relationship with Allah (swt) and supplicated to Him for our Rabb (Lord) is Al Mughni—the Enricher, the One Who satisfies the necessities of His Creation. In her grief-stricken state as she wondered who could possibly be better than Abu Salamah, she supplicated:

inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji`oon; Allahumma ajirni fi musibati wa akhlif li khayran minha

‘Verily, we belong to Allah and verily, unto Him shall we return. O Allah! Reward me for the calamity that has befallen me and grant me better than it.’

Allah (swt) then answered her du`aa (supplication) by giving her the Messenger ﷺ (peace be upon him) himself! In Shawwal of the same year in which Abu Salamah (ra) returned to Allah (swt), the Messenger of Allah ﷺ married her. Thus, because of her patience and acknowledgement that we belong to Allah (swt) and unto him we return, Allah (swt) compensated her with reward and recompensed her loss. Allah (swt) alleviated her and answered her question, “Who is better than Abu Salamah?” by blessing her with our beloved Messenger ﷺ.

This legacy speaks volumes of the reward and relief Allah (swt) grants to those who are patient, and those who have tawwakul (reliance) on Allah (swt) to replace what is taken away from the believer who lives with patience. What we are provided with is His to give and take, and it is in acknowledging that He is the Owner of all that we are able to see through loss and hardship, and witness blessings.

If you are facing any trial in the present, know that Allah (swt) provides ease and that the cure is with you by Allah’s Will. Reflect on, and realise that none other than Allah (swt) Knows best about what adversity or struggle you are going through for Allah (swt) is the One Who tested you with such, and on no soul does He place more than that which it can bear—Allah (swt) is closer to you than your jugular vein, than your own self, and so He Knows what you are feeling. The next time you are faced with a grief or loss, or even happiness and blessing from Allah (swt), by uttering, comprehending and believing that our final destination is Allah (swt)—the end is essential for our eternal bliss—through making Allah the means to Him, glimpses of light make their way through your feeling of loss.

For each time that you submit to Allah (swt) alone by not only uttering inna lilLahi wa inna ilayhi raji`oon but by understanding it and feeling its essence in your heart and limbs through acknowledging Allah’s Power, you will not only be rewarded insha Allah but Allah (swt) will return His favours and blessings upon you for submitting to His Will with sabr (patience). Like Umm Salamah (ra), place your trust in Him to get you through any manifestation of loss, however slight or major you may consider it to be, and trust Allah (swt) to answer your supplications, for no du`aa is lost.

No distress or loss is too difficult to deal with when we know Allah (swt), and place our trust in Him to get us through everything, whether we consider the moments as good or bad. No distress or loss is too difficult to deal with when we acknowledge and apply that we certainly belong to Allah, and we certainly return to Him.

“Leave your country in search of loftiness and travel! For in travel there are five benefits: Relief of adversity, earning of livelihood, knowledge, etiquettes, and noble companionship.” – Imam As-Shafi

I was born and raised in a small suburb of Houston, Texas called Sugar Land, where I spent the first nineteen years of my life. In September 2009, immediately after high school, my younger brother and I left for Medical School to a relatively remote island in the West Indies called St. Kitts. Now, after almost two years, as my last semester comes to an end and these bittersweet feelings run through my head, I can’t help but reflect on a realization I’ve come to.

Moving out of a home and land that you dwelled in for the first nineteen years of your life, and into a land that is completely unknown, can, and will, change a person. As human beings, we get so comfortable in these little niches that we form, and get so accustomed to the way things are, that we begin to abhor the concept of change. We can’t tolerate the harsh truth that we are going to have to “start all over”; a new home, new friends, and new memories.

However, after initial hesitation — and often, active resistance — we begin to inescapably move on. It’s funny though, and even a little scary, how quickly we get so comfortable with our new lives in our new homes, and with our new friends in our new communities, and we begin to realize that all the things we had once longed for and were afraid to lose, were awfully temporary.

We begin to understand the ephemeral nature of pain, sorrow, happiness, and pleasure, and, on a larger scale, of life itself. I lived in my city with my parents and my siblings in a house of nine. I formed, what I thought to be, everlasting bonds. I knew the land as if it were my own, and felt proud to call myself a Texan. But now, as poignant as it is, I’m happy here in St. Kitts. I began to realize, very early on, that the sadness I felt when I was leaving home was transient. I began to realize that all the material possessions I had amassed and thought I couldn’t live without were impermanent. And I began to realize that all these people I called my friends and my foes, were short-lived.

I couldn’t help but think to myself that perhaps Allah subhanahu wa ta`la (exalted is He) plans out these brief phases in our lives, so that He may paint for us a bigger picture. So He may elucidate to us a truth: that just like all these brief phases, emotions, and acquaintances come and go, so too we came, and so too we will go. So that He may show us that we are on a train on which one ticket stub has been torn off in the womb, another when we came into this world, but the third and final stub awaits until we enter either paradise or the fire of hell, may Allah swt protect us all. Maybe Allah swt wanted to make us realize that we have no real reason to be sad, or that we cannot hope to find pure happiness in things belonging to this world because eventually, inevitably, “everything will perish” (Qur’an, 55:26).

“Oh men who take pleasure in this world, falling in love with a fading shadow is pure stupidity”. – `Ali radi Allahu ‘anhu (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is high time that we stop putting our ultimate and deepest trust, happiness, and love in people, places, and objects, because we will be disappointed. These friends that we once confided in, and thought we couldn’t live without, will be replaced as we move from place to place, and our families will eventually pass. We are eventually going to have to move out of these homes in which we spend our whole lives, cultivate attachments and resentments, and create everlasting memories. It’s time we get a grasp on the truer reality, and realize that the only things that are permanent are those things that are connected to Allah swt.

When you trust in Allah, and place all your affairs in His hands, you will never be let down. When you truly understand the meaning of “Allah is closer to you than your jugular vein” (Qur’an, 50:16), and form a pure and true relationship with Him, you come to know that it’s an everlasting and mutual relationship. When you find your truest happiness and tranquility with Allah, you will realize it’s permanent. For “only in the remembrance of Allah will man find true comfort, tranquility, and peace” (Qur’an, 13:28). It is then, and only then, that we will be able to truly please Allah swt, and enter into our permanent home. For “that is the ultimate, supreme achievement” (Qur’an, 4:13).

“What is this world but a dream that a sleeper sees – he delights in it for a few moments, and then wakes up to face reality”. – Hasan Al-Basri

My life. My hurt. My pain. My joy. – On all the different things I see;

I went to them seeking counsel, in how to please the One above,

How to live a life for Him – not out of force – but love.

I’ve gotten the wrong advice, from more than I care to remember,

Advice that cut, bled, and scarred me – All which became a part of ‘I’

A part that is impossible to dismember.

But it comes to a point that I realize, their wrong counsel was essential

In removing a faulty foundation and showing me my true potential.

Without their bogus words, probably well intentioned,

I wouldn’t have appreciated the uplifting words.

Perhaps, would have ignored them when mentioned

Instead they sunk deep, straight to an aching heart,

Making more sense than ever, a feeling I hope will never part.

There are certain things that are not understood

Except through pain then redemption

Certain things that are not understood

Unless you are compelled to first question

Question everything you know, and everything you did.

Everything you heard and everything you believed in.

They say learning is a gift – no matter who the teacher.

Even if its teacher is pain – as long as it leads to a brighter future.

And so, handing my heart to Allah (swt), I prayed that I might be purified. And while I had always held to firm faith that God is the Hearer of prayers, I never imagined when – or how – that prayer would be answered.

Soon after that prayer, I experienced one of the most difficult periods of my life. During the experience, I braced myself, and prayed for guidance and strength. But never did I see any connection to my previous prayer. It was not until that time had passed, and reflecting on it, I realized how I had grown. Suddenly I remembered my prayer. Suddenly I felt that the difficulty was itself the answer to the prayer I had made so desperately.

The words of Rumi explain beautifully: “When someone beats a rug with a stick, he is not beating the rug – his aim is to get rid of the dust. Your inward is full of dust from the veil of ‘I’-ness, and that dust will not leave all at once. With every cruelty and every blow, it departs little by little from the heart’s face, sometimes in sleep and sometimes in wakefulness.”

So often we experience things in life, and yet never see the connections between them. When we are given a hardship, or feel pain, we often fail to consider that that experience may be the direct cause or result of another action or experience. Sometimes we fail to recognize the direct connection between the pain in our lives and our relationship with Allah (swt).

That pain and adversity serves many purposes in life. Times of hardship can act as both an indication as well as a cure, for our broken relationship with our Creator.

Times of difficulty test our faith, our fortitude and our strength. During these times, the level of our iman becomes manifest. Adversity strips away our masks, revealing the truth behind mere declaration of faith. Hardships separate those whose declaration is true from those who are false.

Allah says: “Do the people think that they will be left to say, “We believe” and they will not be tested? But We have certainly tested those before them, and Allah will surely make evident those who are truthful, and He will surely make evident the liars” (Qur’an, 29:2-3).

Hardships test us. But hardships can also be a blessing and a sign of Allah’s love. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “Whenever Allah wills good for a person, He subjects him to adversity” [Bukhari].

And yet most people cannot fathom how adversity could possibly be good. Many do not recognize that hardship is in fact a purifier, which brings people back to their Lord. What happens to the arrogant who are suddenly put in a situation they cannot control? What happens to a man who finds himself stranded on the ocean in the middle of a storm? What happens when the ship that is ‘unsinkable’ becomes the tale of the Titanic?

These perceived misfortunes are in fact wake up calls. They humble.  They shake. They remind us of how small we are, and how Great God is. And in that way they awaken us from the slumber of our deceptions, our heedlessness, our wandering, and bring us back to our Creator. Hardships strip away the veil of comfort from our eyes, and remind us of what we are and where we’re going.

Allah (swt) says: “…And We tested them with good [times] and bad that perhaps they would return [to obedience]” (Qur’an, 7:168). In another ayah, Allah (swt) explains: “Whenever We sent a prophet to a town, We took up its people in suffering and adversity, in order that they might learn humility.” (Qur’an, 7:94).

This lesson in humility purifies the human soul so much so that Allah (swt) comforts the believers in the Qur’an, assuring them that any pain they encounter is intended to elevate and honor them. He says:

“If a wound hath touched you, be sure a similar wound hath touched the others. Such days (of varying fortunes) We give to men and men by turns: that Allah may know those that believe, and that He may take to Himself from your ranks Martyr-witnesses (to Truth). And Allah loveth not those that do wrong.” (Qur’an, 3:140-142).

It is that very battle to purify the self which is the essence of the upward path to God. It begins with self-sacrifice, and is paved by the sweat of struggle. It is this path, which God describes when He says: “Oh mankind! Verily you are ever toiling on towards your Lord – painfully toiling – but you shall meet Him.” (Qur’an, 84:6).

Does that mean we stop struggling against injustice, or give up on Truth? Of course not. But it means we must not hold this world – and others – to an unrealistic standard. But that’s not always easy. How do we live in a world so flawed, where people let us down, and even our own family can break our heart? And perhaps, hardest of all, how do we learn to forgive when we have been wronged? How do we become strong, without being hard, and remain soft, without being weak? When do we hold on, and when can we let go? When does caring too much, become too much? And is there such a thing as loving more than we should?

To begin to find these answers, we have to first take a step outside our own lives. We need to examine whether we are the first or the last to feel pain or be wronged. We need to look at those who came before us, to study their struggles, and their triumphs. And we need to recognize that growth never comes without pain, and success is only a product of struggle. That struggle almost always includes withstanding and overcoming the harms inflicted by others.

Recalling the shining examples of our prophets will remind us that our pain is not isolated. Remember that Prophet Nuh was abused by his people for 950 years. The Quran tells us: “Before them the People of Noah rejected (their apostle): they rejected Our servant, and said, ‘Here is one possessed!’, and he was driven out.” (Qur’an, 54:9) Nuh was abused so much that he finally “called on his Lord: ‘I am one overcome: do Thou then help (me)!’” (Qur’an, 54:10)

Or we can call to mind how the Prophet ﷺ was pelted with stones, until he bled, and how the companions were beaten and starved. All of this harm was at the hands of others. Even the angels understood this aspect of human nature – before we even came to be. When Allah told the angels that He would create humanity, their first question was about this harmful potential of humans. Allah tells us: “Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: ‘I will create a vicegerent (humanity) on earth.’ They said: ‘Wilt Thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood?’” (Qur’an, 2:30)

This potential of humanity to commit horrific crimes against each other is a sad reality of this life. And yet many of us are so blessed. Most of us have not had to face the type of calamities that others have endured throughout time. Most of us will never have to watch as our families are tortured or killed. And yet, there are few of us who could say we have never been hurt, in one way or another, at the hands of someone else. So although most of us will never have to know the feeling of starving to death or standing helpless as our homes are destroyed, most of us will know what it means to cry from a wounded heart.

Is it possible to avoid this? To some degree, I think it is. We can never avoid all pain, but by adjusting our expectation, our response, and our focus, we can avoid much devastation. For example, putting our entire trust, reliance, and hope in another person is unrealistic and just plain foolish. We have to remember that humans are fallible and therefore, our ultimate trust, reliance, and hope should only be put in Allah. Allah says: “…whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that never breaks. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing of all things.” (Qur’an, 2: 256) Knowing that Allah is the only handhold that never breaks, will save us from much unneeded disappointment.

And yet this is not to say that we should not love or that we should love less. It is how we love that is important. Nothing should be our ultimate object of love, except Allah. Nothing should come before Allah in our hearts. And we should never come to a point where we love something, other than Allah, in such a way, that it would be impossible to continue life without it. This type of ‘love’ is not love, but actually worship and it causes nothing but pain.

But what happens when we’ve done all that and still we have been hurt or wronged by others – as will also inevitably happen? How can we do what is the hardest? How can we learn to forgive? How can we learn to mend our scars and continue being good to people, even when they are not good to us?

In the story of Abu Bakr radi Allahu `anhu (may Allah be pleased with him), is a beautiful example of exactly that. After his daughter, `Ayesha (r), was slandered in the worst way, Abu Bakr (r) found out that the man who began the rumor was Mistah, a cousin who Abu Bakr had been supporting financially. Naturally Abu Bakr withheld the charity he had been giving the slanderer. Soon after, Allah revealed the following ayah: “Let not those among you who are endued with grace and amplitude of means resolve by oath against helping their kinsmen, those in want and those who migrated in the path of Allah. Let them forgive and overlook. Do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? Indeed Allah is oft-Forgiving, most Merciful.” (Qur’an, 24:22) Upon hearing this ayah, Abu Bakr resolved that he did want Allah’s forgiveness, and so he not only continued to give the man money, he gave him more.

This type of forgiveness is at the very heart of being a believer. In describing these believers, Allah says: “And who shun the more heinous sins and abominations; and who, whenever they are moved to anger, readily forgive.” (Qur’an, 42:37)

The ability to readily forgive should be driven by an awareness of our own flaws and mistakes towards others. But most of all, our humility should be driven by the fact that we wrong Allah every single day of our lives, when we sin. Who are we compared to Allah? And yet, Allah, Master of the universe, forgives by day and by night. Who are we to withhold forgiveness? If we hope to be forgiven by Allah, how can we not forgive others? It is for this reason that the Prophet ﷺ teaches us: “Those who show no mercy to others will have no mercy shown to them by Allah.” [Muslim]

This hope for Allah’s mercy should motivate our own desire to forgive and to one day enter the only world that really is perfect.

Originally published by Infocus News

In general, all behaviours (studying, working, sleeping, and fighting) can be summed in: wanting to minimize, escape, or avoid that which harms (i.e. punishment) and wanting to maximize that which benefits us (i.e. reward).

To motivate individuals who seek help for addictions, this fact is used in a technique requiring the client to list all the benefits and harms of his addictive behaviour. Usually the harms list would be longer and therefore trigger the inherent motivation to avoid harm, pain, and loss. This is supposed to expose the ‘cognitive dissonance’ that occurs in one’s mind in which one’s understanding of the consequences of drug use or any long term harmful behaviour is in contradiction to one’s actual current behaviour. In other words you know it’s bad for you but you continue to do it.

At this point the client will usually either acknowledge and start exploring ways of changing his behavioural patterns or, on the contrary, will try to look for other factors with which to justify his ‘inability’ to change. The third option will be to try and ignore the facts and not to ‘believe’ in the severity or immediacy of the harms listed. In all three situations the client is trying to minimize the dissonance (i.e. the contradiction of belief and behaviour) because that is how the human was created; namely, actions must make some rational sense however crazy it may seem to others.

What does that have to do with Islamic shar`iah? Most scholars agree that Islamic shar`iah (the Islamic legal system based on the Qur’an and the tradition of the Prophet) is based on a rationale which we can understand; there is a wisdom (hikmah) and reason (illa) behind most legal rulings (ahkam). They also agree that every single ruling of shar`iah either brings some kind of benefit (maslaha) or wards off some kind of harm (mafsada). This is beautifully illustrated by the saying of Ibn Abbas, who advised Muslims to listen intently whenever they hear Allah calling “O You who believe,” as He is either directing them to a benefit or warning them of a harm. (Madkhal ila Maqasid al-Shar`iah, Dr. A. Raysuni).

To many this may come as a surprise – it is, of course, in total contradiction to the popular belief that all religion is irrational, illogical, and unscientific, and inspires fanatical blind following stemming from ‘infantile’ psychological needs. Paradoxically, it is also very different to the religious education many young Muslims experience from their parents or teachers who simply tell them, military style, “This is halal (permissible) and this is haram (forbidden).” They are instructed to listen and obey without question. On the contrary Muslim scholars recognised the underlying rationale and logic and thus summed up the goal of Islamic shar`iah in one condensed sentence: ‘the attainment of benefit and prevention of harm.’ Some of them reduced it even further to simply ‘the attainment of benefit.’

Ibn al-Qayyim points to this fact: “The Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) are full of rationale for legal rulings including wisdom, benefits [masalih]…” he further affirms “these rationale are to be found in over a thousand places (in the texts) expressed through various means…” (quoted in Madkhal ila Maqasid al-Shar`iah, Dr. A. Raysuni).

Even a cursory glance at Qur’anic verses related to worship will clearly illustrate this concept. We perform Salah (prayer) so that we remember Allah and that prevents us from indecency and evil; paying zakat purifies the wealth, feeds the poor, and keeps wealth circulating between rich and poor; fasting purifies the mind body and soul and teaches self restraint and consciousness of Allah; remembrance of Allah brings sakina (stillness and tranquility) to the hearts.

But what exactly is meant by maslaha and mafsada? Imam al-Razi (ra) in al-Mahsul succinctly defined maslaha as nothing but pleasure or that which leads to it; and mafsada as pain or that which leads to it.

Imam `Izz ad-Deen b. Abd al-Salam in al-Qawaid al-Kubra further defines maslaha as

1. Pleasure and their causes and
2. Happiness and its causes.

He defines mafsada as

1. Pain and its causes and
2. Sadness and its causes.

Pleasure and pain allude to physical realities whilst happiness and sadness allude to emotional or psychological realities. He further divided each of the above categories into earthly and those related to the hereafter

An analysis of what Islam and living by shar`iah ultimately offers boils down to attainment of both temporary and eternal benefit and avoidance of temporary and eternal pain on both the psychological and physical levels in this world and the next.

Allah, most High, says regarding the benefit and pleasure in this life and the next.

“Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.” (Qur’an, 16:97)

Allah, most High, says regarding the harm and pain in this life and the next:

“And whoever turns away from My remembrance – indeed, he will have a depressed life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind.” (Qur’an, 20:124)

The Qur’an repeatedly reminds to do that which will benefit and that any rebellion against Allah only leads to harm. It is part of our inherent disposition to love that which benefits us and hate that which harms us.

Allah, most High, describes this disposition:

“Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire – of women and sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded horses, and cattle and tilled land. That is the enjoyment of worldly life, but Allah has with Him the best return [i.e. Paradise].” (Qur’an, 3:14)

“And indeed he is, in love of wealth, intense.” (Qur’an, 100:8)

But how can one explain the ‘pleasures’ that exists in many forbidden acts and the deceivingly desirable lives that many non-Muslims or corrupt Muslims lead? How can one explain the ‘hardships’ involved in many types of worship and in constantly refraining from forbidden acts?

To answer this there must be an understanding that Islam recognises that absolute benefit and pleasure, as well as absolute harm and pain, are rare in this life, but what Islam gives precedence to is either that which has more benefit than harm or that which is a means to ultimately bring about a greater benefit. According to Imam `Izz al-Deen, benefit (maslaha) is of two types; true (haqiqi) benefit and apparent (majazi) benefit.  Harm is also of two types; true (haqiqi) harm and apparent (majazi) harm. The means to attain a true benefit may be through an apparent harm and the means to ward off harm maybe by foregoing an apparent benefit. For example any hardship experienced in fulfilling Islamic obligations such salah, fasting, Hajj or any other worship is only an apparent harm that actually leads to a true benefit. Conversely any pleasure forgone by abstaining from forbidden acts such consuming alcohol and drugs, unlawful earnings or engaging in illegal sexual relationships is only a loss of an apparent benefit that actually leads to a true harm.

Imam `Izz ad-Deen further comments on this: “The Prophet’s (peace be upon him) hadith [says] ‘Paradise is surrounded by difficulties, and the fire is surrounded by pleasures.’” The ‘difficulties’ here are harmful (mafaasid) in the sense that they incur hardship and pain. The ‘pleasures’ are beneficial (masaalih) in the sense that they are enjoyable and desired. Human beings by nature prefer that in which the benefit is greater than the harm and detest that in which the harm is greater than the benefit. Therefore when a person looks at the pleasure of committing sins and then looks at the consequences in terms of punishments in this world and the next, he instinctively turns away from it due to the preponderance of harm over the benefit – except the wretched ones…Likewise when a person sees the hardships and pain in things that are beneficial (masalih) initially he is put off, but when he recalls the (longer term) beneficial consequences in this life and the next he is able to bear the hardships and difficulties with patience.”

Indulging in haram in this life will ultimately bring harm and pain on the individual, family or societal level. This is crystal clear when observing the horrendous consequences of crime, murder, illegitimate relationships, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, and usury on individuals and societies today. Of course the harm and pain in the next life is greater. On the contrary, one will be hard-pressed to find a single shari`ah ruling that brings real harm to individuals, families or societies.

In Conclusion

Allah has created human beings with a motivational nature that is psychologically and physically predisposed to the higher objectives of shari`ah and Islam; that is, to truly benefit and prevent true harm in this life and the next. Natural motivations fit hand in glove with what shari`ah calls to.

Furthermore this is the psychological motivational methodology that runs throughout the Qur’an which is termed at-targhib wa al-tarhib (enticing and warning) to affect the maximum psychological impact on the natural disposition (fitra) in order to motivate and elevate all conditions. Motivation is further strengthened by the promise of far greater reward for obedience than that of punishment for disobedience.

“Whoever comes [on the Day of Judgement] with a good deed will have ten times the like thereof [to his credit]

and whoever comes with an evil deed will not be recompensed except the like thereof;

and they will not be wronged.” (Qur’an, 6:160)

The Messenger (peace be upon him) is described as both a warner and bringer of glad tidings, again appealing to the human’s two most powerful natural motivations. Allahu Akbar! It is an immense blessing and truly humbling to be worshipping Allah based on commands and prohibitions that make sense, and which ultimately benefit and bring true pleasure and tranquillity to souls, bodies and minds in this world and the next.

Can there be a greater mercy and blessing than that? Seen from this perspective is there any reason left for the servant not to surrender completely? In da’wah this is a perspective that needs to be highlighted more and explained in the context of ‘instant pleasure’ filled societies. All praise belongs to the Lord of the worlds who has blessed humanity with a shar`iah that is conducive and motivating to all peoples regardless of time and place.