The Believer's Response To Ease And Difficulty

Gratitude, Hope, and Unity in Times of Trial

Respected brothers, elders, mothers, and sisters, it is human nature that when things are going right in our life, then we tend to feel happy. And when things are going not so well, when there is difficulty, when there are calamities that we are faced with, we begin to get saddened, we begin to feel a little bit down. This is how each and every single human has been created.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has created these emotions within us — the feelings of happiness, the feelings of joy, as well as the feelings of grief and sadness. And likewise, the environment around us, the days that we pass through, the various stages of our lives are exactly the same: at times we will find ourselves in good times, when everything is going right, and at times we will find difficulties in our life, when things are not going so well. This is the system of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Both Ease and Difficulty Are Tests

Both of these are tests from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. We often think about difficulties as being a test from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. But the reality is, prosperity is also a test from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

As Allah ta'ala mentions in the 17th juz', in Surah al-Anbiya:

That We will test you with both times of ease as well as times of difficulty. Very rarely do we think of times of ease as a test from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. But the test in times of ease is: how do we react? Are we grateful to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for the bounties that He has bestowed upon us? When we have a plate of food in front of us, do we make shukr to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?

For this food that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given us.

Umar radiyallahu ta'ala anhu used to say:

He said: we were tested with difficulties. We were tested with days of hunger. We were tested with poverty. And we made sabr — we persevered, we remained patient. But then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala opened the doors of wealth. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gave us so many bounties and blessings. بُلِينَا بِالسَّرَّاءِ — that now a time has come when we are being tested with happiness, we are being tested with prosperity. فَلَمْ نَصْبِرْ — he says: I'm afraid we have not passed this test.

For many a times the test of happiness — the test when everything is going right — for a person to still remain connected with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, for a person to still remain grateful to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, is more difficult than for a person who is undergoing difficulty to remain connected to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. When a person is going through stress, he is going through difficulty, he is going through a rough patch in his life, then automatically he turns to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Automatically he raises his hands constantly, begging Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Very easily his eyes will water, tears will flow down. Because he is in a state of desperation, he is in desperate need of the mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. He will ensure that he is attached to the masjid, he will ensure that he is very punctual in performing his salah.

But a person who is in prosperity, a person who has everything — now for him to turn to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala many times is very difficult. Everything is going right, but what do I need? Why do I need to make dua to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? And this is the test of ease, of prosperity — will a person still turn back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?

Sharing in the Joy and Grief of Others

Now our deen takes this a step forward. One is we feel joy, we feel happy when things are going right, and we feel sadness when things are not going so well in our life. But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has taught us through this beautiful deen of ours that we should not only feel happy upon our own achievements, but rather we should feel happy upon the achievements of others — upon the prosperity of others, we should take joy. And upon the difficulty, upon the sadness of others, we should be saddened. This is what our beloved Nabi ﷺ taught us:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 45, Hadith 84)

That the believers are like one body. If the eye is in pain, what happens? The entire body is in pain. The pain is in the eye, it's not in the rest of the body, but the entire body feels the pain. If the head is in pain, the entire body feels that. The pain is restricted to the head, but now a person is tired, a person is having difficulty walking, a person is having difficulty going about his daily activities. Though the pain is restricted to the head, the entire body feels it.

So likewise, Nabi ﷺ is telling us this is how your Ummah is — the exact same way. That we are like that one body. If one part of the Ummah is experiencing joy and happiness, it should bring joy and happiness to us. If one part of the Ummah is going through difficulty, is going through hard times, tough times, it should bring sadness to us.

And if we look in the lives of the Sahaba radiyallahu ta'ala عَنْهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ, this is precisely what we find — that they took joy in the joy of others, and they were saddened by the grief of others.

The Example of Abdullah ibn Abbas

Abdullah ibn Abbas radiyallahu anhuma said:

He said: I have three qualities within myself, which perhaps nobody else has. Number one — sometimes I'll be reciting the book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and I'll come across a verse, and I'll just get so lost, so engrossed in the meanings of that verse, in the depth that is contained in the words of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, that I will wish — my heart will just scream out — that I wish the entire world could join me, and they could also enjoy the joy that I am experiencing.

And then he says:

He said: sometimes I would hear about a particular judge appointed in a certain city in the Muslim lands, and he was ruling with justice. He said that would bring me so much comfort and so much joy. Even though I know that I don't have any case that I need to put forward, I am not going to benefit from that qadi in any way, shape, or form. But just the mere fact that somewhere in the Muslim lands there is a just ruler, a just qadi, who is taking care of and looking after the affairs of the believers — he says that brings me joy and happiness.

He says: sometimes I would hear that in a certain town, some rain has fallen and people are benefiting from the rain. I'm not benefiting from the rain, my animals are not benefiting from the rain, my garden is not benefiting from the rain — but somebody, somewhere, in the lands of the Muslims is benefiting. He says that brings me joy, that brings me happiness, that brings a smile to my face. Just to know that a fellow believer, somewhere in the world, is experiencing happiness.

Umar and Amr ibn al-'As: The Caravan of Compassion

And now you look at the flip side. The Sahaba radiyallahu anhum would express joy and happiness on the success of others, but they would also express sadness, they would also express grief upon the pain of others.

On one occasion, during the time of Umar radiyallahu ta'ala anhu, there was a drought in Medina Munawwara. The people of Medina didn't have much food at that time. So Umar radiyallahu ta'ala anhu wrote a letter to Amr ibn al-'As radiyallahu anhu, who was in Egypt at that time — he was Fatih al-Misr, the conqueror of Egypt, and he was ruling over Egypt at that time.

He wrote in that letter: Oh Amr, it seems like you don't care. It seems like you're not bothered — that you're sitting in affluence, you have food to eat, everything is going right, you're enjoying the prosperity and blessings of Allah ta'ala. But the people of Medina Munawwara are starving. The people of Medina don't have food. You're sitting in comfort. Does this not pain you? Does this not cause you sleepless nights? How are you able to continue to enjoy while the people of Medina are suffering?

When Amr ibn al-'As radiyallahu anhu received this letter of Umar radiyallahu anhu, he trembled. Immediately he responded:

He said: Oh Umar, Oh Ameer al-Mu'mineen, rest assured, your words have not fallen upon deaf ears. I have responded to your call. Your pain is my pain. Your hunger is my hunger. Your thirst is my thirst. I have dispatched to you such a caravan — the first of which will be in Medina, and the last of which will still be here with me in Egypt. Such a large caravan which will take care of all the hunger that the people of Medina are going through.

This is how the Sahaba radiyallahu anhum responded — that I cannot be at ease while my brother is going through difficulty. If he is going through a tough time, if he is going through some pain, if he is going through hunger, if he is going through thirst, then I am also going to feel that pain. I am going to do whatever is in my wus'a, whatever is in my control, whatever I am capable of doing — I will do that to ensure that I can alleviate his pain, that I can bring a smile to his face.

One Year On: Palestine and the Promise of Allah

Respected brothers and sisters, this week marked a very sad anniversary for us and for the entire Ummah, as we passed October 7th. For an entire year now, we have watched the difficulties which have befallen the Muslims across the globe, particularly in Palestine. A person may look at this and think that an entire year has gone by. An entire year of duas have gone by. An entire year of qunoot nazila in so many masajids across the globe has gone by. But where have those duas gone? What change have we seen? If anything, it seems like the challenges and problems that we see happening have intensified.

But this is where we have to remind ourselves of the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ, wherein he said so beautifully:

Your duas will be accepted by Allah, so long as you are not hasty. The Sahaba were surprised and they said: مَا الِاسْتِعْجَالُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ — O Prophet ﷺ, what does it mean for a person to be hasty in his dua? How is a person hasty in his supplication? Nabi ﷺ said, what is meant by a person being hasty in his dua is that he says:

I made dua to Allah, and Allah didn't answer my supplication. When a person has that type of mindset — I made dua, I did what I could do, Allah didn't answer my dua, what can I do now? — when a person has that type of mindset, Nabi ﷺ said, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will not accept this person's dua. That is when the door of supplications will be closed for this individual.

But as long as a person continues to have hope, and he continues to call out to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala from the depth of his heart, the doors are always open. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is Sami'un Baseer. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is Sami'un 'Alim. Allah ta'ala knows of every single supplication that a person is making. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala hears it. Allah ta'ala is aware of it. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will respond to it.

Time and again in the Quran, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions that indeed the help of Allah ta'ala is close. The believers — Allah ta'ala promises them His help. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will come and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will help the believers. This is the promise of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. We have no doubt in it. Our duty, our responsibility is to continue to have hope. To continue to call out to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. For every situation that we are faced with is from Allah ta'ala.

Whatever Allah ta'ala has decreed, that is exactly what will happen.

The Hope of the Prophets: The Example of Ya'qub

We look at the anbiya alayhimu s-salam. You see that they went through far, far more difficulty than any one of us has ever gone through or will ever go through. And yet, each and every single one of them continued to have hope in the mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. You never ever see a nabi becoming despondent in the mercy of Allah azzawajal.

One of the most telling examples in this regard is Ya'qub alayhi s-salam. We know the well-known incident of Yusuf alayhi s-salam and how the two were separated. Father and son were separated — according to some mufassirun for 40 years, according to others for 80 years. 80 years of separation. And not only that, Ya'qub alayhi s-salam first lost Yusuf alayhi s-salam. Then he lost his youngest son Binyamin. And then he lost his third son — the oldest one — who refused to come back:

He told his other brothers: go back, go back to our father. Tell him what has happened. I don't have any face to show my father. I can't come right now. So he had lost three sons. 40 years — some narrations say 80 years — had passed. But what is the message that Ya'qub alayhi s-salam gives his children?

O my dear children, don't despair in the mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Imagine — after so many decades of struggle, after so many decades of difficulty, still Ya'qub alayhi s-salam has this hope in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will unite us. He continued to call out to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. He continued to make dua to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So much so that he lost his sight because of how much he cried.

How beautifully he says: I complain about my grief, about my sorrow, the difficulty that I'm going through — I complain about all of that to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. From which the scholars mention that to complain to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is completely fine, it is permissible. A person raises his hands, he says: Ya Allah, I'm going through this difficulty, Ya Allah, I'm struggling with this — complain to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, no problem. But don't ever complain about Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Don't ever complain about the decree of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala brought about that day when He united the father Ya'qub alayhi s-salam, and He united him with all of his children. And likewise, the same hope that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gave to Ya'qub alayhi s-salam is the same hope that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has promised each and every single believer:

That hope of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is coming. Our job, our duty, our responsibility is to continue to call out to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, to leave a life of sin. There is nothing which serves as a barrier between us and the mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala more than our sins.

Sin as a Barrier to Divine Help

The difficulties, the calamities that we see throughout the world — what does Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala say with regards to this?

All the fasad — the corruption, the difficulties that you see across the globe — this is caused by the sins of people. When we will turn back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, when we will give up that life of sins, when we will connect ourselves with the masajid, when we will connect ourselves with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, when we will continue to call out to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — inshallah, this is when we will see the divine help of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Example of Uwais al-Qarni

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant ease and comfort to all those who are suffering across the globe. All those who don't have food to eat, may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala feed them. Those who are thirsty, may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant them from His infinite treasures.

Uwais al-Qarni rahmatullahi alayhi — it is mentioned about him that every single night, he would take whatever leftover food that he had in his house, and he would give it out in charity. And then he would raise his hands and he would make dua:

O Allah, anyone who has passed away out of hunger — don't take me to task for it. Whatever food I have, I have given it. And then he would look into his closet, and he would take out whatever extra, excess clothing he had, and he would give it in charity. And then he would raise his hands and make dua:

O Allah, anyone in the world who doesn't have clothes to wear — Ya Allah, do not take me to task for it. Whatever was in my capability, whatever I was able to do, I did that. The rest is in Your hands.

Likewise, what is in our capability to do — which is to call out to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, to connect ourselves with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, to leave a life of sin — this is our duty. This is our responsibility. InshaAllah, when we will fulfill our responsibilities, then we will see the help of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us the understanding. Ameen. Ya Rabbil Alameen.

Wa aakhiru da'wana lilhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen.