Life is not a place of rest—it is a place of tests and trials. Every one of us will face ups and downs. Sometimes, blessings shower upon us 🌿, while at other times hardships strike 🍂.
Allah ﷻ reminds us that both ease and difficulty are tests:
“And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient – those who, when disaster strikes them, say, Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return. It is they who will have blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is they who are rightly guided.”
(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:155-157)
🌟 Gratitude in Good Times, Patience in Hardship
- When life is smooth, a believer shows gratitude (shukr) to the One who blessed him.
- When calamity strikes, the believer practices patience (sabr) 🤲, turning back to Allah with trust.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ beautifully said:
“Amazing is the affair of the believer! All of his matter is good. If something good happens, he is grateful, and that is good for him. If something bad happens, he is patient, and that is good for him.”
(Sahih Muslim 2999)
👉 This applies only to the believer, because he views both ease and hardship as opportunities to earn Allah’s pleasure.
💰 Wealth & Poverty – Both Are Tests
Many assume wealth = Allah’s love ❤️ and poverty = Allah’s anger. But Allah ﷻ refutes this:
“As for man, when his Lord tries him and is generous to him and blesses him, he says, ‘My Lord has honored me.’ But when He tries him and restricts his provision, he says, ‘My Lord has humiliated me.’ No! But you do not honor the orphan, nor do you encourage one another to feed the poor.”
(Surah Al-Fajr 89:15-17)
🔑 Wealth is not a guaranteed sign of Allah’s pleasure, nor is poverty a sign of His displeasure.
Both are tests:
- The rich are tested in showing gratitude 🕌.
- The poor are tested with patience 🤲.
Scholars, including Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله) and Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله), concluded:
➡️ The best person is not determined by wealth or poverty, but by taqwa (piety & God-consciousness).
⏳ True Patience: At the First Strike
Our Prophet ﷺ reminded us:
“True patience is at the first strike of calamity.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari 1283, Sahih Muslim 926)
✨ Real test = how you respond immediately when hardship hits. Later on, patience becomes easier, but the reward is highest at that first moment.
📖 A Story of Reflection
Imam al-Fuḍayl ibn ‘Iyāḍ once met a man and asked his age.
The man replied: “Sixty years.”
Al-Fuḍayl said:
- “Don’t you realize that you are traveling to your end?”
The man responded with “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un” (We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return).
Al-Fuḍayl then explained:
- **“To say ‘Inna lillah’ means you acknowledge you are His servant.
- To say ‘Wa inna ilayhi raji‘un’ means you admit you will return to Him and be questioned.
So prepare an answer before you stand before Allah.”**
The man became worried and asked: “What is the way out?”
Al-Fuḍayl replied:
➡️ “Do good in what remains of your life, and Allah will forgive what has passed.”
💡 Lesson: No matter how long we wasted in sin, sincere repentance and righteous deeds can earn Allah’s forgiveness 🌹.
🏡 A House in Jannah for the Patient
Another heart-softening hadith:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“When the soul of a believer’s child is taken, Allah asks the angels: ‘Did you take the soul of my servant’s child?’ They reply: ‘Yes.’
Allah asks: ‘What did My servant say?’
They reply: ‘He praised You and said: Inna lillah wa inna ilayhi raji‘un.’
Allah says: *‘Build for My servant a house in Paradise and call it the House of Praise.’”
(Sunan al-Tirmidhi 1021, Hasan)
✨ This shows the immense reward for praising Allah and having patience in tragedy.
🌺 Key Takeaways
- 🌍 Life = Test. Don’t expect it to be free of challenges.
- 🤲 Patience (sabr) and 🙏 gratitude (shukr) are the two wings of a believer.
- 💰 Wealth & 🚫 poverty are both tests—success lies in taqwa.
- ⏳ True patience shines at the first strike.
- 🏡 The reward of patience may be nothing less than a house in Jannah.
🌙 Final Reminder
Whenever calamity strikes, let “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji‘un” flow from your heart and lips 🕊. But don’t just say it—the real power lies in understanding its meaning:
- I belong to Allah 🕌.
- I will return to Him 🌌.
- I will be questioned ⚖️.
- So I must prepare by living in obedience and patience.
💎 May Allah make us among those who are patient in trials, grateful in blessings, and always conscious of Him in every moment. Ameen 🤍.