بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ
There is a something in life we need to understand; Allah says in His Holy Words;
‘and verily the Hereafter will be better for thee than the present’. (93:4)
The akirah is usually translated to mean the hereafter. This is a fact, however in this ayat and in others akirah can also mean the end of your life in this world. Why? Everyone will understand that while you’re growing and developing you will face challenges and difficulties, and it will not be easy. What is important for us to understand at this is stage is that Allah identifies in the Qur’an when the difficulties and trials come we should not ‘give up’ and get frustrated but instead know that there is in fact a purpose and reason for it. Allah says;
‘after a difficulty, Allah will soon grant relief.’ (65:7)
And He has emphasises this. We can conclude that in the earlier stages of your life you will face difficulties but if you put your faith and trust in Allah He will make it easy for you and take care of you. This is possibly one reason why Allah has given us the life story of Prophet Joseph (as). Look at all the trials and hardships he underwent, through no fault of his. These were trials that Allah exposed him to. And look at how beautiful the latter part of his life was after he bore the tribulations and demonstrated true submission to his Lord.
Allah says
‘and surely, we shall try you’. (47:31)
You will face trials and hardships’ and Prophet Muhammad (saw) is even reported to have said that when Allah loves you He tries you. Every believer must understand that in the earlier stages of your life it could be challenging and difficult. This is Allah’s way. He even subjected Prophet to trials both in the personal and public life, and he is the Beloved of Allah . And if Allah can try His Beloved what about us?
We want to please our Lord and earn His blessings and favours so when we are tried we must never give up but reside our faith and trust in Him.
Allah says in Surah Muhammad
‘O ye who believe! If ye will aid (the cause of) Allah, He will aid you, and plant your feet firmly’. (47:7)
Some people believe that as soon as you ask Allah for something, such as help, it should be given immediately. Always remember that Allah knows best. He is all Wise. We only see in the short term and Allah sees everything. Only Allah truly knows.
The true believers are taught to say “I put my affairs in Allah ”. Let Allah take care. He wants us to show Him that we are worthy of His love and blessings.
Take for example the creation of gold. In order to acquire this precious metal it has to undergo a series of process where it is heated and beaten in order to achieve the desired shape and quality. If you want to present yourself as a beautiful ornament to your Lord prepare for the “heating and beaten”. And rest assure that Satan will be the one to test your patience and perseverance.
Allah gave Prophet (saw) the consolation in Surah Dhuhaa;
'Thy Guardian-Lord hath not forsaken thee, nor is He displeased. And Verily the Hereafter will be better for thee than the present. And soon will Thy Guardian-Lord give thee (that wherewith) thou shalt be well-pleased. Did He not find thee an orphan and give thee shelter (and care)? And He found thee wandering, and He gave thee guidance. And He found thee in need, and made thee independent'. (93:3-8)
All the trails he went through as such a young boy and when he began his mission it got worse. His job was to deliver the message regardless of the environment, and Allah took care of him and we too must take solace in that Allah will never abandon us.
When the trials and tribulations come always remember that your Lord will never let you down. And He has taught us to supplicate to Him (through dua). Humbly beg Him. Seek repentance, forgiveness and whatever you want from Him. He will never turn down your dua. Only Allah knows when something is best for you, so He may choose to delay your request or simple wait to give you something much better.
Beg your Lord to make the trials easy. Put your faith in Him and He will take care of your affairs. A lot of us have faith in Him but we go to Him last. We try to exhaust all possible means first and when they appear to have fail then we go to Allah . Go to Him first and He will never let you down. That is guaranteed. One hope is that the future will be better than the past. Whether it is the latter part of our life in this world or the hereafter, He will take care of us.
May Allah make the trials and tribulations that He has decreed for us easy and bearable. May He guide us to behave in the same exemplary manner that our leader, Prophet Muhammad (saw), showed when he was faced with hardships during his mission. And may Allah enable us to rise with the righteous servants on the Promised Day, insha Allah.
