A person s life in this world is not stable. One passes through alternating
periods of happiness and dismay, strength and weakness, wealth and poverty,
health and sickness, etc. A true believer is one who maintains a clear level
of faith throughout the worldly fluctuations. He continues to remember Allah
and ascribe the bounties to Him, and he turns to Him in submission, asking
for relief from his affliction. This is described by the Messenger (peace be
upon him), who said: Indeed amazing are the affairs of a believer! They are
all for his benefit. If he is granted ease of living he is thankful; and
this is best for him. And if he is afflicted with a hardship, he perseveres;
and this is best for him. (Muslim)



Thus, a believer shows gratitude and thankfulness for all the wonderful
blessings that Allah grants him. And he displays patience and submission
during sickness and hardships, hunger, or other afflictions.





*Hardships benefit the believer*



Allah has decreed that, in this life, hardships and disasters strike both
believers and non-believers. For a non-believer, they are inconveniences
that hinder him from proceeding with his normal involvement in the worldly
life.





*Expiations of sins*



Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet said,
Hardships continue to befall a believing man and woman in their body,
family, and property, until they meet Allah burdened with no sins.
(At-Tirmidhi)





*Sign of Allah s Love*



Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) said, Whenever Allah wills good for a
person, He subjects him to adversity. (Al-Bukhari and others)





*Sign of faith*



Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) and Ka`b Ibn Malik (may Allah
be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) said,



The parable of a believer is that of a fresh and moist plant; the wind tilts
it this way and that way; and so is the believer; he continues to be subject
to affliction. And the parable of a hypocrite is that of a firm cedar tree;
it does not shake until it is uprooted all at once. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)





*Sign of righteousness*



The prophets and righteous people are afflicted the most, and their rewards
are the highest. Sa`d (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet
(peace be upon him) said,



The most in their suffering among the people are the prophets, then the
best, then the (next) best. One is afflicted in accordance with his faith.
If his faith is firm, his affliction is hard, and if his faith is weak, his
affliction is light. Indeed, one would be so much subjected to adversity
until he walks among the people without any sins. (Ahmad and At-Tirmidhi)





*Early punishment*



Anas (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon
him) said,



When Allah wills good for a servant of His, He expedites his punishment in
this life; and when He wills retribution for a servant of His, He holds his
sins for Him to judge him by them on the Day of Resurrection. (At-Tirmidhi)





*Multiplication of rewards*



Anas (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon
him) said,



The amount of reward is in accordance with the amount of suffering. When
Allah loves some people, He tries them (with affliction). He who then is
content (with Allah s decree) has achieved the acceptance (of Allah), and he
who is dissatisfied (with Allah s decree) will attain the anger (of Allah).
(At-Tirmidhi)





*Rewards for sickness*



One should not look to sickness as a gloomy episode, but should remember the
great good in it. It is one form of affliction with which Allah tests His
servants, giving them a chance to acquire rewards, as was explained above,
as is further emphasized below.





*Removal of sins and elevation in ranks*



Abu Hurairah (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace be
upon him) said, Whenever a Muslim is afflicted by harm from sickness or
other matters, Allah will drop his sins because of that, like a tree drops
its leaves. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)





*Retaining rewards for deeds before sickness*



Usually, when a believer falls sick, he would not be able to do the same
amount of good (prayer, fasting, helping Muslims, etc.) that he used to do
when he was well. But Allah, out of His great mercy, continues to record for
him the good deeds that he was forced to stop because of his sickness. Abu
Musa Al-Ash`ari narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
said, For a traveling or sick person, his deeds will be recorded in
accordance with what he used to do when he was resident or well.
(Al-Bukhari)





*Reason for the reward*



Atta Ibn Rabaah reported that Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) told
him, Do you want to see a woman from the people of Paradise? He said, Yes.
He said, It is this black woman. She came to the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) saying, I have (epileptic) seizures, and I get
exposed, so supplicate to Allah for me. He (peace and blessings be upon him)
said, If you wish, be patient and you will attain Paradise; or if you wish,
I will ask Allah to cure you. She replied, I will be patient! But my body
gets exposed (because of the fall), so supplicate to Allah for me that I do
not become exposed. And he (peace be upon him) did. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)



Abdullah Ibn Amr reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
said, If a Muslim is pricked by (as little as) a thorn in the worldly life,
and he seeks its reward from Allah, some of his sins will be removed,
because of it, on the Day of Judgment. (Al-Bukhari)

"yehi pehchaan hai herr daur mein khaasaan-e-Khuda kee,
keh khush hoker Khuda inko giriftaar-e-balaa karday."

Thanks a million for sharing Hafsah.


Regards,

THE 1