Why does Allah test us?

[sis muslimah]

a very abeneficial article i found

5 Reasons On Why Does Allah Test Us.



Allah tests His believing servants with various types of crises and disasters in order to:



1) Reveal the Patient from the Impatient:


وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنْفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَالَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ

أُولَـٰئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ ۖ وَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ
“And certainly, We shall test you with a bit of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits. But give glad tidings to the patient ones who, when afflicted with a calamity, say: “Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.” They are those upon whom are the blessings, descend from their Lord, and they receive His Mercy, and it is they who are guided.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:155-157)



وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ حَرْفٍ ۖ فَإِنْ أَصَابَهُ خَيْرٌ اطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ ۖ وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ فِتْنَةٌ انْقَلَبَ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِهِ خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةَ ۚ ذَ*ٰلِكَ هُوَ الْخُسْرَانُ الْمُبِينُ
“And among mankind is he who worships Allah as if he were upon the very edge (i.e. in doubt); if good befalls him, he is content with it;. But if a trial befalls him, he turns back on his face. He loses both this World and the Hereafter. That is the evident loss.”(Surah al-Haj 22:11)



“So, it is a must for the souls to be nurtured by way of tests, and to be severely tested during the course of the battle between truth and falsehood with fear and hardship, and with hunger and decrease in wealth and life and fruits. This testing is a necessity so that the believer can give his share of what his belief requires; so that it becomes dear to him in accordance with that he gives for its sake of sacrifice and burden; so that it becomes dear to him in accordance with what he is willing to give for its sake! The bearers of worthless beliefs that do not require any type of sacrifice will not hesitate to abandon their beliefs at the first sign of hardship. So, the burden here is the personal price that one pays so that this belief becomes dear and valuable in the hearts of its bearers before it becomes dear to the hearts of anyone else. Whenever they experience pain for its sake, and every single time they are forced to give something up for its sake, it becomes even dearer and more valuable to them, and they become even more honored with it. With this, nobody else will realize its value until they see how its bearers are tested because of it and how patient they are upon such tests.”

(‘Fi Dhilal al-Qur’an’; 1/145)




2) Remove Our Sins and Reward the Righteous:



فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ السَّعْيَ قَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ إِنِّي أَرَىٰ فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنِّي أَذْبَحُكَ فَانْظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَىٰ ۚ قَالَ يَا أَبَتِ افْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ ۖ سَتَجِدُنِي إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّابِرِينَفَلَمَّا أَسْلَمَا وَتَلَّهُ لِلْجَبِينِ
وَنَادَيْنَاهُ أَنْ يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُقَدْ صَدَّقْتَ الرُّؤْيَا ۚ إِنَّا كَذَ*ٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَإِنَّ هَـٰذَا لَهُوَ الْبَلَاءُ الْمُبِينُوَفَدَيْنَاهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍ
“And, when he was old enough to walk with him, he said: “O my son! I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you, so what do you think?” He said: “O my father! Do that which you are commanded, if Allah Wills, you will find me to be of the patient.” Then, when they had both submitted, and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead, and We called out to him: “O Ibrahim! You have fulfilled the dream!” Verily! Such do We reward the good-doers.” (Surah as-Saffat :102-7)



Sa’ad bin Abi Waqqas reported that he asked the Messenger of Allah (SAW): “Which of the people are tested most severely?” Rasulullah (SAW) replied: “The Prophets, then the righteous, then those who are most like them, then those who are most like them from the people. A man is tested according to his religious commitment. So, if his religious practice is sound, then his testing is increased, and if his religious practice is weak, then his testing is reduced. A servant continues to be tested until he walks the Earth without a single sin on him.” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi)




3) Purify the Ranks and Distinguish the Righteous from the Wicked:


مَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيَذَرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَىٰ مَا أَنْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّىٰ يَمِيزَ الْخَبِيثَ مِنَ الطَّيِّبِ ۗ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُطْلِعَكُمْ عَلَى الْغَيْبِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَجْتَبِي مِنْ رُسُلِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۖ فَآمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ ۚ وَإِنْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَتَتَّقُوا فَلَكُمْ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ
“Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which you are now until He distinguishes the wicked from the good.” (Surah Al ‘Imrân 3:179)


وَلَمَّا رَءَا ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ ٱلۡأَحۡزَابَ قَالُواْ هَـٰذَا مَا وَعَدَنَا ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ ۥ وَصَدَقَ ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ ۥ*ۚ وَمَا زَادَهُمۡ إِلَّآ إِيمَـٰنً۬ا وَتَسۡلِيمً۬ا

“And when the believers saw the Confederates, they said: “This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us, and Allah and His Messenger had spoken the truth,” and it only added to their faith and submissiveness.” (Surah Ahzaab 33:22)



“Allah might make easy the affairs of the people of evil so that they may increase in sin and corruption, and so that they might increase in their buildup of sins and crimes. Then, he may deal with them in this World or the Hereafter – depending on His Wisdom and Decision – on account of this sinister buildup of deeds! On the other hand, He may also prevent them from ease so that they would increase in evil and sin and crimes and suffocation, eventually losing hope in the Mercy of Allah, resulting in an increase in their buildup of evil and misguidance. Likewise, Allah can make easy the affairs of the people of good so that they may become established in their righteous actions and carry out as much of them as they can while increasing in their sustenance, so that they may thank Him for these blessings with their hearts, tongues, and pleasant actions. With all of this, they increase in a buildup of good deeds that they rightfully deserve with Allah because of their righteousness and because of the good that Allah Knows is in their hearts. On the other hand, he may also prevent them from ease in order to observe their patience upon this state, as well as their confidence and hope in their Lord, their relaxation at the realization of His Power, their being pleased with Him as their only Lord – and He is better than all others – resulting in an increase in their buildup of good.”
(Fi Dhilal al-Qur’an)




4) Emphasize the Hardships of This World in Comparison to the Hereafter:



تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌالَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفُورُ
“Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the kingdom, and He is Able to do all things. The One Who has created death and life in order to test you and see which of you is best in deed, and He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving.” (Surah al-Mulk 67:1-2)




5) Expose the Reality of the Human Being:


إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ نَبْتَلِيهِ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ سَمِيعًا بَصِيرًاإِنَّا هَدَيْنَاهُ السَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا
“Verily, We have created man from drops of mixed semen in order to test him, so We made him hearer, seer. Verily, We showed him the way, so he is either grateful or ungrateful.” (Surah al-Insan 76: 2-3)



إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى الْأَرْضِ زِينَةً لَهَا لِنَبْلُوَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا
“Verily, We have made that which is on earth as an adornment for it so that We may test them as to which of them are best in deeds.” (Surah al-Kahf 18:7)



وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَكُمْ خَلَائِفَ الْأَرْضِ وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَكُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَاتٍ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ فِي مَا آتَاكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ سَرِيعُ الْعِقَابِ وَإِنَّهُ لَغَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
“And it is He Who has made you generations after generations, replacing each other on the earth. And He has raised you in ranks – some above others – that He may test you in that which He has bestowed on you. Surely, your Lord is Swift in retribution, and certainly He is Oft*-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Surah al-An’am 6:165)



“A human being is tested so that he may come to know the reality of himself and others. Life is consists of constant testing; testing with what is bad, or testing with what is good. However, what is best for the believer may be found in what he hates, and what is bad for him may be found in what he likes. The true believer is the one who loves that which Allah has chosen for him. So, if He tests him with something that he loves, he thanks Him, and if He tests him with that which he hates, he is patient and thanks Him in this case, as well. And Allah – the Glorified – gives the believer in accordance with what will lead to his happiness in either this World or the next. So, if it is better for him to have something, Allah gives it to him. If it is better for him not to have something, Allah prevents him from having that thing, just as one who is sick is prevented from too much food or water. Therefore, it is upon a person to completely submit to Allah – the Glorified – in regards to what He has chosen for him, and to be pleased with what Allah has given him, and to understand that if Allah prevents him from something, then it is because Allah wishes to save him from being tested with that thing.”

[Pure Purple]

Jazakallah sis for sharing this ........

[Ğħαrєєвαħ]

As'Salaam Alaaykum

Jazakallaahu Khaayr.

That was of great benefit!

[tigerkhan]

jzk for sharing. its too beneficial.

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[sis muslimah]

Jazakallah sis for sharing this ........

wa iyyaki sis =)

[Galaxy]

Jazaaki Allaahu khayr

[Hulk]

Jazakallah Khair!

Though may I ask what is Fi Dhilal al-Qur’an’; 1/145)
is it a book about Quran?

[MartyrX]

Thank you for sharing this!

[sis muslimah]

Jazakallah Khair!

Though may I ask what is Fi Dhilal al-Qur’an’; 1/145)
is it a book about Quran?

wa iyyaki

In the Shade of the Qur'an or Fi Zilal al-Qur'an is a highly influential commentary of the Quran, written during 1951-1965 by Sayyid Qutb(1906-1966). It is considered to be a comprehensive and far-reaching tafsir that takes a clear interpretation of the Quran.

[sis muslimah]

Thank you for sharing this!

your welcome!!!

[sis muslimah]

As'Salaam Alaaykum

Jazakallaahu Khaayr.

That was of great benefit!

:wa:

wa iyyaki =)

[Signor]

JazakAllah Sis for sharing this

[fahim kamran]

We are taught that Allah brought us into existence, placed us on this
earth, gave most of us the ability to choose how to spend our lives. We
are told that Allah created us to test us, and we will be rewarded or
punished as a result. Also we are taught that Allah created us so that
we would worship Him.

Why does Allah want to test us? Why didn't He just place us in
Paradise? We are also taught that whatever we do - we would never be
good enough for Paradise. It is through His Mercy that we can enter
Paradise. So, why are we placed on this earth then? And why does he want
to punish us for not doing all that He tells us to do (like the 5 daily
prayers)? Why does He want to punish us for not worshipping Him?

I hear people say that we simply must submit to Allah, do what He wants
us to, obey Him in everything. Our life becomes about obeying Him in all
aspects of our life - why does Allah want us to do this? When I look at
life this way, it just seems to make life sound so 'serious' - a
constant battle against the world. I feel guilty if I have any wish to
do achieve a worldly aim, like marriage, travel, etc...

*Answer:*

*In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate*

May Allah bless you for your question. There is no need to worry about
causing offense: your question was sincerely posed and politely
phrased. It is obligatory to remove one's doubts by acquiring true
knowledge, and it would have been blameworthy for you to hold back your
question.

*"There is nothing like unto Him"*

A fundamental tenet of our belief is that Allah is completely dissimilar
to everything besides Him. He tells us in the Qur'an, "There is nothing
whatsoever like unto Him." (42:11) A consequence of this belief is that
unlike human actions, divine actions are not driven by motives, because
motives only make sense in the context of someone who is weak and needy.

To clarify this further, consider the following. When humans perform
actions, it makes sense to inquire what drove them to do so because,
being the indigent beings that they are, they always act to fulfill
certain needs. For example, Zayd will put on a coat because the weather
is cold and he needs warmth. Aisha will eat food because she is hungry
and needs nutrition. Ali will go to university because he needs to earn
a living through the degree that he will obtain. As you can see from
these examples, the motives that people have behind their actions betray
their fundamental neediness.

Allah is the creator of everything and needs nothing. This is easy to
state but not so straightforward to comprehend. One of the implications
of this absolute freedom from need of anything is that Allah is not
driven by motives when He acts. Someone who needs nothing can have no
motives. To ask "why" Allah did something makes no sense at all. In
the words of the Qur'an, "He is not questioned regarding what He does,
but they are questioned."

Allah has no need for our obedience and our disobedience does not harm
Him. He does not need to reward us if we obey Him. And had He chosen
to, He could have rewarded us for disobeying Him. This is why classical
manuals of orthodox Sunni belief teach us that whenever Allah rewards
someone, He does so out of His pure generosity; not because He is driven
to do so by a need or because we have a right to His reward. The
question, "Why?" is inapplicable.

Similarly, Allah does not need to punish us if we disobey Him. And had
He chosen to, He could have punished us for obeying Him. This is why
the same manuals also teach us that whenever Allah punishes someone, He
is not wronging them, for they have no right over Him (recall that our
obedience or disobedience does not affect Him). He punishes out of His
pure justice. The question, "Why?" is inapplicable.

*Qur'anic verses that seem to imply motives*

This is the backdrop against which we understand statements that seem to
imply that Allah did a certain act for some reason. For example, when
the Qur'an tells us that He created us to worship Him, this does not
mean that He needed to be worshipped and therefore created us to fulfill
this need. Instead, what He is telling us is that he created us with
the capability to worship Him by giving us the ability to choose our
actions (Hashiyat al-Jamal `ala al-Jalalayn).

Similarly, when Allah tells us that He created us to test us, this does
not mean that He needs to test us in order to find out whether we will
do good or evil. He already knows what we will do. Rather, our playing
out the actions of this life is merely a proof for or against us on the
Day of Judgment.

* *

*The Practical Upshot*

Allah created us and decreed that those of us who choose the actions of
the people of Paradise will enter Paradise and those who choose the
actions of the people of the Fire will enter the Fire. Because Allah is
completely unlike everything else that exists, it does not make sense to
ask why He did this. Rather, this is just how things are, and it is up
to us to choose where we want to go.

In reality, the entire Sacred Law is a tremendous blessing for us in
this life and the next. Obligations that initially seem difficult to
fulfill have a polishing effect on the heart until eventually the one's
entire perspective changes. Outward submission leads to inward
submission and heart fills with love and gratitude for Allah.
Obligations are not meant to be hammered out reluctantly; they are meant
to be offered in the spirit of heartfelt gratitude to Allah for the
myriad blessings that each of us has been given. Someone who is
realized in this state will do everything for Allah; "wordly" activities
such as eating, drinking, and conversing with friends are all performed
with the intention of drawing closer to Allah. Such a person will not
worry over possible future problems, nor will he grieve over past
difficulties, for he is busy with the One he loves. This is true
happiness and anyone who misses out on it will never know the meaning of
contentment.

And Allah knows best.

[Abdullahi E]

Jezacullah kairan sis important

[sis muslimah]

^^ waiyyak

[GodIsAll]

I would have to believe that unless we know tragedy, we cannot appreciate joy.
Unless we've struggled, we cannot know peace.
Without having the human experience on Earth, how can we know Paradise?