Embracing hardships

[Flos]

Assalamu alaikum,

I mentioned many times that I've been going through long period of hardships.

Few weeks ago it lifted and the ease started.
Before the hardship ended I realized how close to Allah I came during that time.
2nd day of the ease I was reflecting on the past and figured some things out:

1. Hardships make us closer to Allah
2. Hardships make us wiser and change a lot of our character, habits, behavior...
3. Hardships are the reason we run to Allah and spend nights and days in intensive worshipping
4. Out of hardship we focus on other things
5. Step by step during ease we lose that closeness and then if we're worth of Allah's Mercy He sends us another hardship- yes, Mercy
6. During hardships we're very much concerned about our deeds and intentions
7. The longer the hardship lasts, the better you become

Then, ask yourself what do you do for Allah? Did you merry for His sake, given birth for His sake? Studied for Him? Do you earn money for Him? Do you spend all if your time on His path?

So that 2nd day of the ease I told Allah I'm afraid, scared of this easy time and I would prefer going back to the hardship until it's 100% certain that in ease times my every breath would be for Him.

I'm back to it Alhamdulillah!

I see it differently now, remembering that our Prophet SAWS and all of his companions were hungry all the time until major conquests, but after he SAWS died.

The luxury, wealth and ease didn't change them.

During hardship we need to understand that actually nothing bad is really happening and great calamities that we can't stand happen because we're either ungrateful, inpatient or it's something we have to go through in order to receive, learn or gain something amazing.

[Murid]

:salam:

We should not seek hardship or enjoy it on someone.

We should seek afwa wal afiyah, mercy, wealth, as from hadith, as kufr is very close to faqr.

We should make things easy to people.

Of course we should encourage sabr (if unable to help, like charity, gifts, teaching, volounterring, healing and so on.).

We should be grateful on what we have and intensify nawafil ibadah which guarantees relief, like salawat, estegfar, tasbeehs, gratitude, nawafil salawat, fasting, morning and evening duas, duas before sleep, sadaqah etc.

[Flos]

@Murid do you want to say that Abu Hurairah was kafir for fainting out of hunger? Do you want to say that Omar ibn Hattab was close to kufr for rejecting to eat luxurious food when Medina was full of luxuries? Do you want to say that our mother Aisha RA was close to kufr for spending all the money she had on others for the sake of Allah and even forgot to buy food for breaking her fast?

Do you think that the only type of hardship is poverty? If not, why you referring to that only?

Don't you know how many people actually reverted to Islam because of hardships? Don't you know how many people made tawba only because of hardships? Isn't the Akhirah better than Dunya? Isn't Dunya dearer to most of people even when the hardship hitts them at first, otherwise why would we run towards our praying matt?

I prefer Allah not letting me go away from Him than having all luxuries of the world.

[Murid]

:salam:

Please read:
https://hadithanswers.com/poverty-and-kufr-disbelief/

https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:3871

https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:3558

https://hadithanswers.com/hadith-on-...ah-protection/

Somewhere I read that al afiyah is also translated as wellbeing:
https://myislam.org/allahumma-inni-asaluka-al-afiyah/

https://www.abuaminaelias.com/dailyh...lm-for-people/

Found this translation by an well versed Arab author, posted on someones twitter:
https://mobile.twitter.com/AfrazLiaq...10206970380288

"From the burden of hardship"-the prophet sought refuge.

"Allahumma inni audhu bika mi jahdil balai wa DARAKA SHAKAI..."

Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.

When you create an account, you can participate in the discussions and share your thoughts. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and make new friends.
Sign Up

[Flos]

:salam:

Please read:
https://hadithanswers.com/poverty-and-kufr-disbelief/

https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:3871

https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:3558

https://hadithanswers.com/hadith-on-...ah-protection/

Somewhere I read that al afiyah is also translated as wellbeing:
https://myislam.org/allahumma-inni-asaluka-al-afiyah/

https://www.abuaminaelias.com/dailyh...lm-for-people/

Found this translation by an well versed Arab author, posted on someones twitter:
https://mobile.twitter.com/AfrazLiaq...10206970380288

"From the burden of hardship"-the prophet sought refuge.

"Allahumma inni audhu bika mi jahdil balai wa DARAKA SHAKAI..."

You can be very happy during hardships. Didn't you know that?

Remember Asia's laughing while Pharaoh was torturing her? She was shown her palace in Jannah.

And you can have everything and feel vey bad - void.

You're missing point here. And you also know multiple hadith that Allah strikes people with hardships when He loves them. The better and closer to Allah you are, the more hardships you're going through. Why is that? Just observe people around you. While in ease, step by step they forget Allah. their deen becomes formality, no feeling, just spending free time for Allah.

For 23 years, no pause, our Prophet SAWS and sahabis were afflicted by hardships: hunger, battles, sickness, loss, torture, prosecution. That's what made them so wonderful. After that, spiritually, they were ready to face luxurious life. But they didn't change AT ALL.

We are not like that.

[Murid]

:salam:

Thank you Flos, jazak Allah khayr.

You make a lot of good points in a more broader context mashaAllah.

In addition to above hadith, the point is that after prophetic saws mission, the religion was completed and as the prophet saws was the mercy to all worlds and the Quran is a huda and rahmeh, we l, if we follow will not be struck with a lot of hardships, as we know that every evil which befals us is because of ourselfs.
We could be struck with hardships until we will be clean from all sins inshaAllah.

https://www.abuaminaelias.com/dailyh...ain-expiation/

Some additional opinions:
https://aboutislam.net/reading-islam...-difficulties/

Please read Quran 42:30.

You made a lot of good points, we shpuld not despair, but seek, plead from As Samad to deliver us out of hardships as from prophetic example, ask estegfar (as to stop hardships and efface sins, as also dua:Allahumma innaka afuwwun tuhibbul afwa feafu anni).

We should not forget gratitude, sadaqah, not beeing prideful or lacking altruism.

Our focus should be not to waste time (in depression, anxiety...) but during the hardships to gocus on good deeds which are remedy inshaAllah..

[Murid]

:salam:

If we would be close to better examples in ibadahs (including remedies as duas etc.) and conducts, we would not experience hardships inshaAllah.

It is not an option to improve overnight, but try to improve step by step, 1% better at a time, similarly to "kaizen" general principle, as for example to selfactualise upon knowledge, skills and altruism, to query ourself regarding mistakes, unefficiencies, major sins, to learn nawafils and practice as we can.

In the time of Omar ibn AbdalAziz there were no poor men or generally any category (out of 8) to give zakah or sadaqah (except jariya/waqf).

[Murid]

Some additional readings:
https://www.abuaminaelias.com/dailyh...ve-good-deeds/

https://preciousgemsfromthequranands...e-of-goodness/

important:
https://www.abuaminaelias.com/dailyh...swer-hardship/

Hadith on Dua: O Allah, I ask you for love and good deeds ...

[Murid]

Two additional hadith:
https://www.abuaminaelias.com/dailyh...dunya-akhirah/

https://www.abuaminaelias.com/dailyh...-and-the-next/

Hadith on Wellness: Success is well-being in this life and the next ...

[Pure Purple]

:sl:
Hardships can become source of your wiping of sins and it can make you close to Allah.
But one should never ask Allah Swt for hardships.

[Hamza Asadullah]

Asalaamu Alaikum,

Please consider the following:

We always ask Allah for forgiveness and wellbeing. This is clearly stressed in many hadith.

Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) visited a person from amongst the Muslims, in order to inquire about his health, who had become weak like a small bird. Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said, “Did you supplicate for anything or ask Allah for something?” The man said, “Yes. I used to say: “Oh Allah, what you are going to punish me with in the Hereafter then hasten it for me in this life”. Thereupon, Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said, “Glory be to Allah, you don’t have the ability to take it [the burden of His Punishment] upon yourself. Why did you not say, Oh Allah, grant us good in the world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the torment of Fire?” The Prophet (may peace be upon him) made this supplication for him and he became well. [Muslim 2688, Tirmidhi 3487]

There are many other hadith, that stress the importance of always asking for wellbeing. Below are a few examples demonstrating this:

1. The Prophet (may Allahs peace and blessings be upon him) overheard a man asking for patience, so The Prophet (may peace be upon him) said to him, “You have asked Allah for a trial [to be patient in], rather ask for wellbeing.” [Tirmidhi 3527]

2. A man came to The Prophet (may peace be upon him) and asked him, “What supplication (du`a) is the best?” The Prophet (may peace be upon him) said, “To ask for wellbeing and cure in this world and the next”

The man came the next day and asked, “What supplication is the best?” The Prophet (may peace be upon him) answered the same as before. The man came the next day and asked the same thing. The Prophet (may peace be upon him) said, “If you are given wellbeing in this world and the next then you have succeeded.” [Tirmidhi 3512]

3. The Prophet (may Allahs peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Allah is not asked for anything more beloved to him than [being asked about] wellbeing” [Tirmidhi 3515]

4. The Prophet (may peace be upon him) ascended the mimbar crying and said, “Ask Allah for forgiveness and wellbeing, since no one has been given anything better than wellbeing after being given belief [in Islam].” [Tirmidhi 3588]

The above are examples of the sunna of the Prophet (may Allahs peace and blessings be upon him) and what he advised us to do. As it can be seen then we are not advised to supplicate for trials, tribulations and calamities upon ourselves. Rather we are advised to ask Allah to protect us and never to allow these aspects to befall us, and only when they befall us do we ask Allah to help us through them.

May Allah accept our prayers and grant us all wellbeing in this world and the next. Ameen

Source: https://seekersguidance.org/answers/...ant-him-peace/