Praise be to Allaah and peace and blessings upon his beloved Rasool Muhammad sal Allaahu alayhi wasalam, his beloved family and the muslim ummah.
Punishments And Trials
Punishments are what happen to people in return for their evil deeds. Trials are tests which are sent to try people, and people may be tested by good things or by bad.
Concerning punishments, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Whatever of good reaches you, is from Allaah, but whatever of evil befalls you, is from yourself…” [al-Nisa’ 4:79]
Concerning the phrase “is from yourself”, Qutaadah said: “[It means] the punishment is for you, O son of Adam, because of your sin.” Abu Saalih said that “whatever of evil befalls you, is from yourself” means “because of your sin, and I [Allaah] am the One Who decreed it for you.” (Tafseer Ibn Katheer).
Allaah also says (interpretation of the meaning): “And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much.” [al-Shoora 42:30]
Ibn Katheer, may Allaah have mercy on him, said: “[It means] whatever misfortune happens to you, O people, is because of evil deeds that you have already done, and ‘He pardons much’ refers to evil deeds – He does not punish you for them but He pardons them. 'And if Allaah were to punish men for that which they earned, he would not leave a moving (living) creature on the surface of the earth…’ [Faatir 35:45 – interpretation of the meaning].”
Concerning trials, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If Allaah loves a people, He tries them, and whoever has patience will have patience, and whoever is anxious will be anxious.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1706).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also said: “The extent of the reward will be in accordance with the extent of the trial. If Allaah loves a people, He tries them, and whoever is content will have contentment, and whoever is angry will have anger.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 2320; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2210).
The following outlines how one may tell whether a given event is a punishment or a trial:
If the misfortune results from doing an act of obedience to Allaah, such as being wounded in jihaad, or losing money when migrating for the sake of Allaah, or losing a job because of becoming Muslim or increasing one’s commitment to Islam, then this is a trial. Whoever bears it with patience will be rewarded, but if one reacts angrily then one will earn the wrath of Allaah. If the misfortune results from sin, such as sexually-transmitted diseases or illnesses caused by drinking alcohol and taking drugs, and so on, then this is the kind of punishment that comes in this world (as opposed to being deferred until the Hereafter). If the misfortune is connected neither to a good deed nor a sin – such as other kinds of disease and sickness, losing a child, or failing in business – then it depends on the person’s situation. If he is good and devout, it is a trial, and if he is sinful, it is a punishment.
The misfortune may be a punishment to atone for sins, or it may be a trial aimed at raising a person’s status and increasing his hasanaat (good deeds/rewards) – this may be determined by whether a person is obedient or disobedient. A person should not praise himself, rather he should criticize himself for his shortcomings and strive to attain perfection. He will benefit from misfortunes in any case, if he has patience and hopes for reward.
Re: The Difference Between Punishments And Trials.
Assalamu Alaikum
Concerning trials, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If Allaah loves a people, He tries them, and whoever has patience will have patience, and whoever is anxious will be anxious.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1706).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also said: “The extent of the reward will be in accordance with the extent of the trial. If Allaah loves a people, He tries them, and whoever is content will have contentment, and whoever is angry will have anger.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 2320; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2210).
Subhanallah, Allah is indeed gives us Justice
Jazak Allah khair for that bro...great and knowledgable post
Re: The Difference Between Punishments And Trials.
Jazak'Allah khair akhee
O Allah Wash away my sins with the water of snow and hail, and cleanse my heart from sin as a white garment is cleansed from filth, and put a great distance between me and my sins, as great as the distance You have made between the East and the West.”
Re: The Difference Between Punishments And Trials.
Believers and Disbelievers entering the Hell fire
( very important because it mentions many muslims will go to hell fire too. So please read with with extra consideration for your best interest inshaAllah)
Jazakhallah khairun.
Unbelievers and many Muslims will enter the Hellfire. As for the unbelievers, they will remain in Hell forever. The believers who enter Hell due to their iniquities shall ultimately be taken out after their term of punishment is completed and they will be admitted to Paradise.
People will be taken out of the fire by Allah’s grace with the intercession of Prophet Muhammad, the other prophets, the angels, and the virtuous believers. Then Allah will remove from those believers who had no intercessor until no believer will remain in the Fire.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) says: “When those that they had made it across (the bridge) see the state of their brothers, they will say: ‘Our Lord, what about our brothers who used to pray, fast, and work with us?’ Allah the Most High will say: ‘Go, and whoever you find who has faith the weight of a gold coin, then take him out.’ Allah will forbid the Fire from consuming their forms. They will go to them and some will have been immersed in the Fire up to their feet and some halfway to their knees. They will take out those who they know then return. Then Allah will say: ‘Go, and whoever you find who has faith the weight of half a gold coin, then take him out.’ They will take out those who they know… Then the prophets, angels, and believers will make intercession. Then the Almighty will say: ‘My own intercession remains.’ Then he will take a handful from the fire, taking out groups of people who had been completely burnt by the fire…” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) has described the state of the last person to leave from Hell, saying, “I know of the last person to leave from Hell and enter Paradise. He is a man who will leave from Hell crawling, and Allah the Most High and Exalted will say to him: ‘Go and enter Paradise.’ So he will go and it will be made to appear full to him. He will return and say: ‘O my Lord, I found it to be full.’ Allah the Most High and Exalted will say to him: ‘Go and enter Paradise.’ So he will go and it will be made to appear full to him. He will return and say: ‘O my Lord, I found it to be full.’ Allah the Most High and Exalted will say to him: ‘Go and enter Paradise, for verily your share is like the Earth and then ten times over.’ So he will say: ‘Do You mock me while You are the King?’ ” Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) then laughed and said: “This person is the one with the lowest position in Paradise.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]
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