The Wisdom Behind Calamities
1 – To attain true submission and servitude (uboodiyyah) to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
Many people are slaves to their whims and
desires and are not true slaves of Allah. They say that they are slaves of
Allah, but when they are tested they turn on their heels and lose out in this
world and in the Hereafter, and that is an evident loss.
2 – Trials prepare the believers to prevail
on earth.
It was said to Imam al-Shafa’i
(may Allah have mercy on him): Which is better, patience or tests or
prevailing? He said: Prevailing is the level attained by the Prophets, and
there can be no prevailing except after trials. If a person is tried he will
become patient, and if he remains patient he will prevail.
3 – Expiation of sins
Al-Tirmidhi
narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with
him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Trials
will continue to befall the believing man or woman in himself, his child and
his wealth until he meets Allah with no sin on him.”
4 – Attainment of reward and a rise in status
Muslim narrated that Aishah
(may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The believer is not harmed by a thorn or
anything greater, but Allah will raise him in status thereby, or erase a sin
thereby.”
5 – Calamities provide an opportunity to
think about one's faults and shortcomings and past mistakes.
6 – Calamity is a lesson in Tawheed,
faith and trust in Allah.
It shows us in a practical sense who we
really are, so we will realize that we are a weak slave, and we have no
strength and no power except with our Lord, then we will put our trust in Him
in a true sense, and will turn to Him in a true sense, and put aside our position,
pride, arrogance, self-admiration and heedlessness, and we will understand that
we are poor and in need of our Lord, and we are weak and need to turn to the
Most Strong, the Almighty, may He be glorified.
7 – Calamities drive out self-admiration from
our hearts and bring them closer to Allah.
Ibn al-Qayyim said in Zaad al-Ma’aad (3/477), "In His wisdom, Allah decreed that the
Muslims should first taste the bitterness of defeat, despite their great
numbers and adequate equipment and strength, so as to humble some people who
felt proud."
8 – To demonstrate the true nature of people,
for there are people whose virtue is unknown until calamity strikes
Al-Fudayl ibn Iyad said, "As long as
people are doing fine, their true nature is concealed, but when calamity
strikes, their true natures are revealed, so the believer resorts to his faith
and the hypocrite resorts to his hypocrisy."
9 – Calamities strengthen people’s resolve.
Allah chose for His Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) a hard life filled with all kinds of hardship
from a young age, in order to prepare him for the great mission that awaited
him, which none could bear but the strongest of men, who have gone through
hardship and who are tested with calamities and bear them with patience.
10 – Another reason behind calamities and
hardship is that a person becomes able to distinguish between true friends and
friends who only have their own interests at heart.
11 – Calamities remind us of our sins so that
we can repent from them.
Calamities offer an opportunity to repent
before the greater punishment comes on the Day of Resurrection. If life
continues to be easy, a person may become conceited and arrogant, and think
that he has no need of Allah, so by His mercy He tests people so that they may
return to Him.
12 – Calamities show you the true nature of
this world and its transience, and that it is temporary conveniences, and shows
us that true life is that which is beyond this world, in a life in which there
is no sickness or exhaustion.
13 – Calamities remind us of the great
blessings of good health and ease.
Calamity shows us in the clearest way the
meaning of health and ease that we enjoyed for many years, but did not taste
their sweetness or appreciate them fully. Calamities remind us of blessings and
the One Who bestows them, and cause us to thank and
praise Allah for His blessings.
14 – Longing for
We will never long for
Source:
"Wisdom Behind Calamities" - Muhammed
Salih Al-Munajjid