"I have visited a land called Bhumi Rumi," the Moon made known when she appeared, after saying basmalah and salaam. "I caught a conversation between a coachman of a cows cart, and a passenger, who was sitting next to him. While controlling the cows bridle, which was walking slowly, he said, 'In tribulations, trials, misfortunes and calamities, lie a number of benefits; these benefits have differing degrees of relevance, differing in accordance to the various ranks of people.' The passenger enquired, 'Tell me about the benefits!' The coachman quoted, 'The benefits are, among others, - Realising the greatness of Allah’s Lordship and His allencompassing power.
- Realising the humility and dejection of servitude.
- Actualising sincerity for Allah, Most High. This is because there is no way to repress hardship except by recoursing to Him and there is no one that one can depend on to remove it except Him.
- Turning in penitence to Allah, Most High, and directing ones heart to Him.
- Submissiveness and supplication.
- Hilm, the ability to control the soul and temperament at the onrush of anger. The ranking of Hilm differs in accordance to the magnitude of calamity; showing Hilm at the onset of the severest calamities is from its greatest manifestations.
- Patience and steadfastness in the face of affliction, this leads to Allah’s love and increase in His rewards.
- Experiencing joy at the onset of calamity because of the many benefits it contains.
- Being grateful at the onset of calamity because of the many benefits it contains. Comparable to this is the case of a sick person thanking a doctor who has just amputated one of his limbs in order to save his life, even though this would serve to disable him to some extent.
- Its expiating sins and errors.
- Showing mercy to those who are undergoing affliction and coming to their aid.
- Understanding the greatness of the blessing of ease and well-being. This is because blessings are never truly appreciated until one loses them.
- Understanding what Allah, Most High, has caused to be the outcome of these benefits in terms of reward in the Hereafter.
- Realising the many hidden benefits it contains. When the tyrannical ruler took Sarah from Ibrahim, alayhissalam, one of the hidden benefits of this trial, was that later she was given Hajar as a servant who bore Ibrahim, Isma'il, from whose progeny was born the Master of the Messengers and the Seal of the Prophets (ﷺ). Look and see how great the hidden benefit was in that trial!
- Tribulation and hardship prevents one from evil, vanity, boastfulness, arrogance, ostentation and oppression. It is because of these great benefits that those who were tried most severely were the Prophets, then the righteous and then those closest to them. They were accused of being mad, magicians, fortune tellers; they were mocked and ridiculed. The Companions were evicted from their homes and lands, forced to flee leaving their possessions behind them, their tribulations went from severity to severity, their enemies multiplied in number, on occasion they were overcome and defeated, many of them were killed at Uhud and other places and battles, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) received injury in his face, one of his molar teeth was broken and his helmet was crushed into the sides of his head and split to expose his head; his enemies rejoiced and his associates despaired. They would live in a constant state of fear, destitution and poverty. They would be forced to tie rocks to their stomachs out of severe hunger and the Master of the first and last never ate his fill of bread twice in any one day. He was injured in various ways to the point that they accused the chastity of his most beloved wife. The Prophets and righteous have always faced trials and tribulations, with each person being tried in proportion to his religion. Some of them would be sawn in half, but this would not make them renegade from their faith. The state of hardship and tribulation causes the servant to turn towards Allah, Mighty and Magnificent.
- The state of ease, well-being and blessings causes the servant to turn away from Allah. This is why they ate scarcely and wore modest clothing etc. so that they could be in a state that would lead them to turn back to Allah, Mighty and Magnificent, and devote themselves to Him.
- Being pleased and content with the tribulation such that it would lead to the pleasure of Allah, Most High. This is because both the righteous and sinner is afflicted with trial, hence whoever is malcontent at its onset, for him is displeasure and misery in this life and the Hereafter. Whoever is pleased and content with it, for him lies in store the good pleasure of Allah and that is greater than Paradise and what it contains.'
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, '... and that relief comes with distress.' The passenger questioned, 'Explore it, please?' The coachman said, 'In His Book, Allah has narrated numerous stories that deal with relief coming after distress and hardship. He told us of His rescuing Nuh and those with him on the ark from the 'terrible plight' wherein the earth’s population were all drowned. He informed us of His saving Ibrahim, alayhissalam, from the fire kindled by the polytheists and how He made it 'coolness andpeace,' for him. He also narrated to us how He ordered Ibrahim to slaughter his son and, at the last moment, how He ransomed him with a 'mighty sacrifice.' He told us of the story of Musa, alayhissalam, and how his mother placed him in the river and his subsequently being found by Pharaoh’s family.
He informed us of the story of Musa and Pharaoh: how He saved Musa and drowned his enemy. He narrated the story of Ayyub, Yunus, Ya'qub, Yusuf, alayhimussalam, and the story of Yunus’s people when they believed. He also told us about numerous incidents in the life of our beloved (ﷺ) where He came to his aid and saved him such as when he was in the cave, at the Batde of Badr, the Battle of Uhud and the Battle of Hunayn.
The Sunnah mentions many such incidents such as the story of the three who were trapped in the cave by a falling boulder and they supplicated to Allah, making mention of their righteous deeds, and He relieved them. And such as the story of Ibrahim and Sarah with the tyrant who coveted her for his own ends and how Allah defeated the evil plot.
Such events occurring to Muslims are too many to mention, but listen this following story,. A trader, who would travel to different lands to ply his trade. One time, he travelled to Kufah with all of his trade goods and everything he owned. During this journey, he met a person who served him well, they became fast friends and he came to trust him completely. Then, while they had stopped at a rest station, he took advantage of him and stole all his property and provisions, leaving him with nothing. He searched and searched but was unable to find out where the servant had gone so, on foot and starving, he returned to his land.
He entered his city by night and knocked on his door. When his family learned it was him, they rejoiced and praised Allah for his return saying, 'Your wife has just given birth to a son and we have no money to buy the things a woman needs post-delivery. Tonight, we are very hungry so buy some flour and oil for the lamps.’ When he heard this, his misery and distress increased. Unwilling to tell them what had happened, he left to a nearby shop and extended the salam to the shopkeeper and gathered the oil and everything else he needed.
Then, while talking to him, he saw his saddlebag lying unguarded on the ground in the shop and asked how it got there. The shopkeeper said, ‘A man bought food from me and asked me to host him. I put his saddle-bag in my shop and tied his beast in my neighbour’s house. The man is sleeping in the Masjid.’ Taking the saddle-bag with him, he went to the Masjid to find the man sleeping. He kicked him and he awoke alarmed. ‘Thief! Betrayer! Where is my wealth?’ he cried. He replied, ‘It is in the bag around your neck,’ and when he looked he found that nothing was missing at all. He then retrieved his beast, spent lavishly on his family and then told them all that had happened.
Another story, about ‘Umar al-Saraya, who was, one time, fighting in the Roman provinces by himself. Once, while sleeping, one of them, came to him and prodded him with his foot, awaking him. ‘O Arab,’ he said, ‘you have a choice: I can kill you with a spear, a sword or we can wrestle!’ He said, ‘Then, let us wrestle.’ He beat me and, sitting on my chest, asked, ‘How should I kill you?’ I cried out, ‘I bear witness that everything that is worshipped beneath your Throne is false save Your noble face. You see my circumstances so save me!’ I then fell in a swoon and when I came to, I found the Roman lying dead besides me.'"
[Part 2]
