Difficulties are auspicious and sources of great joy for Muslims

Allah (God) has revealed that He will test people with difficulties in the life of this world. These adversities and difficulties may afflict Muslims as well as unbelievers. But while they turn into a kind of suffering for unbelievers they are all incomparable beauties for devout Muslims who know that Allah creates all things for the best. Each of them is a blessing in this world and the Hereafter, a valuable instrument for deepening their faith and an opportunity for them to strengthen their joy, enthusiasm and the love and bonds between them. In one verse, Allah reveals that deficiencies and difficulties may come to both deniers and Muslims, and that He “deals out such days to people turn by turn”:

If you have received a wound, they have already received a similar wound. We deal out such days to people turn by turn, so that Allah will know those who believe and can gather martyrs from among you – Allah does not love wrongdoers. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 140)
 

Being tested by difficulties is an important part of the life of a Muslim. Throughout the course of his life, our Prophet (saas) was subjected to a great many slanders, threatened with death and oppressed many times by the pagans of Mecca, and eventually abandoned all he owned and migrated to Medina together with his companions. The Prophet Abraham (pbuh) was cast into the flames, the Prophet Joseph (pbuh) was left in a remote well and then spent years in prison, the Prophet Moses (pbuh) was oppressed by Pharaoh and traps were set to kill the Prophet Jesus (pbuh), but Allah thwarted all these snares laid for His messengers and turned all difficulties into beauties for His righteous servants. He describes in the Qur’an in detail how the unbelievers will set various traps for Muslims, intended to inflict difficulties on them. In one verse He reveals:

When those who are unbelievers were plotting against you to imprison you or kill you or expel you: they were plotting and Allah was plotting, but Allah is the Best of Plotters. (Surat al-Anfal, 30)
 

Troubles and difficulties such as killing, wounding, arrest, exile or imprisonment may arise at any time in the life of a Muslim. But all these troubles and difficulties are events that take place with Allah’s command, that work in Muslims’ favor right from the beginning, and that have been thwarted in destiny beforehand right from the very outset. And they are all sources of joy for Muslims. It is revealed in one verse how Muslims reply to threats and intimidation:

Those to whom people said, “The people have gathered against you, so fear them.” But that merely increased their faith and they said, “Allah is enough for us and the Best of Guardians.” (Surah Al ‘Imran, 173)
 

Allah’s reward to these excellent moral virtues of Muslims is as follows:

So they returned with blessings and bounty from Allah and no evil touched them. They pursued the pleasure of Allah. Allah’s favor is indeed immense. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 174)
 

As revealed in these verses, Muslims’ faith is strengthened and the joy of belief increases in the face of adversity. Unbelievers intend evil for believers but, contrary to their expectations, their plans are always auspicious for and work in believers’ favor, being “blessings and bounty from Allah, and no evil touches them.” This is one of Allah’s manifestations of how the snares of the unbelievers will never succeed. Allah has revealed that it is the unbelievers themselves who will suffer the ultimate disappointment because of the traps they set:

They desired to trap him but We made them the losers. (Surat al-Anbiya’, 70)