A person who encounters various incidents throughout his life is constantly being tested by them. Through these incidents a person displays his faith, submission and closeness to Allah Who grants this life and countless blessings.
A person’s lower self wants everything to be in perfect order. However, as a requisite of the trial of this world, numerous things do not proceed as expected. While one thinks circumstances to be favourable, things may well take a turn that seem unfavorable at first sight. In such a circumstance, what befalls a believer is to be aware that, just as it the case for every second of one’s life, there is good in everything. One needs to remember that everything a person expects to happen may not turn out to be good for him. In Surat al-Baqara Allah relates that what a human assumes to be good may be evil while what he assumes to be evil may be good:
... It may be that you hate something when it is good for you and it may be that you love something when it is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know.( Surat Al-Baqara, 216 )
No matter how a person strives to take measures against such circumstances that one considers as a problem at first sight, he sometimes can not help to face them. That is simply because every happening including the slightest detail of one’s life is a component of the destiny Allah predetermines for a person. A person can see the way how the destiny predetermined by Allah proceeds and its consequences only in time. Allah’s preordination is the most auspicious one. Unaware of what lies underneath, a person who interprets the events solely from their outward appearance may be deluded to think how things have taken such a turn while everything was—according to him—proceeding in its way. With a concerned, apprehensive outlook that is distant and distrustful to Allah, he reacts to incidents almost behind the veil of heedlessness, without exercising his wisdom and conscience.
A person of faith who befriends Allah and wholeheartedly puts his trust in Him, on the other hand, considers the hidden aspect of an event. He knows that nothing can occur other than what is destined for him by Allah. He conducts himself in the awareness that everything proceeds under the sway of Allah. In the Surah Yunus it is related that everything Allah knows everything:
You do not engage in any matter or recite any of the Qur’an or do any action without Our witnessing you while you are occupied with it. Not even the smallest speck eludes your Lord, either on Earth or in Heaven. Nor is there anything smaller than that, or larger, which is not in a Clear Book. (Surah Yunus, 61)
A person of pure mind who evaluates every single moment of his life in the light of the Quran with his faith, wisdom and conscience has faith that Allah, our true Helper and Friend, creates everything with goodness, no matter how difficult circumstances may seem. He also knows that Allah certainly protects him and thus puts his trust in Him.
He knows that being patient and putting trust in Allah in a situation that seems most difficult will absolutely earn him great rewards in Allah’s Sight and His admiration, provided that he remains distant to fears, that is to say, distrust in Allah.
Though he, himself, is unable to grasp, he shows patience believing by heart that Allah knows what the most auspiciuos is. One may not see the immediate results of this attitude in this world but he believes that Allah, his sole Friend, will absolutely give the best rewards in the Hereafter and that he will earn Allah’s admiration and approval. He has faith that, even insignificant, anything he does solely to earn Allah’s approval will not remain unrewarded and that Allah will be aware of it and never forget it. Indeed in the Qur’an Allah states that in the Hereafter He will reward every deed, though it may be the size of a mustard seed:
We will set up the Just Balance on the Day of Rising and no self will be wronged in any way. Even if it is no more than the weight of a grain of mustard-seed, We will produce it. We are sufficient as a Reckoner. (Surat al-Anbiya, 47)
Consequently, negative spiritual reactions shown in the face of incidents such as panic, affliction, despair or believing to be wronged by others are only ways to wrong oneself. These are also states of mind incompatible with the Qur’an that a person of profound faith never experiences. That is because only Allah, Who is aware of everything, brings about a deed. If Allah wills something, its non-realization or a change in it is impossible, unless otherwise willed again by Him. Apart from that, for a person who befriends Allah, Allah changes every incident to something auspicious. He creates something good that he never expects. If Allah wills something auspicious, even if the entire world joins its forces, no one can intervene or prevent it. The goodness, beauty, love, respect and protection that Allah wills for that sincere person absolutely manifests for that person. In the Qur’An, Allah relates that nothing happens unless otherwise willed by Him:
Say: ‘Who is going to shield you from Allah if He desires evil for you or desires mercy for you?’ They will find no one to protect or help them besides Allah. ( Surat al-Ahzab, 17)
If Allah helps you, no one can vanquish you. If He forsakes you, who can help you after that? So the muminun should put their trust in Allah.(Surah Al 'Imran, 160)
If Allah afflicts you with harm, no one can remove it except Him. If He desires good for you, no one can avert His favour. He bestows it on whichever of His slaves He wills. He is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surah Yunus, 107)
A person of faith should always keep in mind that no one except Allah can have any intervention in any event. Disremembering this fact drifts one into heedlessness. Satan may delude people into thinking that events proceed on its own, that people intervene events by themselves and mislead the events. However this is utterly an inculcation of satan which breaks one’s spirit and prevents him from assessing events with a sound mind.
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However if Allah wills something good, there is noone who can hinder it. For this reason what befalls a Muslim is never to swerve from trusting in Allah all through his life. He needs to display a precise determination and patience. He acts with the awareness that what befalls him are only trials to make him deserve the Garden. In return for the perseverance he displays, he expects to live in the Garden for all eternity as a person who has earned Allah’s love and good consent. For this reason a person of faith perseveres in forbearance and putting trust in Allah until death comes to him.
