The billions of people in the world all lead different lives. Not one person’s life resembles that of another. Yet when they encounter problems or troubles, each one thinks that he has ‘the worst troubles in the world.’
Sometimes, people who fail an exam, who cannot buy an article of clothing they want, who had a bad hair day, who cannot lose weight or who have to work alongside someone they dislike, imagine that they are facing serious troubles. In the same way, people who take offense at something someone says, who fall out with their best friend, who imagine they have been treated unfairly, who are suspicious of someone else or who imagine they are not loved or respected sufficiently also say, in their words, that ‘their lives are falling apart.’ They go on about the matter for days on end, telling everyone how wronged they are, how difficult things are for them and how much they are suffering. Those become the points that preoccupy them mostly during the day. They constantly fret over their ‘terrible worries,’ when they go to bed at night, while driving along the road or while having their breakfast.
However it is perfectly clear that none of these things are actual ‘troubles’. Actually nothing people face can be considered as ‘trouble.’ What is more, even if these people were to encounter far graver difficulties than the present ones, their lives would still not ‘fall apart.’ They might face a serious health issue, major surgery, or have crippling debts, or be unemployed or work under difficult conditions or have family problems. But none of these could be a reason for them to see themselves as ‘the most troubled person in the world.’
First and foremost, nothing in this world is a 'trouble' for someone who knows the moral values of the Qur’an. There are just events created by Allah, events created with wisdom. There are tests created by Allah to judge that person’s faith, trust in and devotion to Allah and that person's moral virtues. And one of the most important things on this subject, one that must not be forgotten, is that all events, whether they appear favorable or not, are actually all ‘auspicious’ for a believer. And they are things the believer most needs, that will best educate and benefit him and lead to the best outcomes in this world and the Hereafter.
In addition, thinking about what is happening to Muslims all across the world will be instrumental in someone, who imagines that he is facing a huge problem because of something that has happened to him, realizing that his troubles are in fact quite mundane and can easily be resolved. He will more quickly realize that, compared with the oppression and troubles facing Muslims in East Turkestan, Palestine, the Crimea, Kirkuk, Moro and many other parts of the world, the worries preoccupying him are quite trivial.
The conflict, strife, oppression and cruelty that have been going on for decades in Islamic lands have cost the lives of thousands of innocent Muslims, crippled tens of thousands and forced millions more from their homes. The majority have also been detained for their beliefs and ideas. Young girls, children and old people are subjected to terrible oppression in East Turkestan, just because they are Muslims. People are ruthlessly executed and tortured for no reason. People who attend mosques have their salaries cut and Muslims are denied permission to perform religious observances. With the massacres taking place after 1965, over the last 60 years, 35 million Uighur Muslims have been subjected to genocide. In East Turkestan, in July last year, 796 MUSLIMS were executed and martyred without even being able to offer a legal defense. These people were even denied funeral rites. During those same days when the streets were full of bodies, 10,000 MUSLIMS DISAPPEARED IN A SINGLE NIGHT AND 100,000 OF OUR UIGHUR MUSLIM SISTERS WERE TAKEN FROM THEIR HOMES BY FORCE. These sisters of ours are forced into illicit relationships under the threat of death. The fate of the 10,000 Muslims who disappeared overnight is still unknown. There is a strong likelihood that these innocent people have been martyred. China has never accounted for the fate and whereabouts of these 10,000 Uighur Muslims and our 100,000 Uighur sisters.
These events in East Turkestan are just one part of the pains and sufferings afflicting Muslims all over the world. As in East Turkestan, Muslims in Palestine have been subjected to slaughter for around half a century and live as exiles in their own land. There is no end to the disorder and deaths in Iraq. Our brothers in Kirkuk are living with the fear of death. Muslims in Crimea are trying to survive under very difficult circumstances. Muslim blood is shed on an almost daily basis in Afghanistan. Thousands of Muslims have become exiles in their own country in Pakistan. Only recently, Bosnian Muslims were subjected to genocide in the middle of Europe, before the eyes of the whole world. Prisons in many countries are full of Muslims detained because of their thoughts and beliefs. Muslims have been ruthlessly persecuted for almost a century.
Those people who think they have problems because they have failed an exam, a friend is behaving coolly towards them or because they were late for somewhere or were unable to obtain something they wanted, need to put themselves in the position of those other people and thank Allah for the blessings granted upon them. They should think of the defenseless children in Palestine who are exposed to bombings, who lose their parents in clashes, who have no one to bring them up, who suffer various diseases because of their poor living conditions, those who have no warm clothes in the cold weather and are forced to live on the streets. They should give thanks to Allah for living in a safe place and in a warm house with many blessings. They should give thanks to Allah for being healthy and not in danger, for being able to sleep without having to worry, ‘Will there be an attack or bombing? Will we be tortured? Will we have to flee? Will they hurt our friends? Will we be able to find a safe refuge?’ They must not forget all this and become obsessed with their own problems, complaining of being troubled for just a day, while our Muslim brothers are living under such difficult, unsafe and dangerous conditions. They must forget their own minor troubles and give thanks to Allah, saying ‘Allah could have kept me under very difficult circumstances and could have tested me with far worse problems. Thanks be to Allah. To complain over such a tiny irritation would be ingratitude towards the blessings of Allah I enjoy.’
A Muslim will always think along those lines, even if he is tested with the most difficult conditions or if he enjoys countless blessings. He will think about the blessings he is given and thank Allah. Even if he is in East Turkestan, or Palestine, or subjected to persecution, oppression and torture, he will still give thanks to Allah. He will always be content with Allah and the things he faces, because Allah gave him reason, faith and conscience, allowed him to know and love our Lord, and gave him the means with which to seek His approval.
That is because whatever form of test Allah ordains for any person is always the best for them. And Allah will definitely reward those who have patience in their moral virtues, in this world and in the Hereafter, insha’Allah.
