For a believer, suffering from sickness is not just a reality but also a philosophy that comes with blessings. He knows that Allah (swt) in His mercy will expiate some of his sins if he remains patient through it. The Prophet (p) said: No Muslim is afflicted with harm because of sickness or some other inconvenience, but that Allah will remove his sins for him as a tree sheds its leaves. (Bukhari) When afflicted with illness and pain, the believer should remind himself, like Prophet Job did, of all the years when Allah (swt) blessed him with good health. He should remain patient and ask Allah (swt) for his Mercy, and that can earn him Paradise. One day, a woman who was suffering from epilepsy came to the Prophet and asked him to make supplication for her. The Prophet (p) replied, “Do you wish that you may endure it and be rewarded with Paradise, or do you wish that I shall make supplication to Allah to cure you?” She said, “I shall endure it.” This woman later became known as one from the people of Paradise.[ 7] In a hadith qudsi, Allah (swt) says: When I affect my slave in his two dear things (i.e., his eyes), and he endures patiently, I shall compensate him for that with Paradise. (Bukhari) When one suffers through a serious disease which brings prolonged physical pain and discomfort or even the prospect of death [ 8], only he (or she) can feel the full extent of the pain and distress. No one else can possibly come close to appreciating what he goes through physically and mentally. Yet, let him be reminded that it is perhaps through this sickness and suffering that Allah (swt) intends to bless him with Paradise. There cannot be any reward or success greater than that. So let his or her heart continue to beat with zikr (remembrance) of Allah through this suffering, and his face become radiant with His love. Let the visitors who come to see him be blazed with his unshakable faith and spirit. Let him teach others, even through his sickness, faith and trust in Allah! Aminah Assilmi, a convert to Islam, mentioned about a person who died of cancer. He was only 20 years old, and yet she was dazzled by this young man’s faith and love of Allah in the midst of suffering. She wrote: Shortly before he died, he told me that Allah was truly Merciful. This man was in unbelievable anguish and was radiating with Allah’s love. He said: “Allah intends that I should enter heaven with a clean book.” His death experience gave me something to think about. He taught me of Allah’s love and mercy.[ 9] Death of Beloved Ones If one suffers death of someone whom he dearly loved, then he should remember that our children, spouses, parents, friends, and other family members are but trusts from Allah (swt). A wife is a trust to her husband while her husband is a trust to her. A child is a trust to his/her parents while the parents are a trust to the child. As these trusts provide us with comfort and support, Allah (swt) tests us to see how we deal with them and how we take care of these trusts. He reserves the right to take back these trusts, and He does so when the term He sets for a trust expires. The Prophet (p) consoled his daughter when her baby was sick as saying: Whatever Allah takes away or gives, belongs to Him, and everything has a fixed term (in this world). (Bukhari and Muslim) Therefore, one should not show despair or displeasure at Allah (swt) but remain calm and patient even at the death of his or her dearest one. Imam Muslim narrates a hadith about a female Companion of the Prophet that is a paramount example of patience and faith. To reproduce the hadith briefly, her name was Umm Sulaim. One of her sons was very sick while her husband, Abu Talha, was away in business. The son eventually died, and she told her family members not to tell this to her husband when he returns until she breaks this to him herself. When Abu Talha returned, she presented the supper before him and he ate. She then beautified herself in the best way like she never did before. After they had intercourse and Abu Talha was satisfied, she told him, “O Abu Talha! If some people borrow something from another family who then ask for that to be returned, should they refuse to give it back?” He replied, “No”. “Then”, she said, “hope reward for your son”. Abu Talha immediately understood that their son was dead. After burring his son in the morning, he went to the Prophet and told him the matter. The Prophet (p) said, “May Allah bless the night you spent together.” It turned out that she conceived that night. When the child was born, the Prophet (p) blessed him and named him “Abdullah”. Bukhari’s version of the hadith says that Abdullah had nine sons, each of whom memorized the entire Qur’an. When a mother suffers the death of her child, there is no one in this world who can come close to feeling her grief and sorrow. And yet, this otherwise unknown Companion of the Prophet (p) remained patient with Allah as she correctly understood the philosophy of life and death. The reward for such patience with Allah (swt) at the death of a beloved one is Paradise. Allah (swt) says in a hadith qudsi: I have no reward other than paradise for a believing slave of mine who remains patient for My sake when I take away his beloved one from among the inhabitants of the world.[ 10](Bukhari) Loss of Wealth and Property In many places in the Qur’an, Allah (swt) uses the phrase “out of what we have given” when He asks the believers to spend in the way of Allah, such as: Those who rehearse the Book of Allah, establish regular Prayer and spend (in Charity) out of what We have provided for them secretly and openly hope for a Commerce that will never fail. (35:29) Those … who spend out of what We bestow on them for Sustenance. (42:38) They spend (in charity) out of the sustenance which We have bestowed on them. (32:16) As Allah (swt) asks the believers to pay zakat and charity, He reminds them that all the wealth and property that they have actually belongs to Allah (swt) anyway.
Posted on: Wed, 11 Sep 2013 05:09:27 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015