Always Patient and Thankful

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

The believer sees everything as being from Allah and recognizes everything -- good and bad, pleasing and displeasing -- as being a test. All of life, in reality is a test, as Allah Most High makes clear in the Qur'an:

ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلْمَوْتَ وَٱلْحَيَو‌ٰةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْغَفُورُ‌ ﴿٢

[He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed - and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving - (2)

[Qur'an, Al-Mulk 67:2]

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ‌ وَٱلصَّلَو‌ٰةِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِ‌ينَ ﴿١٥٣
وَلَا تَقُولُوا۟ لِمَن يُقْتَلُ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ أَمْوَ‌ٰتٌۢ ۚ بَلْ أَحْيَآءٌ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تَشْعُرُ‌ونَ ﴿١٥٤﴾ وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَىْءٍ مِّنَ ٱلْخَوْفِ وَٱلْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ ٱلْأَمْوَ‌ٰلِ وَٱلْأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَ‌ٰ‌تِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ‌ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِ‌ينَ ﴿١٥٥﴾ ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَصَـٰبَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيْهِ رَ‌ٰ‌جِعُونَ ﴿١٥٦﴾ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَ‌ٰتٌ مِّن رَّ‌بِّهِمْ وَرَ‌حْمَةٌ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُهْتَدُونَ ﴿١٥٧

O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient. (153) And do not say about those who are killed in the way of Allah, "They are dead." Rather, they are alive, but you perceive [it] not. (154) And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient, (155) Who, when disaster strikes them, say, "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return." (156) Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided. (157)

[Qur'an, Al-Baqarah 2:153-157]

The believer responds to tests in accordance to what will please Allah and remaining firm on what is pleasing to Allah, accompanied by thankfulness, as the believer sees everything as a blessing, i.e an opportunity for drawing closer to Allah, and for eternal reward.

This makes every moment of the believer's life beautiful and blessed, as the verses above make clear.

When the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) heard the death of his son, Ibrahim who was about 16 months old, the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) immediately went to the house of the nurse, where he held Ibrahim in his hands, and tears flowed from his eyes. He said, "The eyes send their tears and the heart is saddened, but we do not say anything except that which pleases our Lord. Indeed, O Ibrahim, we are bereaved by your departure from us." Then he turned his face towards the mountain before him and said, "O mountain! If you were as sorrowful as I am, you would certainly crumble into pieces! But we say what Allah has ordered us: (We are the servants of Allah and we will return to Him; We thank Allah, the Creator of the Universe)"

While Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was grieving for his son Ibrahim, Usama ibn Zayd started to cry. The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) warned him not to. Usama said, "I saw you crying." The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) answered: "I have not commanded you against sadness, but against raising your voice in grief."

May Allah make us of those who are patient and thankful and bring us close to Him. Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam