Part 26

But if you were to look at the status of the majority of people, you will find them to be the exact opposite of this! They examine the ‘rights’ that they have upon Allah, and they ignore the rights that Allah has upon them! And because of this, they have cut themselves off from Allah, and their hearts have been sealed up from recognising Him, or loving Him, or being eager to meet Him. And this is the height of ignorance that a man can have with regards to his Lord, and even with regards

3. A Delay in Response is a Trial

When the response of a dua is delayed, this is a type of test and trial that is inflicted upon the servant. This necessitates his being patient during this trial. So a person should realise that, just like his entire life is a trial and test for him, so too is this delayed response. This is just one of the many trials that he has to face if he eventually wishes to enter Paradise and please his Creator.

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And We test you, with good and evil, as a fitnah. And to Us you will return.

So both good and evil is a test, a fitnah, for us, to see whether we are patient when afflicted with evil, and whether we use the good that we have been given properly.

4. Allah is the Most-Wise

Of Allah’s many beautiful Names is a/-Hakim, or The MostWise. So to Allah belongs the greatest wisdom; all of His Decrees are Wise. When He gives, He gives with wisdom, and when He prevents, He prevents with wisdom. As Allah says:

Perfect (or Complete and All-Encompassing ) Wisdom.”

So it is possible that what a person desires is not wise for him to have. And because of this, he is not granted it, or it is delayed until such a time that it is suitable for him. It is possible that the dua might be responded to at a later time, due to factors that Allah alone

330 Paraphrased from Ighathat al-Lahafan, p. 97-98. 331 seerah al-Anbiya, 35. 332 Sarah al-Qamar, 5S.

is aware of. For example, a couple might pray for a child, and their du‘@ is not answered for a number of years, since Allah knows that it would be better for them to be blessed with a child at a later date.

So the believer accepts the Divine Wisdom of Allah, and does not cause a delay in response to swerve him from the true iman in

5. The Matter Might Bring Evil

Following up from the last point, it is possible that Allah knows that a certain matter, although apparently might appear to bring good, in reality will lead to evil consequences. So, a person might desire to have money, and in his heart he feels that he will spend this money for the sake of Allah, and yet Allah knows that if this person were to be given money, he would spend it in haram ways, and that it would ruin his iman. So he would become like the one that is mentioned in the Qur’an:

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And of them are some who made a promise with Allah (saying): if He bestowed on us out of His Blessings, then we will of a surety give charity, and we will surely become amongst the righteous! Then, when He gave them of His Blessings, they became miserly (in spending for the sake of Allah), and turned away, averse (out of arrogance). So because of this He punished them by putting hypocrisy in their hearts, until the Day when they shall meet Him, because they broke which they promised Allah, and because they used to lie (to Allah)!?33

333 seerah al-Tawbah, 75-77.

So beware, O Muslim, of getting angry, or complaining, against Allah’s Decree, for it is possible that the matter that you so desire might be the very cause of your destruction!

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn al-Qayyim, the master of spiritual diseases and their cures, writes:

The Divine Decree related to the believer is always a bounty, even if it is in the form of withholding (something that is desired), and it is a blessing, even if it appears to be a trial, and an affliction that has befallen him is in reality a cure, even though it appears to be a disease! Unfortunately, due to the ignorance of the worshipper, and his transgressions, he does not consider anything to be a gift or a blessing or a cure unless he can enjoy it immediately, and it is in accordance with his nature. If he were only given a little bit of understanding, then he would have counted being withheld from as a blessing, and the sickness as a mercy, and he would relish the trouble that befalls him more than he relishes his ease, and he would enjoy poverty more than he enjoys richness, and he would be more thankful when he is blessed with little than he is when he is blessed with a lot.

Note that a believer does not ask for problems and trials, but when they occur, the true believer relishes them more than he would an apparent blessing, because he realises and expects the great reward that he will obtain through his patience and perseverance.

6. Allah’s Choice is Better than the Choice of the Servant

This is a great secret that very few people appreciate or implement in their lives. For verily, Allah is more Merciful to His servants than a mother is to her child, and He will only Decree for them what is best for their needs in this world and the Hereafter. So even when a trial or tribulation afflicts a Muslim, this is better for him than it not having happened.

334 Madarij al-Salikin, 2/215-216.

So, O servant of Allah, next time your du‘a is not answered, ask yourself: “Is it not possible that Allah knows that this matter which Tam asking for is not for my benefit? And is He not the Most Merciful of all that have mercy? So, in this prevention of my du‘ a being answered, there might be great good for me!”

Just like a parent must not fulfil all the desires of his child since some of them are harmful for him, so too — and to Allah belongs the greatest example — must a person realise that not all of his du’ as are really for his benefit. And once a person truly and fully realises this, that Allah cares for him more than he cares for himself, then he has gone a long way towards perfecting his imdan.

The great sage and ascetic Sufyan al-Thawri said: “Verily, when He withholds, He actually gives, because He did not withhold on account of miserliness or stinginess, but rather He looked at the benefit of the servant. So the fact that He withheld is actually His choice for the servant and His excellent decision”.

7. Man does not Know the Result of His Du‘a

This is another factor that a person should take into consideration, and that is that he does not know the consequences of any

dua that he makes. It is only Allah, the ‘A/im, the Knower of All, Who knows the result of a person’s du‘ a.

Ponder over the story of the youth that was killed by Khadir, Misa’s teacher. Without a doubt, the youth’s parents must have , suffered greatly at his death. Yet, Allah knew that, had the boy lived, he would have caused great distress and hardship to his parents. Therefore, it was Allah’s Mercy that the youth was not allowed to grow up to harm his parents, for had he done so, and turned to disbelief, the grief caused to such pious parents would have been worse than the grief of an innocent death.

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335 Madarij al-Salikin, 2215. 169

And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and We feared lest he should oppress them by rebellion and disbelief.

Therefore, it can be seen that a person’s knowledge of good and evil is relative, whereas Allah’s knowledge is infinite. So a person should resign himself to the fact that His Creator knows the actual consequences of his du‘a, and as such his Lord’s decision is better than his own.

8. Trials Bring One Closer to Allah The Prophet (3) said:

The greatness of reward is based on the severity of the trial. And if Allah loves a person, He tests him, so whoever is pleased (with Allah), then he will have the Pleasure (of Allah), but whoever is angry, then he will receive the Anger (of Allah).?”

So the fact that a person’s du’ a is not responded to is a trial from Allah, and this should make a person optimistic that he is from amongst those whom Allah loves. Such a test should make him increase in his patience and draw him closer to Allah.

9. Something Hated Sometimes Brings Good

When a person’s im€n is strong, then he will realise that everything that Allah has decreed for him is good, even if he does not see the wisdom behind a certain Decree. So, when an affliction befalls him, he will know and realise that hidden in it is great good and benefit for him. As Allah states:

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336 Sarah al-Kahf, 80.

337 Reported by al-Tirmidhi (# 2396), Ibn Majah (# 4031) and others. Authenticated in Sahih al-Tirmidhi 2/286.

338 Surah al-Nisa, 19.

And Allah also stated about me

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“Jihad is ordained for you (Muslims) though you dislike it. And it may be that you dislike a thing even though it is for your good, or that you like a thing even though it is for your evil. And Allah knows, whereas you do not know.”

So when a person realises that something that is disliked might cause or lead to something that is desired, this will ease for him the fact that his dua@ has not been responded to, and sow in his heart the patience that is necessary to overcome this matter.

Ponder over the wise statement of Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah, who stated: “What the slave detests is better for him than what he loves! This is because what he detests will cause him to increase in his dua, whereas what he loves will distract him (from worshipping