IOK Ramadan Reflections Series: #3

Transcript: In Sūrah al-Baqarah, there is a very beautiful passage where Allah ﷻ addresses a very significant part of the human experience and how to navigate through it. Allah ﷻ informs us that He ﷻ is going to test us and try us in different ways. Allah ﷻ in His infinite divine wisdom, causes us as his servants to experience various hardships, difficulties, trials, tribulations, and challenges. But He ﷻ also tells us how navigate through these challenges and overcome them. He tells us that they key to overcoming any difficulty that comes our way is ṣabr; patience, strength, forbearance, perseverance, and being content with the decree of Allah ﷻ.

Allah ﷻ begins by addressing us directly, “O you who believe! Seek help through patience and prayer.” O you who believe in Allah, His Messenger, and the Last Day! Seek Allah’s help, aid, assistance, comfort, and contentment through patience and prayer. Why? “Truly Allah is with those who are patient.” Allah ﷻ is with those who navigate through the various challenges of life with ṣabr. He ﷻ is with them in terms of His divine help, aid, assistance, and support. And if we have Allah ﷻ with us on our side, we can overcome any challenge and win any battle.

Allah ﷻ then speaks about those who have given the ultimate sacrifice; those who have lost their lives defending their families, property, community, and dīn. “Never say that those martyred in the cause of Allah are dead – in fact, they are alice! But you don’t perceive it.”

Allah ﷻ then reminds us that He ﷻ is definitely going to test each and every single one of us in different ways. “We will certainly test you with a touch of fear and famine and loss of property, life, and crops.” Sometimes that test will be in the form of fear; an absence of safety and security. Sometimes it will be in the form of a lack of food and sustenance; famine and hunger. Sometimes it will be a financial loss, such as a loss of property and crops. Sometimes it will be in the form of losing a loved one. We are all going to be tested and tried in some way, shape, or form. That’s part of life; part of being a human being. Part of the human experience is to go through trials, tribulations, difficulty, sorrow, sadness, and loss. Even the Prophets and Messengers experienced various difficulties. As a matter of fact, they were the most severely tested human beings to walk on the face of this earth. As the Prophet ﷺ said, “The most severely tested people are the Prophets. Then those like them and those like them.” The Prophet ﷺ continued and said, “A person is tested according to his religious commitment. If he is steadfast in his religious commitment, he will be tested more severely, and if he is frail in his religious commitment, his test will be according to his commitment. Trials will continue to afflict a person until they leave him walking on the earth with no sin on him.” These trials are a means of having all of our sins forgiven.

Allah ﷻ then gives us the key, the tool, that will help us navigate these trials and overcome them. “And give good news to those who patiently endure – who, when faced with a disaster say, ‘Surely to Allah we belong and to Him we will return.’” Ṣabr – patience, strength, perseverance, and accepting the decree of Allah ﷻ – is the key to overcoming any challenge.

“They are the ones who will receive Allah’s blessings and mercy And it is they who are rightly guided.” May Allah ﷻ make all of us among them!