#Islam

When Faith Hurts: Do Good Deeds = Good Life?

Loving Allah and trusting the Wisdom and Purpose in everything He throws your way- even if it hurts. It is a time to learn.

Published

June 23, 2019

Zeba Khan

hurts, hardship. Allah, test, why Allah is testing me

The Messenger of Allah said that the faith in our hearts wears out the way our clothes wear out. Deterioration, maintenance, and renewal are part of the cycle. That’s life with all that hurts. That’s normal.

But what happens when that’s life, but life is not your normal? What happens when it feels like life isn’t normal, hasn’t been normal, and won’t be normal for a foreseeably long time? For some of us, refreshing faith becomes secondary to just keeping it.

It’s easier to say Alhamdulillah when you are happy. It’s harder when you’re not. That’s human nature though. There’s nothing wrong with that, but there is something wrong with what we teach about faith that can leave us unprepared for when Allah tests it. I believe that our discussions about faith tend to be overly simplistic. They revolve around a few basic concepts, and are more or less summed up with:

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Faith = Happiness

Righteousness = Ease

Prayer = Problem Solved

Good Deeds Equals Good Life?

Basically, the TLDR is Good Deeds = The Good Life. None of these statements are technically untrue. The sweetness of faith is a joy that is beyond any other gratitude, for any other thing in this world. Righteousness in the sight of Allah will put you on the path to the good life in the afterlife. Making dua can be the solution to your problems. But when we say these things to people who have true faith but not happiness, or righteous behavior yet distressing hardship, we’re kind of implying that that either Islam is broken (because their prayers seem unanswered), or they are broken (because their prayers are undeserving of answers.) And neither of those is true either.

Allow me to elaborate. I think it’s safe to say that there is not a single parent who has not begged Allah to make their sick or disabled child well again. Yet, our Ummah still has sick and disabled children. Through history, people have begged Allah for a loved one’s life, and then buried them – so is prayer not equal to problem solved?

Many righteous people stand up, and are then ostracized for their faith. Many people speak truth in the face of a tyrant only to be punished for it. Many of us live with complete conviction, with unshakeable belief in the existence and wisdom and mercy of Allah, and still find ourselves unhappy and afraid of what He has willed for us.

Are We Broken?

No, but our spiritual education is. In order to fix it, we have to be upfront with each other. We have to admit that we can be happy with Allah and still find ourselves devastated by the tests He puts before us, because faith is not a protection from struggle.

Has anyone ever said this to you? Have you ever said this to anyone else?

No one ever told me. It was hard for me to learn that lesson on my own, when I pleaded with Allah to make my son’s autism go away, and it didn’t. Everyone told me –Make dua! The prayer of a mother for her child is special! Allah will never turn you down!

It was hard trying to make sense of what seemed like conflicting messages- that Allah knows best, but a mother’s prayer is always answered. It was even harder facing people who tried to reassure me of that, even when it obviously wasn’t working.

“Just make dua! Allah will respond!”

I’m sure people mean well. But it’s hard not to be offended. Either they assume I have never bothered to pray for my son, or they imply that there must be good reason why Allah’s not granting to my prayers. What they don’t consider is that allowing my test to persist – even if I don’t want it to- is also a valid response from Allah.

I have been told to think back in my life, and try to determine what sin caused my child’s disability, as if the only reason why Allah wouldn’t give me what I asked for was because I was so bad I didn’t deserve it. As if good deeds equaled the good life, and if my life wasn’t good, it’s because I hadn’t been good either.

Bad Things Happen to Good People

You can assume whatever you like about my character, but bad things do happen to good people, even when they pray. You can try your hardest and still fall short. You can pray your whole life for something that will never come to you. And strength of faith in that circumstance doesn’t mean living in a state of unfulfilled hope, it means accepting the wisdom in the test that Allah has decreed for you.

That’s a bit uncomfortable, isn’t it. When we talk about prayer and hope, we prefer to talk about Zakariyyah – who begged Allah for a child and was gifted with one long after anyone thought it even possible. But we also need to talk about Abu Talib.

The Prophet Muhammad was raised by his uncle Abu Talib, and in his mission to preach Islam he was protected by Abu Talib. But Abu Talib died without accepting Islam, was there something wrong with the Prophet, that Allah did not give him what he asked for? Was he not good enough? Did he not pray hard enough? Astaghfirullah, no. So if Prophets of God can ask for things and still not get them, why are we assuming otherwise for ourselves?

Making a Bargain with Allah

If we can understand that faith is not a contract for which we trade prayers for services, then maybe we can cope better when fate cannot be bargained with. Maybe it won’t have to hurt so bad – on spiritual level – when Allah withholds what we ask for, even when we asked for the “right” things in the right way and at all the right times.

Life is not simple. Faith is not simple. The will of Allah is not simple, no matter how much we want it to be, and when oversimplify it, we create a Muslim version of Prosperity Gospel without meaning to.

If you’ve never heard of it, prosperity gospel is a religious belief among some Christians that health and wealth and success are the will of God, and therefore faith, good deeds and charity increase one’s wellbeing. Have faith, and God will reward you in this life and the next. That’s nice. But it’s too simple. Because the belief that Good Deeds = The Good Life doesn’t explain how Ibraheem ’s father tried to have him burnt alive.

Yusuf ’s brothers left him for dead in the bottom of a well. He grew up a slave and spent years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Aasiya – the wife of the Pharoah – one of the four best women in the history of womankind – died from her husband’s torture.

Good people are not guaranteed good lives. Islam is what we need, not a system of practices that we use to fulfill our needs.

When we limit our understanding of faith to a simplistic, almost contractual relationship with Allah, then we can’t even explain the things that Allah Tested His own prophets with.

Nor can we understand, or even begin to cope with- what He Tests the rest of us with either. We have to be real in our talk about faith, because otherwise we set each other up for unrealistic expectations and lack of preparation for when we face hardship. Faith is not protection from hardship. Faith is part of hardship. And hardship is part of faith.

Allah asks us in the opening of Surah ‘Ankabut,

Do people think once they say, “We believe,” that they will be left without being put to the test? We certainly tested those before them. And ˹in this way˺ Allah will clearly distinguish between those who are truthful and those who are liars.

Allah says in Surah Baqarah, ayah 155: “And most certainly shall We try you by means of danger, and hunger, and loss of worldly goods, of lives and of the fruits of your labor. But give glad tidings to those who are patient in adversity.

Allah Tests Everyone Differently

Allah tests each of us differently, but in every single case – every single time – a test is an invitation to success. Hardship is the process through which we prove ourselves. Experiencing it– and then drawing closer to Allah through it –is how faith is tested as well as strengthened.

If we can change how we perceive hardship, then we can also change how we perceive each other. On our cultural subconscious, we still see worldly failure as being equivalent to spiritual failure. So when we see people who are homeless, we assume fault. When we see people facing depression or divorce, we assume fault. We even look at refugees and victims and special needs children and we look for fault. Because if it’s that bad then it’s has to be someone’s fault, right?

Fault is how we place blame. Blame is how we know whose mistake it is. But the will of Allah is never a mistake, it’s a test. Instead of faulting each other for what Allah tests us with, we could respect each other for the struggles we all endure. We could see each other with more compassion for our challenges, and less aversion when Allah tests us with dealing each other.

So when you’ve done things the right way, but the right things aren’t happening. Or you’ve been charitable to others, and they’re being evil towards you. Or you’ve earned only halal, but haram- it’s been taken away from you, remember this- your faith is being tested. Allah tests those that He loves. When He raises the difficulty level, Allah is extending a direct invitation for you to climb higher.

So How Do We Succeed When Faced With Failure?

The first thing to do is redefine failure. There is only one true failure in this life, and that is dying on the wrong side of Siraat ul Mustaqeem, because if close your eyes and wake up in Jahannam, no success in this life can compensate for that.

I find that helpful to remember, when I fail to stay fit because I can’t exercise without hurting myself, when I fail to fast in Ramadan because it’s dangerous for me to do so- when I fail to discover a cure for my family’s personal assortment of medical issues through rigorous internet “research,” none of that is my failure either. And I can feel a lot of different ways about these situations, but I do not feel guilty- because it’s not my fault. And I do not feel bitter, because my test is my honor. Even when I do feel scared.

Being scared in not a failure either. Neither is being unemployed. Being unmarried is not a failure. Being childless is not a failure. Being divorced is not a failure. Nothing unpleasant or miserable or unexpected is a failure. It’s all just a test, and seeing it as a test means you have the state of mind to look for the correct answers.

Not even sin is failure, because as long as you are alive, your sin stands as an invitation to forgiveness. The bigger the sin, the greater the blessings of repenting from it. Everything that goes bad is the opening of the door for good. A major sin can be the first step on a journey that starts with repentance and moves you closer to Allah every day thereafter. Sin only becomes failure when it takes you farther away from Allah, rather than closer to him.

Jahannam is the Only Failure

Addiction is not a failure. Depression is not a failure. Poverty is not a failure. Jahannam is the only failure. Everything else is a gap in expectations.

You assumed you would have something, but it’s not written for you. You assumed you’d ask Allah for something and He’d give it to you, but what is that assumption based on again? That good deeds are the guarantee to the good life, and that prayer equals problem solved?

Allah has all the knowledge, Allah has the wisdom, Allah is the best of Planners – how are you assuming that your wishes supersede His will? Even when you put your wishes in the form of a prayer?

They don’t. It is absolutely true that Allah may choose to rewrite Qadr itself based on your prayers – but that’s still His choice. Allah has always, and will always be in control of this world. And that means your world too. If you still think you’re in control, you will find it really, really hard to cope the first time you realize you’re not.

When we understand that we don’t get to control what happens and what doesn’t, we can then release ourselves from the misplaced guilt of things going wrong. Lots of special needs parents struggle with guilt. I meet them often – and every single parent has asked the question- directly or indirectly-

What did I do for my child to deserve this?

Can you hear the presumption in there? That the parents were good, so why did something bad happen? They were expecting for good deeds to equal the good life.

There’s a second presumption in there too, that their life choices were a determining factor of what happened to their child. That is a presumption of control. And as long as you try to hold on to that presumption of control, there is the constant feeling of failure when it just doesn’t work the way you think it will.

I am not proposing that we lose hope in Allah and despair of His Mercy. I am in no way insinuating that Allah doesn’t hear every prayer, hasn’t counted every tear, and isn’t intimately aware of your pain and your challenges. Allah hears your prayers, and in His wisdom, sometimes he grants us exactly what we want. In His Wisdom, sometimes he grants us exactly what we need.

Even if we don’t see it.

Even if it scares us.

Even if it hurts us – because Allah has promised that He will never, ever break us.

Allah Tests Us in His Mercy

I am proposing that we put trust in the wisdom of Allah, and understand that when He tests us, that is part of his mercy, not a deviation from it. When He grants something to us, that is part of His mercy, and when he withholds something from us, that too is part of His Mercy, even if we don’t like it. Even when we ask Him to take it away.

The third thing I would like to propose, is that we correct our understanding of – Fa Inna Ma’Al usri yusraa, Inna Ma’al usri yusra.

So verily, definitely, for sure- with hardship there is ease. Again, Inna – for sure, with hardship there is ease.

I’m sure lots of you have said this to people you loved, or to yourself when you’re struggling with something and you’re just trying to get through it. But did you mean that this hardship will end, and then things will be good again? Like as soon as things have been hard for a while, Allah will make them easy again?

Would you believe that’s not really what that means? Ma’a means with, not after. With this hardship, there is ease. And maybe you’re like aww man, but I wanted the ease! I want the hardship to go away and Allah I’m ready for my ease now!

But that hardship, will bring you ease. Allah does not tell us what the ease will be, or when it will be- but He says it’s there, so trust Him. Even if you can’t see it right away, or in this life –it will become apparent.

I can tell you some of the ease I found with mine.

Learning When It Hurts

When my son was diagnosed with autism, my husband and I had to drop everything. We dropped our plans to save, to travel, and to live the charmed life of neurotypical parents whose only fears are that their children may grow up and NOT become Muslim doctors. We spent our earnings and our savings and our time and our nights and our tears and Alhamdulillah, we learned patience. We learned perspective. We learned compassion.

We really learned what we thought we already knew – about unconditional love and acceptance. We learned to be bigger than our fears, and smaller than our own egos. We learned to give and take help. We learn to accept what wisdom our cultures could offer us, and respectfully decline what did not. We learn to set boundaries and make rules that did justice by our children and our family, regardless of whether they were popular. With hardship comes ease.

When we couldn’t afford therapy for my son, my husband and I founded a not for profit organization in the UAE that provided it for my son and dozens of other people’s sons and daughters. Three and a half years ago I left that organization to seek better educational opportunities for my son here in the US, but it’s still running. The seed that our challenges planted has grown into something beyond us. With our hardship came ease for ourselves and others as well.

When I was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, my health issues were upgraded from challenging to permanent. I had to rethink how I lived, how I planned, how I dressed, and even – my relationship with Allah. But if I had never been sick, I would never have started writing. When it hurt, I wrote. When I was scared, I wrote. When I was lonely, I wrote. And by and by the grindstone of fear and sickness and frustration sharpened my skills. Where I am today both spiritually and professionally – is actually a direct result of both autism and chronic illness. With hardship comes ease.

I don’t like my hardships, but I don’t have to. You don’t have to either. Being a good Muslim doesn’t always mean being a happy Muslim. It just means being Muslim, no matter the circumstances.

That means loving Allah and trusting the Wisdom and Purpose in everything He throws your way – even if not loving everything He throws your way. You may hate your circumstances, and you may not be able to do anything about them, but as long as you trust Allah and use your hardships to come closer to him, you cannot fail, even if this life, you feel as if you never really succeeded.

Faith Wears Out In Our hearts, The Way Our Cothes Wear Out on Our Bodies

The hardship that damages and stains us is Allah’s invitation to repair, renew, and refresh ourselves. Our test are an invitation, an opportunity, an obstacle – but not a punishment or divine cruelty. And when we know that those tests will come, and some may even stay, then we can be better prepared for it.

Trust Allah when He says that He does not burden any soul with more than it can bear. He told us so in Surah Baqarah Ayah 286. Remember that when you are afraid, and Allah will never cause your fear to destroy you. Take your fear to Allah, and He will strengthen you, and reward you for your bravery.

Remember that when you are in pain. Allah will never cause your pain to destroy you. Take your pain to Him, and He will soothe you and reward you for your patience. Take it all to Allah – the loneliness, the anxiety, the confusion. Do not assume that the only emotions a “good Muslim” takes to Allah are gratitude and happiness and awe. Take them all to Allah, uncertainty, disappointment, anger — and He will bless you in all of those states, and guide you to what is better for you in this life, and the next, even if it’s not what you expected.

The struggles in your life are a test, and whether you pass or fail is not determined on whether you conquer them, only on whether you endure them. Expect that they will come, because having faith is not protection from struggle. Faith is protection from being broken by the struggle.

I ask Allah to protect us all from hardship, but protect us in our hardships as well. I ask Allah to grant us peace from His peace, and strength from His strength, to patiently endure and grow through our endurance.

Ameen.

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Zeba Khan

Zeba Khan is the Editor at Large - Special Needs for MuslimMatters.org, as well as a writer, speaker, and disability awareness advocate. In addition to having a child with autism, she herself lives with Ehlers-Danlos Sydrome, Dysautonomia, Mast-Cell Activation Disorder, and a random assortment of acronyms that collectively translate to chronic illness and progressive disability.

28 Comments

Sandra

June 24, 2019 at 2:00 PM

Beautiful words indeed. We should all be prepared for whatever Allah has for us and maybe sometimes get back to this post to keep a reminder for ourselves. Salaam

Reply
Blueportal

June 25, 2019 at 10:09 AM

Assalamu alaykum, beautifully written. Just wanted to share my perspective of dua. I know when people say “make dua”, they might come across as making one feel as if the person making dua is not good enough or something is wrong. However, I am not sure if there are others who feel this way, but saying “make dua” can also be an encouragement. Sometimes those words are like a reminder to be hopeful and to not despair. Sometimes those words are said with sincerity, with the intention to remind the person of Allah’s help with anything that they are feeling or facing. So I just wanted to expand on this phrase because I have heard many people say that it is offensive to them. Jazak Allah khair.

Reply
- Zeba Khan
  
  June 25, 2019 at 9:03 PM
  
  Walaikum Assalam, thank you for the clarification. I am sure that people mean well, but if enough people tell others that they find the “good advice” offensive, then perhaps it might be a good idea to consider the impact.
  
  If the purpose of the reminder to make dua is to give the person hope, but if instead it gives them offense, then perhaps that’s an indicator that you might need to find another way of helping people feel better. :)
  
  Reply
Dina

June 25, 2019 at 11:22 AM

Assalamu alaikum, I would like to draw your attention to the below paragraph where the term ‘صلى الله عليه وسلّم followed ‘He’ referring to Allah:

Are We Broken?
No, but our spiritual education is. In order to fix it, we have to be upfront with each other. We have to admit that we can be happy with Allah and still find ourselves devastated by the tests He ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) puts before us, because faith is not a protection from struggle.

Thank you and jazakum Allah khair.

Reply
- Zeba Khan
  
  June 25, 2019 at 8:55 PM
  
  JazakAllahuKheiran- it’s been fixed. Thank you for pointing it out. :)
  
  Reply
Spirituality

June 25, 2019 at 2:21 PM

Jazaki Allahu Khayran for keeping it real!

I think too many of us use the formula you mentioned in your article –

Faith = Happiness; Righteousness = Ease; Prayer = Problem Solved

as a means trying to change this world into Jannah.

Ie, If we only have enough faith, if we are only righteous enough, if we only pray enough, we will have no problems, get whatever we want, and live happily ever after. (Imagine Cinderella and her Prince Charming riding off into the sunset).

The reality though is that this world will never turn into Jannah, no matter how much faith we have, how righteous we are, and how much we pray. This world will always remain a place of trials – some good and some bad. The point of faith, righteousness and prayer is to allow us to survive and hopefully pass these trials.

We will always have problems – some big, some small – until we die. Insha Allah, at that point, Allah will grant us Jannah through his mercy.

Reply
- Zeba Khan
  
  July 3, 2019 at 5:59 PM
  
  Ameen
  
  Reply
Mohammed Shahed

June 25, 2019 at 8:33 PM

Epiphany of a bereaved soul perhaps opened up to divine revelation in the face of surmounted unease and difficulty that made the sister realise how life actually redeems in the form of Allah’s gift of life, good or bad bundled in one.

It lifted heavy burden off my chest and major misconception in the form of lots of ‘why me’ questions. I heard lectures , read transcripts & articles of many renown scholars of spiritual leaning but the way this sister articulated my concern is beyond any divine gift I experience.

May Allah bless this sister and reward her struggle. Hope this help brothers/sisters with similar quest and save the pain of misplaced expectation from Allah (SWT) and blame Him in the process.

Reply
- Zeba Khan
  
  July 3, 2019 at 5:59 PM
  
  Ameen, may Allah make it easy for you in your struggles. :)
  
  Reply
Zara

June 26, 2019 at 2:04 AM

Assalamu Alaikum Zeba Khan,

This article is such a gem of a treasure. Subhaan Allah, it’s so amazing how I came across in a moment in my life where I was increasingly becoming so sad and frustrated and astaghrirullah even having bad thoughts of Allah swt. It was revolving around my beauty/physical features which have become interconnected to marriage as I realistically know it is an annoying barrier to marriage. I feel so pathetic now because this article reminded me of the many more difficult hardships people face. But still my physical features really sadden me. I was essentially having a hard time reconciling with Allah’s decree and was afraid of what else He had in store of me. Negative thoughts of why and who blesses with whatever. I keep thinking if Allah swt doesn’t accept my dua for marriage then I probably did something wrong. But your words warmed my heart and I find peace in submitting to ANY outcome of my duas.

It’s not a coincidence I came across these words (shared by Shaykh Mohammed Aslam on fb):

“In the lifetime of Sayyidah Fatimah al-Zahra, she lost all her brothers, her 3 sisters, and her mother, Lady Khadijah. She went through hunger, experienced persecution, heard people insult her parents, saw three years of boycott – the Muslims would eat from the leaves of trees just to survive. She left her home and migrated to Madinah. She saw difficulty, lost her baby child soon after his birth, experienced wars, was tested with very little wealth, and saw the passing of her blessed father, Sayyiduna Muhammad ﷺ

Dear sister, going through tests and sadness. Allāh isn’t punishing you nor does He hate you. He only wants to reward you by allowing you to join the ranks of the Queen of Paradise, Sayyidah Fatimah due to your patience and perseverance. Every breath you take in hardship – the closer you are raised to her. رضي الله عنها”

Thank you Zeba Khan for this article. I am excited to have a renewed positive thought of Allah swt and a better mindset through which I can grow closer to Him.

Reply
- Zeba Khan
  
  July 3, 2019 at 6:02 PM
  
  Zara, don’t belittle your struggle. Allah is testing you with something that He feels with help you grow as a person and a Muslim, and even if you don’t know what He has in store for you, as long as you trust Him, you will pass InshaAllah.
  
  May Allah grant you a righteous spouse, and beautify you in each other’s eyes, and put beauty in your actions and write beauty for you in this life and in the reward of the next.
  
  Reply
Yusuf Saber

June 27, 2019 at 2:11 PM

Thank you sister for writing this. I have been in a bad place recently and this really helped me put things into perspective. JazakiAllahu khairan!

Reply
- Zeba Khan
  
  July 3, 2019 at 6:03 PM
  
  Wa iyyak brother. :)
  
  Reply
Imran

June 27, 2019 at 2:49 PM

Assalaam Sr. Zara,

Please know that having a positive and emotionally-supporting personality is far more attractive to a man than physical beauty. Physical fitness is also more important than physical beauty. Best of luck and stay positive insha Allah!

Reply
Sharifa

June 30, 2019 at 4:29 PM

Assalamu Alaykum,

This is a great article! I think that we often forget that as the Quran says, *with* hardship comes ease; that is, we need discomfort, pain, sadness and other negative feelings in order to appreciate their opposite. Another point that I need this article raises is the idea of hedonism rather than meaning as the main pursuit of life when we think that we’ll automatically have a great life (read “happy” life) if we’re practicing the faith the way that Allah (SWT) wants us to. As the psychologist, Dr. Viktor Frankl argues in his book “Man’s Searching For Meaning” and Dr. Andrea Polard argues in “A Unified Theory of Happiness,” happiness is a byproduct of having meaning in life rather than an end itself. We can continue being good Muslims while knowing that the Beautiful Ending will come eventually, inshaAllah, and while recognizing that Pleasing Allah (SWT) is an end itself.

Reply
Sister

June 30, 2019 at 6:18 PM

Assalaamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu,

Jazakillah khair, Sister Zeba Khan for your insightful and helpful article.

I am crying right now- it is just what I needed, Alhamdulillah, and I want to thank you for posting. You put in words what somewhere in myself I was feeling and contemplating but couldn’t verbalize. Reading this perspective from someone else is like an answer to my prayers, as I’ve been praying for clarity after feeling overwhelmed by my life struggles and losing focus for some time.

Prophet Yaqub alaihisalaam had so much sadness and grief he went blind! But he endured with good faith. We need to internalize the will to endure for Allah’s sake, as He promised us He will test us, and take that as a reason to feel peace and acceptance with our life struggles. Our self-talk should be along the lines of: “Allah is testing me and something good will definitely come of this whether I see it or not, whether the world supports me or not.”

Lastly, I most wholeheartedly agree that we need to redefine failure. In the example of Yaqub or Ayoob alaihimussalaam, we don’t see failures! But why is it in fellow Muslims struggling with the same (family issues, poor health, wealth,status, etc.) we somehow make them feel like failures, even if the words aren’t said outright?
I wish our collective communities placed more emphasis/repetition on the fact that the more tests or struggles you have, the BETTER it is for you ultimately in BOTH lives; not only on the mainstream emphasis that good deeds= good life or that good deeds=feeling happy all.the.time. Our young ones need to be brought up with grit, not competition for the all-elusive happy life.

It is with much love and respect that I pray: May Allah (SWT) bless you and your family and elevate your status, Ameen! And may Allah grant us all tawfiq, Ameen.

Reply
muslims life

July 12, 2019 at 4:08 AM

This is a great article! I think that we often forget that as the Quran says, *with* hardship comes ease; that is, we need discomfort, pain, sadness and other negative feelings in order to appreciate their opposite.

Reply
Sabi

July 13, 2019 at 2:31 PM

Asak, Very well written article, May Allah give us all steadfastness to practice our deen with utmost sincerity.

Reply
Karen

July 16, 2019 at 4:57 AM

I came here because of so much strugle recently. I am really very tired. Nothing is working in my life. My husband does not pray or fast, constantly puttinf me in very difficult life situations. My relatives hate me because i am convert and they hate Islam. Before one week i was beaten from my sister and her nazi boyfriend in front of my children. They took out my hijab and broke my clothes. After told me they going to kill me and my children. Is just good article to remind us we must be patient and go from here as believers. My I think this is the only one salvation i am looking for. Just preparing for the grave.I hope Allah guide me through this Hell. And ease our pain and hardship. Salam to all believers.

Reply
- Anon
  
  August 26, 2019 at 11:04 PM
  
  Dear Sr Karen.
  Please see if you can access somebody to help you – don’t go through this alone. Speak to a counsellor to help get clarity of your situation. Too often we accept that we have ‘tests’ but we need to also work towards helping ourselves through these tests – after dua, take action to protect yourself and your kids.
  
  From a sister across the world who cares about you.
  
  Reply
Constance

August 3, 2019 at 12:13 PM

Dear sister, thank you for writing this article. It came to my attention at a time when I really needed it. May Allah bless you and your family and reward you for you trials. Amin

Reply
- Anon
  
  August 26, 2019 at 11:03 PM
  
  Dear Sr Karen.
  Please see if you can access somebody to help you – don’t go through this alone. Speak to a counsellor to help get clarity of your situation. Too often we accept that we have ‘tests’ but we need to also work towards helping ourselves through these tests – after dua, take action to protect yourself and your kids.
  
  From a sister across the world who cares about you.
  
  Reply
Ehtisham Asghar

September 2, 2019 at 1:07 PM

Veru nice its a gem for me.

Reply
Ehtisham Asghar

September 2, 2019 at 1:14 PM

Dear sister, thank you for writing this article. It came to my attention at a time when I really needed it. May Allah bless you and your family and reward you for you trials.

Reply
Ali

September 2, 2019 at 1:17 PM

I am crying right now- it is just what I needed, Alhamdulillah, and I want to thank you for posting. You put in words what somewhere in myself I was feeling and contemplating but couldn’t verbalize. Reading this perspective from someone else is like an answer to my prayers, as I’ve been praying for clarity after feeling overwhelmed by my life struggles and losing focus for some time.

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Fm

October 5, 2019 at 10:33 AM

JazakAllahu khairan katheeran katheera.

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Farzana

February 26, 2020 at 6:55 PM

Sister Zeba, you have written a great piece of article.
I am on the verge of losing my faith and just stumbled upon your writing.
I still feel we are missing a piece of puzzle in solving our problems.
Surely, Allah is merciful and 70 times kinder than our mothers (as they say).
So that makes me feel that even though this world is not Jannah but it is not Jahannam either.
I try to notice the ones who are leading a good life or have overcome difficulty and try to find that missing puzzle. Still not sure what ticks the box to get what we need/desire from our Creator.
More research needs to be done on this rather than just guessing things.

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Zameer

October 20, 2022 at 2:39 AM

Salaam Zeba , Having been reading about this topic from multiple dimensions over the past couple of years to decipher the reasons for the professional setbacks I received post covid for reasons beyond my control , I chanced upon your article and found a deep resonance in ur articulation of faith

I loved the simple affirmation you gave that good deeds and a commendable faith sometimes are not good enough to explain or even combat the tribulations which encircle a person in life triggering a conflict in faith understanding as a person is trained with a value mechanism that good deeds , faith and dua brings in good rewards in here and here after in varying degrees depending on Allah’s will.

It’s also told that a person is tested as per the strength of faith / ability , no body will be tested beyond what they can bear , with hardship comes ease , like good things even hardships have an expiry date , one needs gratitude in hardship , man is created in haste , Allah wishes only good for his creator, He wants to elevate a person’s status with trials , one should have patience in turbulence, if something is removed it will be replaced by something else better , Allah’s wisdom is perfect where as a human wisdom is not , Everyone else is tested in their own ways , what’s denied is for better is in long run for the human which he may not know , Allah will.listen if called in sincerity , if denied here good deeds will be rewarded in hereafter etc.

Trust me knowing , believing these guidances sometimes is not good enough to soothe the inner turbulence and instead of Allahumdullilah a human muslim or non muslim takes the inner pain in conversation with Allah engaging with him mostly in a negative state of mind even though that person loves , respects and trusts Allah .

The conversation often transgresses ( atleast in my case ) beyond the lure of Jannat or fear of jahannum because one feels that Allah’s grace cannot be limited to these parables …

One seeks answers and when the answers are delayed there is a good chance of even a spiritual disconnect with Allah even though the love for Allah remains.

The person is seeking the reason for him being a collateral damage between Allah’s guidance, will vs the worldly responsibilities tagging the human since birth.. How fair is it on part of Allah to trigger this duel by operating the free will and pre destiny wheels concurrently?

Submission of one’s will to Allah’s will is probably the most simplest yet most complex phenomenon ..

Just because a human lacks ability to create , have sovereignty over time and space does it become an eternal reason for a human desire to be in perpetual slavery to Allah’s will of its success and time of success even if it’s laced with honesty , efforts and right intensity?

If that tests a man’s endurance beyond a breaking point will it be wrong on the man’s part to walk away from this not desiring to have the so called strength the human cantsee but is told to believe or the desire of an elevated ranks ?

Is that anger a legitimate reason again to demean years of faith before the breaking point ?

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