IECRC (USA & Canada)

Issue # 12
April 22, 2007 / Rabiuth Thani 1428

Immensely Blessed is He in Whose control is the entire Kingdom, and He has authority over everything. He, Who has created death and life that He might test you, as to whose work, is excellent among you. And He is the Esteemed One the Forgiving. [The Holy Quran 67:1-2]

It is clear from the aforementioned blessed verse of the Holy Quran that trials and hardships that face the human condition in the form of tests from Allah Almighty are a part and a parcel of His Divine Plan on this earth. Who has not experienced some type of hardship in life, be it in the form of loss of a loved one, loss of one’s health, or wealth. The question then arises: what is the purpose of the test? Is it ultimate harm or ultimate good? The answer lies in the same verse above. It is to see how one responds to the test. Whether the ultimate result of the test is harm or good depends on one’s own response to it. Does one exhibit patience (sabr) recognizing that the test is from the Almighty, Loving Creator and therefore can only carry goodness in it despite the apparent signs of harm? Does one express gratitude (shukr) to Allah Almighty appreciating the fact that one was considered worthy of such a weighty examination? Does one appreciate the fact that this opportunity for reflection (tafakkur), purification (tazkiya), repentance (tauba) and seeking forgiveness (istaghfar) will make a better, stronger person out of us? Or does one simply complain about the outward temporary losses not being able to see Allah Almighty’s Wisdom?

One simply has to turn the pages of history and observe the lives of the greatest people who have walked this earth – the Prophets (peace be upon them all), and the Saints (Awliya – may Allah Almighty be pleased with them and have mercy on them all) to see that when Allah Almighty wishes to grant His knowledge (marifat) & closeness (qurbat) to His servants, He Almighty sends hardships. One must remember, however, that the Prophets and Saints are Allah Almighty’s chosen people and their role on this earth is that of guiding the common folk. Therefore, the hardships they face are instructional for others and for the purpose of increasing them in infinite spiritual ranks with their Creator. The Crown of the Saints, Hazrat Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (b. 1077 CE, may Allah be pleased with him) says in his famous Sirr-ul-Asraar, “Allah created the spirit (rooh) in the finest formation in the realm of Divinity. Then He wished to reduce it to the lowest of the low, for the purpose of increasing intimacy and nearness.”

The pious Hazrat Syeda Zaynab (May Allah be pleased with her), the beloved grand-daughter of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) experienced so many hardships in her life that she earned the title of Ummul Masaib, the “Mother of Hardships.” When she was six years old, her beloved Grandfather – our Beloved Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him), who had honored her with the name Zaynab and placed His Blessed Saliva in her mouth, passed onto the Realm of Divine Beatitude. Six months later, her blessed mother Hazrat Syeda Fatima Zahra (May Allah be pleased with her) too joined her Blessed Father (Peace Be Upon Him). Upon reaching early adulthood, she witnessed the martyrdom of her beloved & respected father, Hazrat Ali (May Allah be pleased with him). Ten years later she witnessed the martyrdom of her dear brother Hazrat Imam Hasan (May Allah be pleased with him). And on the battlefield of Karbala, she lost her dear brother Hazrat Imam Husayn (May Allah be pleased with him) and nearly the rest of her entire family. However, in the face of such immense hardships she always stood tall for the Truth against the wrong-doers. Her words of fortitude, courage, and resilience reverberate the passageways of history providing inspiration to both women & men today.

There is a famous narration regarding the great 8^th century CE Saint Hazrat Rabia Basri (May Allah be pleased with him) regarding the response to hardships. A Saint was asked about how one should respond to hardships and he said, ” with patience (sabr)”. Another Saint was asked the same question and he replied,  “with gratitude (shukr)”. When Hazrat Rabia (May Allah be pleased with him) was asked the very same question, she said that one should be so engrossed in love (ishq) for Allah Almighty and His Messenger (Peace Be upon Him) that one cannot even see the hardship!

It is clear from the writings and sayings of all the great scholars and saints that the foremost response to hardships in life is patience. Indeed Allah Almighty Himself commands us in the Holy Quran to seek help from prayer and patience. [Al-Quran, 2:45] As Hazrat Syeda Zaynab’s (May Allah be pleased with her) blessed father, the Gate of Knowledge (Babul-‘Ilm), from whom she directly learnt, Hazrat Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) writes in his famous Nahjatul Balagha that the relationship of patience (sabr) to faith (iman) is like that of the head to the body. He (May Allah be pleased with him) further says as is reported in the famous Kashful Mahjoob of the 11^th century CE scholar and Saint, Hazrat Daata Ganj Baksh (May Allah be pleased with him) that, “I have recognized my Lord (marifat) in the breaking of plans.”

Allah Almighty also states in the Holy Quran that He appreciates gratitude [Al-Quran, 4:147] The scholars have said that one must say “Alhamdulillah ‘alaa kulli haal,” i.e. all praises are to Allah Almighty in every condition. When one adopts such a response to one’s hardships then the angels pray for one’s forgiveness and deliverance. Whether Allah Almighty has given us an apparent blessing or an apparent hardship, in every situation one must say “Alhamdulillah.” It is also very important to remember that what may seem as an apparent blessing may also indeed be a test. As Hazrat Daata Ganj Baksh (May Allah be pleased with him) warns us in his Kashful Mahjoob that, “a blessing is truly a blessing when it guides you towards Allah Almighty. If it veils you from the Giver, then it is a hardship (bala).” In the eloquent words of the great 12^th century CE Persian poet, Shaykh Saadi (May Allah be pleased with him)  (translated):

Aysh vo kya jo halaakat ka sabab ban jaae

Jis ka anjaam ho raahat vo museebat achchi

May Allah Almighty give us the guidance (taufeeq) to follow in the footsteps of our pious predecessors and may He Almighty grant us a portion of their patience in our hardships and may He grant us that spiritual station (maqam) that we are so engrossed in His and His Beloved’s (Peace Be Upon Him) love that the hardships become invisible to us. Ameen.

Syeda Shagufta Ahmad Qadri