Embracing the Struggles of this Life’s Journey
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لِيَكُونُ لَهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الْمَنْزِلَةُ، فَمَا يَبْلُغُهَا بِعَمَلٍ فَمَا يَزَالُ اللَّهُ يَبْتَلِيهِ بِمَا يَكْرَهُ، حَتَّى يُبَلِّغَهُ إِيَّاهَا»
Abu Hurairah (radi Allahu anhu) said Allah’s Messenger(ﷺ) said: A man has a fixed status with Allah and he is unable to reach it due to his actions. Therefore, Allah continues to test and trial him with things he dislikes until he reaches that status.”[1]
Benefits for this topic
- This hadith teaches us that when we fall short in our worship and we are worthy of a certain reward from Allah, He tests and trials us with difficulties in our lives.
- There is another hadith that carries the same meaning collected by Abu Dawud, Ahmed and others.
- إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا سَبَقَتْ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَنْزِلَةٌ لَمْ يَبْلُغْهَا بِعَمَلِهِ، ابْتَلَاهُ اللَّهُ فِي جَسَدِهِ، أَوْ فِي مَالِهِ، أَوْ فِي وَلَدِهِ، ثُمَّ صَبَّرَهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ يُبَلِّغُهُ الْمَنْزِلَةَ الَّتِي سَبَقَتْ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ
The Prophet(ﷺ) said: When Allah has previously decreed for a servant a rank which he hasn’t attained by his action, He afflicts him in his body, his wealth and with his children. He then enables him to endure that so that He can bring him to rank previously decreed for him by Allah.[2]

- These trials and test come to us in many different forms. Allah says: We will certainly test you a touch of fear, hunger, loss of wealth , life and crops. Give good news to those who patiently endure.[3] This verse mentions five things. The word touch could apply to a small amount or great amount. There are two types of fears; general and specific. The general is similar to when a person living a particular place face an invasion. The specific fear relates to a person being afraid of a life threating illness. The test of hunger could result from three things, famine , not enough money to buy food, or an illness that restricts food from entering his stomach. The test from loss of wealth could be a person being unemployed. The test of life could result on losing a loved and the loss of crops could result from a drought or flood.[4]
- Allah knows based on His Qadr the exact level of Jannah the servant is entitled to; however, his actions aren’t sufficient enough to help earn that rank. Therefore Allah tests him, so that he can earn his rightful place in Jannah. This from Allah’s blessings.[5]
- This hadith is proof that acts of obedience raise a person’s status and when they aren’t many in number then Allah will raise a person’s status by way of tests and trials.
- When we are going through difficult times, we must have good thoughts of Allah and be certain that what’s happening is part of His plan and in our best interest. The Prophet (ﷺ) said
مَنْ يُرِدِ اللَّهُ بِهِ خَيْرًا يُصِبْ مِنْهُ
Whoever Allah intends good, He makes him suffer from some affliction.[6]
- When Allah intends good for the servant then from His Mercy He tests with a sickness in his body, causes death to one of his children; which causes him grief, or He tests him with a decrease in his wealth which brings him to a difficult period in his life. Then Allah rewards him for his patience if the servant is patient anticipating a reward from the Most High. The servant will then find the results from this affliction on his scale of good deeds, or find it as an expiation for his sins.[7]
- The wording in the above hadith, “He makes him suffer from some affliction, could mean to that his affliction from other means as well. i.e a humanbeing.
- Having an ease in your life, with good health and sufficient wealth results in a person being heedless of Allah and thus turns away from Him. Nonetheless, if a person is grateful to Allah during that the period of ease in his life then he doesn’t spoil his situation. Affliction breaks the soul from its evil and results in a person with true faith to return to Allah allowing him to attain the reward of the Hereafter.[8]
- At times the servant of Allah may find the trial in his life quite difficult and feel its unbearable, then he must be mindful that Allah doesn’t burden a soul beyond its capacity.
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- The greater the trial the greater the reward. What reward is better than Jannah? The Prophet (ﷺ)
إِنَّ عِظَمَ الْجَزَاءِ مَعَ عِظَمِ الْبَلَاءِ
Great rewards come with great trials.[9]
- A powerful supplication to make to during your times of the struggle are those the Prophets made during their hardships found in the Quran.
- A dua found in the Sunnah to frequently use during difficult times.
اللهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْهُدَى وَالتُّقَى، وَالْعَفَافَ وَالْغِنَى
Oh Allah I ask you for guidance, piety, chastity and self-sufficiency.[10]
[1] Collected by ابن حبان (2908) ، والحاكم 1/344
[2] Abu Dawud 3090 graded as authentic by Shaykh Al-Albani
[3] 2:155
[4] Refer to Tafsir Al-Uthaymeen, vol 2/pg 178
[5] Refer to Mulla Ali Qari vol 5/pg مراقة المفاتيح 262
[6] Al-Bukhari 5645
[7] At-Tamheed Ibn Abdul Bar, Vol 13/pg 119
[8] Ibn Al-Jawzi Kashful Mashakil vol 3/529
[9] Jami At-Tirmithi 2396
[10] Sahih Muslim 2721