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The real achievement is to discover the wisdom behind everything Allah does
Dear brother, let me begin this sermon with the following introduction which may seem unrelated to the subject of this sermon, however at the end of this sermon, it will be clear how this introduction is closely related to it:
35 years ago, France conducted a nuclear bomb test in the desert of Algeria. As you know, the nuclear explosion has a burning flame and annihilative pressure that will not leave anything alive; neither living things nor human beings. That explosion caused a very huge hole and a very massive spherical fireball. When the explosion faded away, scientists found a scorpion walking on the land where the explosion took place. After 25 years of studying, zoologists found that the scorpion can live for three successive years without food or drink, it can hold its breath under water for two days without taking a breath! Also, they found that if you put it in a refrigerator where the temperature is -10 degrees then in the burning sand of the desert where the temperature is over 60 degrees, it quickly adapts to this sudden shift and never gets affected. Furthermore, it never gets affected when it is put in a culture plate of extremely dangerous bacteria, and it endures the nuclear radiation which is 300 times over human endurance. After dissecting it, scientists found that it does not have blood but rather yellow serum! What lessons can we learn from that?
Dear brother, we learn that it is Allah Alone Whose Existence is definitive, while the existence of any creature is a matter of probability; it may exist or not. Also, it is possible for Allah the Almighty to grant any creature other characteristics than what it already has; i.e. it is possible for Allah to create human beings who never get sick; it is possible for Allah to grant the human beings' organs and body systems an extra power so that they will never have an illness. So, what is the wisdom of being afflicted with diseases? The subject of this sermon is that the believer should look for the positive aspect in every misfortune, the hidden graces in every calamity, the Wisdom and Mercy of Allah the Almighty in every situation people may consider as punishment, and the positive consequences of every calamity; i.e. a calamity may result in being guided, getting closer to Allah the Almighty, and entering Paradise which is as wide as the heavens and the earth.
Dear brother, the believer's real achievement and success is to understand the wisdom behind everything Allah does, to find the positive aspects of every unpleasant situation, and to find how every situation people consider as misfortune may be good.
There is no absolute evil in this world:
Dear brother, in fact there is no absolute evil in this world. Moreover, the existence of the absolute evil runs counter to the Existence of Allah the Almighty. You can either believe in Allah Who directs the evil of human beings to the Absolute goodness or you can believe in the doctrine of the absolute evil which is contrary to the Existence of Allah, the Creator. Thus, there is no absolute evil in this world. As for evil plots hatched against Muslims, Allah the Almighty says:
" Indeed, they planned their plot, and their plot was with Allah, though their plot was a great (one, still) it would never be able to remove the mountains (real mountains or the Islamic law) from their places (as it is of no importance) [It is said by some interpreters regarding this Verse that the Quraish pagans plotted against Prophet Muhammad PBUH to kill him but they failed and were unable to carry out their plot which they plotted]."
Although Muslims suffer considerable harm, severe distress, problematic situation, great weakness and utter humiliation, Allah the Almighty may grant them strength after weakness, relief after hardship, happiness after misery, and the bliss in this worldly life and in the Hereafter.
Dear brother, once I was asked: Among 1.3 billion Muslims, is not there only one truly righteous Muslim whose supplication is accepted by Allah the Almighty, and who asks Allah to destroy those who humiliate Muslims deeply, do harm to them, and plunder their resources? During certain times which hold special virtue and during which dua(supplication) is more likely to be accepted such as the Day of Arafat and the days of Ramadan, is not there only one righteous Muslim whose Duaa is accepted by Allah the Almighty and who asks Allah to destroy those wicked evil doers who torture Muslims brutally?.I answered him that if a distinguished surgeon is performing a very delicate operation on a patient, then the son of that patient comes and begs the surgeon to stop the operation out of showing compassion for his father, will that surgeon agree to stop the operation? Never, he will carry out the surgical operation until it is finished. Figuratively, the serious calamities Muslims suffer could be likened to a surgical operation that will bring great benefit to us by Allah's Will. We are under the Utmost Care of Allah the Almighty. What we should learn from these events is that we should help one another in righteousness and piety, we should love each other so that Allah will raise our rank and will bring us closer to Him, and we should believe that the infidels do not love us. Actually, Allah the Almighty informed us about this fact 1400 years ago but we pay no attention to that, He says:
"Lo! You are the ones who love them but they love you not, "
So, we should believe that there is an eternal and everlasting battle between truth and falsehood.
Finding the positive side of every negative situation
Dear brother: the main focus of this lecture is that we should find the positive aspect in every negative situation. I took the illness as an example and you can compare every bad situation to it, such as the major sad events Muslims witness nowadays or any other painful situation. Allah the Almighty says:
" And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much. "
Also, He says:
"Why should Allah punish you if you have thanked (Him) and have believed in Him. And Allah is Ever All-Appreciative (of good), All-Knowing."
Furthermore, He says:
"And your Lord would never destroy the towns wrongfully, while their people were right-doers."
Allah the Almighty did not say: while their people were righteous ones but rather right-doers or reformers because unless you are a reformer (unless you order what is good and forbid what is bad) you will not be saved from the Punishment of Allah the Almighty. In other word, even if you are a righteous person, as long as you have no sympathy for the troubles and calamities of Muslims, and you make no attempt to relieve their pain, Allah the Almighty will punish you. It was narrated that Allah the Almighty ordered His angels to destroy the people of a particular town, they said: O Our Lord, there is a righteous person among them, He Said: " Punish him first, as he did not use to express dissatisfaction when seeing sh3er sinning! (he did not use to enjoin the good and forbid the bad)".
Dear brother, our troubles and difficulties are out of Allah's Vast Mercy, He says:
"If they (Jews) belie you (Muhammad PBUH) say you: "Your Lord is the Owner of Vast Mercy"
Pay attention to the rest of the Ayah, He says:
"and never will His Wrath be turned back from the people who are Mujrimun (criminals, polytheists, sinners, etc.)."
As for those who become heedless of Him, who disobey him although they know Him (although they are Muslims), who know the Divine Method of Allah nevertheless they follow the way of His enemies (the infidels), and who belong to the Muslim nation nevertheless they avert and hinder people from the Path of Allah, Allah the Almighty afflicts them with trials and calamities out of His Great Mercy.
Dear brother, the believer should show patience amidst trials, Allah the Almighty says:
"So verily, with the hardship, there is relief,"
Furthermore, the torment of this earthly life is many times easier that of the Hereafter.
It was narrated from Anas that the Prophet (peace be upon him) entered upon a young man who was dying and said:
“How do you feel?” He said: “I have hope in Allah, O Messenger of Allah, but I fear my sins.” The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “These two things (hope and fear) do not coexist in the heart of a person in a situation like this, but Allah will give him that which he hopes for and keep him safe from that which he fears.”
Allah has created opposites so that we recognize His Graces
Dear brother: Allah the Almighty has created opposites; everything has an opposite. In fact, the third world countries stayed out of trouble when there was a cold war between the two most powerful countries in the world. It was a truly great grace bestowed upon the third world countries which people did not recognize except after the fall of the Soviet Union, then the whole world became an unipolar world under the hegemony of one country. However, Allah the Almighty says:
" and to Him return all affairs (for decision). So worship Him (O Muhammad PBUH) and put your trust in Him. "
It seems to people who has superficial knowledge of Allah that the unipolar power has control over the world, while in fact all affairs return to Allah Alone, because Allah would never let a creature have absolute power over His worshipper. Allah the Almighty says:
" and to Him return all affairs (for decision).
This is the real meaning of Tawheed (monotheism); how could Allah the Almighty command you to worship Him Alone while all your affairs return to other than Him? Do you approve of the behavior of a father who sees one of his sons beating his brother bitterly and punishing them severely, nevertheless that father stays motionless? Never!.Likewise you should not approve that Allah the Almighty let the Muslim's brutal enemies have ultimate control over them, but rather you should believe that Allah's Plans encompasse the infidels' plan.
Thus, Allah has created the opposites in order that we recognize His Graces. As I've just mentioned, the third world countries haven't truly appreciated the grace of the balance of power except recently. Also, health is not appreciated until sickness comes along, as well as other opposites like day and night, warmth and coldness, and so on.
Suffering hardship is not desired in Islam as long as one can avoid it.
Dear brother, it should be quite clear to you that when you can avoid a calamity, then you should do that for you will not be rewarded for bearing it with patience, because hardship itself is not a demand in Islam. For example, if a person wakes up for Al-Fajr prayer and wants to perform Wudu (ablution), and there are two taps; one for hot water and the other for cold water. If he performs Wudu with the cold water thinking that the reward is equal to the hardship one goes through, he will not be rewarded at all because he can make Wudu with warm water.
Thus, dear brother, suffering hardship is not desired in Islam when one can avoid it, and he will not be rewarded for enduring it with patience as long as it is possible for him to avoid it. On the other hand, one will earn great reward from Allah the Almighty when he endure unavoidable calamity patiently. According to Allah's Deep Wisdom, sometimes people suffer from so invincible oppression that no one can defeat it, neither as individuals nor as groups, which is similar to the recent situation of Muslims. Allah the Almighty describes that situation in the following Noble Ayah in which He say:
"None besides Allah can avert it, (or advance it, or delay it)."
Perhaps this hopeless situation which people fail to solve will bring us closer to Allah the Almighty; i.e. we will invoke Him to solve our problems as it is Allah Alone Who can do that. As if when people depend entirely on the reasons (of triumph, success, etc...) and forget that they should first depend on Allah, which is a kind of hidden Shirk (polytheism), then Allah makes all these reasons useless so that they can do nothing but invoking Him to solve their problems.
Dear brother, there are some matters that will turn into a curse if they happen, such as if a person were able to know his death-hour or how people plot against him. So, it is better for a person not to know such matters so that he will hasten to obey Allah and to perform righteous deeds.
Some Islamic creed scholars said that some Best Names of Allah should be mentioned two at a time. For example, you should not only say: Allah is Ad-Dar (the Harmer), but you should rather say: Allah is Ad-Dar (the Harmer), and Al-Nafi (the One Who benefits), because He may cause some harm to people in order to benefit them. Also, say not: Allah is Al-Mani (the Withholder), but rather: Allah is Al-Muti (the Giver) and Al-Mani (the Withholder), because He may withhold things you want in order to grant you better things. Also, say not: Allah is (the Abaser), but rather: Allah is Al-Khafid (the Abaser) and Ar-Rafi (the Exalter), because He may abase in order to exalt. Also, say not: Allah is Al-Mudhill (the Giver of dishonor) but rather: Allah is Al-Muiz (the Giver of honor) because He gives dishonor in order to give honor. Thus, these Best Names of Allah should be mentioned two in a time, because Allah may cause harm to someone in order to benefit him, may withhold in order to grant, may abase in order to exalt, may give dishonor in order to give honor, and may take in order to give.
In one of the Prophet's sermons, he -peace be upon him- addressed people saying:
" The earthly life is an abode of trials not of equality, and it is an abode of grief not of joy, and he who knows it will never rejoice over his well-being or grieve over his misery. Allah made this life a seat of tests while the Hereafter is the seat of rewards, and He made earthly affliction a reason for the Gifts of the Hereafter, which are a substitute for the sorrows of this life. Thus, He gives to take, and tests to reward"
The benefits of illness
1- Illness leads one to repent, and to be merciful and generous
Dear brother: I took the illness as an example and you can compare every bad situation to it, such as the major sad events Muslims recently witness. Almighty Allah say:
" And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much. ".
It was narrated that Ms. Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her, complained of a fever. When she cursed it in front of the Prophet, peace be upon him, he said:
" Do not curse it, for by Whom in Whose Hand is my soul, it never lets the believer until all his past sins are forgiven."
Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him said:
"No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that."
He also narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him said:
"Trials will not cease afflicting the believing man and the believing woman in their self, children, and wealth, until they meet Allah without having any sin."
One of the righteous worshipper of Allah said: "Had not we been afflicted with trials and troubles in this worldly life, we would have been penniless (have no righteous deeds) in the Hereafter"
Thus, tribulations motivate you to be a devoted worshipper of Allah the Almighty, to repent, to be merciful, to help sh3er, and to be generous.
This is one of the benefits of illness.
2- Recognizing the blessing of having good health
Dear brother, after recovering from illness, we truly appreciate the blessing of enjoying good health. Thus, illness makes people recognize the blessing of good health, as it was said: things are only truly appreciated when compared to their opposites.
It was narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"The world is a prison-house for a believer and Paradise for a non-believer."
Also, At-Tirmidhi reported on the authority of Jabir that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"On the Day of Judgement, the people who were pardoned (in life), will wish that their skins had been cut off with scissors while they were in the world. When they see the rewards of the people who were tried (in this world)
Dear brother: Two days ago, I took part in a TV seminar, I said that people (non-Muslims) in the west have a mind of gold (a brilliant mind) and a heart of a stone. The TV presenter asked me: well, what's wrong with that? I replied: when man has a brilliant mind, that will make him powerful and he will use this power to his own advantage; he will build himself up at the expense of sh3er; he will build his glory on the ruins of sh3er, his life at the expense of their death, his happiness at the expense of their wretchedness, his security at the expense of their fear, and so on, and he will live a perfect material life.
However, If there had been no life after death, that man would be considered as the world's most intelligent person, but since there is an eternal and everlasting life in the Hereafter, he is the most stupid person in the world because he did not take into consideration that he will be held accountable for his deeds on the Day of Judgment.
Let me repeat this point, if there had been no Hereafter, the tyrants would be considered as the cleverest people in the world, but since they will be held accountable for their deeds before Allah the Almighty, they are the extremely foolish.
When our master Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, was the Muslims' leader, he said his following famous statement which shows how he knew perfectly well what it is to be responsible: " If a mule tripped in Iraq, (he was in Al-Madinah) I fear that Allah will ask me on the day of judgment why I didn’t pave the road for it!"
Dear brother: Muslim reported on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said in Sahih (authentic) Qudsi Hadith:
"Allah (mighty and sublime be He) will say on the Day of Resurrection: O son of Adam, I fell ill and you visited Me not. He will say: O Lord, and how should I visit You when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: Did you not know that My servant So-and-so had fallen ill and you visited him not? Did you not know that had you visited him you would have found Me with him? O son of Adam, I asked you for food and you fed Me not. He will say: O Lord, and how should I feed You when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: Did you not know that My servant So-and-so asked you for food and you fed him not? Did you not know that had you fed him you would surely have found that (the reward for doing so) with Me? O son of Adam, I asked you to give Me to drink and you gave Me not to drink. He will say: O Lord, how should I give You to drink when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: My servant So-and-so asked you to give him to drink and you gave him not to drink. Had you given him to drink you would have surely found that with Me."
When one is afflicted with illness as a trial from Allah the Almighty, he will be compensated a thousand times by getting closer to Him.
"Did you not know that had you visited him you would have found Me with him?"
3-It makes the worshipper of Allah earn the reward of patience.
Dear brother, one of the benefits of disease is that it makes the servant of Allah earn the reward of patience. Allah the Almighty says:
"Only those who are patient shall receive their rewards in full, without reckoning."
Every righteous deed has a specific reward except for patience as it has an unlimited reward. Figuratively, it could be likened-to use a contemporary term- to a blank check in which you can write any amount you want.
"Only those who are patient shall receive their rewards in full, without reckoning."
Illness reveals what man really is, which is the meaning of the following poem:
We smelt it thinking that it is raw silver
But after smelting, there were many waste metals and slags.
***
Calamities are decisive tests for a human being; whether he will be patient or intolerant, will be grateful or ungrateful, and will be satisfied or discontent. Imam Ali, may Allah honor his face, said: "Satisfaction with adversities is one of the highest stages of certainty.“
The greatest reward comes with the greatest trial. When Allah loves a certain people He afflicts them with trials; whoever endures it with patience wins His pleasure but whoever is discontent with that earns His wrath.”, Also, when Allah loves one of His worshipper, he makes him have considerable worries, while when He hates one of His servants, He makes him live a life of ultimate luxury which makes him heedless of Him. He says:
"So, when they forgot (the warning) with which they had been reminded, We opened to them the gates of every (pleasant) thing, until in the midst of their enjoyment in that which they were given, all of a sudden, We took them to punishment, and lo! They were plunged into destruction with deep regrets and sorrows."
When one bears with patience whatever befalls him, Allah considers him as one of the extremely patient ones, when he is content with it, he is considered as one of those who are content, and when he is grateful to Allah and thanks Him for whatever happens to him, everything Allah the Almighty has decreed for him will be to his own advantage.
It was narrated on the authority of Suhaib, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"Strange are the ways of a believer for there is good in every affair of his and this is not the case with anyone else except in the case of a believer for if he has an occasion to feel delight, he thanks Allah, thus there is a good for him in it, and if he gets into trouble and shows resignation (and endures it patiently), there is a good for him in it."
4- It deepens one sense of Tawheed (monotheism)
Dear brother: some righteous worshippers of Allah used to invoke Allah saying: "O Allah! Make us among those who are grateful when they are given, patient when they are tested, and seek Your Forgiveness when they sin, for verily the one who is not granted these three blessings is in the worst situation."
Dear brother, sometimes illness deepens ones sense of Tawheed. Allah the Almighty says:
"And when We bestow Our Grace on man (the disbeliever), he turns away and becomes arrogant, far away from the Right Path. And when evil touches him he is in great despair."
"And when We show favour to man, he withdraws and turns away, but when evil touches him, then he has recourse to long supplications."
Allah the Almighty wants you to invoke Him, to get closer to Him, and to repent of your sins. Verily, this is one of greatest blessings of Allah.
5- It teaches you to complain only to Allah
The true believers complain of their illness to Allah Alone, ask help from Him Alone, and beg Him Alone.
In the following Noble Ayah, Allah the Almighty has commended Prophet Ayyub, peace be upon him, saying:
"Truly! We found him patient""
He did not complain to anyone. Allah the Almighty says:
" And (remember) Ayub (Job), when he cried to his Lord: "Verily, distress has seized me, and You are the Most Merciful of all those who show mercy."
He complained to Allah the Almighty Alone, and hopped for His Mercy. Allah the Almighty says:
"Truly! We found him patient. How excellent (a) slave! Verily, he was ever oft-returning in repentance (to Us)!"
It was narrated in the tradition that tribulations bring you closer to Allah the Almighty while luxuriance brings you closer to the worldly life, you may totally indulge in its pleasures.
Dear brother, how many a calamity was the cause of one's repentance, getting close to Allah, and keeping away from the wrong path! How many a servant of Allah did not repent except after he suffered from some health problems! Allah the Almighty says:
"And among mankind is he who worships Allah as it were, upon the very edge (i.e. in doubt);"
Many people got sick, but that sickness was the only reason of their repentance, getting closer to Allah the Almighty, and being saved (from the Hellfire).
I reaffirm that we should find the positive side in every negative situations, I took illness as an example, and you can compare to it anything else.
It was mentioned in Qudsi Hadith that Allah the Almighty says:
" By My Power and Majesty, I never take the soul of My worshipper, whom I want to have mercy on, until I afflict him with trials for every sin he has committed; I either afflict him with illness, or with decreasing his subsistence, or affliction in his money or children, till he expiate all his sins. Then if some of his sins remain, I make the agony of death sever for him until he meets Me as pure and free from sins as on the Day he was born."
Dear brother, man's greatest achievement is to have all his sins forgiven when he is about to die.
Let me repeat that Qudsi Hadith: Allah the Almighty says:
"By My Power and Majesty, I never take the soul of My worshipper, whom I want to have mercy on, until I afflict him with trials for every sin he has committed; I either afflict him with illness, or with decreasing his subsistence, or with affliction in his money or children, till I cover all his sins. Then if some of his sins remain, I make the agony of death sever for him until he meet Me as pure and free from sins as on the Day he was born."
6-It makes man humble
Dear brother, one of the benefits of illness is that it cures man's heart from arrogance and haughtiness. It was mentioned in the tradition that Allah the Almighty says: " I Am with those whose hearts are broken."
Pride is a veil between you and Allah the Almighty. Someone may be extremely arrogant while he does not realize that it is one of the diseases of the heart (the soul). Having no troubles, he considers himself self-sufficient. Allah the Almighty says:
" Nay! Verily, man does transgress all bounds (in disbelief and evil deed, etc.).*Because he considers himself self-sufficient."
When illness befalls someone, he realizes that he is a humble servant of Allah (that he is in dire need of Allah), and it will remove haughtiness from his heart. In fact, any simple defect in one of the human body system will turn human's life into an unbearable hell. A righteous worshipper of Allah was afflicted with an incurable disease; all doctors agreed that it had no cure, so he invoked Allah saying: "O my Lord, no one will cure my disease except You!" Had he invoked Allah before, Allah would have healed him earlier.
When one depends entirely on the reasons (of healing, success, etc..), puts all his hope and trust in them, and asks Allah the Almighty with a heedless heart, Allah makes all those reasons ineffective. As a result, he can do nothing but beg Him for help. Allah the Almighty say:
"(They were reprieved) until, when the Messengers gave up hope and thought that they were denied (by their people), then came to them Our Help"
When will a person steadfastly insist on making Duaa with deep sincerity? It is when he despairs of all worldly solutions ( when he believes that no one in the world can help him).
Dear brother: these days, Muslims everywhere suffer from severe hardship that non beside Allah can lift; there is no way for them to overcome their oppressors. Consequently, they should seek the Divine Solution (they should seek help from Allah Alone), which requires turning to Allah with sincere repentance.
7- Disease indicates that Allah wishes good for the patient.
Dear brother, one of the benefits of ailment is that it is a sign that Allah wills good for the one afflicted by it. Al-Bukhari reported that the prophet, peace be upon him, said: "He whom Allah intends good, He causes him to suffer from some affliction", because there exists a possibility of recovery. To illustrate this point, consider the following example: if a patient with last stage-cancer asks his doctor what should he eat, the doctor will allow him to eat whatever he wants because he is in a desperate situation. In contrast, the patient with acute enteritis, his doctor will recommend him to avoid certain kinds of food and will recommend him to follow a strict diet. Thus, as long as we are afflicted with trials, we are under the Utmost Care of Allah the Almighty. Furthermore, our situation is a thousand times better than that of those who live in utmost affluence and luxury since they will be severely punished on the day of Resurrection. Allah the Almighty says:
"Until in the midst of their enjoyment in that which they were given, all of a sudden, We took them to punishment, and lo! They were plunged into destruction with deep regrets and sorrows."
It is a great triumph for you over your enemy that they disobey Allah the Almighty while you obey Him.
Dear brother: consider the following point: if you are used to performing righteous deeds then you get sick (which prevents you from performing them for a time), Allah the Almighty will record for you these acts of worship as long as your are sick because you used to perform them when you were well.
It was narrated on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Amr that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"No (believing) person gets sick, but Allah the Almighty will order the angels to record for him his righteous deeds in accordance with what he used to do when he was well as long as he is sick."
Also, if Allah the Almighty has decreed for one of His worshipper a high rank in Paradise which he will not attain by his righteous deeds, Allah afflicts him in his body.
Ibrahim Ibn Mahdi As-Sulami narrated on the authority of his father that his grandfather, who was one of the companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, reported: I heard the Prophet, peace be upon him say:
"When Allah has previously decreed for a servant a high rank in Paradise which he has not attained by his action, He afflicts him in his body, or his property or his children.
Abu Dawud said: Ibn Nufail added in his version: "He then enables him to endure that." The agreed version goes:
"So that He may bring him to the rank previously decreed for him by Allah."
One of the righteous worshippers of Allah used to invoke Allah saying: " O Allah, If You inflict some of Your worshippers with trials which will enable him to reach a high degree in Paradise You previously decreed for him, then let me reach the rank You have decreed for me without trials (grant me success and guide me to perform righteous deeds"
So, you should perform righteous deeds in order to reach the rank decreed for you instead of reaching it after bearing trials with patience. In other words, you have two choices; you should either hasten to perform righteous deeds, such as serving other people, in order to reach the rank Allah the Almighty has previously decreed for you in Paradise, or trials will befall you since you are slack in performing righteous deeds, then if you endure these trials patiently, you will reach the rank in Paradise decreed for you.
Man should ask Allah for safety from calamities
Dear brother: I have yet a great deal more to say upon this subject, but I'll stop here asking Allah the Almighty to keep us safe.
Dear brother, let me comment, from an Islamic perspective, on the following critical point: after reading about the benefits of illness, never ask Allah the Almighty to inflict you with it but rather beg Him for safety. The proof is that the Prophet, peace be upon him, who is the best of creatures, the most beloved to Allah, invoked Allah in At-Taif saying:
" I care not, so long as You are not angry with me. Yet it is Yours to reproach until You are well pleased. But Your favoring help, that were for me the broader way and the wider scope "
Thus, the right thing to do is to ask Allah the Almighty to keep you safe. However, when afflicted with illness, one should realize that there is hidden grace in it because Allah the Almighty says:
"And has completed and perfected His Graces upon you, (both) apparent (i.e Islamic Monotheism, and the lawful pleasures of this world, including health, good looks, etc.) and hidden [i.e. One's Faith in Allah (of Islamic Monotheism) knowledge, wisdom, guidance for doing righteous deeds, and also the pleasures and delights of the Hereafter in Paradise, etc.]? "
Dear brother, call yourselves to account before you are called to account, and weigh your deeds before they are weighed against you, and know that the Angel of Death has passed over us to reach sh3er, and will pass over sh3er to reach us, so let us be cautious. It is the clever one who condemns himself, and works towards what is after death; and the incapable is the one who follows his desires, and then expects to be rewarded by Allah.
