One may lose their job, so suddenly, for example. Or lose an arm in a car accident. Or even worse - lose a life.
But you may be wondering - as a lot of us do when misfortune comes our way - 'why me'?
Why do we have trials and tribulations?
A Qur'anic verse comes to mind at this question:
"And surely We shall try you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth and lives and crops; but give glad tidings to the steadfast,
This is a certainty - we are bound to be tested. But Allah - God - praises those who, in the face of such tribulations, are patient and steadfast. But another question arises: why are they so? How can they be so patient when their business has gone bankrupt? They're dirt-poor? Their beloved child has died?
The following verse is as follows:
Who say, when a misfortune striketh them: Lo! we are Allah's and lo! unto Him we are returning." [Verses 155-156, Chapter 2; Pickthall translation]
They are patient because they remember that they belong to Allah, the Greatest and that soon, they will return to Him. They belong to the One Who created them. He is their Protector and Source of Peace. And after their brief life in this world, they will return to their Merciful Lord. These are the people who we should give glad tidings to.
A temporary test
This life is not forever. We're born, we live and we die. This is why the patient slaves of God are not fazed by their misfortunes. They know the true reality. This will all pass eventually. Like the passing of clouds on a cool summers' day. What is five, ten, twenty years of suffering compared to an eternity of bliss? I don't mean to trivialise these tribulations - indeed, they are painful, and we all have our fair share of them - but a true believer of God has an unwavering hope of His mercy.
One thing to remember is that death is never too far away. It doesn't only apply to the elderly. So, if we know that death will come to each and every one of us, what should matter is what we did when we were living. Because there's no going back - this is the only chance we have. To be good and do good. So that we can be recompensed with nothing but good.
