Note: The following transcript was generated using AI and may contain inaccuracies.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And the end is for the righteous. And there is no aggression except against the wrongdoers.
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and that there is no partner for Him, and that He is the Protector of the first and the last. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant, His Messenger, His Chosen One, and His Companion. Peace and blessings be upon him and upon his family and all his companions.
We begin in the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the One who bestows mercy. We begin by praising Allah, and He is the Lord of the worlds. And sending peace and salutations upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad and his followers until Yawm al-Qiyamah.
The Reminder of Hope
The reminder of the lecture today is regarding hope. Hope in our daily lives. Through the ups and downs of life. Through the struggles of life. And Allah created two abodes. The abode of this worldly life, the dunya, which we are living in. And then the abode of the hereafter. And without a doubt, any person who enters into the first abode shall enter into the latter. Any person who is born and takes a breath in the dunya will then leave this dunya and will enter into the hereafter.
And the difference between the dunya and the akhira is firstly that the dunya is temporary. It is short. And as for the akhira, it is as Allah calls it in the Qur'an, the place of eternity, the abode of eternal living.
And secondly, the difference between the dunya and the akhira is that this dunya is the abode of actions and striving, and it is the abode where every single person is tested. And as for the akhira, it is the abode of accountability and the abode of reward and punishment.
So whoever did even the smallest amount of goodness in the dunya will see its recompense in the hereafter. And whoever did the smallest amount of evil or oppression in this dunya will face its consequences in the akhira.
And there is a beautiful narration by Ameerul Mu’minīn, Ali ibn Abi Talib, which is mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari. That he used to say:
ارتحلت الدنيا مدبرة. “The dunya has begun its journey, and it has given you its back.”
Meaning it is running away from you. It is distancing itself from you.
وارتحلت الآخرة مقبلة. “And the akhira has begun its journey, and it is racing towards you.”
وَلِكُلِّ مِّنْهُمَا بَنُونَ. “And each one of these two abodes has its children, its offspring.”
Meaning there are children of the dunya and the children of the akhira.
He said:
كُونُوا مِنْ أَبْنَاءِ الآخِرَةِ وَلَا تَكُونُوا مِنْ أَبْنَاءِ الدُّنْيَا. “Be from the children or the offspring of the akhira, and do not be from the children of the dunya.”
And then he said, and this is the shāhid, this is the point:
فَإِنَّ الْيَوْمَ عَمَلٌ بِلاَ حِسَابٍ. “Today, meaning in this dunya, there is an opportunity for us to do ʿamal—to act, to do actions—without accountability.”
There is no ultimate reward and punishment in this dunya.
وَالْغَدُ حِسَابٌ بِلاَ عَمَلٍ. “However, tomorrow, meaning the akhira, there will be accountability, there will be questioning, there will be reward and punishment.”
And then there are no more opportunities for a person to do actions.
And the believer in the akhira will hope to return back to the dunya so he or she can once more taste the sweetness of that moment of istighfar or that moment of dhikr.
And also the kafir, the zalim, the mujrim will hope to return back to the dunya. Why?
لَعَلِّي أَعْمَلُ صَالِحًا. “Perhaps I may do righteous actions.”
Perhaps I may do righteous actions and rectify myself.
But as Ameer al-Mu’minīn, Ali ibn Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه) said:
اليَوْمَ عَمَلٌ بِلاَ حِسَابٍ. “Today, the dunya is the abode for righteous actions without accountability.”
وَالْغَدُ حِسَابٌ بِلاَ عَمَلٍ. “And tomorrow, it is only accountability—no more actions.”
The Abode of Eternity
And the akhira, as I mentioned, this is the **abode of eternity—يَوْمُ الْخُلْدُ or دَارُ الْخُلْدُ.
In the Qur'an, you’ll have read almost in every surah, on every other page, when there is a mention of the akhira, you’ll have read these three words:
هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ. “They will remain in it forever.”
Or similar words:
خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا. “They will dwell therein for eternity.”
Now if you ponder over these ayat or these words, you will see that these words are never mentioned regarding the dunya. They are only mentioned regarding the akhira.
Whether it is Jannah that is being spoken about or the Fire, it is the akhira regarding which Allah constantly tells us:
هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ. “They will remain in it for eternity.”
And this also shows us that it is the akhira which is دَارُ الْخُلْدُ—the place of eternity—and the dunya is the opposite.
Between the dunya and the akhira, there is a temporary abode—the barzakh.
- The dunya is the life of this world.
- The barzakh is the stage after death but before resurrection.
- The akhira is eternal.
The Obligation Upon Us
And therefore, أيها الكرام, the obligation upon us if we want success for ourselves in this life and in the hereafter, is firstly taqwa of Allah عز وجل—that we are always aware and conscious of Allah in every action, in every decision, in every statement.
And then we prepare for the hereafter.
The Dunya as a Field So we should treat this dunya as a mazraa—this dunya is like a field, and we sow seeds in this field. Just like a farmer who sows seeds today and will only be able to harvest the crops or the fruits of the vegetation days, weeks, or months later, likewise is the dunya and the akhira. We sow the seeds today, we invest today in order to profit tomorrow, in order to harvest tomorrow.
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said in the Qur'an: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهِ وَلْتَنظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَّا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ He said: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهِ—Have taqwa of Allah. وَلْتَنظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَّا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ—And let each person look towards what he or she is putting forth لِغَدٍ (for tomorrow).
And contemplate, ayyuhal kiram, the wording of this ayah. When Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentioned the akhira, He did not explicitly mention the word akhira. Instead, He said: وَلْتَنظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَّا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ—Let each person look forward to that which they are preparing for tomorrow.
Therefore, these blessed words—غَدٍ ("tomorrow")—give us the feeling and show us how close the akhira is for a person.
And always remember, ayyuhal kiram, that a person's akhira does not begin with the blowing of the trumpet. Rather, a person's akhira begins with the angel of death taking their soul. As soon as a person enters the grave, their akhira has begun.
This is why when the ulama speak about asa'a (the establishment of the Hour), they say that there are two hours: As-sa'ah al-kubra wa as-sa'ah al-sughra—the Major Hour and the Minor Hour.
The Major Hour is what we call Yawm al-Qiyamah, Yawm ad-Deen—the Day of Resurrection, the Day of Judgment—when the trumpet is blown, and everyone will cease to exist, and then everyone will be resurrected once more.
As for as-sa'ah as-sughra, the Minor Hour, this refers to a person's death. This means that a person's akhira begins with their Minor Hour.
And subhanAllah, from the hikmah (wisdom) of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is that He has placed clear signs and indicators for the Major Hour. These are known as asharatu as-sa'ah, alamat as-sa'ah—the signs of the Day of Resurrection. As you know, there are major signs and minor signs. Many of the minor signs have already occurred, are occurring, and continue to occur. As for the major signs, they will indicate how close the establishment of the Hour is.
This is why the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam, in the hadith of Usaid radiAllahu anhu, in which he mentioned nine of the major signs of Yawm al-Qiyamah, compared these signs to beads on a necklace. He said that as soon as the necklace is cut, the beads fall off one after the other very, very quickly.
He meant by this that the major signs of Yawm al-Qiyamah will come in succession, very close to each other—like the falling of beads from a necklace, one after the other, until Yawm al-Qiyamah occurs.
The point is that for the Major Hour (as-sa'ah al-kubra), there are clear signs and indicators in which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala warns the people that the Hour is approaching.
As for as-sa'ah as-sughra—the Minor Hour, which is closer to us—there are no indicators. There are no signs. In many cases, the Minor Hour comes to a person بَغْتَةً (baghtatan)—all of a sudden, as Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala describes it in the Qur'an.
And Khalifatul Mu'mineen Uthman ibn Affan radiAllahu anhu has a beautiful narration, which is narrated by his freed slave Hani, who is known as Hani Mawla Uthman—Hani, the freed slave of Uthman radiAllahu anhu.
Hani said that Uthman radiAllahu anhu would stop at the side of a grave and weep and weep until his beard became wet.
And the people used to look at Uthman radiAllahu anhu and say: "O Uthman, O Ameerul Mu'mineen, Jannah is mentioned, and you don't cry like this. The Fire is mentioned, and you don't weep like this. But when the grave is mentioned, you begin to weep and cry."
And Uthman radiAllahu anhu then mentioned those profound words: أَوَّلُ مَنَازِلِ الْآخِرَةِ إِنَّ الْقَبْرَ أَوَّلُ مَنَازِلِ الْآخِرَةِ
That the grave is the first step, the first phase, the first stage of your akhira.
So whoever passes the test of the grave, then that which comes after the grave is much easier and much more rewarding.
The Journey of Life
Ayyuhal kiram, the dunya and the akhira—which we spoke about—our existence in this dunya is merely a journey. It is a safar, a journey upon which we are traveling, a path that we are traversing. The goal or the destination is the akhira.
And while we are on this journey, of course, we need to take our provisions and benefit from this dunya. But the ultimate destination is the akhira.
The Messenger salAllahu alayhi wa sallam would often give this example to the sahabah. In the hadith of Ibn Umar radiAllahu anhu, the Messenger salAllahu alayhi wa sallam said:
كُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَأَنَّكَ غَرِيبٌ أَوْ عَابِرُ سَبِيلٍ
"Be in this dunya as if you are a stranger. Be in this dunya as if you are a visitor, as if you are not from this dunya—you are just stopping to visit and then moving on. أَوْ عَابِرُ السَّبِيلِ—Or be a wayfarer," meaning a person on a journey.
This narration is in Al-Bukhari.
And in Sunan at-Tirmidhi, the Messenger salAllahu alayhi wa sallam gave his own example. He said:
إِنَّمَا مَثَلِي وَمَثَلُ الدُّنْيَا
"My example and the example of this dunya is like that of a traveler."
He continued:
كَمَثَلِ رَاكِبٍ—"It is like a person who is traveling."
فِي يَوْمٍ صَائِفٍ—"On a very hot day."
فَنَزَلَ—"So he descended from his animal."
وَنَامَ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ—"And then he slept for a short amount of time under a tree."
ثُمَّ رَاحَ وَتَرَكَهَا—"Then he took his rest, got on his mount again, and continued upon his journey."
So the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam likened our entire life and existence in this dunya to that short amount of time a traveler rests under the shade of a tree on a hot day—only to regain a little energy before continuing his journey.
And as we mentioned previously, this is clearly seen in the life of Abu Bakr radiAllahu anhu. His existence in this dunya was only 63 years, but his time in the Barzakh has been over 1440 years, and only Allah knows how many more years are to come—until the Akhira.
The Journey Will Have Its Ups and Downs
However, ayyuhal kiram, we should not expect that this journey will be free of difficulties, struggles, and challenges. Every journey a person takes comes with obstacles—setbacks, losses, and gains.
Just as the dunya has its moments of hardship and struggle, it also has its moments of happiness and pleasure. And while every person desires a journey that is always pleasurable, as it is said:
السعادة هدف الجميع
"Happiness is the objective of all people."
Regardless of a person’s religion, faith, background, ethnicity, language, culture—whether male or female, old or young—the hadhaf (goal) which is mushtarak bayna al-jami' (shared among everyone) is that they seek sa'adah—they seek happiness in this dunya.
Jannah Is in the Akhira
However, the sunnah of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala—meaning the natural order He has created us upon—is that Jannah is in the akhira.
دَارُ النَّعِيمِ—"The abode of eternal bliss," the place of everlasting happiness, pleasure, and delight, with no hardship and no struggle—that is in the akhira.
And it remains only in the akhira.
The dunya is not our Jannah. The dunya is دَارُ الِابْتِلَاءِ وَالامْتِحَانِ—"the abode of tests and trials." It is the place of struggle.
The Nature of the Dunya
So the sunnah of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala—the nature upon which He has created this world—is that the dunya consists of alternating days and moments:
- There are moments of happiness, pleasure, wealth, and prosperity.
- And there are moments of difficulty and struggle.
This is how we should view the dunya.
For the brother or sister who is going through hardship right now—remember that this is only one of the moments in the dunya. And very quickly, these moments will change.
As the poet said:
لَا حُزْنٌ يَدُومُ وَلَا سُرُورٌ "Neither sorrow remains forever, nor does joy."
وَلَا بُؤْسٌ عَلَيْكَ وَلَا رَخَاءُ "Nor will you always be in hardship, nor will you always be in ease."
The point is that we should not view the dunya as being full of only hardships and struggles. Nor should we have the opposite extreme belief—that it is full of only pleasure and happiness.
Rather, the dunya is لَحَظَات—"a collection of moments."
- There are moments of happiness, pleasure, and blessings (ni’mah) from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
- And there are moments of hardship and difficulty.
Contentment with Allah’s Decree
And in all of this, a Muslim remains content—content and pleased with the decree of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
The poet—who is believed to be Imam Ash-Shafi’i rahimahullah, Muhammad ibn Idris Ash-Shafi’i—said:
إِذَا مَا كُنْتَ ذَا قَلْبٍ قَنُوعٍ فَأَنْتَ وَمَالِكُ الدُّنْيَا سَوَاءُ
"If you possess a heart that is content, then you and the owner of the entire dunya are equal."
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, in the Qur’an, speaks about how the dunya is made up of alternating days and moments. He says:
وَتِلْكَ الْأَيَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ "And these are the days that We alternate among the people."
Why?
وَلِيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا "So that Allah may distinguish those who have iman."
So remember:
وَتِلْكَ الْأَيَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ "These are the days and moments which We alternate among the people."
Today, you are suffering a loss. Tomorrow, you will be rejoicing with some form of happiness. Today, you lost somebody from this dunya. Tomorrow, you welcome somebody to the dunya. Today, a relationship is broken. Tomorrow, another relationship is made. Today, you lost some money in your business. Tomorrow, you will profit in your business. Today, people may be visiting you to give you condolences. Tomorrow, the same people may come and visit you to give you congratulations and greetings.
وَتِلْكَ الْأَيَّامُ—So these are merely days and moments that we pass through, that we pass by. And Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, alternates these days and these moments between the people. And the hikmah behind all of this, He said, subhanahu wa ta'ala,
وَلِيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا
So He can see and test your iman.
And this is what we as Muslims have to understand. That throughout all of these moments, regardless of whether they are moments of difficulty and struggle or moments of pleasure and happiness, Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, is testing our iman.
Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, is testing our reactions and our behaviors. How do we react? How is our iman? What are our behaviors during times of ni’mah—during times of pleasure, blessings, and favors from Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, during times of ease? And also, what are our behaviors and our reactions, and how is our iman during times of difficulty and struggle?
And if we understand this concept, ayyuhal kiram, then this helps us remain in complete balance. And as the Messenger ﷺ said:
عَجَبًا لِأَمْرِ الْمُؤْمِنِ "How great and amazing the affair of the believer is!"
إِنَّ أَمْرَهُ كُلَّهُ خَيْرٌ "His affair, his situation, his behavior is always goodness."
Why? Because the believer is touched by either moments of difficulty or moments of happiness. In difficulty, we show sabr, and it is goodness. In blessings, happiness, and affluence, we show shukr, and it is goodness.
So the life of a believer, regardless of the environment and the situation around them, is between sabr and shukr—between being patient and showing shukr to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And Imam Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab, rahimahullah, said when he spoke about ‘Unwan al-Sa’adah, the keys to happiness. He said that the keys to happiness are three: shukr, sabr, and istighfar—gratitude, patience, and seeking forgiveness.
So in times of ni’mah, we show shukr to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. And in times of difficulty, we practice sabr, we maintain sabr. And when we fall short and disobey Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, then we make istighfar.
فإن هذه الثلاث عنوان السعادة, he said, rahimahullah, "These three, they are the keys to happiness."
The Purpose of Life and Death
And also, Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, mentioned in the Qur’an one of the reasons or the wisdom behind why He created the dunya. One of them, He said:
أَلَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا "He is the One who created death and life, لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ, in order to test you, أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا, to see who among you is best in actions."
So life and death, and everything that life and death consist of, everything that it contains, everything that happens around us—all of it لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ, Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, is testing us.
And He is testing us in our reactions, our iman, and our behaviors. Do we remain upon sabr? Do we remain upon shukr? Do we remain upon iman? Is our yaqeen in Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, strong and firm?
And He said, subhanahu wa ta'ala, mentioning some of the difficulties and struggles that He decrees with hikmah for all of us in different ways. He said:
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ
"Verily, وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم, We will surely test you with some form of loss—either in fear, or in hunger, or in loss of wealth, or loss of life, or loss of provisions. وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ—However, give glad tidings to the sabireen, the people of patience."
And who are they?
الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ "Those people who, when they are afflicted with any type of difficulty, calamity, or struggle, they say: إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ—We came from Allah, and to Him, we will return."
He said, subhanahu wa ta'ala:
أُو۟لَـٰئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَٰتٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌۭ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُهْتَدُونَ "Those are the people upon whom there are salutations from their Lord, وَرَحْمَةٌ, and mercy, وَأُو۟لَـٰئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُهْتَدُونَ, and they are the ones who are guided."
And these blessed words which Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, teaches us in the Qur’an—
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
—these words, subhanAllah, we repeat them and hear them repeated whenever there is a death, a loss, whenever there is a diminishing of anything. We say these words: إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ.
But have we ever contemplated the meaning of these words?
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ—meaning we belong to Allah, meaning we came from Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ—that we will return to Allah, meaning our ending is with Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala.
So when we say إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ, we are reminding ourselves of where we came from—our starting point with Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala—and where we will end—our return to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And this is the reason why, in so many ahadith, you find the Messenger (ﷺ) mentioning:
من كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر "Whoever has Iman in Allah and the Final Day..."
Like in the hadith of Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه), the Messenger (ﷺ) said:
من كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر فليكرم ضيفه "Whoever has Iman in Allah and the Final Day, let him honor his guest."
فليكرم جاره "Whoever has Iman in Allah and the Final Day, let him honor his neighbor."
فليقل خيرا أو ليصمت "Whoever has Iman in Allah and the Final Day, let him speak with goodness or remain silent."
The scholars, among them Ibn Rajab—if my memory serves me correctly—mention in Jāmiʿ al-ʿUlūm wa al-Ḥikam a fa’ida (benefit) regarding this repetition. Why does the Prophet (ﷺ) keep saying:
من كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر "Whoever believes in Allah and the Final Day..."?
We know that the pillars of Iman are six, so why did the Prophet (ﷺ) not say:
- "Whoever has Iman in Allah and the angels"
- "Whoever has Iman in Allah and the messengers"
- "Whoever has Iman in Allah and the books"
Or any other aspect of our Aqeedah?
Why is it that the Prophet (ﷺ) consistently repeats: من كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر?
Because the Prophet (ﷺ) is reminding us of مبدأ والمعاد—our beginning and our end.
We began with Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) creating us and bringing us into this dunya, and we will end by returning to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) as He takes us out of this dunya.
The Reality of This Dunya
The point is that we should not think that this dunya is meant to be a place of only happiness, pleasure, and blessings, where we never face any difficulty or struggle. At the same time, we should not think that the dunya is all hardship and suffering. No, rather, there are many moments of happiness and joy, walhamdulillah, just as there are moments of hardship. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) alternates between these days and these experiences.
A Key Reminder
The first naseeha (piece of advice) is:
If you are going through a difficulty right now, know and appreciate that this difficulty will not remain forever. This struggle will not last forever. Tomorrow, there will be moments of goodness and happiness. Just as today you are sad or crying, tomorrow you will be laughing and rejoicing.
Similarly, if you are experiencing a time of great blessings and immense ni’mah—wealth, health, stability, or affluence—remember that this goodness will also not remain forever. Tomorrow, there may be, and there surely will be, some form of trial, difficulty, or loss.
This is why we remain between shukr (gratitude) and sabr (patience).
The Nature of Tests
Speaking about struggles and difficulties, in general, there are two types of fitan (tests):
- Fitnah ‘Aammah – General tests that affect the entire ummah, not just me as an individual, but all of us collectively.
- We are one single ummah.
- Our Lord (سبحانه وتعالى) is One.
- Our Qiblah is One.
- Our Book is One.
- Our Messenger (ﷺ) is One.
- إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ—The believers are nothing except brothers.
This ummah goes through trials that affect us all. Therefore, as an ummah, we must change how we behave, remain steadfast in our Iman, and respond correctly.
It is not hidden from anyone what the ummah is going through today—Palestine is not hidden from anyone, nor is Sham or any other Muslim land. These trials affect us as an ummah, and thus, our reaction must also be collective.
- Fitnah Khaassah – Specific trials that affect individuals. These are the personal struggles that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) places in our lives.
- Do not think that just because a person has wealth, they are not struggling in another aspect of their life.
- Do not assume that someone facing a hardship in one area is not experiencing blessings in others.
Tests can come in many forms:
- The loss of a beloved person—may Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) preserve our loved ones.
- Illness or poor health.
- Financial struggles, poverty, or business failure.
- A broken relationship, divorce, or separation.
- A disobedient child, a son or daughter leaving the house.
- Overwhelming difficulties, whether mental or emotional.
These are different fitan (tests) that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) places in our lives. The wisdom behind them?
وَلِيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا "So that Allah may test who truly has Iman."
Our Duty in Times of Trial
In these moments, especially during struggles and hardships, our obligation is:
- الصبر (Sabr) – Patience.
- التوكل (Tawakkul) – Reliance upon Allah.
- الرجاء (Raja’) – Maintaining hope in Allah.
The Act of Worship Known as Hope
We should know that الرجاء (hope) is an act of ibadah (worship), just like الصبر (patience) and التوكل (reliance upon Allah) are great acts of ibadah.
Hope in Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) and being pleased with His decree is a form of worship.
Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) said regarding tawakkul:
فَتَوَكَّلُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ إِن كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ "And have tawakkul upon Allah if you are truly believers."
This means Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) is testing our Iman:
وَلِيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا "So that Allah may test those who truly have Iman."
Allah is testing our Iman in our moments of struggle—whether we truly keep our tawakkul upon Him.
Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) also says:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ "Indeed, Allah is with those who are patient."
So, He is testing our sabr and our Iman in these moments.
And about raja’ (hope), He (سبحانه وتعالى) said:
فَمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو لِقَاءَ رَبِّهِ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا "And whoever has hope in the meeting with his Lord, let him do righteous actions."
Thus, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) is testing our Iman, testing our raja’, and testing our contentment with His decree—seeing how we behave and whether we increase in righteous actions through these trials.
This, dear brothers and sisters, is the first part of this lecture on dealing with struggles and difficulties, which is a sunnah of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى).
In the next part, we will discuss some practical tips and advice on how to maintain our raja’ in Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) through these moments of hardship.
هذا والله أعلم وبالله التوفيق، وصلى الله على نبينا محمد وسلم.
