Things are not always as they seem. Let us analyse this statement from an Islamic perspective.
Noah
started making his ark in a desert. His friends made fun of him saying,
‘where is water?’ ‘Are you going to sail the ship in the desert?’ He
had to tolerate their taunting remarks. Who won ultimately?
Musa’s mother threw her infant son in the river. Did he die?
Yusuf’s jealous and scheming brothers threw him in a well. Was that the end of Yusuf?
Ibrahim was thrown in the fire. Did the fire harm him?
When
Imran’s wife delivered the baby-girl – Maryam, she regretted for not
having delivered a baby boy. Was she right? Is not Maryam one among the
four great women of the world? Did she not become the blessed mother of
Prophet Isa!
When Musa left Egypt along with Bani Israeel,
he lost his way in the cover of darkness and had to face Red Sea, and no
way to ‘escape’! Who realised that very moment that the apparent danger
to Musa and his followers would turn out to be the end of the mighty
Phir’oun!
Abrahah, the Christian governor, left Yemen with a
huge army of men and elephants, with the evil intention of demolishing
Ka’bah. Did he achieve success?
Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) and his companions left everything behind in Makkah and
migrated to Madinah. Was it an acceptance of his ‘defeat’ at the hands
of the pagan Arabs?
At the Treaty of Hudaibiyyah, the
companions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) were greatly upset
because the Prophet agreed to all the terms of the Treaty dictated by
the enemies of Truth and the terms were seemingly unfavourable to the
Muslims. What happened later?
Abu Jandal was crying as he
was captured during the Treaty of Hudaibiyyah and the enemies had put
chains around him. He screamed: Help! Help!! None helped. It appeared as
if the Prophet was pushing his companion into the jaws of death. Who
had the last laugh?
Many such situations are found in the
stories of the past nations. The start of the situation might indicate
the end would be unpleasing. But if you read the complete story, you
will realise that Allah has a plan which brings out a fruitful result.
At
times in our life we are faced with certain difficulties, it might seem
that it is a punishment being given out but it actually turns out to be
a blessing from Allah. Our duty is to stay patient and realize that He
is the All-Knowing! Patience, courage, and determination can be gained
by reading the numerous inspiring stories mentioned in the Qur’an and
Hadeeth.
Let’s have a brief explanation to the three incidents quoted above.
Prophet
Nuh faced taunting remarks from his nation. But he did not become
discouraged. He kept on following the orders of Allah. He and his
followers were saved from Allah’s punishment. As for the disbelievers
among his nation, they were punished because of their arrogance. We
learn from his story the importance of following the orders of Allah,
making Him our priority, ignoring the pressure put by those who have a
blindfold on their eyes!
Musa’s mother had faith in Allah,
which gave her the courage to put her new born baby in a river. As a
result Allah kept her baby safe and returned him to his mother. He also
granted her son Prophethood. It is very difficult for a mother to give
up her baby. Who could dare to put one’s baby in a river? But this
mother did that. Her deep faith in Allah made it easier for her to
accept Allah’s decision.
After Yusuf was thrown in the well
by his brothers it seemed he would not have survived. But the result
turned out to be different. He was afraid but then he recalled his
father’s love and affection. Yusuf prayed to Allah for help. He was not
afraid anymore. This incident instilled in him patience and courage.
Yunus was swallowed by a fish, Musa was puzzled at the acts of Khizer,
Ja’far ibn Abi Talib had to confront Negus, Ali ibn Abi Talib had to
sleep on the bed of the Prophet, risking his life on the night of
migration, Prophet Muhammad had to surrender to Allah’s will while he
lost his sons and consequently had to face the taunting remarks of the
Quraysh calling him ‘Abtar’!
Yet look at how they turned out for them in the end. So don’t despair!
Have patience especially during difficult times. Patience is a virtue and if conquered, its fruit will be sweet.
Remember
after every difficulty there is ease. Allah does not want to hurt his
beloved servants. All hard times teach a lesson or two. It makes one
courageous to survive in the world. It teaches one to be fearless of
everything except of Allah.
Muqeet in his best. Here
1. Using illustrative parables:
Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying, 'Behold! Can anything of his dirt remain on the body of any one of you if there were a river at his door in which he washes himself five times daily?' They said, 'Nothing of his dirt will remain (on his body).' He said, 'That is like the Five Prayers by which Allah obliterates sins.'" (Reported by Muslim)
2. Drawing the addressee's attention by means of taking oaths:
Abu Shurayh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "By Allah, he does not believe! By Allah, he does not believe! By Allah, he does not believe!" It was said, "Who is that person, O Allah's Messenger?" He said, "That person is he whose neighbor does not feel safe from his evil." (Reported by al-Bukhari)
3. Being joyful in advice so that his Companions would not get bored:
In this context, we recall the incident when a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah! Give me a mount." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "We shall give you a she-camel's child to ride on." He said, "What shall I do with a she-camel's child?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "Do any others than she-camels give birth to camels?" (Reported by Abu Dawud)
4. Considering the state of the addressee:
Abu Wa'il reported that `Abd ar-Rahman used to give a religious talk to the people on every Thursday. Once a man said, "O Abu `Abd ar-Rahman! (By Allah) I wish if you could preach us daily." He replied, "The only thing which prevents me from doing so, is that I hate to bore you. No doubt, I consider your state in preaching by selecting a suitable time just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do with us, for fear of making us bored." (Reported by al-Bukhari)
5. Narrating stories:
An-Nu`man ibn Bashir reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His believing slave-servant than that of a person who set out on a journey with a provision of food and drink on the back of his camel. He went on until he came to a waterless desert and he felt like sleeping. So he got down under the shade of a tree and was overcome by sleep, and his camel ran away. As he got up he tried to see it (the camel) standing upon a mound, but did not find it. He then got upon the other mound, but could not see anything. He then climbed upon the third mound, but did not see anything until he came back to the place where he had been sleeping previously. And as he was sitting (in utter disappointment) there came to him his camel, till that (camel) placed its nose string in his hand. Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His slave-servant than the person who found (his lost camel) in this very state." (Reported by Muslim)
From Islam online website, Ask the scholar column
