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are steadfast (have sabr) and mindful of God (have
taqwa), that is the best course.” (Qur’an,
3:185-186
)
In another verse, Allah (swt) emphasizes these same two
necessary components for averting any harm as a result of
the schemes against us:
“They grieve at any good that befalls you [believers] and
rejoice at your misfortunes. But if you are steadfast and
conscious of God, their scheming will not harm you in the
least: God encircles everything they do.” (Qur’an,
3:120
)
As part of our manual for success in these trials, Allah
(swt) also tells us how those before us reacted when they
were tested:
“Men said to them: ‘A great army is gathering against you,
so fear them’, But it (only) increased them in Faith and
they said: ‘God is enough for us, and He is the best
protector.’ And they returned with Grace and bounty from
Allah. No harm ever touched them: For they followed the
good pleasure of God. And God’s favor is great indeed. It
is only the Evil one who urges you to fear his followers;
do not fear them, but fear Me, if you are true believers.”
(Qur’an,
3:173-175
)
In another passage Allah (swt) tells us:
“Many prophets have fought, with large bands of godly
men alongside them who, in the face of their sufferings for
God’s cause, did not lose heart or weaken or surrender:
God loves those who are steadfast (have sabr). All they
said was, ‘Our Lord, forgive us our sins and our excesses.
Make our feet firm, and give us help against the
disbelievers’, and so God gave them both the rewards of
this world and the excellent rewards of the Hereafter: God
loves those who do good. You who believe, if you obey
the disbelievers, they will make you revert to your old
ways and you will turn into losers. No indeed! It is God
who is your protector: He is the best of helpers.” (Qur’an,
3:146-150
)
Allah (swt) conveys these stories to us, so that we can
learn from the response of those who passed before us.
And their response was this: “God is enough for us, and
He is the best of protectors.” Their response was: “Our
Lord, forgive us our sins and our excesses. Make our feet
firm, and give us help against the disbelievers.” Their
response was not to look at the test. Their response was to
l ook through it. They looked through the illusion and
focused on the One behind it: God. They realized that, not
only was Allah (swt) the giver of the test, He was the only
one who could save them from it. And so they beseeched
Him for His help through repentance, sabr, and perfecting
their moral character (taqwa).
But most reassuring of all, Allah (swt) Himself comforts
the believers and promises them success:
“Do not lose heart, nor fall into despair—you have the
upper hand, if you are true believers. If a wound hath
touched you, be sure a similar wound hath touched the
others. Such days (of varying fortunes) We give to men
and men by turns: that Allah may know those that believe,
and that He may take to Himself from your ranks Martyr-
witnesses (to Truth). And Allah loves not those that do
wrong. Allah’s object also is to purify those that are true
in Faith and to deprive of blessing those that resist Faith.
Did you think that you would enter Heaven without Allah
testing those of you who fought hard (In His Cause) and
remained steadfast?” (Qur’an,
3:139-142
)
Once we change our lens with which we see our lives, our
internal and external response drastically changes. When
the righteous before us were tested, it only increased them
in faith and obedience. The Qur’an recounts: “When the
Believers saw the Confederate forces, they said: ‘This is
what Allah and his Messenger had promised us, and Allah
and His Messenger told us what was true.’ And it only
added to their faith and their zeal in obedience.” (Qur’an,
33:22
)
However until we change that lens, we will never move
beyond, “how could this happen to us” to realize the true
purpose of the test itself: a created tool to purify,
strengthen and bring us closer to the Creator of you, me
and all our enemies.
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