{jcomments off}There is no one in the world more idiotic than someone who wants Allah, Transcendent and Resplendent, to grant him all of his desires. If such were the case, then where would the tests come
from? No, by Allah! The opposite of what you want must be. Not being able to find answers sometimes must happen. Other times, enemies will be successful in bringing some harm to you.
As for one who wants constant security, and victory over those who are his enemies, and good health without tests, such a person has not known the meaning of responsibility nor understood the meaning of security.
Was not the Messenger, sallalahu alayhe wa sallam, given victory on the Day of Badr? And then what happened on the Day of Uhud? Was not the Messenger of Allah, sallalahu alayhe wa sallam, blocked from the House of Allah and oppressed after his victory at Badr?
So there must be good and bad. The good makes one grateful, and the bad moves you to ask Allah, to make du’a. And if your du’a is not answered when something bad happens, then it is only because Allah wants to complete the test, and He wants you to surrender to His will. And that is where true faith shines forth. For in surrendering to the will of Allah, the true essense of a man comes out.
Now, if one feels inside himself resistance to the Decree of Allah, this resistance reflects the weakness of the knowledge of that person. Excluded from this is someone who accepts the Divine Decree, yet dislikes the harm or sadness that has come to him, for dislking the harm and sadness is a part of human nature which cannot be avoided.
If one feels resistance toward the Decree of Allah, and goes beyond this and express objection to it with his tongue (such as one who says: “Why did Allah do this?”), then such a person is one of the ignorant – and we seek refuge in Allah from being amongst them.
Excerpt from Quarry of the Mind (Sayd Al-Khatir) by Ibn Al-Jawzi (b. 510H)
Translated by Omar Abdl-Haleem
Source: Al-Jumuah, Vol. 24, Issue 04
