The Matters in Which Allah Has Made a Covenant With Believing People in Exchange for Their Exercising Patience in Their Suffering

“Allah has made a covenant with a believer (to have patience) when his words are not accepted as true and he does not avenge his enemies. A believer will not have any satisfaction without subjecting his soul to disgrace (before his own conscience); every believer is harnessed (as to his soul in the matters of worldly desires).”

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Allah has made a covenant with a believer to exercise patience in the face of four kinds of misfortunes: the least serious of these is the envying of another believer against him who has the same belief, or a hypocrite that follows him (for hypocritical reason), Satan who tries to tempt him or an unbeliever against whom Jihad (working hard in the way of Allah) is necessary may cause him suffering. What then is left for a believer?”

“A believer cannot escape one of three problems or perhaps all three at the same time: someone at home always bites him and closes his door to hurt him, a neighbor who annoys him, or someone on his way to work troubles him. Even if a believer may live on top of a mountain, Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, sends Satan, who hurts him, but He makes his belief a source of comfort, and with it he does not feel frightened from anyone.”

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘A believer is not without four things or at least one of them at a time: he suffers from the envy of a believer and it is the most difficult one, stalking of a hypocrite, the struggle of an enemy against him or the temptation of Satan.’”

“Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has made His friend to become a victim of His enemy in this world.”

“Once I was in the presence of Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) when a man complained to him about something he needed. The Imam said, ‘Be patient, Allah will make a way out for you.’ The narrator has said that he remained quiet for a while then he turned to the man and said, ‘Tell me about the jail in Kufah, how is it?’ The man said, ‘May Allah keep you well, it is congested, foul smelling and people are in the worst condition.’ The Imam said, ‘You are in a jail and expect comfort. You should bear in mind that this world is a prison for believing people’”

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘This world is a prison for believing people. Which prison is it wherein anything good may exist?”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘A believer is not appreciated.’ It is narrated in another Hadith : ‘This is because the virtues of a believer are taken to Allah, thus, they do not spread among the people and an unbeliever is appreciated.’”

“To every believer Allah has assigned four things: a Satan who wants to mislead him, an unbeliever who fights him, a believer who envies him - it is the most difficult one - and a hypocrite who tracks down his mistakes (for evil purposes).”

“I heard abu Ja’far (a.s.) saying, ‘When a believer dies the devils working to mislead him, now released among his neighbors, number equal to all the people of the tribe of Rabi’ and Mudar.’”

“There had never been, there is no one and will never be a believer but that a neighbor causes him suffering. Even if a believer may live on an island Allah sends someone to cause him suffering.”

“In the past, in future and in your time there has never been a believer, whom a neighbor did not make suffer.”

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘There has never been or will be a believer up to the Hour of Doom free from suffering, caused by his neighbor.’”