The Severity of the Trial of a Believer

“The trial (suffering hardships in life) of the prophets is the most difficult then is that for those next to the prophets in a (spiritual) position and thereafter those similar to the previous group and so forth.”

“Once, trials and misfortunes and things that Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, has specially set for the believers were mentioned in the presence of Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) and the qualities of the believer. The Imam said, ‘The Messenger of Allah was asked, ‘Who suffers the most in this world?’ The Messenger of Allah said, ‘The prophets suffer the most and thereafter people similar to them and then those similar in position to the second group and so forth. A believer suffers proportionate to his belief and good deeds; thus, whoever’ s belief is more correct as well as deeds their trails and suffering are more intense, and whoever’s belief comes from a weak power of reason and whose deeds are weak their trials and suffering are less intense.’”

‘‘The greatest reward comes from greatest trials and suffering. There have never been a people whom Allah loved but were not put to trial.”

“People who are put to the most severe trials and sufferings are the prophets, then the successors of the prophets and then those similar to the last group in position and so forth.”

“Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has His most sincere of all of His servants on earth. He does not send any gift from the heavens but that is diverted away from them (His most sincere servants) to others and no misfortune comes down but that is directed to them (His most sincere servants).”

“Sadir was present when the Imam said, ‘When Allah loves a servant He deeply immerses him in misfortunes. You and we, O Sadir, live in it mornings and evenings.’”

“When Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, loves any of His servants He immerses him in misfortunes deeply and allows him bleed a bleeding (like sacrificial animals). When he prays to Him, He answers, ‘Yes, my servant, if I like to answer your prayer quickly I have the power to do so, but if I save for you what I may save is better (for you).”’

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘The great misfortunes are matched with great rewards. When Allah loves a servant He tries him with great misfortunes. Whoever accepts it, Allah accepts him and whoever becomes angry with misfortunes, with Allah for him there is anger.”’

“A believer is tried in this world proportionately to the perfection of his religion or degree of his excellence in religion (uncertainty is from the narrator).”

“The believers are like the two sides of a balance, as his belief increases in strength, his trial also increases in intensity.”

“Before forty days pass something causes sadness to a believer to remind him.”

“Once I said to Abu Ja’far (a.s.) ‘Al-Mughirah says, ‘A believer does not suffer from leprosy, bars (a form of leprosy) or so and so.’” The Imam said, ‘He must be unaware of Sahib Yasin (the man mentioned in (36:20)) whose hand was paralyzed - the Imam let his fingers hanging - and said, “It is as if I look at his paralysis. He came to the people, warning them against disbelief and the next day he was murdered.” The Imam then said, ‘A believer may suffer any form of misfortune and die by any form of death but does not commit suicide.’”

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘A believer has the best place in the sight of Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, - three times. Allah tries him with misfortunes and then pulls his soul out of the parts of his body one after the other but he continues praising Allah.’”

“In paradise there is a position that is accessible only to those who have gone through bodily trials of suffering in this world.”

“Once I complained to Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) about pain. (He was often in pains). The Imam said, ‘O ‘Abd Allah, had a believer known about the reward for suffering from afflictions, he would have wished to be cut in pieces with scissors.’”

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘The people of truth had always, since their coming into being, been in suffering but that is for a short time which is followed by everlasting happiness.’”

“Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has an undertaking to try the believers with misfortune just as a man is committed to send gifts to his family in his absence. He holds him (believer) back from the worldly things just as the physicians hold back a patient from certain items of food.”

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘Allah has not protected the believers from the turmoil of the world but He has protected them from blindness in it and the wickedness of the next life.’”

“Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) has said, ‘I do not like a person’s (total freedom from) suffering in the world from misfortunes.’”

“Once, the Holy Prophet was invited for food. When he entered the house he saw a hen that had laid an egg on a wall and it fell on the top of a stake. It stayed there and did not fall off or break. The Holy Prophet expressed astonishment and the man said, ‘Were you astonished because of this egg? I swear by the One who has sent you with the truth that I have never suffered any loss.’ The Imam said, ‘The Holy Prophet then stood up and left without having any food saying, ‘One who does not suffer any losses, Allah is not interested in him.’”

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Allah is not interested in a person in whose property or his own self there is no share (of losses).”’

“Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, sets the believers into trials of all kinds and causes them to die by all kinds of deaths but He does not make them suffer the loss of their power of reason. Consider Ayyub, how Iblis controlled his property, children, wife and all things that were his, but had no control over his power of reason, which was left for him to maintain his belief in Allah only.”

“For a servant (of Allah) there is a position with Allah that he can reach only through two qualities: Loss of his property or misfortune in his body.”

“Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has said, ‘Had my believing servant not felt sadness in his heart, I would have wrapped up the head of the unbelievers for protection with iron wrapping material so he would never experience any headaches.’”

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘The likeness of the believers is like sprouting plants that are swirled back and forth by the winds. The believers are also turned and bent by pain and illness. The likeness of a hypocrite is that of an iron that is not affected by anything until death comes and shatters him with a (fatal) shattering.’”

“The Messenger of Allah one day said to his companions, ‘Condemned is every property that is not purified by paying al- Zakat (charity), condemned is the body that is not purified once in every forty days.’ He was then asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, we know how property is purified, but what is al-Zakat (purification) of the bodies?’ The Messenger of Allah said, ‘It is the suffering of the body from certain forms of trouble.’ The narrator has said that the faces of those who heard it changed and when he noticed the change in their faces he asked them, ‘Did you understand what I meant by what I just said?’ They said, ‘No, O Messenger of Allah.’ He then said, ‘What I meant was that a man suffers a scratch or a set back, a slip, or illness, or is pricked by a spike or such other things.’ In his Hadith he also mentioned even sourness in the eyes.”

“Once I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) ‘Does a believer suffer from leprosy or similar diseases?’ The Imam asked, ‘Is misfortune written for anyone other than the believers?”’

“A believer is so important to Allah that if he asks Him paradise and all that is therein. He will give it to him without any shortages caused to His kingdom. The unbeliever is so insignificant before Allah that if he asks the whole world and all that is therein. He will give it to him without any shortages caused in His kingdom. Allah is committed to sending misfortune to the believers just like one’s commitment to his family in sending them souvenirs during his absence from home. He holds him back from worldly things like the physician who holds back a patient from certain food items.”

“It is in the book of Ali (a.s.) that the people who suffer from the most intense form of misfortune are the prophets, then the successors of the prophets, then are people of closer position to the successors of the prophets and so on are the other groups. The trials of the believers are proportionate to their good deeds. Whoever’s religion is perfect and his deeds are good, his suffering is more intense because Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has not made this world the reward for the believers or punishment for the unbelievers. Whoever’s religion is inferior and whose deeds are weak, his misfortunes are less. The misfortunes come quicker to the believers than rain to well situated land environment.”

“Once I said to Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) ‘About this thing that has appeared on my face, people think Allah does not make suffer (from this) any servant in whom He is interested.’ The Imam said, ‘The believer among the people of Pharaoh had crippled fingers. He would extend his fingers and say, “My people follow the Messengers (of Allah).’” Then the Imam said to me, ‘In the beginning of the third part of the night get up and make Wuzu and stand up for your prayer that you pray. In the last prostration of first two Rak’at say, “O the Most high, the Most great, O Beneficent, O Merciful, O the One Who listens to the prayers, O the One Who grants all good, bestow blessings upon Muhammad and his family, recipients of divine supreme covenant, and grant me the good things of the world and of the next life and of that which You deem proper to grant me. Remove from me the evil of this world and of the hereafter and of that which You deem proper to grant and remove from me this pain - mention its name - it has angered and depressed me,” Then insist pleading. ’ The narrator has said that before I reached al-Kufah, Allah had removed that entire thing from my face.”