Chapter 6 - On Calamities and Trials

“A Shiite will not be at a loss no matter how he dies, whether he is eaten by wild beasts, burnt, drowned, hung or killed. I swear by God that he is among the ranks of the righteous ones and martyrs.”

“A believer asks God for something he needs, but God puts it off and says: “I delay fulfilling his needs due to My eagerness to his supplication.” When the Hereafter comes, the Almighty God says: “O' My servant! You asked Me for something in the world, but I delayed fulfilling it. Here is the reward. You then asked Me for something else, but I delayed fulfilling it again. Here is the reward.” The The Imam (a.s) said: “At this time the believer who sees all the good rewards, wishes that his needs in the world for which he prayed had never been fulfilled.”

Imam Kazim (a.s) said: “God the Almighty said: I did not make the rich ones rich for their honor near Me, and I did not make the poor ones poor for their humiliation near Me. Rather this is how I test the rich by the poor people. If there were no poor people, none of the rich people could be certified to go to Heaven.”

Imam Baqir (a.s) said: “Two angels who were descending from the heavens to the Earth met each other. One asked the other about his mission. He said: “God gave me the mission to go to sea to force a fish to go to one of the oppressors so he, who had wished to catch it, would be able to do so. So I must go and force that fish in the sea towards him so that the oppressor can catch it, and achieve his last goal.” The other angel said: “My divine mission is even stranger than yours. God gave me the mission to go to a believer who is fasting and stays up at night to worship God, and is such a good worshipper that he is famous in the heavens. I am supposed to turn over the pan of food that he has just prepared for breaking his fast since God wants to test his faith this way.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “God sent down an angel to Earth. He stayed on the Earth for a long time and then returned to the heavens. He was asked: “What did you see there?” He said: “I saw many amazing things there, but the most amazing thing that I saw was someone who abused your blessings. He ate of what You provided for his sustenance, but claimed to be god. I was amazed at his boldness and Your Patience.” God the Almighty said: “You were amazed at My Patience? I let him live for four hundred years, and he never got ill. I granted to him whatever he wanted in the world, and I never changed his food and drinks.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “God will push believers away from what they like but He dislikes, just as a man pushes away a camel with scabies from his other camels.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “One day Moses (a.s) was walking along the shore. A fisherman came suddenly and prostrated to the sun and said some polytheistic things and words. Then he cast his net in the sea and pulled it out filled with fish, and did the same thing again twice and got a lot of fish like the first time. Next someone else came. He made ablution and stood to pray. He praised the Lord and cast his net into the sea, but got no fish when he pulled it out. He did it again and again, but only caught a small fish the third time. He thanked God and left. Then Moses said: “O' Lord! The atheist servant came, and cast his net three times and pulled it out full of fish. Then Your believing servant made ablution and said his prayers and praised you and cast his net three times but only managed to catch one fish. Then he praised you and left!” God told Moses: “Look to the right.” Moses looked to the right. The curtain to the Unseen was pushed aside and he saw the position that God had prepared for the believer. Then God said: “O' Moses! Look to the left.” He turned around and looked to the left. The curtain to the Unseen was pushed aside and he saw the position that God had prepared for the atheist. Then God said: “O' Moses! What I did for the believer did not harm him, and what I did for the atheist one did not benefit him.” Then Moses said: “O' Lord! It is right that whoever recognizes You is content with Your deeds.”

Imam Baqir (a.s) said: “A believer is so honored by God that God will even grant him Heaven with everything in it if he asks for it, without anything being reduced from God's Dominion; but God will not grant him even one foot of this world if he asks for it. An infidel is so despised by God that God will even grant him this world with everything in it i f he asks for it without anything being reduced from God's Dominion; but God will not grant him even one foot of Heaven if he asks for it. God will attend to His believing servants through calamities, and instruct them to abstain from this world just as a doctor instructs his patients to abstain from things.”

Imam Baqir (a.s) said: “God will grant this world to His friends and His enemies, but will only give the Hereafter to His friends. God will not grant to His believing servants even enough room for one whip from this world if they ask for it, and grant him whatever he wants from the Hereafter. God will grant to the infidels from this world before they ask for it, but will not grant them even enough room for a whip from Heaven if they ask for it.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “God the Almighty will apologize to his needy servants in this world just as a brother apologizes to his brother, and says: “I swear by My Honor that I did not make you poor to humiliate you. Now push the curtain aside and see what I have given you instead. When the curtain is pushed aside and he sees what God Has rewarded him with instead of this world, he says: “O' God! There was no harm for me due to what You took away from me (in the world) considering what you have given me instead (now in the Hereafter).”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “God will grant this world to both His friends and enemies, but will only give faith to His chosen servants.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “Poverty is like a hidden treasure near God, just like martyrdom. God will only grant it to the believers that He loves.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “Whenever God loves a servant, He will appoint two angels to put off the fulfillment of his needs and make life difficult for him so that he calls God since God likes to hear his voice.”

“I will make ill whomever I wish to send to Heaven. If it is enough penalty for his sins, it is fine. But if not, I will make life difficult for him. If it is enough of penalty for his sins, it is fine. But if it is not, I will make his death hard for him so that he comes to Me free of sin, and I let him enter Heaven. I will make perfectly healthy whomever I wish to send to Hell. If what he asks Me is completely fulfilled this way, then it is fine. But if it is not, I will free him from the fear of the oppressors. If what he asks Me is completely fulfilled this way, it is fine. But if it is not, I will make his death an easy one so that when he comes to meet Me, none of his good deeds have remained un-rewarded. Then I will send him to Hell.”

Imam Baqir (a.s) said: “One has a very high noble position near God. God will make him suffer a lot of calamities to reach that position. Lots of people will rush in to express their condolence to him and express their sympathy. If the people only knew what position God has granted him, they would have never sympathized with him, or expressed their condolence. God sends down some worldly things to some people to seize their Hereafter, and the people rush in to express congratulations. If the people only knew what is awaiting him in the Hereafter, they would have never become happy or congratulated him.”

“I found them needy, while difficulties came towards them faster than rain water flows towards the drain.” Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “God is the Helper. Are you pleased with your belief or do you prefer to be paid one hundred thousand Durhams instead?” He said: “I swear by God that I do not want it even if it is as much gold as the mountains of Mecca.” Who is more self-sufficient than you and your companions? None of you have anything to lose, even if you wander about and eat the leaves of the trees and plants until your death approaches.”

“God does not need anyone whose body and wealth are of no benefit to God.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “There are some servants of God from whom He will remove any calamities that descend from the heavens and alleviate any reduction in their daily bread. If they divide the illumination of each one of these servants among all the people of the Earth, it will suffice them all.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “There will not pass forty days before God either descends a calamity or a physical illness upon a believer so as to reward him for it.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “If a believer only knew what the reward for perseverance in the face of calamities is, he would always wish to be torn into pieces.”

“A believer is like a weak branch which is pushed back and forth by the wind, and an infidel is like an invulnerable iron column, until his death approaches and he goes to Hell.”

Imam Baqir (a.s) said: “A group of people went to see Imam Sajjad (a.s). Abdullah ibn Abbas was with him, too. The people talked about the calamities of the Shiites and their sufferings. Then they went to see Imam Hussein (a.s) and said the same things. Imam Hussein (a.s) said: “I swear by God that the speed with which poverty and calamities rush towards our friends is more than the running speed of the zebra, the speed of the flood and the rainfall. If you are not suffering this way, then we know that you are not one of us. Your orphans will be helped by us, your debts will be repaid by us, and your sins will be forgiven by us.”

Someone talked about calamities and things that God has allocated to believers in front of Imam Sadiq (a.s). He said: “They asked the Prophet of God: “Who experiences the worst calamities in this world?” The Prophet answered: “The Prophets experience the worst calamities in this world. Then those who are most similar to them, and then the believers experience calamities based on their level of faith and good deeds. The calamities experienced by those whose deeds are more will be worse. Whoever has a weaker faith and less good deeds will experience less calamities.”

“When God loves someone, he appoints an angel to hurt him so that he prays to God, and God hears his voice. When God is angry with someone, He appoints an angel to keep him free from trouble so that he does not call God in prayer since God does not like him to pray and ask him for something.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “God the Almighty always sends calamities upon a believer. He cannot sleep one night and wake up the next morning without any problems. Either he gets ill or he has a family or financial problem or suffers from a natural disaster. All these are so that God can give him a reward instead.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “Any believer is reminded (of God) once every forty days by either a tragic event of a financial or physical nature for himself or his children, or a sort of sadness which he does not understand the reason for. Then he will be rewarded.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “Any believer is reminded (of God) once every forty days by a problem which makes him sad.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “A servant of God has a rank near God which he cannot attain unless he gets ill or loses some of his property.”

Imam Baqir (a.s) said: “Whenever God wishes to honor one who has committed sins, He will make him ill, or needy, or make him suffer from a difficult death to compensate for his sins. Whenever God wishes to humiliate someone who has done some good deeds, He will make him perfectly healthy, or improve his living conditions, or make his death an easy one for him to compensate for his good deeds (in this world before he goes to meet his Lord).”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “There is a rank in Heaven which one cannot attain unless he gets physically ill.”

“I entrust You with my friend. You are the best Guardian.” Then he left. Then he went away and made supplications to God in a truly spiritual way. When he returned, he saw that a lion had attacked his friend, torn him into pieces, and eaten him up. Then Moses (a.s) raised his head towards the sky and said: “O' God! I entrusted him with You because You are the best Guardian. But You sent your worst beast to attack him, kill him, tear him into pieces and eat him up!” A revelation came: “O' Moses! Your friend had a rank in Heaven that he could not attain otherwise. O' Moses! Look!” Then the curtains of the Unseen were drawn aside and Moses (a.s) looked on and saw his friend in an exalted house. Then Moses said: “O' Lord! I am pleased.”

“Whoever wants to look at one of the people of Hell can look at this man who turned around. The similitude of a hypocrite is like that of a tree trunk which someone owns and wants to use in a part of his building. However it is not useful in that part of the building, and he tries to use it elsewhere in the building. But it is not useful there either. Thus he finally burns it in fire. And the similitude of a believer is like a newly- grown plant. The wind will blow it to either side, but it returns to its original place. That is the wind will agitate it until the time comes for it to be picked.”

“The similitude of a believer is like that of a newly- grown plant which the wind blows to either side. A believer suffers a lot of pain and suffers from many illnesses until he dies. But the similitude of a hypocrite is like that of a straight iron cane which nothing can damage. This situation exists for a hypocrite until his death approaches and smashes him down.”

al-Mufaz'zil ibn Amr asked Imam Sadiq (a.s): “Will a believer suffer from grief and sorrow?” Imam Sadiq (a.s) replied: “His grief and sorrow are due to his past negligence and sins. The sins of the Prophets and those with certitude are all forgiven.”

“O' May I be your devoted servant! When we read the verse: “Whatever misfortune happens to you is because of the things your hands have wrought.” [The Holy Quran: Shura 42:30] does it mean that the misfortunes that happened to the Prophet (a.s) and Ameer al-Momineen (a.s) and the Holy Household were due to sins?” Imam Baqir (a.s) replied: “O' Hamran! Their misfortunes were not due to sins. But their misfortunes were so extensive that they will get rewarded for them.”

Prophet of God (a.s) told his companions: “You should ask God for health, since you are not from those who will suffer from calamities.”

“I do not like anyone who is constantly healthy in this world, and never suffers from any calamities.”

Imam Baqir (a.s) said that God the Almighty said: “Some of My servants are such that their religious affairs will not improve unless they get poor or sick.”

Bani Ummayad clan always prefers the worldly issues over those of the Hereafter, even though they do not like to see what they dislike.”

Isma'il ibn Jarir said: “I thought that when my camel and I fell down hard, it was the punishment for a sin I had committed before. One day when I went to see Imam Sadiq (a.s), before I said something Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “Jacob got sick but did not ask his Lord for remedy. He had not getten sick due to having committed any sins. Some people came to visit him but he smelled so bad that their horses would not come near him. One of them yelled: “O' Jacob! You would not have suffered this way if you had not committed any sins.” At this time Jacob called his Lord and God cured him.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said the following regarding the following verse: “And were it not that (all) men might become of one (evil) way of life, we would provide for everyone that blasphemes against (God) Most Gracious, silver roofs for their houses, and silver stairways on which to go up.” [The Holy Quran: Zukhruf 43:33] “If God did this all the people would become infidels.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said that God the Almighty said: “If it did not hurt My servants, I would grant the infidels a golden crown and they would not have any misfortunes until they meet Me.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “God the Almighty created a house and created people to live in it. This house is the world. He established His friends to be guests for the people of the world.”