Inspired

Eight

Suffering is an undeniable fact of life.

Many have suffered from the earliest generations of Islam, and many will continue to suffer till the very end. Because suffering is a gift. Tribulation is a gift. Two known rewards of tribulation, if endured with patience are the expiation of sins and the raising of one's status in the hereafter. The higher one's status, the higher the level of Paradise.

Everyone wants Paradise, but sometimes we aren't willing to work for it. So Allah, out of His infinite mercy sends us gifts of tribulation. As a means of purifying us, honouring us.

Did the early converts of Islam suffer in vain? Were they merely effigies whom we forget today? Whose examples we neglect today?

Was Uthman رضي الله عنه wrapped in a mat of palm leaves and set fire to from beneath by his uncle, an act of suffering in vain?

Did Mus'ab bin Umair's رضي الله عنه mother leave him to starve and expel him from her home, an act of suffering in vain?

Was Bilal's رضي الله عنه neck tied with a rope and dragged through the scorching streets by street boys suffering that went in vain?

Was 'Ammar رضي الله عنه thrown on burning embers an act of suffering in vain?

Did his father Yasir رضي الله عنه die from severe torture, in vain?

Was his mother Sumaiyah رضي الله عنها split in half, and martyred in vain?

Why did all these individuals suffer? Because they embraced Islam and no one would embrace Islam except that they would undergo torture and suffering for the sake of Allah.

So the next time you feel helpless and exhausted by hardship, remember these role models who suffered, and as a result of which, became worthy of Jannah.

When Allah puts you trial, He does so to test your faith. These hardships are ephemeral, and soon they shall end. He may bend you, but He won't break you. And if you do break, you break for His sake. So remember, Jannah is the reward. Therein you will meet Him, see Him and speak to Him. Isn't a bit of bending, or even a break worth it, if you attain that as a result of it?

‪Gems of Jannah