The benefits of having calamities and hardships in life

Hardships and calamities are blessings in disguise; yes, I am serious. Despite the negative notion of “bad things happening,” the notion that bad things happen to good people is a more apt description. The Almighty gives his toughest battles to His strongest soldiers, a fact we should keep safely sealed in our minds each time we are faced with opposition in this world.

The following is a short list of benefits hardships and calamities provide.

Patience

“O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.” {Surat Al Baqarah 2: Verse 153}

Patience in Islam is seen as the light, which guides good decision-making and keeps us on the straight path. But let’s be honest, most of us rarely use this light and our frustrations with the world grow. We should aim to be of the patient, for Allah loves those who are patient. This demonstrates the high regard the virtue of patience is given in Islam.If we approach every calamity with patience, we are sure to find a solution to our problems quicker than if we rage on about how unfair it is. Surely, Allah is with the patient and we should all strive to be in His company.

Brings us closer to The Almighty

“Great reward comes with great trials. When Allah loves a people, He tests them, and whoever accepts it attains His pleasure, whereas whoever shows discontent with it incurs His wrath.” If we accept the challenges in our lives and work on overcoming them, chances are that we will succeed 100% by the will of Allah. On the other hand, if we get discouraged and give up, we are sure to fail. We must believe that all things come from Allah and He would never give us any burden bigger than we can bear. By doing this, we become closer to our Creator and we feel more comfortable with our deen.Allah is pleased when we pass His tests. We attain His pleasure and guidance when we face these trials headfirst. Let us be of those who attain Allah’s pleasure and shun His wrath.

Shows us the transience of this worldCalamities remind us that this world is a short temporary place where our actions count far much more in the hereafter, rather than on this Earth. They teach us that this world is filled with fatigue, sickness and exhaustion, whereas the Hereafter is perfectly free of these inconveniences. We yearn for the ease and contentment of the Hereafter and we are motivated to work towards that end.

“Verily, the home of the Hereafter that is the life indeed (i.e. the eternal life that will never end), if they but knew.”[{Surat Al-‘Ankaboot 29: Verse 64}]

Our sins are washed away

The Prophet said: “Trials will continue to befall the believing man or woman in himself, his child and his wealth until he meets Allah with no sin on him.” [Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2399)]

The prophet also said: “The believer is not harmed by a thorn or anything greater, but Allah will raise him in status thereby, or erase a sin thereby.” [Muslim (2572)]

These beautiful ahadith are evidences of the true nature of hardship in this world. Allah is showing us that when He puts obstacles in our lives, they are only there to help clear our path into Heaven in the Hereafter. We should recognize and appreciate each trial and smile upon anything that brings us distress in this world, for we are being cleansed for the Hereafter.

Gives us an opportunity to gain more rewardsWorship in times of hardship is said to have a “special flavor and reward.” We all know that when things are rough, we get despondent and sometimes neglect our prayers due to our frustrations. However, Allah in His mercy has given us the opportunity at our low moments to turn to Him asking for help. For He alone do we worship, and He alone do we ask for help. Allah, The Almighty, loves when we rush to Him when we are in difficulty and He raises our status.

The Prophet said: “Worshiping at times of tribulation and confusion is like migrating to join me.”[Narrated by Muslim, 2948]

Let us then, give thanks and worship Allah not only in good times, but more so in times of hardship so that we may all be companions of our beloved Prophet. Let us use our hardships and calamities as our means to get become closer to Allah. Let us take the reigns of our lives and gallop into the gates of Heaven in shaa Allah.

AllahuAlam (Allah Knows best)