Presents

1. Haniff Inc Presents

2. CALAMITIES , TRIALS & AFFLICTIONS

3. Introduction The root of destructive sins is attachment for the world, the root of the cause of deception. If the gifts are not mixed with calamities, they lead the mind to enjoy the worldly enjoyment and pleasures. Ultimately it becomes difficult for him to give them up. For this reason, the Prophet (s.a.w) said : “The world is a prison for the believers and a paradise for the unbelievers.” Calamities are gifts from Allah. So one should remain satisfied with them, just as he remains satisfied with a bitter medicine in hope of recovery. Every calamity in this world is like a bitter medicine which is troublesome at present but a bliss in the long run.

4. What Allah Almighty Says The Holy Prophet (s.a.w) said that Allah says : “When I send on My servant any physical, economic or family trouble and if he forbears it, I’ll feel shame to set up for him balance and measure on the resurrection day.” Allah says : “When I examine a servant with a trial and he keeps patience at that and does not complain of Me to his visitors, I give him better flesh in lieu of his former flesh and better blood in lieu of his former blood. When I cure him, I cure him after forgiving his sins.” Allah said : “O Jibraeel, do you know what reward I give to one whose eyes I have robbed?” He (jibraeel) said, O Allah, we don’t know anything except what You have taught us. Allah said, “Its reward is his constant living in My abode and his look towards my face.” Allah revealed to Prophet Uzair (a.s), “When any calamity befalls on you, don’t complain of it to My created beings but tell Me your complaint, just as I do not make complaint against you to my angels.”

5. What the Prophet (s.a.w) said The Prophet (s.a.w) said, “If Allah wants to do good to somebody, He afflicts him with Trials.” “When Allah wishes good of men and establishes love with him, He sends down upon him troubles and calamities and afflicts him with mishap.” “There’s no good in one whose wealth has not gone and whose body is not diseased. When Allah loves a servant, He examines him with calamity. When he falls into it, he keeps patience.” “The rank of a man is not earned near Allah by any of his actions till his body is not attached with any disease which raises him to such a rank.” “Sometimes Allah wills to consign a slave to a higher station but he cannot achieve that with his deeds. So Allah puts him in a difficulty – physical, mental or emotional. Then Allah carries him to heights because of that difficulty.”

6. Nabi Isa (a.s) said, “You cannot earn what you love till you keep patience at what you do not love.”

7. Resurrection Day When there will be Resurrection, the pious will be brought and their action will be weighed in the Balance – the actions of those who prayed, those who paid zakat, those who fasted and those who made pilgrimage. Then those who were afflicted with calamities will be brought but their book of deeds will not be opened in their presence. Rewards will be rained over them as calamities were thrown over them. Those who were happy and safe in the world will see the high rank of those who suffered troubles and calamities and say, “Alas, how good it would have been if the flesh of our bodies were severed by scissors.”

8. A little about the Prophets (p.b.u.t) Narrated Hazrat Ayisha (r.a), “I never saw anybody suffering so severely from sickness as Allah’s messenger.” It is reported that Nabi Zakaria flew from the unbelievers and took refuge to a tree. They found clue to this tree and cut the tree to 2 pieces by a saw. When the saw touched the head of Nabi Zakaria, he raised a scream. Then Allah revealed to him, “O Zakaria, if you scream for the second time I will remove your name from the register of prophethood. At this Nabi Zakaria bit his teeth and kept patience till he was hewn to pieces. Hazrat Ayub (a.s) used to face trials such as loss of Kingdom & Wealth, loss of family members and also loss of good health, yet he remained patient and endured all those hardships.

9. Hazrat Luqman advised his son, “O dear son, a religious man is tried by calamities, just as gold is tried by fire. When Allah loves a party of men, He gives them trial. He becomes pleased with them who remained satisfied with it and He become displeased with those who became displeased with it.”

10. Some Stories to add on Once Rasulullah (s.a.w) after performing wudhu wanted to put on his leather socks. An eagle came along, took one of the socks in its mouth and flew away. Rasul (s.a.w) was quite surprised at this and quite distressed. However, after a short while, the eagle came back, turned the sock upside down towards the ground and a black snake fell out of it. Then the eagle presented the sock to Rasul (s.a.w) and said, “O Messenger of Allah, the reason for the this flying with the sock was that a snake was hidden inside it; this was the cause of my insulting behavior. Allah ordered me to protect you!” Rasulullah (s.a.w) expressed his gratitute to Allah and said, “the incident which I considered a sad affair was actually a case of loyalty and mercy. O Eagle, you carried my socks away and I became displeased. You made me sad and I considered it a case of grief.” The Eagle replied, “O Beloved, for you this incident is a lesson of warning from Allah, so that you may be pleased with every verdict of Allah. And consider it as a means of goodness. And accept with pleasure from Allah if anything contrary to your wish takes place. Lesson :The lesson in this story is that a person should not become impatient and unduly worried when a calamity comes. Instead one should think that it has come to ward off a greater calamity.

11. Shipwreck - Blessing in Disguise The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small uninhabited island. He prayed madly for Allah to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements and to store his few possessions. One day, after searching for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and danger. “Allah, how could You do this to me!” he cried. Early next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. “How did you know I was here?” asked the weary man to his rescuers. “We saw your smoke signal,” they replied. Lesson : It is easy to get discouraged when things are going badly, but we should not lose heart, because Allah is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and sufferings.

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