The Spaciousness Behind Every Difficulty
This worldly life is not a place of amusement for believers, but an oven of refinement and testing filled with hardships. The illnesses, material difficulties, or enmities that a person encounters are actually divine training grounds established to spiritually elevate them. “From every difficulty comes ease. In every comfort lies constriction.” When a person realizes this truth, they do not rebel against what befalls them, but rather look for the mercy (hidden grace) behind those events.
The Elevating Power of Patience
Not rebelling and maintaining tranquility in the face of a trial is the clearest indication of mature faith. “Those who strive for Allah’s sake, united, are afflicted with trials; their degrees increase with their patience.” Just as gold becomes purified by melting in fire, so too does the believer purify themselves from pride and love of the world (from other than God) through the fire of calamity. If a person avoids difficulties and chooses comfort, their spiritual evolution stagnates.
Submission to the Flow of Destiny
Every good or bad thing that happens to us is a manifestation of Allah’s absolute will. When we are not able to change events, our only cure is to show “acceptance” (riza) towards them. Those who refrain from complaining and sharing their sorrows with people in times of calamity attain the indescribable tranquility of divine nearness, and worldly burdens transform into spiritual blessings (riches) in their hearts.