Episode 39 - Hasten relief for yourself!

The beginning of solving your problem and getting out of your crisis is knowing that it only befell you because of your own sin: {And whatever misfortune befalls you is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much} [42:30], {And whatever adversity befalls you is from yourself} [4:79], {Or did a misfortune befall you when a similar one had befallen them? They said, 'How is this?' Say, 'It is from yourselves'} [3:165]... Therefore, Allah the Almighty loves it when you at that time hasten to correct your situation and return to Him: {So We seized them with affliction and adversity that perhaps they would humble themselves} [6:42].

Most people do not interact with affliction as Allah the Almighty loves. Therefore, you see that the Quran describes in many places the bad interaction of people with affliction:  Among them are those who do not interact and do not benefit: {But when Our punishment came to them, they did not humble themselves, but their hearts hardened, and Satan made attractive to them what they were doing} [6:43], {And We have certainly seized them with punishment, but they did not humble themselves to their Lord, nor did they humble themselves} [23:76].. {Do they not see that they are tested every year once or twice, but they do not repent nor do they remember} [9:126]. Among them are those who despair and lose hope: {Man does not tire of supplicating for good, but if evil touches him, he is desperate and hopeless} [41:49], {And if adversity befalls them because of what their hands have done, they despair} [30:36], {And if evil touches him, he is desperate} [17:83].  But among them are those who increase in disbelief!: {And if adversity befalls them because of what their hands have done, then indeed man is ungrateful} [42:48], {And if We send a wind and they see it yellow, they remain after it disbelievers} [30:51].

How amazing is your situation, O man! This Quranic focus on the phenomenon of bad interaction requires us to pause and reflect...

We may spend our time being annoyed by affliction, wishing it had not befallen us, imagining our happiness if it had not happened, and catching news from here and there about any sign of relief, knocking on earthly doors and exaggerating in taking material means to get rid of affliction... to the point where thinking about affliction becomes a waking nightmare and a constant obsession in our minds... But all of this only makes us spin in a vicious cycle, and a new affliction will arise, which is that we did not benefit from the affliction and did not interact with it as Allah the Almighty loves, by correcting our situation and returning to Him, glorified and exalted be He.

Perhaps the affliction is an injustice that has befallen you, so you spend time being angry at the oppressor... but wisdom dictates that you realize that this was only imposed on you because of your own sin, so it is only a tool of Allah's decree... {And if you are patient and fear Allah, their cunning will not harm you in the least} [3:120]... So it is incumbent upon you, while defending this injustice and striving to obtain your right by all means permitted by Allah, to also strive to rid yourself of your sin, hoping that Allah will stop the harm from you.

If affliction befalls you, hasten immediately to write a list of your mistakes that need correction, and begin to rid yourself of them, keeping in mind that you are doing so to honor Allah's right first, then may He look upon you with a merciful glance and remove the affliction from you. And note in determining your mistakes that the affliction may be of the same kind as the sin, for whoever intends a pleasure that Allah does not approve of, he may be deprived of the lawful pleasure:

 So if you are afflicted, for example, with problems with your wife, think: Perhaps you wanted to sweeten your life by being lax in dealing with women who are not your mahrams, by joking with them or talking to them outside the bounds of necessity and lowering your gaze, so you deprived yourself of the pure, permissible pleasure of marital harmony.

 If you are afflicted with the loss of something from your wealth or a lack of blessing in it, remember: Did you neglect to bring dubious money into your wealth? Did you fall short in maintaining your mother with money that would please her and expand for her?

 If you are afflicted with imprisonment, think: Do you have a sick father confined to his body who cannot move? Did you not help him by moving him in his house and outside, and did you not comfort him with conversation to remove his loneliness, so you were afflicted with loneliness like his?!

 If you are afflicted with the loss of your job, remember: Perhaps you were not humble in your prayer, but you went through it while thinking about your job and its problems and pleasing the manager while you are in the presence of Allah the Almighty!

 Perhaps you, O afflicted wife, whose husband does not consider your right... Perhaps you saw him neglecting Allah's right, so you did not advise him and did not help him to please his Lord, so Allah did not guide him to fulfill his right upon you!

O afflicted one! Face the truth, even if it is bitter! There must be a sin that brought the affliction upon you, so define it and rid yourself of it quickly, and thus you will succeed - by Allah's permission - in turning the affliction in your worldly life into a blessing in your religion, and the Prophet's statement will apply to you: (How amazing is the affair of the believer, for all his affairs are good, and that is only for the believer)... And it is hoped for you at that time that relief will come, because you have returned to Allah, and Allah the Almighty says: {And whoever fears Allah, He will make for him an exit and provide for him from where he does not expect} [65:2-3].

But if you are slow and weak in correcting your situation, remember at that time that the teacher, if he sees slowness in the student's learning of the lesson, may increase the number of sessions... And Allah has the highest example.

Relief may come to you by the removal of what harmed and preoccupied you, and relief may come to you by the affliction remaining, but you see Allah's companionship with you in it, and the comfort of your heart after loneliness, and steadfastness after trembling, and great goodness in your religion and worldly life that is better for you than the removal of the affliction.

Therefore, remember as you define your mistakes and begin to treat them that you want to rid yourself of them for life, regardless of whether your affliction is relieved or not, otherwise you were not sincere in your intention to repent to Allah the Almighty. You may cut off your brother and be afflicted with poverty, so you draw near to Allah the Almighty and reconcile with your brother again... And yet Allah may afflict you with continuous poverty and its severity... So will you at that time return to the severance for the slightest new problem between you?! And is there in this an indication that your repentance was sincere and pure for the sake of Allah the Almighty?

And how amazing it is for those who do not neglect repentance at the time of affliction, but rather increase in committing prohibitions to solve their problem! Like a merchant who suffers a loss and takes a riba loan to revive his trade, and perhaps he justifies it to himself by saying: (My Lord has forced me to resort to this path)!

These are the conditions of people with affliction, some of whom take it as a station of purification and a new launch in their lives, some of whom do not repent nor remember, and some of whom seek refuge from the burning with fire... So choose for yourself... {And for all are degrees of what they have done. And your Lord is not unaware of what they do} [6:132]..