Page 23 - The Secret Behind Our Trials

The Great Secret
As this verse says, everything that unbelievers do to prevent
good is a test for believers. Their unwavering moral character,
courage, and fortitude they display while enduring these trials will
increase their reward and status in Paradise. The Qur'an tells us
what kind of tests believers will undergo and the fine moral charac-
ter they will display, as follows:
We will test you with a certain amount of fear and hunger,
and loss of wealth, life, and fruits. But give good news to the
steadfast. Those who, when disaster strikes them, say: "We
belong to Allah, and to Him we will return." Those are the
people who will have blessings and mercy from their Lord;
they are the ones who are guided. (Surat al-Baqara, 155-57)
The trust and submission described in these verses is a good ex-
ample for all Muslims. But unbelievers cannot understand this pa-
tient trust, for they think that believers are just like themselves and
behave according to their own misguided criteria. Thus, they think
that believers will respond to abundant wealth by getting caught up
in it, and will allow difficulties and frustration to make them so
afraid that they will abandon their belief.
But this is a grave error on their part, for Muslims who under-
stand the secret of this world's trials know that one of the finest
things to do in such circumstances is to be patient. For those
Muslims who practice the Qur'an's morality and do their best to in-
culcate this fine morality in others, all such troubles are a sign that
they are on the right path. As a result, they increase their eagerness,
joy, and determination to continue following His path.
In the Qur'an, Allah speaks of laws that have remained un-
changed throughout history. One of them is that believers will en-
counter difficulty and frustration and be subjected to oppression by
unbelievers. However, the unbelievers will never succeed in their aims:

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