Page 43 - The Secret Behind Our Trials

The Muslim of Difficult Times
divine service, just as condiment destroys honey" 10 and meticulously
avoid bad conduct.
But people far removed from religion are not aware of this real-
ity. They are intimidated in the face of difficult situations, because
they deny that everything they are experiencing is a test. Here is a
point of which we must take careful note: "If you feel pain, they too
are feeling it just as you are. But you hope for something from
Allah, for which they cannot hope" (Surat an-Nisa', 104). As this
verse says, both believers and unbelievers are struck by the same
kinds of difficulties and frustrations. But because unbelievers have
no faith in Allah and do not consider that every event has been cre-
ated by Him, they do not expect to receive from Allah what believers
hope to receive. So, the basic difference is that they remain oblivious
of life's true meaning. In other words, the believers' belief in Allah
totally separates them from the unbelievers in the afterlife.
For example, Allah tells us that people will be tried by hunger
and poverty. While hunger is a major difficulty and frustration for
unbelievers, for Muslims it is a trial in which they can show the
quality of their moral character and a good opportunity that they
should not miss. In such times, submission to Allah, trust, and pa-
tience gain great importance, and the fact that they do not lose hope
but rather see the good in what is happening are indications that
they are passing the test.
Unbelievers consider their own advantage and comfort first;
however, the believers' moral quality always gives precedence to the
other person. Believers freely give to other believers the best seat,
the best food, and the best clothing. When it is cold, sincere Muslims
will always take care of their fellow Muslims by offering them blan-
kets and hot drinks, even when they themselves are cold. They take
joy in ensuring their friend's health, safety, comfort, and happiness,

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