Alhamdulillah! A brand new day, a brand new week has greeted us! Lets take a moment to thank Allah for the gift of a new day, another chance to repent, another opportunity to do good, and for the gift of iman & islam.
Last week, we spoke briefly about trials & difficulties. Today we will look at ahadith that speak about the reward of illness & hardships!
InsyaAllah by reading the following ahadith, we will be better equipped to face the trials in life and even be grateful that they happened to no one else but us! Hasn’t it been said by our Prophet SAW:
“How wonderful is the affair of the believer, for all his affairs are good, and that is for no one except the believer. If something good happens to him, he gives thanks, and that is good for him, and if something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience and that is good for him.”
[Narrated by Muslim, no. 2999]
Abi Said RA narrates from the Prophet SAW: “Any Muslim who experiences any hardship, discomfort, worry, sorrow, grief, and distress, even a thorn prick, but Allah will make it an atonement for his sins.” (Bukhari, Muslim, Mishkaat.)
Stressed because the deadline was pushed forward? Sin count drops. The new guy got a promotion and you’re still where you are? Sin count drops. Stayed up all night slaving over your essay? More sins atoned! Alhamdulillah!
Often, falling sick does not only affect our physical bodies but our emotional wellbeing as well. Together with the headache, we feel discouraged and unmotivated to do more work, be it worldly or spiritual ones. But take comfort in this following hadith:
Anas RA reports the Prophet SAW as saying: “If a Muslim is afflicted with a bodily affliction (illness etc) it is said to the angel (who records his pious deeds), continue recording the pious deeds he committed in his state of good health. If Allah grants him recuperation, He will cleanse him. If Allah grants him death, He will forgive & have mercy on him. ” (Sharhus Sunnah, Mishkaat.)
MasyaAllah! How generous He is! Even when we are feeling lethargic, sickly and our bodies just refuse to get up for that sunnah prayer, the angels have already been commanded to write it for us (provided we do them religiously when we are well)! So never curse illness. While we should always try to keep ourselves healthy, once in a while we will fall sick & instead of experiencing regret over not being able to do more, we should use that moment to practise gratitude insyaAllah.
As reported by Jabir RA, the Prophet SAW had said to Ummi Saaib RA the following: “Do not curse fever, for it removes the sins of Bani Adam in the manner that a furnace removes rust from iron.” (Muslim, Mishkaat).
Our reward for enduring hardships & illnesses are the atonement of sins & continued recording of good deeds. On top of that, we will insyaAllah also attain jannah as expressed in the following verse of the Qur’an:
“And their recompense shall be Paradise, and silken garments, because they were patient” [Al-Insaan 76:12]
Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah. May this week’s article be a great way to improve moods & put us all in a better state to face the coming week ahead insyaAllah!
