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Sadness, grief, misery, and sorrow are all natural sentiments that come with existence. When we look about us, we witness poverty and suffering, death and disasters, and even anguish and despair, setbacks and failures, the loss of loved ones, and heartache. In short, life is full of issues and isn’t always as wonderful as we would like it to be.
These world’s troubles, tests, and trials may persuade someone to believe that God is cruel. People frequently ask what kind of God allows people to perish in a tsunami or why God did this to us when we don’t like anything.
This, however, is not the case. God is not cruel. Each of us is taking a test in this world. We may find the exam difficult and difficult, just as we do in schools and universities, but that does not mean the examiner is unfriendly. The purpose of the exam is to assess our talents and abilities so that we can be appropriately compensated.
We will certainly test you: with fear, hunger, loss of wealth, health and harvests. Give good news to the patient.
The Majestic Quran 2:115
Even a person’s money and goods serve as a test for him or her. If someone is wealthy, it does not necessarily imply that Allah is pleased with him and has showered wealth upon him.
Allah SWT reveals to us:
And know that your wealth and children are a test,and that Allah has a great reward in store for you.
The Majestic Quran 8:28
Even our friends, family, and other individuals in our lives may put us to the test. Their indignity, hatred, or terrible behaviour toward us may be a test for us as well, to determine if we are patient and steadfast.
Allah SWT declares:
Never before you, Muhammad, have We sent any messenger who didn’t eat food and walk about in the markets. We made some of you a test for others to see how patient you will be. Your Lord is Seeing.
The Majestic Quran 25:20
Similarly, we are not instantly rewarded for correct answers and are not immediately punished for incorrect ones while taking the exam. We’ll have to wait till the exam is finished, the papers are examined, and the results are announced. In the same way, this life is an exam – yet we have no idea when it will end. Our exam will be completed as soon as we die, and we will have to wait for the results to be announced on the Day of Judgement.
Allah SWT has said:
Everyone will taste death; We shall test you all with something good and something bad, and finally you will be returned to Us.
The Majestic Quran 21:35
When we endure challenges, problems, sorrow, and suffering in this world, we must remember that this is merely a temporary phase in which Allah is testing us to determine if we remain grateful to Him and obey Him. This is not to say that Allah is cruel. We must keep in mind that He is the one who is examining us.
People who worship Allah doubting Him, are satisfied at the best of times, but at the worst of times they go back to their old ways, losing in both, this world and the next; that is a big loss.
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