بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
Today’s topic is about difficulties and relief. Everyone of us go through hardship, but always the relief comes.
The Lost Man in The Open Sea
A severe storm hit a ship in the sea and sank it. Some of the passengers survived, among them is the man that we are telling you about in this story. The raging waves took him to a beach of an unknown and deserted island. Once the man woke, he tried to stand, but he fell on his knees and then realized that there is no way out only by seeking Allah’s help. He started praying and making supplications to Allah so he can be rescued.
The Island had no source for living except a few trees with fruits. Days past and the man were eating from the trees fruits, hunting fish, and drinking from a ground water fountain and built his house from the wooden parts of trees.
The Hardship Became Harder
One day, he was preparing his food on fire around his wooden cottage. He want for a short walk and returned to his cottage. He found that the fire not only burned his food, but burned the whole cottage.
The man started screaming, shouting and saying: “O Lord, why?, O Lord, why? Even the cottage had been burned down. I have nothing left in this life! I have been patient on many difficulties and now these difficulties are increased!”.
As a result of the sadness, compassion and hunger, the man fell asleep. In the following morning, there were a surprise awaiting for him.
The Relief Came Along With The Difficulty
He found a ship approaching the island and bringing down a small boat to save him. When the man got on the deck he asked them how they found him, they responded:
“We saw smoke, so we knew someone was asking for rescue”
But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you
The mankind sees the poverty as a calamity, the burning of his house as a calamity, while he dose not know Allah’s wisdom behind it. Allah (swt) telling us in Surat Al Baqaraa, that we perhaps hate a thing and it is good for us.
وَعَسَىٰ أَن تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَعَسَىٰ أَن تُحِبُّوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَّكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ (216)
But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not.
Now, I want you to think of how the lost man reacted to the burning of his cottage. Another great short story mentioned in Quran between Al Khuder and Prophet Musa (pbuh).
Al Khuder Breaks The Ship After He Gets A Free Ride
If we look at the story between Musa (pbuh) and Alkuder, we see when Al Khuder broke the ship that belonged to the orphan kids after they gave Al Khuder a free ride, Musa (pbuh) objected and condemned that action. We see that a such action is not acceptable, not logical and doesn’t make sense. But Allah (swt) commanded Al Khuder to do so for a great wisdom. The ship had been saved from being confiscation by the tyrant Ruler.
Always remember:
وَعَسَىٰ أَن تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَعَسَىٰ أَن تُحِبُّوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَّكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ (216)
But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not.
Dear readers, I haven’t got to the point yet. It’s too early!
Allah (swt) says in Surat Al – Sharh:
فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا (5) إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا (6)
Surat Al – Sharh
One Know Difficulty Comes 2 Unknown Reliefs
From the Arabic language approach (The language of Quran), we see that Allah (swt) mentioned the Difficulty in the verse “known” followed after “The”. Allah uses the Relief as “Unknown” and the verses are repeated for extra emphasizing of the message.
فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا (5) إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا (6)
In both verses, the “Difficulty” is known and the same one single difficulty, while the relief is unknown in each verse, so there are 2 reliefs come with every single difficulty.
A Single Difficulty Won’t Beat 2 Reliefs
Secrets of Coupling Between Relief and Difficulty
When a difficulty becomes harsher, sharper and greater, then, the servant becomes hopeless from all other creations except Allah the Creator, His heart is attached to Allah alone, and then and only then the relief comes in no time. This is the fact of trusting Allah. Allah (swt) says:
وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ
And whoever relies upon Allah – then He is sufficient for him.
Please refer to the following Story and Aya post regarding the mentioned Aya.
Back To Our Lost Man Story
Allah (swt) telling us in many verses, for instance, Surat Al Annam Aya 63, that Allah is the only one who rescue us when we get lost in the darkness of seas. There we forgot all our world world and our hearts become attached purely and sincerely to Allah (swt). Then Allah response comes blazing fast as this the truth trust in Allah.
قُلْ مَن يُنَجِّيكُم مِّن ظُلُمَاتِ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ تَدْعُونَهُ تَضَرُّعًا وَخُفْيَةً لَّئِنْ أَنجَانَا مِنْ هَٰذِهِ لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الشَّاكِرِينَ (63)
(63) Say, “Who rescues you from the darknesses of the land and sea [when] you call upon Him imploring [aloud] and privately, ‘If He should save us from this [crisis], we will surely be among the thankful.’ “
The Law Of Tension (Difficulty) and Facilitation (Relief)
Brothers and sisters, we are not done yet, I have only touched the surface of this big important topic.
In Quran there are many Laws and Rules from Allah (swt). For hardship and relief there is a law as well. If anyone of us applies it, he guarantees a happy pleasant life and the great reward in the hereafter.
Before I can send you the Law of Difficulty and Relief and how to apply it to you daily life, I want to ask you a few questions:
- Are you going through a lot of difficulties and not finding a way out?
- Doors of facilitation are closed in front of your face?
- You desperately making great efforts and taking all the available means towards accomplishing materialistic needed goals like marriage, employment or buying a house and not getting a positive result?
If any of the above applies to you and / or you want to know the Law of Difficulty and Relief from Quran, then please subscribe to the Masjid’s mailing list and we will send you the content directly to your inbox In Sha’a Allah.
Why We Ask People Before We Send Them The Mentioned Material Via Email?
We really want to make sure that you have read this post carefully and benefited from it and willing to learn the next steps towards how to apply the Law of Difficulty and Relief.
What We’ve Learned So Far?
- With every difficulty comes 2 reliefs with it
- One single difficulty won’t beat 2 reliefs
- Truly and sincerely trusting Allah, brings the instant relief
- There are much more to the story – It’s the law of difficulty and relief
References:
- Al-Baqaraa (216)
- Al-Sharh (5 – 6)
- Al-Imraan (200)
- Al-Hadid (20)
- Al-Talaq (3)
- Al-An’aam (63)
- Wikipedia – Umar ibn Al-Khattāb Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah pages