Ponder the following:
How has our attitude been in facing these calamities?
What will be our state when – or rather, if – things to back to “normal”?
Do we have a ‘win-win’ outlook?
How well have we utilized the other blessings that we already DO have?
Here are some points to ponder from Tafsir ibn Kathir of Surah Al-A’raf, ayah 94-95:
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا فِى قَرْيَةٍ مِّن نَّبِىٍّ إِلاَ أَخَذْنَا أَهْلَهَا بِالْبَأْسَآءِ وَالضَّرَّآءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَضَّرَّعُونَ - ثُمَّ بَدَّلْنَا مَكَانَ السَّيِّئَةِ الْحَسَنَةَ حَتَّى عَفَواْ وَّقَالُواْ قَدْ مَسَّ ءَابَاءَنَا الضَّرَّآءُ وَالسَّرَّآءُ فَأَخَذْنَـهُمْ بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لاَ يَشْعُرُونَ
94. And We sent no Prophet unto any town (and they denied him), but We seized its people with Ba'sa' (physical sickness and ailments) and Darra' (poverty and shame), so that they might humble themselves (to Allah).
95. Then We changed the evil for the good, until they `Afaw (increased), and said: "Our fathers were touched with evil and with good.'' So We seized them all of a sudden while they were unaware. (Surah Al-A’raf 7:94-95)
In his Tafsir, Ibnu Kathir said:
" Allah mentions that He inflicted these nations with adversities, with the following wisdom:
﴿لَعَلَّهُمْ يَضَّرَّعُونَ﴾
“So that they might humble themselves”
(meaning): Supplicate, humble themselves and invoke Allah, that He might remove the afflictions that they suffered from.
This Ayah indicates that Allah sent down severe afflictions to them so that they might invoke Him, but they did not do what He ordered them.
Therefore, He changed the affliction into prosperity to test them,
ثُمَّ بَدَّلْنَا مَكَانَ السَّيِّئَةِ الْحَسَنَةَ
“Then We changed the evil for the good”
Therefore, Allah changed the hardship into prosperity, disease and sickness into health and well-being, and poverty into richness in provision, so that they might be thankful to Allah for this, but they did not do any of that. Allah's statement,
حَتَّى عَفَواْ
“until they were given increase in numbers, wealth and offspring.” Allah said next,
وَّقَالُواْ قَدْ مَسَّ ءَابَاءَنَا الضَّرَّآءُ وَالسَّرَّآءُ فَأَخَذْنَـهُمْ بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لاَ يَشْعُرُونَ
“. . and they said: "Our fathers were touched with evil and with good.'' So We seized them all of a sudden while they were unaware.”
He tested them with this (afflictions) and that (ease and abundance) so that they may humble themselves and repent to Him. However, they failed both tests, for neither this nor that compelled them to change their ways.
They said, "We suffered sickness and poverty, but prosperity came afterwards, just as like our forefathers in earlier times.'' "Therefore,'' they said, "it is a cycle where we sometimes suffer a hardship and at other times, we enjoy a bounty.''
However, they did not comprehend Allah's wisdom, nor the fact that He is testing them in both cases.
On the contrary, the believers are grateful to Allah in good times and practice patience in hard times. In the Sahih, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ says,
«عَجَبًا لِلْمُؤْمِنِ لَا يَقْضِي اللهُ لَهُ قَضَاءً إِلَّا كَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ، وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ، وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَه»
“Amazing are the matters of the believer, for everything that Allah decrees for him is good for him. If calamity strikes him, he is patient, and this is good for him,
if he is given ease and prosperity, he is grateful for it and this is good for him.” (Muslim)
The believer, therefore, is aware of the test behind the afflictions whether it may be prosperity or adversity that Allah sends to him, as well as the blessings. Similarly, in another Hadith,
لَايَزَالُ الْبَلَاءُ بِالْمُؤْمِنِ حَتَّى يَخْرُجَ نَقِيًّا مِنْ ذُنُوبِهِ،وَالْمُنَافِق مِثْله كَمَثَلِ الْحِمَارِ لَا يَدْرِي فِيمَ رَبَطَهُ أَهْلُهُ وَلَا فِيمَ أَرْسَلُوه
“The believer will continue to be tested by afflictions until he ends up pure from sins (on account of their patience).
And the parable of the hypocrite is that of a donkey, it does not know why its owners tied it or released it.”
Allah said next,
فَأَخَذْنَـهُمْ بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لاَ يَشْعُرُونَ
“So We seized them all of a sudden while they were unaware.”
meaning, We struck them with punishment all of a sudden, while they were unaware.” A Hadith describes sudden death,
«مَوْتُ الْفَجْأَةِ رَحْمَةٌ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ وَأَخْذَةُ أَسَفٍ لِلْكَافِر»
“Sudden death is a mercy for the believer, but a sorrowful punishment for the disbeliever.”
(End quote, Tafsir Ibn Kathir)
The solution?
In the next ayah 7:96, the solutions are spelled out.
Through our iman and taqwa, by implementing the associated acts of Tawheed (worshipping Allah Alone), which covers all acts of righteous deeds such as repentance (tawbah), supplications (du’aa), putting our trust (tawakkul) in Allah, sadaqah, dzikr, solah and others, Allah will grant us a mean and a way out.
On a practical level, perhaps one may be wondering: What are the implications of this ayah? Does that mean that having iman and taqwa, it will start raining money? Problems solved on the spot?
Nope, even better than that: Allah grants us with His barakah (blessings). Allah says:
وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرَى ءَامَنُواْ وَاتَّقَوْاْ لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَرَكَـتٍ مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ وَالاٌّرْضِ
“And if the people of the towns had believed and had Taqwa, certainly, We should have opened for them (the doors of) barakah (blessings) from the heaven and the earth..” (Surah Al-A’raf, 96)
Which begs the question: But what is barakah? Ibn Al-Qayyim said,
قال ابن القيم: البركة: كثرة الخير ودوامُه،
“Barakah is abundance of goodness and being permanent / ever-lasting”
By having iman and taqwa, Allah will grant a special “value” in the blessings that He grants us.
What this means in practice is, for example, these are just some benefits we obtain when we are granted with barakah in our:
💵Wealth: we will be able to sustain ourselves and have more practical benefits and value, and will make us content with less. We will have less “value leakages” spending on unnecessary things
⏳Time: we will be able to achieve higher productivity of positive things, in addition to being more motivated and focused to abstain from doing things that waste them
👥Family: they will be a source of happiness and comfort for us (especially needed when we are spending so much time together at home)
🍞Food: we will be sufficiently nourished and satisfied with little, and are able to accommodate for more with the same.
🌡️Health: to be protected from harmful diseases, to be able to achieve productive, positive achievements and tasks with our bodies
And if problems – challenges and adversities – do indeed happen, we can be assured that we go through them with the blessings of Allah. And the “Worst case”? We die in a state of submission.
And at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.
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