muthmainnah
Junior Member
Dealing with Grief in islam
When calamity strikes us, we should take pride in the fact that we are in the company of the righteous; God’s righteous servants aforetime have all been put to the test with trials and tribulations of all kinds. This includes the Prophets of God.
For example, Prophet Abraham and his son (peace be upon them) were both put to a very big test. God commanded Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his son. This command no doubt would have been very difficult for Prophet Abraham, and he no doubt would have been very saddened by the thought of losing his loved one. But Prophet Abraham patiently persevered and obeyed God. Not only this, but even Prophet Abraham’s son remained steadfast and obedient; he offered himself to be sacrificed.
This test that God put Prophet Abraham through was to test his mettle. If Prophet Abraham had been weak in faith, he would have failed the test; similar is the case with his son. But instead, both of them passed the test, and therefore God rewarded them; right before Prophet Abraham struck his son, God intervened and told him to sacrifice an animal instead. To reward the two for their obedience, God promised to establish them as leaders on earth. God says of Abraham and his son:
“So when they had both submitted their wills (to God), and he (Abraham) had laid him (his son) down on his forehead (for sacrifice), We called out unto him, saying: “O Abraham! You have indeed fulfilled the vision.” Thus, indeed do we reward the doers of good. Most surely, this was a clear test.” (Quran 37:103-106)
The Quran says:
“And remember that Abraham was tested by his Lord with certain commands, which he fulfilled. He (God) said: ‘I will make you a leader to the nations.’” (Quran 2:124)
No doubt when Prophet Abraham was instructed to sacrifice his son, this was a thing which he disliked greatly, but through it, God brought about a greater good. This shows that sometimes when we don’t like something that God wills, we end up benefiting from it anyways. God says:
“And it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. God knows and you do not know.” (Quran 2:216)
Another example that comes to mind is that of Prophet Joseph (peace be upon him). The Quran mentions in quite some detail all the trials and tribulations he faced in life. His father loved him a great deal, which made his brothers very jealous of him. They conspired against him, and dumped him in a deep well. A man spotted him in the well and rescued him, but then decided to sell him into slavery. And so Prophet Joseph was sent to the far off land of Egypt as a slave. The Egyptian governor bought him, and Prophet Joseph dutifully toiled away. And then God tested Prophet Joseph even more: the governor’s wife, who was very beautiful, tried to seduce Joseph (peace be upon him). This was a great trial for Prophet Joseph, and he resisted her advances with steadfast perseverance. One day, the governor’s wife tried to rip off Prophet Joseph’s shirt and take him by force, whereupon her husband entered the room. Immediately, she accused Prophet Joseph of rape. Even though the governor knew that Prophet Joseph was innocent, he threw Joseph into jail anyways. Joseph rotted away in prison for many long years.
When we are struck with calamities, we should think of all the trials Prophet Joseph went through: years of slavery and prison. Yet, through it all, Prophet Joseph remained steadfast to God. He never resented the calamities that had befallen him, but instead used the time to invoke his Lord. It was then—finally, after so many years—that God rewarded Prophet Joseph for his steadfastness. It was in that same jail cell that he met a man who had a dream; God gave Prophet Joseph the gift of being able to interpret dreams. And so Prophet Joseph interpreted his cellmate’s dream, telling him that he (the cellmate) would go free and work for the king. Indeed, the prophecy came true and the man did go free to work for the king.
One day, the king had a dream. The story is narrated in the Quran:
“And the king of Egypt said: ‘Verily, I saw in a dream seven fat cows, whom seven lean cows were devouring, and seven green ears of corn and seven others dry. O notables! Explain to me my dream if it be that you can interpret dreams.’” (Quran 12:43)
Prophet Joseph’s ex-cellmate, who was now in the service of the Egyptian king, immediately remembered Joseph (peace be upon him). He informed the king about Prophet Joseph, and so Joseph was asked to interpret the dream, which he did. Prophet Joseph told the king that there would be seven years of good harvest, after which would follow seven years of drought and famine. He advised the king to store up food during the seven years of prosperity, which could be used during the times of drought and famine.
The king was so pleased by Prophet Joseph that he not only set him free but appointed him to a very high position in the government. And so God established a great deal of good through adversity; had Prophet Joseph never been abandoned in a well by his brothers, had he not been sold into slavery, and had he not been imprisoned wrongfully, then he would never have been found by the king and appointed to a position of great authority. Indeed, Prophet Joseph had to go through all that tribulation in order to attain that rank. Therefore, when we go through difficult times in life, we should think that maybe God is propelling us to a greater good; we just can’t see it yet.
Prophet Solomon was also tested, although in a different way. He was given immense wealth and power; history attests to the fact that wealth and power corrupts. Yet, Prophet Solomon was one of the few kings who remained pious and God-fearing. The Quran says:
“And certainly we tested Solomon…and he (Solomon) turned (to God).” (Quran 38:34)
Indeed, all of God’s prophets were sent trial after trial; this shows that God bestows trials upon His righteous servants, and we should feel proud to be in their company. We should also emulate their behavior, which was to remain steadfast in times of tribulation.
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http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/1837/