Ever wonder why your life is full of hardships?

Ever wonder why your life is full of hardship? Or some time you wonder when will the hardship ever end?

I have to go through all sort of hardships like any other mother, alhamdulillah. The trial that I face through my special needs child can be more severe but not necessarily. There are some trials that I feel are more severe like the fact that my child could not walk nor talk. She could not understand me and I cannot understand her or an epilepsy attacked.

These trials remind me of what Allah says in the Quran that

إِنَّمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلَادُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ وَاللَّهُ عِنْدَهُ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ
Your wealth and your children are only a trial, whereas Allah! With Him is a great reward (Paradise). Al Quran 64:15.


كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ وَنَبْلُوكُمْ بِالشَّرِّ وَالْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةً وَإِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ
Everyone is going to taste death, and We shall make a trial of you with evil and with good, and to Us you will be returned. Al Quran 21:35

From the above verses I learnt that I am not special but just like any other mothers or human, being tested in this world through my wealth and children. And sometime Allah send me a good trial but other times with an evil one.

Then I question why does Allah want to test me? I found an answer in Surah Al Mulk verse 2. It is because He wants to see, through the trials, which one of us is best in deed.

الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفُورُ
He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed: and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving;- Al Quran 67:2.

Masha Allah once my child just cried all night and stayed awake all day. I got so tired and almost lost my patient. She wanted me to hold her. When I put her down she screamed, cried and became stiff. But then I realised that was my test to see if I have patience or not.

The following verse clearly note that the test of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, live and fruits are to give a glad news to the one who has patient.

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنْفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ
And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.).

What is the great news for those who has patient? It is a great reward which is paradise and Allah forgivenes. Allahu Akbar, what more could anyone wish for!

Allah says in the Quran
إِلَّا الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمْ مَغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ كَبِيرٌ
Not so do those who show patience and constancy, and work righteousness; for them is forgiveness (of sins) and a great reward. Al Quran 11:11

and also in Quran Allah says that

وَالَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ رَبِّهِمْ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَأَنْفَقُوا مِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ سِرًّا وَعَلَانِيَةً وَيَدْرَءُونَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ السَّيِّئَةَ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمْ عُقْبَى الدَّارِ
Those who patiently persevere, seeking the countenance of their Lord; Establish regular prayers; spend, out of (the gifts) We have bestowed for their sustenance, secretly and openly; and turn off Evil with good: for such there is the final attainment of the (eternal) home,- AL Quran 13: 22

Subhana Allah, for every trial that we face, we should try our best to be patient so that we will get Allah's forgiveness and reward of paradise.

I would like to share a beautiful story from a hadith about a woman who has epilepsy.

Narrated 'Ata bin Abi Rabah May Allah be pleased with him Ibn 'Abbas said to me, "Shall I show you a woman of the people of Paradise?" I said, "Yes." He said, "This black lady came to the Prophet and said, 'I get attacks of epilepsy and my body becomes uncovered; please invoke Allah for me.' The Prophet May Allah's peace and praise be on him said (to her), 'If you wish, be patient and you will have (enter) Paradise; and if you wish, I will invoke Allah to cure you.' She said, 'I will remain patient,' and added, 'but I become uncovered, so please invoke Allah for me that I may not become uncovered.' So he invoked Allah for her." Hadith - Bukhari 7:555.

Sometime I wonder why would Allah allow us to get sick? He allows us to get sick because He wants to test us of course and also to remove our sins as describe in the following hadith

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri r.a. reported that the Prophet May Allah's peace and praise be on him said: Whenever a Muslim is afflicted with a hardship, sickness, sadness, worry, harm, or depression --even a thorn's prick, Allah expiates his sins because of it. Hadith - Muslim & Bukhari

Alhamdulillah, after all the hardship we have been through there will always be the end or a relief because that what Allah explains in the following verses

فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
So, verily, with every difficulty, there is relief: Al Quran 94:5

إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
Verily, with every difficulty there is relief. Al Quran 94:6