When Allah strikes a servant with a calamity like this, which is the most severe calamity for a servant, is this anger from Allah toward the servant, or is it mercy?

The questioner : The questioner says: When Allah strikes a servant with a calamity like this, which is the most severe calamity for a servant, is this anger from Allah toward the servant, or is it mercy?

The Shaykh : Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) does what He wills, and Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) tests the servant with great, major, and minor calamities to test whether he will be patient or become despondent and angry. So whoever is patient and pleased has pleasure and reward and recompense, and whoever is angry and wishes [for death] has anger. It is not necessary that Allah’s testing the servant with these calamities means that Allah is angry with him. Look at the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); he experienced illness, the loss of loved ones, and pain, such as being wounded in the Battle of Uhud and having his front tooth broken. We know that this was not from Allah’s anger with him, but rather a test from Allah (Mighty and Majestic) so that His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) would attain the rank of the patient. For patience has a high rank and an elevated status, and it cannot be attained except through testing and trial, so that it becomes clear whether the servant is patient or not. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the one who is struck by such a calamity as mentioned in the question, which is the death of loved ones, to have a good opinion of Allah and not to think that it is anger. And know that whoever is struck by a calamity, whatever it may be, Allah the Exalted expiates his sins thereby, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us that Then, if he seeks the reward from Allah, which is the reward of the patient, and hopes that Allah will reward him for it, he will attain with this a reward in addition to the expiation of sins.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.