Some patients complain, grumble, and are discontented with their illness. What is your advice to them?
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The questioner : The honorable Shaykh, a questioner says: Some patients complain, grumble, and are discontented with their illness. What is your advice to people like these? May Allah reward you with good for being patient and seeking reward from Allah.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, his companions, and those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. My advice to my brothers, these patients and those who are afflicted with calamities in their wealth or their families, is that they should be patient, seek reward from Allah, and know that these calamities are a trial from Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and a test, as Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said:[Al-Anbya 21:35] If Allah (the Exalted) tests His servant with blessings to test whether he will be grateful or ungrateful, then likewise He tests His servant with the opposite to test whether he will be patient or despair and be discontented. Several things help a person to be patient with these matters. The first is faith that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is the Lord and Owner of everything, and that all creation is His creation and His slaves, and He disposes of them as He wills for a wisdom that we may know or may not know. So there is no objection to Him (Glorified and Exalted is He) in what He does in His dominion: .
The second is that he should believe that these calamities that befall him are an expiation for his sins, that they wipe away his errors, and that his sins are forgiven thereby, as this came from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). A woman among the worshippers was afflicted in her finger, but she did not become discontented, and no trace of complaining appeared on her. When she was asked about that, she said: "The sweetness of its reward made me forget the bitterness of its patience."
It is well known that patience is a high rank that is not attained except when there is something for a person to be patient with, so that he may be among the patient. And the patient are given their reward in full without reckoning.
Third, he should console himself with what befalls people other than him, for he is not the only one who is afflicted with these calamities; rather, there are people who are afflicted with more than his calamity. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), who is the most noble of creation in the sight of Allah, was afflicted with great calamities, to the point that he would fall ill as two of us would fall ill, and yet he would be patient and seek reward from Allah. Consoling oneself with others makes the difficulties seem lighter.
Fourth, he should seek reward from Allah (Mighty and Majestic) for being patient with this calamity. If he seeks reward from Allah (Mighty and Majestic) for being patient with this calamity, then in addition to the expiation of sins and errors thereby, Allah will raise his ranks based on his seeking reward from Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). It is well known that many people are submerged in their sins, so when such calamities come—illness, or the loss of family, or wealth, or friends, or the like—the matter becomes light for him in light of the reward and recompense he has for being patient with it and seeking reward from Allah. And the greater the affliction, the greater the reward.
Fifth, he should know that these calamities, such as illnesses and others, will not last, for the permanence of a state is impossible. Rather, it will end, whether soon or later. But the longer it lasts, the greater the reward and recompense. In this state, he should remember the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He):[Ash-Sharh 94:5-6] and he should remember the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): .
Sixth, he should have a strong hope for the removal of this calamity, for opening up hopes necessitates the liveliness of the soul, the expansion of the chest, and the tranquility of the heart. And as each hour passes for a person, he sees that he is closer to relief and the removal of these calamities, so this serves to energize his soul until he forgets what has befallen him. There is no doubt that a person who forgets what has befallen him, or overlooks it, does not feel it. This is an observed matter: if a person is heedless of the illness or wound or other ailment within himself, he finds himself lively and forgets, and does not feel the pain. On the contrary, if he focuses his feeling on this illness or this pain, it will increase.
I give an example of this with workers. You find a worker in the state of his work who may have a stone fall on him that injures his foot, or a bottle break that injures his hand, or the like, and he continues in his work and does not feel what has befallen him. But when he finishes his work and then his mind turns to what has befallen him, at that time he feels it. For this reason, when the obsessions that a person finds in his mind were complained of to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he (may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said: meaning that he should turn away from this and overlook it, for it will go away. And this is an observed and tested matter.
In these six matters, the patient attains tranquility and much good.
The seventh matter is that he should believe that despair and discontent do not remove the thing, but rather they increase its intensity and regret in the heart, just as pain is in the body.
On this occasion, I would like to clarify that people, regarding the calamities that befall them, are divided into four categories. The first category is one who despairs and is discontented and does not be patient, but rather calls for woe and misery, tears his clothes, slaps his cheeks, pulls out his hair, and his heart becomes filled with anger at his Lord (Mighty and Majestic). This person is a loser in this world and the Hereafter, because this action of his is forbidden, and the pain does not go away by it, so he loses this world and the Hereafter. And it may lead to disbelief in Allah (Mighty and Majestic), as Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said:[Al-Hajj 22:11].
The second state is patience, meaning that this afflicted person does not love for the calamity to occur, but rather he hates it and is sad about it, but he is patient, so he restrains his heart from discontent, his tongue from speech, and his limbs from actions. However, he swallows the bitterness of patience and does not love that it occurred. This person has done what is obligatory and is safe and saved.
The third state is that he meets this calamity with contentment, expansion of the chest, and tranquility of the heart, as if he had not been afflicted by it, due to the strength of his contentment with Allah (Mighty and Majestic). The difference between him and the one before him is that the first one has aversion to what occurred and swallows the bitterness of patience with it, whereas this one does not; he has no aversion and no bitterness in his soul. He says: "I am a slave and the Lord is the Lord, and He did not decree this for me except for a wisdom," so he is completely content.
The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) differed regarding this contentment: is it obligatory or recommended? The correct view is that it is recommended, but it is patience and an addition. Patience was previously established as obligatory, and what is added to patience is recommended. So the one who is content is more complete than the one who is patient.
The fourth state is gratitude to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) for what has occurred. He thanks Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) for this calamity. But a questioner may say: "This is a matter that, according to nature and instinct, a person cannot thank his Lord for a calamity that befalls him." It is said: Yes, if we looked at the absolute calamity, nature would refuse to thank Allah for it. But if a person looks at what follows from this calamity, such as the forgiveness of sins, the expiation of evil deeds, and the raising of ranks, he thanks Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) for having reserved for him of reward and recompense something better than what passed over him from this calamity. So he is thereby grateful to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He).
It was from the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that when something that pleased him happened, he said:Sunan Ibn Majah 3803Da'if (Darussalam) and when the opposite happened, he said: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2738Hasan (Darussalam) This is what a person should say. As for what has become popular on the tongues of many people, where they say when afflicted with a calamity: "Praise be to Allah who is not praised for anything other than what is disliked," it is an ugly phrase and a person should not say it, because this is an explicit declaration that he hates what Allah has decreed for him, and it contains something of discontent, even if it is not explicit.
Therefore, we say that you should say what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) used to say, which is: "Praise be to Allah in every state".
In conclusion, I advise my brothers, the patients and those who have been afflicted with a calamity, to be patient with it and to seek reward from Allah (Mighty and Majestic). And Allah (the Exalted) is with the patient, and:[Az-Zumar 39:10].
The questioner : May Allah bless you, O honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, his companions, and those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. My advice to my brothers, these patients and those who are afflicted with calamities in their wealth or their families, is that they should be patient, seek reward from Allah, and know that these calamities are a trial from Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and a test, as Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said:
And We test you with evil and with good as trial; and to Us you will be returned.
وَنَبلوكُم بِالشَّرِّ وَالخَيرِ فِتنَةً وَإِلَينا تُرجَعونَHe is not questioned about what He does, while they are questioned.
لا يُسأَلُ عَمّا يَفعَلُ وَهُم يُسأَلونَThe second is that he should believe that these calamities that befall him are an expiation for his sins, that they wipe away his errors, and that his sins are forgiven thereby, as this came from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). A woman among the worshippers was afflicted in her finger, but she did not become discontented, and no trace of complaining appeared on her. When she was asked about that, she said: "The sweetness of its reward made me forget the bitterness of its patience."
It is well known that patience is a high rank that is not attained except when there is something for a person to be patient with, so that he may be among the patient. And the patient are given their reward in full without reckoning.
Third, he should console himself with what befalls people other than him, for he is not the only one who is afflicted with these calamities; rather, there are people who are afflicted with more than his calamity. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), who is the most noble of creation in the sight of Allah, was afflicted with great calamities, to the point that he would fall ill as two of us would fall ill, and yet he would be patient and seek reward from Allah. Consoling oneself with others makes the difficulties seem lighter.
Fourth, he should seek reward from Allah (Mighty and Majestic) for being patient with this calamity. If he seeks reward from Allah (Mighty and Majestic) for being patient with this calamity, then in addition to the expiation of sins and errors thereby, Allah will raise his ranks based on his seeking reward from Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). It is well known that many people are submerged in their sins, so when such calamities come—illness, or the loss of family, or wealth, or friends, or the like—the matter becomes light for him in light of the reward and recompense he has for being patient with it and seeking reward from Allah. And the greater the affliction, the greater the reward.
Fifth, he should know that these calamities, such as illnesses and others, will not last, for the permanence of a state is impossible. Rather, it will end, whether soon or later. But the longer it lasts, the greater the reward and recompense. In this state, he should remember the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He):
(5) For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. (6) Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.
فَإِنَّ مَعَ العُسرِ يُسرًا * إِنَّ مَعَ العُسرِ يُسرًاAnd know that victory is with patience, and that relief is with distress, and that with hardship there is ease.
واعلم أن النصر مع الصبر وأن الفرج مع الكرب وأن مع العسر يسراSixth, he should have a strong hope for the removal of this calamity, for opening up hopes necessitates the liveliness of the soul, the expansion of the chest, and the tranquility of the heart. And as each hour passes for a person, he sees that he is closer to relief and the removal of these calamities, so this serves to energize his soul until he forgets what has befallen him. There is no doubt that a person who forgets what has befallen him, or overlooks it, does not feel it. This is an observed matter: if a person is heedless of the illness or wound or other ailment within himself, he finds himself lively and forgets, and does not feel the pain. On the contrary, if he focuses his feeling on this illness or this pain, it will increase.
I give an example of this with workers. You find a worker in the state of his work who may have a stone fall on him that injures his foot, or a bottle break that injures his hand, or the like, and he continues in his work and does not feel what has befallen him. But when he finishes his work and then his mind turns to what has befallen him, at that time he feels it. For this reason, when the obsessions that a person finds in his mind were complained of to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he (may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
If he finds that, let him seek refuge in Allah and then let him stop.
إذا وجد ذلك فليستعذ بالله ثم لينتهيIn these six matters, the patient attains tranquility and much good.
The seventh matter is that he should believe that despair and discontent do not remove the thing, but rather they increase its intensity and regret in the heart, just as pain is in the body.
On this occasion, I would like to clarify that people, regarding the calamities that befall them, are divided into four categories. The first category is one who despairs and is discontented and does not be patient, but rather calls for woe and misery, tears his clothes, slaps his cheeks, pulls out his hair, and his heart becomes filled with anger at his Lord (Mighty and Majestic). This person is a loser in this world and the Hereafter, because this action of his is forbidden, and the pain does not go away by it, so he loses this world and the Hereafter. And it may lead to disbelief in Allah (Mighty and Majestic), as Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said:
And of the people is he who worships Allah on an edge. If he is touched by good, he is reassured by it; but if he is struck by trial, he turns on his face [to the other direction]. He has lost [this] world and the Hereafter. That is what is the manifest loss.
وَمِنَ النّاسِ مَن يَعبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلى حَرفٍ فَإِن أَصابَهُ خَيرٌ اطمَأَنَّ بِهِ وَإِن أَصابَتهُ فِتنَةٌ انقَلَبَ عَلى وَجهِهِ خَسِرَ الدُّنيا وَالآخِرَةَ ذلِكَ هُوَ الخُسرانُ المُبينُThe second state is patience, meaning that this afflicted person does not love for the calamity to occur, but rather he hates it and is sad about it, but he is patient, so he restrains his heart from discontent, his tongue from speech, and his limbs from actions. However, he swallows the bitterness of patience and does not love that it occurred. This person has done what is obligatory and is safe and saved.
The third state is that he meets this calamity with contentment, expansion of the chest, and tranquility of the heart, as if he had not been afflicted by it, due to the strength of his contentment with Allah (Mighty and Majestic). The difference between him and the one before him is that the first one has aversion to what occurred and swallows the bitterness of patience with it, whereas this one does not; he has no aversion and no bitterness in his soul. He says: "I am a slave and the Lord is the Lord, and He did not decree this for me except for a wisdom," so he is completely content.
The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) differed regarding this contentment: is it obligatory or recommended? The correct view is that it is recommended, but it is patience and an addition. Patience was previously established as obligatory, and what is added to patience is recommended. So the one who is content is more complete than the one who is patient.
The fourth state is gratitude to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) for what has occurred. He thanks Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) for this calamity. But a questioner may say: "This is a matter that, according to nature and instinct, a person cannot thank his Lord for a calamity that befalls him." It is said: Yes, if we looked at the absolute calamity, nature would refuse to thank Allah for it. But if a person looks at what follows from this calamity, such as the forgiveness of sins, the expiation of evil deeds, and the raising of ranks, he thanks Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) for having reserved for him of reward and recompense something better than what passed over him from this calamity. So he is thereby grateful to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He).
It was from the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that when something that pleased him happened, he said:
Al-hamdu lillahil-ladhi bi ni'matihi tatimmus-salihat (Praise is to Allah by Whose grace good deeds are completed)
الحمد لله الذي بنعمته تتم الصالحاتAl-Hamdulillah 'Ala Kulli Hal (All praise is due to Allah in every circumstance).
الحمد لله على كل حالTherefore, we say that you should say what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) used to say, which is: "Praise be to Allah in every state".
In conclusion, I advise my brothers, the patients and those who have been afflicted with a calamity, to be patient with it and to seek reward from Allah (Mighty and Majestic). And Allah (the Exalted) is with the patient, and:
Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account."
إِنَّما يُوَفَّى الصّابِرونَ أَجرَهُم بِغَيرِ حِسابٍThe questioner : May Allah bless you, O honorable Shaykh.