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And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, lossof wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to the patient. Who,when afflicted with calamity, say: Truly, to Allah we belong and truly,to Him we shall return. They are those on whom are the Salawat (i.e.who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and they arethose who receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided ones(2:155-157).

The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, "Never abeliever is stricken with a discomfort, an illness, an anxiety, a grief ormental worry or even the pricking of a thorn but Allah will expiate hissins on account of his patience" (Sahih Al-Bukhari & Muslim). Also,he sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, "How wonderful is the case of abeliever; there is good for him in everything and this applies only to abeliever. If prosperity attends him, he expresses gratitude to Allah andthat is good for him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patientlyand that is better for him" (Sahih Muslim).

Have Patience upon Sickness

When one is afflicted with an illness, one should bear it patientlyhoping for divine reward and should not be impatient ordiscontented with fate and Divine Decree. Yet, one is allowed totell others about ones illness and its kind, provided one issatisfied with Allahs predestination. Also, complaining of onesillness to Allah and asking Him for recovery does by no means

contradict patience; on the contrary, it is desirable and highlyrecommended in Islam to complain to Allah and ask Him forrecovery. Prophet Ayyub alayhe Assalam for example, called tohis Lord, as Allah mentioned in the Quraan, saying, "Verily,distress has seized me, and You are the Most Merciful of all those whoshow mercy (21:83).

A sick person must think highly of Allah, and be confident ofHis mercy, as Allah says in a Qudsi (Divine) hadith, I am just asMy servant thinks o f Me, (i.e. I am Able to do for him what he t hinks Ican do for him) (Sahih Al-Bukhari & Muslim). That must be thefeeling of every Muslim. When one is healthy, one should beboth desirous of Allahs mercy and afraid of His punishment.Both hope and fear are needed for the healthy because being just

overcome by fear of Allahs punishment makes one give up hopein Allahs mercy. On the other hand, being overwhelmed byhope in Allahs mercy, without fearing His punishment, makesone feel secure from Allah, and thus feels no remorse.

Seek Medical Treatment

Moreover, there is no harm in receiving lawful medicaltreatment; some scholars strongly recommend resorting tolawful medication to the degree that it seems to be obligatory.This is because there are many hadiths stressing adoptingreasonable means to reach an end and seeking medical treatmentwhen necessary, for this does not contradict ones reliance onAllah and trust in Him. It is just like satisfying hunger and thirstby means of food and drink. However, it is not permissible to

use prohibited things for medical treatment, as the Prophetsallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, Allah has never made your remedyin what He has prohibited for you (Sahih Al-Bukhari). Additionally,

it is prohibited to use whatever might affect the correctness ofones creed, as a remedy, such as wearing amulets containingpolytheistic words, superstitious names, nonsensical writings,and the like. It is also prohibited to wear beads, strings, earrings,or pendants on ones arm, upper arm, or elsewhere, believingthat they are means of protection against the evil eye andaffliction.

The idea behind prohibiting such things is that ones heartwould be attached to them instead of Allah, seeking their aidand protection against harm, which is a kind of polytheism orone of its causing factors. The same prohibition applies toseeking a remedy through resorting to sorcerers, witchdoctors,shamans, clairvoyants, and those employing the jinn, as aMuslims creed is more important to him than his health. Allah,the Exalted, has appointed lawful means of remedy, which areuseful to ones body, mind, and creed, the first of which are theGlorious Quraan, the legal Quraanic incantations, and the legalinvocations, as Ibnul Qayyem said, The best of remedy isperforming good deeds, remembering Allah, supplicating andimploring Him, and turning to Him in repentance, the effects ofwhich are much greater than medicine. Yet, their effects dependon how much one returns to Allah and Allahs acceptance ofones supplication.

Seek Treatment through Charity

Ibnul Qayyim Aj-Jawzeeyah said, There are types of medicines,which can treat illnesses, which the minds of the senior doctorscannot comprehend, and that which their sciences, experiences,and measurements cannot reach. These are the medicines of theheart and soul, the strength of the heart, its dependence uponAllah, trust upon Him, and seeking refuge in Him. Prostratingand feeling in dire need of Allah and humbling oneself for Allah.Likewise giving charity, making Dua, repentance, seekingforgiveness, being good to the creation, aiding the distressed,liberating from grief, and unhappiness (Zad al-Maad 4/11-12).He also said, Indeed charity has an amazing effect in repellingdifferent types of trials and tribulations, even if the charity wasgiven by an evil person, or an oppressive person. In fact, even if

it was given by a non-Muslim! Indeed Allah, the Most High,repels different types of trials and tribulations due to givingcharity. This is a matter which is well-known to the scholars, thegeneral folk, and all of the people on the earth can associate withthis fact because they have experienced it (Al-Wabil As-Sayyibp.63).

The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, Treatyour sick by giving charity (Sahih Al-Jamia, Hasan). From Ubadahbin Saamitt who said I heard the Messenger of Allah sallalahualayhe wa sallam saying, There is no person who is afflicted with awound on his body, and he gives charity due to that, then Allahexpiates from him the like of what he gave in charity (Sahih, Collectedby Ahmad). A man asked Abdullaah bin Al-Mubarak aboutulcers that had sprung out on his knee for about seven years,

and he tried to treat it with various treatments, he had askeddoctors but to no avail. So Ibn Mubarak said, Go and dig a wellin a place where people need water, indeed I hope that there

springs up water there, and by that you would stop bleeding.The man did that and Allah cured him. (Seerah Alaam 8/407)

Supplications for Cure

O Allah, the Lord of Mankind, take away the disease, please cure asYou are the One Who cures, there is no cure except Your cure, a curethat leaves behind no illness (Sahih Al-Bukhari). I seek refuge inAllahs perfect words from every devil, vermin, and evil eye (SahihAl-Bukhari).

The Will and Bequeath

It is also an act of the Sunnah for the sick person to bequeathsome of his money to be given in charity. He should alsodetermine in his will how his money should be divided; thebequests to be fulfilled, the debts to be settled, the deposits andtrusts to be returned to their owners. Even healthy peopleshould do the same and write their wills beforehand, for theProphet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, It is not permissible forany Muslim who has something to declare in testimony to stay for twonights without having his (last) will written and kept ready with him(Sahih Al-Bukhari & Muslim). Two nights in the above hadith isnot meant literally, but it refers to any short period of time. Thatis to say, it is impermissible for a Muslim, who has something towrite down in a will, to stay even for a short period of time

without having his will written and kept ready with him, for onedoes not know when death may overtake him.

Ayyub alayhe assalam, Your Role Model

And remember Our servant Ayyub, when he invoked his Lord saying,Verily, Shaytan has afflicted me with distress and torment! Allah saidto him, Strike the ground with your foot. This is a spring of water towash in, cool and a drink. And We gave him back his family, and alongwith them the like thereof, as a mercy from Us, and a reminder for thosewho understand. And take in your hand a bundle of thin grass andstrike therewith your wife, and break not your oath. Truly, We foundhim patient. How excellent a servant! Verily, he was ever oft-returningin repentance to Us! (38:41-44).

Here Allah tells us about His servant and Messenger Ayyub(Job) and how He tested him. These tests afflicted his body, hiswealth and his children, until there was no part of his body thatwas healthy except his heart. Then he had nothing left in thisworld, which he could use to help him deal with his sickness orthe predicament he was in, besides his wife, who retained herdevotion to him because of her faith in Allah and His Messenger.She used to work for people as a paid servant, and she fed andserved him (Ayyub) for nearly eighteen years. Before that, hewas very rich and had many children, being well off in worldlyterms. All of that had been taken away until he ended up beingthrown into the city dump where he stayed all this time,shunned by relatives and strangers alike, with the exception ofhis wife may Allah be pleased with her.

She did not leave him, morning and evening, except for whenshe was serving people, then she would come straight back to

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him. When this had gone on for a long time, and things hadgotten very bad, and the time allotted by divine decree had cometo an end, Ayyub prayed to the Lord of the worlds, the Deity ofthe Messengers, and said, Verily, distress has seized me, and Youare the Most Merciful of all those who show mercy (21:83). It wassaid that "distress'' referred to bodily afflictions and "torment''referred to the loss of his wealth and children. Then the MostMerciful of those who show mercy responded to him, telling himto stand up and strike the ground with his foot. He did this, andAllah caused a spring of water to flow. He commanded him towash in it, and all the pain and affliction in his bodydisappeared. Then He commanded him to strike the ground in adifferent place, and Allah caused another spring to flow, andAyyub was commanded to drink from it. Then all his internalproblems disappeared, and he became healthy again, inside andout.

The Messenger of Allah ssallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, WhileAyyub was bathing naked, locusts of gold fell upon him. Ayyub alayheassalam began gathering them in his garment. Then his Lord called tohim, O Ayyub, have I not made you so rich that you have no need ofwhat you see. He alayhe assalam said, Yes, O Lord! But I cannot dowithout Your blessing! (Sahih Al-Bukhari).And We gave him backhis family, and along with them the like thereof, as a mercy from Us,and a reminder for those who understand. Al-Hasan and Qatadahsaid, "Allah brought his family themselves back to life, and

added others like them.'' As a mercy from Us, means, in returnfor his patience, steadfastness, repentance, humility and constantturning to Allah. And a reminder for those who understand,means, for those who understand that the consequence ofpatience is a solution and a way out.

And take in your hand a bundle of thin grass and strike therewithyour wife, and break not your oath. Ayyub alayhe assalam got angrywith his wife and was upset about something she had done, sohe swore an oath that if Allah healed him, he would strike herwith one hundred blows. When Allah healed him, how couldher service, mercy, compassion and kindness be repaid with abeating. So, Allah showed him a way out, which was to take abundle of thin grass, with one hundred stems, and hit her with itonce. Thus, he fulfilled his oath and avoided breaking his vow.This was the solution and way out for one who had Taqwa (fear)of Allah and turned to Him in repentance. Allah praised andcommanded him, saying, How excellent a servant! Verily, he wasever oft-returning in repentance to Us! Allah says, And whosoeverhas Taqwa of Allah, He will make a way for him to get out from everydifficulty. And He will provide him from sources he never couldimagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will sufficehim. Verily, Allah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allah has set ameasure for all things (65:2-3).

Every Soul Shall Taste Death

Everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection shallyou be paid your wages in full. And whoever is moved away from the

Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of thisworld is only the enjoyment of deception (3:185). Allah issues ageneral and encompassing statement that every living soul shall

taste death. In another statement, Allah said, Whatsoever is on it(the earth) will perish. And the Face of your Lord full of majesty andhonor will remain forever (55:26-27).

This Ayah comforts all creation, since every soul that exists onthe earth shall die. When the term of this life comes to an endand the sons of Adam no longer have any new generations, andthus this world ends, Allah will command that the Day ofResurrection commence. Allah will then recompense the creationfor their deeds, whether minor or major, many or few, big orsmall. Surely, Allah will not deal unjustly with anyone, even theweight of an atom. And Allay said, You shall certainly be triedand tested in your wealth and properties and in yourselves (3:186).Therefore, the believer shall be tested, in his wealth, himself, hisoffspring and family. The believer shall be tested according tothe degree of his faith, and when his faith is stronger, the test islarger.

Attain the Happiness

I ask Allah, the Most Generous, the Lord of the TremendousThrone, to protect you in this world and the Hereafter, and tobless you wherever you are and to make you from those who aregrateful when they are given, patient when they are tested andthose who seek forgiveness when they sin. For verily those arethe three signs of happiness. Allah said, If you give thanks (by

accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allah), I will give you more(of My blessings) (14:7).

The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, Verily when Allahloves a people he tests them. So whoever is pleased then he has pleasurefrom Allah and whoever is displeased has His displeasure (At-Tirmidhi). And The greatest of the people to be tested are theProphets, then those most like them, then those most like them (SahihAl-Bukhari). Allah said, And so are the days (good and not sogood), We give to men by turns (3:140). So the slave should beaware that when he is tested, then it is not something specific tohim alone. These tests have occurred to the awliyaa of Allah, solet him prepare himself, be patient and wait for the relief fromAllah. And the final outcome is for those who fear Allah.

Sources: From the works of Shaykh Fawzan, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab,Abu Yahya Abbas, and Imam Ibn Katheer.

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