Malfuzat – Volume X — Page 102
Malfuzat - English translation of Urdu Volume 10 102 These adversities come directly from God. At times, man is afflicted with a terrible fear; he is constantly fearful that the matter would take the worst turn. At times, poverty and hun- ger become his lot; he must manage everything with a small pittance. Sometimes his wealth suffers loss. His business and trade goes awry or is stolen by thieves. At times, the fruits suffer a loss; meaning that, fruits go bad, crops get destroyed, or the beloved children succumb to death. In the Arabic lexicon, progeny is also called ‘fruit’. Trial through progeny is also very difficult. Many write to me in des- peration to pray that they may be blessed with children. Trials through one’s children can be so severe that some become athe- ists due to the death of their children. Sometimes children are so dear to one that for him, they become like an associate with God. Some become atheists, apostates, and faithless on account of their children. Some become Christians for the sake of their children if they become Christian. Some children die at a young age and become the cause for their parents to lose their faith. Reward is Proportional to Hardship Allah the Exalted, however, is not cruel. When one shows patience in the face of severe hardship—the greater the hardship, the greater is his reward. God Almighty is Rahim [Merciful], Ghafur [Forgiver], and Sattar [Concealer of weak- nesses]. He does not inflict hardship on man so that he would disassociate from the Faith upon suffering the hardship. Rather, the hardships come to spur him forward [toward God]. There is a saying among the mystics that in times of trial, a sinner pulls back but a righteous person pushes forward all the more.