Allah have made Trials and Tribulations a sunnah for the Believers – Tafsīr Suratl-Baqarah by Ibn Kathīr
Benefit:
Concerning His statement;
أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تَدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُم مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ خَلَوْا۟ مِن قَبْلِكُمۖ مَّسَّتْهُمُ ٱلْبَأْسَآءُ وَٱلضَّرَّآءُ وَزُلْزِلُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَ ٱلرَّسُولُ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ مَتَىٰ نَصْرُ ٱللَّهِۗ أَلَآ إِنَّ نَصْرَ ٱللَّهِ قَرِيب
“Or think you that you will enter Al-Jannah without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, “When (will come) the Help of Allah?” Yes! Certainly, the Help of Allah is near!” [Al-Baqarah, 214]
أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تَدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْجَنَّة
“Or think you that you will enter Paradise”
Before you are put to trial and tested and examined, just as those that came before you from the nations, and for this reason He said;
وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُم مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ خَلَوْا۟ مِن قَبْلِكُمۖ مَّسَّتْهُمُ ٱلْبَأْسَآءُ وَٱلضَّرَّآءُ
“As came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments”
▪️ Allāh made it a Sunnah for the believers just as he made it a Sunnah for the believers that came before you.
▪️ It includes an admonishing of persevering upon the obedience of Allāh and that none will enter Jannah except the patient.
(ٱلْبَأْسَآء)
Al-Ba’sā: Poverty
(وَٱلضَّرَّآءُ)
Adh-Dharā’u: Ailments
(وَزُلْزِلُوا۟)
Zulzilū: They were shaken out of fear from the enemy a mighty shaking as comes in the authentic Hadith,
Bukhāri said Al-Humaidi narrated to us, he said Sufyān narrated to us, he said Bayyān and Ismā’ēl both narrated to us, they said we heard Qais saying, I heard Khabāb saying: “I came to the Prophet ﷺ and we was laying on his gown in the shade of the Ka’bah and we had been met with hardship from the Mushrikīn, so I said: “Will you not invoke Allāh”, so he sat up while his face became red and said: “Indeed there was before you one who would be combed with an iron rod removing the flesh from his bones or veins, and it would not turn him away from his religion and a saw would be placed between his head and he would be split in two halves and it would not make him turn away from his religion, verily Allāh will complete this affair until a traveller would ride from San’ā to Hadhramawt fearing none but Allāh.” Bayyān increased: “And his sheep from the wolf.”
▪️ San’ā of Yemen and not San’ā of Damascus.
▪️ Trials and tribulations are to be followed by acts of obedience with the abandoning of acts of disobedience.
▪️ Steadfastness does not occur except during times of hardship, as for in times of ease then everyone is the same, and people are not distinguished except in times of hardship, whether it be by the sword or spear or by the establishment of the proofs.
▪️ Shaykh Yahya may Allāh preserve him said: “For by Allāh the standing in front of the people of desires is harder than the standing in front of the swords and spears for the death of the body is easier than the death of the heart.
▪️ A great amount occured to the Sahābah in this regard may Allāh be pleased with them on the Day of Al-Ahzāb.
And when Hercules asked Abā Sufyān: “Did you fight him?” He said: “Yes”, He said: “So how was the war between you?”, He said: “Contested, sometimes in his favour and sometimes in our favour.” He said: “Such are the Messengers, they are tested then the ending is in their favour.”
Hercules was intelligent but he wasn’t granted success to guidance and guidance is not by intelligence, rather success from Allāh.
(مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ خَلَوْا۟ مِن قَبْلِكُم)ۖ
“As came to those who passed away before you?”
I.e. Their Sunnah.
(مَعَهُۥ مَتَىٰ نَصْرُ ٱللَّهِۗ)
“When (will come) the Help of Allah?”
I.e Gain victory over their enemies and the invoking for relief to be near, at the time of difficulty and hardship.
(أَلَآ إِنَّ نَصْرَ ٱللَّهِ قَرِيب)
“Yes! Certainly, the Help of Allah is near”
As Allāh said;
(فَإِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا)
“So verily, with the hardship, there is relief” [ Ash-Sharh, 5]
Benefited from: Shaykh, the Allamah, the Trustworthy Advisor, Abu Abdirrahman Yahya bin Ali Al-Hajuri – may Allah preserve him.
Source: https://t.me/sh_yahia_duroos/3138
Translated by: Abu ‘Abdillāh ‘Omar bin Yahya Al-‘Akawi