Do not be shaken by hardships

Hardship strengthens your heart, atones for your sins, and helps to suppress an inclination towards pride and haughtiness. You might remember that in times of hardship you abandoned senseless folly and you remembered Allah. When you were afflicted, others extended brotherly compassion to you, and you became the fortunate recipient of the supplications of the righteous. At such times, you willfully and humbly surrendered yourself to Allah’s will and resigned yourself to His decree. Affliction begets circumspection and provides the afflicted with an early warning against following the path of evil. The one upon whom calamity has fallen can display courage with patience; and his circumstances, unlike the one who is drunk with worldly pleasures, permit him to solemnly prepare for a meeting with his Lord. He is able to pass judgment on this world with an impartial ruling, and thus he will come to know it as something that is not worth pining for. Other points associated with the wisdom and benefits of sometimes facing hardship, though they might escape our comprehension, are definitely present and known to the Lord of all that exists.