Being Ill
It seems to be a paradox, but one of the signs that Allah loves His slave is when He afflicts him with hardship, including illnesses. This statement may appear counter intuitive, but viewed through the eyes of a Muslim, there is a logic behind it, which we will come to.
By contrast, when Allah does not love someone, He increases the person’s immersion in dunia (the material life). We may believe that prosperity and continuous good health is a sign of acceptance from Allah, but in reality, it can pose a great fitnah (trial) from Allah. This is known as istidraj, when Allah plies a person with material comforts such that he is lulled into a false sense of security and stops safeguarding his akhirah (the hereafter).
The successful and wealthy who have forgotten Allah are examples of that. Man’s predisposition is that when things are rosy, he tends to drift from Allah. They feel invincible, and consequently live their lives as if they would never die or meet their Lord. With them, good health can be a trial, and not a blessing. We may have come across such people: they are neglectful of Allah – and then one day they die without warning – with no time to repent.
Illness makes one humble
Regardless of background, illnesses have a humbling effect on people. A virus, tumour, stroke, paralysis or injury, can turn the world upside down. Suddenly, they are faced with a situation which is out of their control, and are confronting their own mortality. Especially humbling is when the illness causes them to be dependent on others – people, medication or equipment – for the most basic functions such breathing and going to the bathroom.
Any person, when the pain or illness is so severe, will find that all his material accomplishments – career, house, car – become irrelevant. Even sexual desire disappears! Instead, he becomes wrapped in his own fragility. This is the normal reaction for most people when they wait for that chilling diagnosis or feel uncontrollable pain rip through their bodies.
Illnesses are a way of Allah giving you a gentle nudge (and in some cases, a push), to remind you to turn to Him. For it is during this state of vulnerability that most people turn to their Creator for help, it is during this time that the spiritual senses are awakened in that instinctive awareness to seek a higher power who holds the cure.
A lucky few will heed the reminder to turn to Allah. This is the blessing behind the illness. The same way that Allah sometimes takes away everything from you in order that you have no one to turn to but He, Allah sometimes takes away your physical health to regenerate your spiritual one.
Illnesses are a Mixed Blessing
Allah in His Mercy, does not subject his servants to suffer without compensating them. If we feel the pain of disease, remember that Prophets and Messengers actually used to have it worse:
Ibn Mas`ud (RA): I visited the Prophet (peace be upon him) when he was suffering fever. I said, “You seem to be suffering greatly, O Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied, “Yes, I suffer as much as two persons.” I said, “Is that because you have a double reward?” He replied that that was so. (Bukhari & Muslim)
Further, Ayoub AS suffered years of chronic disease – one so appalling that his flesh fell from his bones, maggots crawled from his putrid wounds and the stench of his flesh was so disgusting that his community banished him to live in a rubbish dump. In the cases of normal human beings, such symptoms would usually result in a quick but painful death, but Ayoub AS bore the anguish for eighteen years.
The hadith above continues:
“No Muslim is afflicted by a harm, be it the pricking of a thorn or something more (painful than that), but Allah thereby causes his sins to fall away just as a tree sheds its leaves”. [Bukhari & Muslim].
This encouragement applies to the believers only. It means that he must react within the prescribes of Islam – with patience, gratitude, contentment with Allah’s decree and total submission to Allah. The illness then becomes a blessing. With every ache, pain, fever and discomfort that is borne, forgiveness follows. With every agony that is endured, the bad deeds are erased from his records.
Believing in this hadith automatically puts a believer into a positive psychological mind-set. The one who is constantly complaining, screaming and weeping about the disease is differentiated from one who endures calmly in the belief of a greater and higher reward. The former is suffering in vain, and the latter turns the suffering into a blessing for himself.
Due to the correlation between pain and forgiveness, early Muslims understood illnesses as a sign of acceptance by Allah. Some of the staunch believers even became concerned when they did not get ill, for they interpreted this as an indication that their faith was not sufficiently concrete!
Beautiful Patience in the time of Calamity
Rasulullah SAW was asked which people suffered the greatest affliction. He replied: “The prophets, then those who come next to them. A man is afflicted in keeping his religion. If he is firm in his religion his trial is severe, but if there is weakness in his religion it is made light for him. A man is continuously tried with an affliction till he walks on the earth having no sin.” (Sahih Bukhari)
The lives of the greatest five Messengers on earth (Nuh AS, Ibrahim AS, Musa As, Isa AS and Muhammad SAW) were dotted with severe calamities – disease, family crisis, financial crisis, famine and opposition from various factions, including family and society. Their lives and the circumstances in which they had to spread the message of Allah were extremely difficult and paved with hardship and intense suffering.
Why did Allah choose this for them? It is to show us that the beautiful patience associated with bearing a burden, pain or a situation for the sake of Allah yields magnificent rewards. In the case of these Messengers especially, their patience was a monumental testament to their strong faith, and an inspiration and encouragement to us all.
Muslims who understand this endure heavy afflictions with love and patience for Allah, in the hopes of complete purification in this life, instead of being called to account in the hereafter. Imagine for example the love that a woman has for her man – there are various poems which describe her unwavering love despite the hardships associated with such love. Many women have suffered patiently and are willing to endure hardship for the sake of such unconditional love, even if it does not bear fruits or leads to heartbreak. What about the love of humankind towards their Creator, where we are guaranteed rewards?
Patience and calamities are intertwined. The topic of patience warrants a complete series of articles, but briefly, the verse of Muhammad mentions:
And We will surely test you until We make evident those who strive among you [for the cause of Allah] and the patient, and We will test your affairs. (47:31)
Surah Alî Imran states: You will surely be tested in your possessions and in yourselves… But if you are patient and fear Allah – indeed, that is of the matters [worthy] of determination. (3:186)
The way one tolerates illnesses is an indication of the patience that he has for Allah’s decree. Complaining, anger, despairing and being depressed are incompatible with patience. Patience is demonstrated by gratitude, trust and contentment that Allah has chosen the best for you. This is the only way for a Muslim to react.
What is permitted?
Similar to calamities, one is permitted to disclose illnesses on a need to know basis, for example, to a doctor, employer or spouse. However, the sharing of such information cannot be coupled with expressions of dismay, anger or impatience. The information must be factual, rather than of a complaining nature.
Once Aisha (RA) complained to the Messenger of Allah (SAW), about her headache, saying: “O my head.” He replied: “Rather it is I who says ‘O my headache.‘” This indicates that one can express the intensity of pain, provided that he has no intention to complain or point out his sorrow and frustration at the Will of Allah.
We are also allowed to complain of our condition to Allah. Ibn Mas’ud (RA) said: “If one thanks Allah before complaining about his pain or disease, then it is not considered impatience. Indeed, to refer one’s complaint to Allah, is quite lawful.” Yaqub (AS) said: “I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah.” (Al Qur’an 12:86)
The early people used to say that complaining to Allah is a dignity and elevation, and complaining to fellow human beings is a disgrace and hardship, because human beings cannot alleviate any condition.
