Why does Allah test us?

“It is He who created death and life to test which of you are best in deeds, for He is the Almighty, the Forgiving.” (Qur’an 67:2)

Many religions preach that trials and tests are always sent as punishment from God. They claim that if you are afflicted with a hardship, such as sickness or loss of wealth, it means you have somehow displeased God. However, this is NOT true in Islam. In Islam, there is no correlation between our present situation and Allah’s attitude toward us. For example, if I lose my job, it doesn’t mean that Allah is angry at me. On the other hand, if I get a pay raise at my job, it doesn’t mean that Allah is happy with me. Instead, Allah presents us with these different situations to see how we react to them.

In the above Quranic verse, Allah tells us that tests and trials are a part of life. Everyone will be tested to a certain extent at times so that Allah can see which person has true faith in him. In other words, He will see who is doing good deeds for the right reason and who only does good deeds when it is convenient.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “Nothing befalls a believer, a (prick of a) thorn or more than that, but Allah will raise him one degree in status thereby, or erase a bad deed.” (Bukhari)

This hadith shows us the two general reasons a test may occur in somebody’s life. The first reason is that Allah will test you with something so that you have the opportunity to successfully go through the test with the right attitude, and Allah will therefore raise your station in Paradise.

The second reason for facing a trial is that I may have done something wrong and I may not have asked Allah for forgiveness. Instead of punishing me in the Hereafter, Allah will put me through something in this life. Whatever He puts me through in this life will be nothing like what I would have faced in the Hereafter, so this trial is actually a form of Allah’s mercy.

What should a Muslim’s attitude be when faced with a test or trial?

Now that we know the reasons for tests and trials, let’s examine how we as Muslims should respond when faced with a test. The first thing is to keep it all in perspective.

1. KEEP IT IN PERSPECTIVE

“Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear.” (Qur’an 2:286)

A person will never be faced with a bigger hardship than they can handle. A lot of times, when we’re going through a trial, we become so focused on the trial that we lose sight of everything else. For example, if a person loses a job, they will often focus on what they don’t have and will forget what they do have, such as their health, family, or (if nothing else) their faith.

Focusing on what we have versus what problems we’re faced with allows us to keep a good attitude about situations, and knowing that Allah will never give us more than we can handle helps us keep everything in perspective.

Keeping the perspective that Allah never gives a person a trial that’s bigger than what they can handle reminds us that no matter what it may be, we should never lose hope or lose patience because we already know we will get through it.

2. ALLAH ALWAYS DOES WHAT’S BEST FOR US

“And it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know.” (Qur’an, 2:216)

Allah is reminding us of something very important here. He is saying that when we are faced with something, we see the here and now. We don’t truly understand the big picture. Therefore, we see things as good or bad because we can only see what’s physically happening in the present.

An easy example to understand is the example of getting a flat tire on the road. Nobody wants to deal with a flat tire because it’s an inconvenience. However, imagine that down the road there was a drunk driver who was out of control. Perhaps by giving us a flat tire, Allah saved us from being harmed by the drunk driver.

One thing we must realize is that Allah will never put us through a trial for no reason. There are several authentic hadiths where Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) mentioned that Allah loves us more than our own mothers. A mother would never willingly put their child through a hardship for no reason at all. Therefore, it is safe to say that neither would Allah. Every trial or test has a purpose behind it, even if we cannot comprehend it at the time.

With that in mind, here’s an analogy to show how we sometimes can’t see why we’re put through a trial until after we’ve gone through it. When I was younger, my parents were very strict on how much dessert or soda I could have. As a child, I saw these restrictions as unfair. However, now as an adult, I’ve come to realize that they were doing it for my own good. They didn’t want me to intake that much sugar so that I would grow up healthy. Back then, I could only see the here and now and thought they were being cruel to me. However, in reality, my parents were thinking about my future and doing what they knew was best for me even if I didn’t understand it.

Allah does the same thing for us. Sometimes we may really want something and not get it, or we might face some hardship. It’s easy to get focused on the here and now and be tempted to question Allah. However, if we remember how much Allah cares about us, we realize that He is actually doing what is best for us in the long run.