*
Time for Purification *
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful
The Messenger of Allaah said: "Nothing
of fatigue, illness, distress, worry, grief or
harm befalls the Muslim, not even a prick from a
thorn, but Allaah will accept it as expiation for
some of his sins."
The one who is distressed or worried
should know that whatever psychological pain
afflicts him is not wasted, but serves a purpose
in increasing his hasanaat (good deeds) and
expiating for his sayi'aat (bad deeds). The Muslim
should realize that if it were not for disasters
and afflictions, we would come empty-handed on the
Day of Resurrection, as some of the salaf (early
generations of Islam) pointed out, which is why
they would rejoice when misfortune struck just as
we rejoice at times of ease.
When a person understands how the
disasters that befall him expiate for his sins, he
will rejoice and be of good cheer, especially if
that happens to him straight after he has
committed a sin, as happened to some of the
Sahaabah, may Allaah be pleased with them. `Abd-Allaah
ibn Mughaffal reported that a man met a woman who
had been a prostitute during the time of
Jaahiliyyah and started to joke with her, then he
touched her. She told him, "Watch it! Allaah has
destroyed shirk and has brought us Islam." The man
went away, and walked into a wall, cutting his
face. When the man told the prophet what had
happened, he said: "You are a slave for whom Allah
wishes good. When Allaah wishes good for His
slave, He hastens the punishment for his sin; when
He does not wish good for His slave, he withholds
the punishment until the matter is settled on the
Day of Resurrection, when all of his sins will be
brought forth
together."
From: Sheikh Muhammad Al Munajid
