263 - شِدّة ابتِلاءِ المُؤمِنِ‏

263. The Severity of A Believer's Ordeal

(أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَنْ تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمّا يَأْتِكُمْ مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ مَسَّتْهُمُ الْبَأسَاءُ وَالضَّرَّاءُ وَزُلْزِلُوا حَتّى‏ يَقُولَ الرَّسُولُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ مَتى‏ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ أَلا إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ) .¹

"Do you suppose that you shall enter paradise though there has not yet come to you the like of [what befell] those who went before you? Stress and distress befell them and they were convulsed until the apostle and the faithful who were with him said, 'When will Allah's help [come]?' Look! Allah's help is indeed near!" ²

886.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : إنَّ البلاءَ أسْرَعُ إلى‏ المؤمنِ التّقيِّ مِن المَطرِ إلى‏ قَرارِ الأرضِ .³

886.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'Verily the ordeal is faster in descending upon a pious believer than rain to the bottom of the earth.' ⁴

887.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : إنّ أشدَّ النّاسِ بلاءً الأنبياءُ، ثُمّ الّذين يَلُونَهُم ، ثُمّ الأمْثَلُ فالأمثلُ .⁵

887.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'The prophets have the hardest ordeals from among people, then their successors, then they scale down according to their piety.' ⁶

888.الإمامُ الباقِرُ عليه السلام : إنَّ المُؤمِنَ يُبتَلى‏ بِكُلِّ بَلِيَّةٍ ويَموتُ بِكُلِّ ميتَةٍ إِلّا أنَّهُ لا يَقتُلُ نَفسَهُ .⁷

888.Imam al-Baqir (AS) said, 'Verily a believer is tested with all calamities and dies in any kind of death, but he does not kill himself.' ⁸

262 - حِكمَةُ الابتِلاءِ

262. The Reason for Testing

(وَلِيَبْتَلِيَ اللَّهُ مَا فِي صُدُورِكُمْ وَلِيُمَحِّصَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ) .¹

"... so that Allah may test what is in your breasts, and that He may purge what is in your hearts, and Allah knows best what is in the breasts." ²

(وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ حَتّى‏ نَعْلَمَ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ مِنْكُمْ وَالصّابِرِينَ وَنَبْلُوَ أَخْبَارَكُمْ) .³

"We will surely test you until We ascertain those of you who wage jihad and those who are steadfast, and We shall appraise your record." ⁴

(الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً وهُوَ العَزِيزُ الغَفُورُ) .⁵

"He, who created death and life that He may test you [to see] which of you is best in conduct. And He is the All-mighty, the All-forgiving." ⁶

882.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : ألَا إنّ اللَّهَ تعالى‏ قد كَشفَ الخَلقَ كَشْفةً ، لا أنّه جَهِلَ ما أخْفَوهُ مِن مَصُونِ أسْرارِهِم ومَكْنونِ ضَمائرِهِم ، ولكنْ لِيَبلُوَهُم أيُّهُم أحْسَنُ عَملاً ، فيكونَ الثّوابُ جَزاءً والعِقابُ بَواءً .⁷

882.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'Know that Allah, most Highig, uncovered the people, not because He was ignorant of their well-kept secrets and inner thoughts, but in order to test them [to see] which of them is best in conduct, so that reward becomes the prize and punishment becomes the penalty.' ⁸

883.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : كُلّما كانتِ البَلوى‏ والاختبارُ أعظمَ كانتِ المَثُوبةُ والجَزاءُ أجْزَلَ ، ألَا تَرَونَ أنَّ اللَّه سبحانه اخْتَبرَ الأوَّلِينَ مِن لَدُنْ آدمَ صلواتُ اللَّهِ عليهِ إلى‏ الآخِرينَ مِن هذاالعالَمِ بأحجارٍ لا تَضُرُّ ولا تَنفَعُ ، ولا تُبصِرُ ولا تَسمَعُ ، فجَعَلَها بَيتَهُ الحَرامَ الّذي جَعَلَهَ اللَّهُ للنّاسِ قِياماً ...؟!
ولكنّ اللَّه يَخْتبِرُ عِبادَهُ بأنواعِ الشَّدائدِ ، ويَتَعبّدُهُم بأنواعِ المَجاهِدِ ، ويَبْتَليهِم بضُروبِ المَكارِهِ ؛ إخْراجاً للتَّكَبُّرِ مِن قلوبهِمْ ، وإسْكاناً للتَّذَلُّلِ في نُفوسِهِم ، ولِيَجْعلَ ذلكَ أبواباً فُتُحاً إلى‏ فضلِهِ ، وأسباباً ذُلُلاً لِعَفوِهِ .⁹

883.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'The greater the ordeal and test, the greater the reward and reco mpense. Do you not see that Allah, the Praiseworthy, tested our precursors from the time of Adam, peace be upon him, to the last generations in this world, with [the creation of] stones that neither harm nor benefit, nor do they see or hear, and He made from them His sacred House, which He made a standing place for people?! But Allah tries His servants with various ordeals, and obligates them with various forms of struggle, and tests them with various dreads, in order to eradicate vanity from their hearts and instill humility in their souls and that this may open the doors to His favor and the feasible means to His forgiveness.' ¹⁰

884.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : لَتُبَلْبَلُنّ بَلْبَلةً ، ولَتُغربَلُنّ غَرْبَلةً، حتّى يعودَ أسفلُكُم أعلاكم ، وأعلاكم أسفلَكُم ، وليَسبقنّ سَبّاقونَ كانوا قَصَّروا، وليُقَصِّرَنَّ سبّاقونَ كانوا سَبَقوا .¹¹

884.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'Verily you will be put in tense perplexity and be finely filtered, until you are turned upside down; then certain people will surpass [others] after having lagged behind, while those who were ahead fall back.' ¹²

885.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : لا تَفرَحْ بالغَناءِ والرَّخاءِ ، ولا تَغتمَّ بالفقرِ والبلاءِ؛ فإنّ الذَّهبَ يُجَرَّبُ بالنّارِ ، والمؤمنُ يُجَرَّبُ بالبلاءِ .¹³

885.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'Do not rejoice at wealth and luxury, nor dread poverty and ordeal; for verily gold is tested by the fire and the believer is tested by an ordeal.' ¹⁴