5 Reasons On Why Does Allah Test Us.

Allah tests His believing servants with various types of crises and
disasters in order to:

1) Reveal the Patient from the Impatient:

“And certainly, We shall test you with a bit of fear, hunger, loss of wealth,
lives and fruits. But give glad tidings to the patient ones who, when
afflicted with a calamity, say: “Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to
Him we shall return.” They are those upon whom are the blessings,
descend from their Lord, and they receive His Mercy, and it is they who
are guided.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:155-157)

َ ِ َّ‫ّللاَ يَعبُ َد ُ َمنَ الن‬

ََ‫اس َو ِمن‬ َ َ ‫ن خَيرَ أ‬
ََّ َ‫صابَ َهُ فَإِنَ ۖ َحرفَ َعلَى‬ ََّ َ ‫صابَت َهُ َو ِإنَ ۖ ِب َِه اط َمأ‬
َ َ ‫ب فِتنَةَ أ‬
ََ َ‫ِر َوج ِه َِه َعلَىَ انقََل‬
ََ ‫ۖ َواْل ِخ َر َة َ الدُّنيَا َخس‬
َ ُ
ََ‫ال ُمبِينَُ الخس َرانَُ ه ََُو َذ ِلك‬

“And among mankind is he who worships Allah as if he were upon the very
edge (i.e. in doubt); if good befalls him, he is content with it;. But if a trial
befalls him, he turns back on his face. He loses both this World and the
Hereafter. That is the evident loss.”(Surah al-Haj 22:11)

“So, it is a must for the souls to be nurtured by way of tests, and to be

severely tested during the course of the battle between truth and falsehood
with fear and hardship, and with hunger and decrease in wealth and life
and fruits. This testing is a necessity so that the believer can give his share
of what his belief requires; so that it becomes dear to him in accordance
with that he gives for its sake of sacrifice and burden; so that it becomes
dear to him in accordance with what he is willing to give for its sake! The
bearers of worthless beliefs that do not require any type of sacrifice will
not hesitate to abandon their beliefs at the first sign of hardship. So, the
burden here is the personal price that one pays so that this belief becomes
dear and valuable in the hearts of its bearers before it becomes dear to the
hearts of anyone else. Whenever they experience pain for its sake, and
every single time they are forced to give something up for its sake, it
becomes even dearer and more valuable to them, and they become even
more honored with it. With this, nobody else will realize its value until
they see how its bearers are tested because of it and how patient they are
upon such tests.”

(‘Fi Dhilal al-Qur’an’; 1/145)

2) Remove Our Sins and Reward the Righteous:

‫ي َم َع َهُ َبلَ ََغ فَلَ َّما‬ ََ ‫ل السَّع‬ ََّ َ‫َام فِي أ َ َرىَ ِإنِِّي بُن‬
ََ ‫ي َيا قَا‬ َِ ‫ظرَ أَذ َب ُحكََ أَنِِّي ال َمن‬
ُ ‫ل ۖ ت ََرىَ َماذَا فَان‬ َِ ‫ست َِجدُنِي ۖ تُؤ َم َُر َما اف َعلَ أَ َب‬
ََ ‫ت َيا قَا‬ ََّ
َ َ‫ّللاُ شَا ََء ِإن‬
َ
ََ‫صابِ ِرينَفَل َّما ِمن‬ َ َ َّ
َّ ‫ين َوتَل َهُ أسل َما ال‬ َِ ِ‫ِلل َجب‬

ُ‫صدَّقتََ إِب َراهِي ُمقَدَ يَا أَنَ َونَادَينَاَه‬ ََّ ِ‫َع ِظيمَ بِذِبحَ ال ُمبِينُ َوفَدَينَا َهُ البَ ََل َُء لَ ُه ََو هَـذَا ال ُمح ِسنِينَإ‬
ُّ ۖ ‫ن نَج ِزي َكذََ ِلكََ إِنَّا‬
َ ‫الرؤيَا‬

“And, when he was old enough to walk with him, he said: “O my son! I
have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you, so what do you think?”
He said: “O my father! Do that which you are commanded, if Allah Wills,
you will find me to be of the patient.” Then, when they had both submitted,
and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead, and We called out to him:
“O Ibrahim! You have fulfilled the dream!” Verily! Such do We reward the
good-doers.” (Surah as-Saffat :102-7)

Sa’ad bin Abi Waqqas reported that he asked the Messenger of Allah
(SAW): “Which of the people are tested most severely?” Rasulullah (SAW)
replied: “The Prophets, then the righteous, then those who are most like
them, then those who are most like them from the people. A man is tested
according to his religious commitment. So, if his religious practice is
sound, then his testing is increased, and if his religious practice is weak,
then his testing is reduced. A servant continues to be tested until he walks
the Earth without a single sin on him.” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi)

3) Purify the Ranks and Distinguish the Righteous from the Wicked:

ََّ ‫يث يَ ِميزََ َحتَّىَ َعلَي َِه أَنتُمَ َما َعلَىَ ال ُمؤ ِمنِينََ ِليَذَ ََر‬
‫ّللاُ كَانََ َما‬ ََ ‫ب ِمنََ ال َخ ِب‬ َّ ‫ّللاُ كَانََ َو َما ۖ ال‬
َِ ِِّ‫طي‬ ََّ َ‫ب َعلَى ِليُط ِل َع ُكم‬ ََّ ‫ّللاَ َولَـ ِك‬
َِ ‫ن الغَي‬ ََّ ‫يَجتَبِي‬
ُ ‫آمنُوا ۖ يَشَا َُء َمنَ ُر‬
َ‫س ِل َِه ِمن‬ ِ َ‫اّللِ ف‬
ََّ ‫س ِل َِه ِب‬ َ
ُ ‫َع ِظيمَ أجرَ فَلَ ُكمَ َوتَتَّقُوا تُؤ ِمنُوا َو ِإنَ ۖ َو ُر‬

“Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which you are now until
He distinguishes the wicked from the good.” (Surah Al ‘Imrân 3:179)

‫اب ۡٱل ُم ۡؤ ِمنُونََ َر َءا َولَ َّما‬

ََ َ‫ٱّللُ َو َعدَنَا َما هَـذَا قَالُواَ ۡٱۡل َ ۡحز‬
ََّ ُ‫سولُ َه‬
ُ ‫صدَقََ ۥ َو َر‬ ََّ ُ‫سولُ َه‬
َ ‫ٱّللُ َو‬ َ‫َوت َۡس ِل ً۬يما ِإي َمـ ً۬نا ِإ َّ ا‬
ُ ‫ّل زَ ادَه َُۡم َو َما ۥَۖ َو َر‬

“And when the believers saw the Confederates, they said: “This is what
Allah and His Messenger had promised us, and Allah and His Messenger
had spoken the truth,” and it only added to their faith and
submissiveness.”(Surah Ahzaab 33:22)

“Allah might make easy the affairs of the people of evil so that they may
increase in sin and corruption, and so that they might increase in their
buildup of sins and crimes. Then, he may deal with them in this World or
the Hereafter – depending on His Wisdom and Decision – on account of
this sinister buildup of deeds! On the other hand, He may also prevent
them from ease so that they would increase in evil and sin and crimes and
suffocation, eventually losing hope in the Mercy of Allah, resulting in an
increase in their buildup of evil and misguidance. Likewise, Allah can
make easy the affairs of the people of good so that they may become
established in their righteous actions and carry out as much of them as
they can while increasing in their sustenance, so that they may thank Him
for these blessings with their hearts, tongues, and pleasant actions. With
all of this, they increase in a buildup of good deeds that they rightfully
deserve with Allah because of their righteousness and because of the good
that Allah Knows is in their hearts. On the other hand, he may also
prevent them from ease in order to observe their patience upon this state,
as well as their confidence and hope in their Lord, their relaxation at the
realization of His Power, their being pleased with Him as their only Lord –
and He is better than all others – resulting in an increase in their buildup
of good.”

(Fi Dhilal al-Qur’an)

4) Emphasize the Hardships of This World in Comparison to the Hereafter:

َ َ‫ل َعلَىَ َوه ََُو ال ُملَكَُ بِيَ ِدَِه الَّذِي تَب‬

ََ‫ارك‬ َِِّ ‫سنَُ أَيُّ ُكمَ ِليَبلُ َو ُكمَ َوال َحيَا َة َ ال َموتََ َخلَقََ قَدِيرالَّذِي شَيءَ ُك‬
َ ‫يز َوه ََُو ۖ َع َمَلَ أَح‬ َُ ُ‫الغَف‬
َُ ‫ور العَ ِز‬

“Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the kingdom, and He is Able to do all

things. The One Who has created death and life in order to test you and see
which of you is best in deed, and He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-
Forgiving.” (Surah al-Mulk 67:1-2)

5) Expose the Reality of the Human Being:

‫سانََ َخلَقنَا إِنَّا‬ ِ َ‫س ِميعا فَ َجعَلنَا َهُ نَبت َ ِلي َِه أَمشَاجَ نُطفَةَ ِمن‬
َ ‫اْلن‬ َ ‫صيراإِنَّا‬
ِ َ‫ل َهدَينَا َهُ ب‬ َّ ‫َكفُورا َوإِ َّما شَا ِكرا إِ َّما ال‬
ََ ‫سبِي‬

“Verily, We have created man from drops of mixed semen in order to test
him, so We made him hearer, seer. Verily, We showed him the way, so he
is either grateful or ungrateful.” (Surah al-Insan 76: 2-3)

َ ِ ‫سنَُ أَيُّ ُهمَ ِلنَبلُ َوهُمَ لَ َها ِزينَةَ اۡلَر‬

‫ض َعلَى َما َج َعلنَا ِإنَّا‬ َ ‫َع َمَلَ أَح‬

“Verily, We have made that which is on earth as an adornment for it so

that We may test them as to which of them are best in deeds.” (Surah al-
Kahf 18:7)

َ‫ف َجعَلَ ُكمَ الَّذِي َوه َُو‬ َ ِ ‫ض ُكمَ َو َرفَ ََع اۡلَر‬
ََ ِ‫ض خ َََلئ‬ َ ‫ن ۖ آتَا ُكمَ َما فِي ِليَبلُ َو ُكمَ دَ َر َجاتَ بَعضَ فَوقََ بَع‬
ََّ ‫س ِري َُع َربَّكََ ِإ‬ َِ ‫َو ِإنَّ َهُ ال ِعقَا‬
َ ‫ب‬
َ‫َر ِحيمَ لَغَفُور‬

“And it is He Who has made you generations after generations, replacing

each other on the earth. And He has raised you in ranks – some above
others – that He may test you in that which He has bestowed on you.
Surely, your Lord is Swift in retribution, and certainly He is Oft*-
Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Surah al-An’am 6:165)

“A human being is tested so that he may come to know the reality of

himself and others. Life is consists of constant testing; testing with what is
bad, or testing with what is good. However, what is best for the believer
may be found in what he hates, and what is bad for him may be found in
what he likes. The true believer is the one who loves that which Allah has
chosen for him. So, if He tests him with something that he loves, he thanks
Him, and if He tests him with that which he hates, he is patient and thanks
Him in this case, as well. And Allah – the Glorified – gives the believer in
accordance with what will lead to his happiness in either this World or the
next. So, if it is better for him to have something, Allah gives it to him. If it
is better for him not to have something, Allah prevents him from having
that thing, just as one who is sick is prevented from too much food or
water. Therefore, it is upon a person to completely submit to Allah – the
Glorified – in regards to what He has chosen for him, and to be pleased
with what Allah has given him, and to understand that if Allah prevents
him from something, then it is because Allah wishes to save him from
being tested with that thing.”