The Greater The Hardship The Greater The Reward II

Imam Ahmed brought it and Sheikh Nassir brings in his Saheehah No. 147 : Suhaib said that, 'we were sitting with the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) and suddenly he laughed. Suddenly the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) laughed. He asked his companions: 'Won't you ask me what I am laughing about?.' So they asked the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) 'what are you laughing about ?' So he said : 'I laughed because I was astonished at the affair of a believer.' (Listen these are words of Musthafa alaihi salam. He doesn't speak of his own desires whatever he speaks it is revelation; Listen, these are words of Rasulullah describing a believer.). All of his affairs, all of his circumstances are good, all of it. If something happens to him that he loves, if Allah blesses him with something that he loves, then he praises Allaah and this is good. And if something happens to him, if he is put into some difficulty, test or tribulation or hardship or something that he hates, he is patient and that is good for him. And no o­ne's situation is totally good except the believer. And no o­ne else's affair, no o­ne else's circumstance, no o­ne else's condition, no o­ne else's situation is totally good except the mu'min, except the believer.'
'The o­nes who received the most difficulty, and went through the most hardship were the beloved people to Allaah --- the prophets. Allah loved them more than the rest of mankind or creatures. He tested them. He put them through test , he put them through hardship, he put them through difficulties. Listen to this narration of Ibn Majah and Sheikh Nassir also brings in his Saheehah No. 144 : (Sahaba's name not clear) uffe"I entered upon the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) before he passed away whilst he was sring having a fever -- I placed my hand upon him and I felt the heat from above the blanket, I felt the heat of his fever from above the blanket. I said : 'O Messenger of Allaah, how hard it is upon you.' The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam ) said : 'Yes, it is like that. Trials and tribulations, hardships and difficulties are doubled and multiplied and increased for us prophets. But also the reward, the blessing, the level that he is raised with Allaah upon is also multiplied and increased for him.' I said : 'O Messenger of Allaah who are most put through difficulty? Who are the people who are most tested? Who goes through the most trials and tribulation O' Messenger of Allaah?' He said : 'The prophets, then the righteous (saalihun)' ,
some of them are tested with clothing, some of them are tested with no clothing except an abaya that they place around their bodies, nothing else. But o­ne of them used to be so happy when he was put to trial or test like you see enjoyment and pleasure and contentment through ease. They were happy with trials and tribulations like you are happy with ease."Allaah the Exalted states in Surah Al-Zumar: 

سُوۡرَةُ الزُّمَر

قُلۡ يَـٰعِبَادِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمۡ‌ۚ لِلَّذِينَ أَحۡسَنُواْ فِى هَـٰذِهِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا حَسَنَةٌ۬‌ۗ وَأَرۡضُ ٱللَّهِ وَٲسِعَةٌ‌ۗ إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى ٱلصَّـٰبِرُونَ أَجۡرَهُم بِغَيۡرِ حِسَابٍ۬ (١٠)

Surah Az-Zumar

"Verily the patient will get their reward without it being estimated, without it being calculated. It can't be counted. O­ne is waiting for reward, for that o­ne who is patient."
As-Sabr, patience Akhee Msulim, my brother Muslim, upon when you are put to trial, upon when you are put to test, upon when you go through sadness, upon when you go through hardship, upon when you go through difficulties, patience – As Sabr, then it is a sign that you are upon Khair. It is the sign that you are upon good. It is a distinguishing characteristic, or it is a distinguishing matter that shows that you are upon good. It is narrated in Abu Dawud : 
'Then it is saheeh, the happy o­ne, is the o­ne who can avoid trials and tribulations especially those that lead him astray or take him away from his deen, but the o­ne who is tested and is patient, so greater reward for him, unimaginable reward for him.'

Also it has been related by Bukhari and Muslim : Abbas said to Ibn Rabah :

"Shall I show you o­ne of the women of Jannah? Saudah, this black woman who told the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) : Verily I have seizures and I become uncovered, make dua to Allaah for me.' The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: If you are patient you will have Jannah. And if you want I'll make dua for you that you be healthy. She said : 'I'll be patient, I'll be patient but make sure that I don't become uncovered.' So the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) made dua to Allaah that she does not become uncovered.' 
This is how the Salaf were. Because of this some of the salafs used to say : If a difficulty happens to you, a hardship happens to you, if you are put to trial and tested and you are patient, then you have got o­nly o­ne difficulty. You have o­nly got o­ne hardship. You have o­nly got o­ne problem. Whenever a difficulty or hardship or trial comes your way and you are not patient, then you have two problems, and two hardships. And particularly if it is a loss of a child, or a loss of a loved o­ne. You are not patient with that then you have two difficulties.
The loss of the o­ne you love plus the loss of the reward you would have got if you had been patient. To be patient upon the tests, and the trials, and the hardships and the difficulties as a worship for Allaah, is a worship for Allaah. Many of us know that salaah is a worship, Zakah is a worship, and ruku is a worship and sujud is a worship, and reading Quraan is a worship , how many of us know that being patient upon a hardship, upon a sadness , being patient upon a difficulty, upon a test, upon a trial is a worship for Allaah. Allaah says in Surah Al-Hajj (22:11) : 

 سُوۡرَةُ الحَجّ

وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَعۡبُدُ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ حَرۡفٍ۬‌ۖ فَإِنۡ أَصَابَهُ ۥ خَيۡرٌ ٱطۡمَأَنَّ بِهِۦ‌ۖ وَإِنۡ أَصَابَتۡهُ فِتۡنَةٌ ٱنقَلَبَ عَلَىٰ وَجۡهِهِۦ خَسِرَ ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَٱلۡأَخِرَةَ‌ۚ ذَٲلِكَ هُوَ ٱلۡخُسۡرَانُ ٱلۡمُبِينُ (١١)                                                                       Surah Al-Hajj

And among mankind is he who worshippeth Allah upon a narrow marge so that if good befalleth him he is content therewith, but if a trial befalleth him, he falleth away utterly. He loseth both the world and the Hereafter. That is the sheer loss. (11) 

Abu Uwais Abdullaah Ali [Rahimahullah]
Source:AbdurRahman.org
  

The Greater The Hardship The Greater The Reward

The greater the hardship, or trial or tribulation the greater the reward. The greater the difficulty the greater the reward. The greater the trial or tribulation or difficulty that you are put through the greater the reward will be for you and for me from Allah (Tabarak wa ta'ala).
If Allah loves a people, He puts them to trial, He tests them and places them in difficulty. Allah the Exalted states in Surah Baqarah :

سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة

وَلَنَبۡلُوَنَّكُم بِشَىۡءٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡخَوۡفِ وَٱلۡجُوعِ وَنَقۡصٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡأَمۡوَٲلِ وَٱلۡأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَٲتِ‌ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ (١٥٥) ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَصَـٰبَتۡهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ۬ قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيۡهِ رَٲجِعُونَ (١٥٦) أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ عَلَيۡہِمۡ صَلَوَٲتٌ۬ مِّن رَّبِّهِمۡ وَرَحۡمَةٌ۬‌ۖ وَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُهۡتَدُونَ (١٥٧

Surah Al-Baqara

And surely We shall try you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth and lives and crops; but give glad tidings to the steadfast, (155) Who say, when a misfortune striketh them: Lo! we are Allah's and lo! unto Him we are returning. (156) Such are they on whom are blessings from their Lord, and mercy. Such are the rightly guided. (157)

The great reward is in accordance to how great o­nes trial, difficulty or test is. The greater the test and trial, the greater the reward. And everyone must have tests and everyone will have problems & trials and everyone will be put to difficulty, everyone will have moments of grief, moments of sadness moments when things are not as they feel or would like them to be. But the difference is the believer is patient, the believer believes in the decree of Allaah, the believer seeks the reward of Allaah (subhana wa ta'ala) at that time.

The believer praises Allah. The believer will be rewarded in his time of difficulty. The believer has burns and the Kaafir has burns. The believer needs an operation and a Kaafir needs an operation. The believer loses a mother and a Kaafir loses a mother. The believer loses his wife and the Kaafir will lose his wife. Everyone experiences difficulty. Everyone experiences trials and tribulations but the believer because of what Allaah (subhana wa ta'ala) has given him of Imaan and for what he has of patience and being pleased with the decree of Allaah, and seeking a reward from Allaah and seeing the wisdom of Allaah (subhana wa ta'ala) in his difficulty, he will be raised and he will receive great rewards.

Abu Dawud mentions in the Sunnan, related by Ahmad :
It is in the Saheehah (when you hear as-Saheehah it means it is authenticated by Shaikh Naasir ud-Din al-Albaani in his authentic books of narrations – Hadith No. 959) :The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said 

"This my Ummah, is a Ummah that has mercy upon it, 'Marhooma'- a Ummah that has mercy that's been wrapped in Mercies; there is no punishment for this Ummah in the Hereafter except their punishment that they experience in the Dunya --- killing and death and dying, trials and tribulations, earthquakes and the like." And the wording of Abu Dawud is : 'This Ummah reminds of the Ummah, that Allaah has placed His mercy upon. This Ummah will not have any punishment in the Hereafter, this punishment is in this world with fitn, trials, tribulations and punishments and difficulties, and earthquakes and killings, murder, death.. like this.

'As recorded in Buhari and Muslim: The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said :

"Whoever Allah wants good for him, he puts them to test. He puts them through difficulties. Like a diamond or some metal that has to be burnt and then that which is bad from it is removed so that you have that which is the pure diamond or the pure gold or whatever. Put them to tests, trials and difficulties."
As narrated by Tirmidhi and Ibn Maajah : (This is the Hadith that we started with) - The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said : 'The greater reward is with the greater trial or the greater the trial or difficulty of test or hardship is then the greater the reward. And when Allah loves a person He will tests them. So he who will be pleased and then He will be pleased. He who is displeased, then He will be displeased.'(Sahaba's name not clear) 'The people as long as they are in good health, good shape, good condition they are covered. You don't know their true character because they are in good situation, they are in good circumstance. As long as they are in a good circumstances they are covered. But if a trial or difficulty or a hardship comes upon them, then you will see their reality. They will go to their reality. The Mu'min will run to his Imaan, the Mu'min will run to his belief, the believer will run to his belief, his Imaan and the hypocrite will run to his hypocrisy, and the hypocrite will run to his hypocrisy. "Without being shaken, you don't not know what comes to the top and what goes to the bottom. Without being shaken you don't know a man from those who are faking; you won't know women from those who are faking. You won't know those who truly believe from those who don't. Those who make a claim o­n their tongue and is not really in their hearts and from their limbs from those who are willing to die for this matter. This can o­nly be shown by trials, the tribulations and tests and difficulties."

Abu Uwais Abdullaah Ali [Rahimahullah]
Source:AbdurRahman.org