All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Calamities and hardships may be painful in themselves, but Allah, Exalted be He, decrees them for great wisdom. We may understand some of this wisdom while much of it remains unknown to us. Among the most important benefits are the following:
1. Testing the believer and examining his patience.
Allah, Exalted be He, says:
“Or did you think that you would enter Paradise while such [trials] had not yet come to you as came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted by poverty and hardship and were shaken.”
2. Revealing human weakness and dependence upon Allah.
Hardships lead people to turn to Allah, humble themselves before Him, and recognize that they cannot do without their Lord.
3. Expiating sins and raising one's rank.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Nothing afflicts a believer, even a thorn that pricks him, except that Allah records a good deed for him because of it or erases a sin from him.”
4. Reducing attachment to worldly life.
Calamities remind people that this world is a place of trials, not a place of everlasting comfort. They encourage people to prepare for the Hereafter.
5. Drawing attention to shortcomings and warning against sins.
A hardship may cause a person to return to Allah and reform his condition. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
“So We seized them with hardship and adversity so that they might humble themselves.”
6. Recognizing that some calamities may result from people's deeds and sins.
Allah, Exalted be He, says:
“Corruption has appeared on land and sea because of what people's hands have earned, so that He may let them taste some of what they have done, that perhaps they will return [to righteousness].”
Thus, some afflictions serve as a reminder, encouraging people to abandon wrongdoing and put their affairs right.
7. The great reward for worship during times of turmoil and hardship.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Worship during times of turmoil is like emigrating to me.”
This is because people become preoccupied with turmoil and worldly affairs, making steadfastness in worship more difficult and therefore more greatly rewarded.
8. Recognizing the value of blessings and being grateful for them.
A person may become accustomed to good health, security, and well-being without appreciating their value. When afflicted, the person recognizes Allah's favor. Hardships may also remind people of the blessings of intellect, faith, knowledge, and other gifts.
9. Awakening the heart from heedlessness.
A calamity may prompt a person to examine himself, repent for his shortcomings, and return to Allah before his heart becomes hardened.
10. Testing people and distinguishing them from one another.
Hardships reveal people's true nature and distinguish the truthful from the false, and the believer from the hypocrite. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
“Allah would not leave the believers in the state you are in until He distinguishes the evil from the good.”
11. Demonstrating Muslim brotherhood and mutual support.
The calamities suffered by some Muslims open great opportunities for relief efforts, charity, consolation, and supporting those in need. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“The believers, in their mutual love, mercy, and compassion, are like one body.”
12. Bringing the principles of cooperation in righteousness and piety to life during hardships.
In difficult times, Muslims offer whatever relief, assistance, and protection from harm they can provide, and support the oppressed through lawful means.
Accordingly, calamities should not be viewed solely from the perspective of the pain they cause. They may lead to patience and reward, the expiation of sins, a return to Allah, greater appreciation of blessings, the testing of people, and mutual cooperation and compassion. A calamity may result from sins and shortcomings, or it may be a test that raises a person's rank, and several of these forms of wisdom may be present at the same time.
Grieving over the calamities that befall Muslims is permissible and commendable when it inspires compassion and righteous action. However, grief should not turn into helplessness, despair, or abandonment of lawful means. Rather, one must remain patient, pray to Allah, work toward reform, and do whatever good one can.
And Allah knows best.