By Barr Olori-Aje Adam
Let us reflect on Surah Al-Isra (78–80) and Surah Al-Muddathir (1–7)
These divine verses unveil a profound truth, that the path to nearness to Allah is not paved with ease, but with awakening, discipline, and steadfast devotion. The Messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammad (SAW), though the most beloved to Allah, was not raised to his high status through comfort or instant favour. Rather, he was nurtured through intensive spiritual training, involving self- discipline, self-restraints, wars, hardships and revelations which came in transformative stages, so that the Qur’an would not merely be heard, but lived.
As Muslims, growth is a process, not a gift handed over without effort. Elevation requires preparation. The soul must be trained before it is entrusted. In a world that glorifies ease and instant gratification, these verses remind us that true success, whether in our Deen or in every area of human callings, demands departure from comfort zones into spaces of effort, patience, and trust in Allah (SWT).
Human nature inclines towards ease, towards a life untouched by strain. But Allah (SWT) did not design this Dunya in that standard. This World is a place of continuous testing, refinement, and striving. And in that striving lies the wisdom as taught in the tradition of the Prophet (SAW) that, the value of a person is often shaped in the arena of struggle, not in the absence of it.
Yet, struggle is not an end in itself but means to purify intention, to strengthen resolve, and to align the heart with its Creator. The believer does not struggle or compete in his livelihood with corruption or arrogance, but with sincerity, excellence, and consciousness of the fact that, every status in life is temporary, and every success in life also fleeting unless anchored in the pleasure of Allah.
The point I am making is that, when Allah intends good for a servant, He does not rush him into comfort but He first acquaints him with challenges. Not to break him, but to build him. Not to abandon him, but to prepare him because, the blessings that comes after trial requires a strength that only hardship can forge.
We must therefore outgrow the illusion of effortless success. Allah (SWT) does not simply give the fish, He teaches us how to fish, how to strive and how to trust. Even revelation itself came with pause, reflection, and responsibility.
Know that when a door closes, we must not hasten to interpret them as rejection. Most times, what appears as delay in our lives may be divine arrangement. What feels like loss may, in time, reveal itself as elevation. The Believer is expected to see beyond the moment.
The Iranian case offers a striking example. Rather than sinking into despair or going cap in hand to beg for aid and IMF loans, the country moved swiftly to internalise its challenges and confront its realities. The rest, as they say, is history.
By contrast, Nigerians often present a troubling paradox of an immensely gifted people, yet weighed down by a deeply rooted and misplaced belief in miracles and effortless wealth that is divorced from productive economic activity.
One cannot ignore the unsettling scenes where entire congregations are urged to raise their phones in prayer, fervently declaring that their bank accounts be supernaturally credited with large sums of money. Such moments reflect a broader culture of credulity that continues to undermine rational effort and economic discipline.
On the whole, let this be our takeaway:
Allah (SWT) does not hand success to us, He prepares us for it. And the preparation is often disguised as hardship.
Oh Allah, the Most Merciful awaken our hearts to the reality of Your wisdom. Grant us the discipline to rise when called, the patience to endure when tested, and the insight to see Your mercy even in difficulty. Neither make us among those who seek results without effort, nor among those who despair when tested. Purify our intentions, strengthen our resolve, and make us instruments of good in our areas of callings.
Oh Allah, the Most Knowledgeable, guide our leaders to justice and sincerity, and guide us, the led, to lives of diligence, honesty, and responsibility. Transform our trials into ladders of elevation, and make us a people of excellence and beneficial to ourselves, our nation, and the Ummah.
