By Barrister Olori-Aje Adams
Everything in the life of a Muslim, good or bad, pleasant or otherwise, is but a test from Allah (SWT). Every experience, be it joy or sorrow, gain or loss, ease or hardship is a test from Allah (SWT). Read Qur’an 2 verse 155.
Therefore, for the believers, nothing happens in vain. Every moment is laden with meaning, tailored by the Most Wise to shape our hearts and make us the best version of ourselves.
Presently, we live in a World where appearances often veil the truth. Beauty dazzles, wealth attracts, power commands, and fame captivates. But behind many of these glittering facades lies deception and temporary illusions meant to test where our loyalties lie: Is it in this fleeting World or with Allah (SWT)?
Every living man or woman is nothing but a decaying corpse, just walking. This is because, we shall all take the bitter pill of death at appointed times. This is just the reality born out of knowing the fact that, this World is perishable, and its pleasures are just passing shadows. When the eyes of the heart are truly open, when desires are rightly tamed, and when wisdom restrains us from chasing what will one day turn to dust, we will then appreciate the fleeting nature of this World and its tests.
Allah (SWT), in His infinite mercy, has warned us of this in Suratul Al-Imran verse 185 when He says:
“Every soul will taste death. And you will only receive your full reward on the Day of Judgment. Whoever is spared from the Fire and admitted into Paradise has truly triumphed, whereas the life of this World is no more than the delusion of enjoyment.”
In essence, good health, wealth, status are not signs of divine approval and in the same vain, illness, poverty, or hardship are not signs of divine abandonment. Both are tests. What matters is how we respond to the two sets of tests. Is it with gratitude or arrogance? Or is it with patience or despair?
So open your eyes and I urge you to truly open them. Don’t be consumed by the desire for fame and recognition because, they are fleeting and ultimately unfulfilling. Seek not the surface, but the substance. Judge not by appearance, but by purpose. And above all, turn to Allah (SWT) in every condition, for only He can unveil truth from falsehood and light from darkness.
Let us not be deceived. Let us live with sincerity, guided by wisdom and grounded in the eternal truth that, everything that happens to us in this World is a test and that our success lies in passing the tests with faith.
O Allah, open our eyes to the truth behind appearances. Do not let our hearts be deceived by the glitter of this World, and grant us the wisdom to see every joy and every trial as a test from You.
O Allah, do not make this World our greatest aspiration, nor the limit of our knowledge, and do not make the fire of Jahannam, our final destination.
