Life is a place of trials where hardships may either weaken or strengthen a person. This article explores the importance of maintaining balance, developing resilience, and preserving a clear sense of purpose when facing difficulties. Drawing upon Islamic teachings and inspiring examples, it argues that true strength lies in responding to trials with patience, hope, flexibility, and an enduring love for Allah.
One should seek the positive aspect of everything in life. For almost every condition has both positive and negative dimensions, and poverty is no exception. In positive poverty, a person may have little money, yet poverty does not break their back or completely dominate their life. In negative poverty, however, poverty bends a person under its weight, imprisons the mind, and leaves them unable to think about anything else. Therefore, what a person should ask for is the beneficial and balanced form of every condition.
Another important point is this: Not every trial produces the same effect on every person. The same event may lead to entirely different outcomes in different individuals. Losing one’s job is one of the clearest examples of this. For some, it becomes a devastating blow; for others, it turns into a new beginning.
There are striking examples of this. Fuat Sezgin was dismissed from his position at the university, yet this event did not prevent him from carrying out scholarly work that would earn him worldwide recognition. Steve Jobs, meanwhile, was expelled from school after being labelled an unsuccessful student, yet he later became one of the wealthiest and most influential people in the world. What matters here is not the trial itself, but the attitude one adopts toward it.
A person without a goal gives up much more quickly when faced with hardship. Indeed, many people who lose their jobs fail to make further progress in life afterward. The main reason is often not a lack of ability, but a lack of purpose. While person A may become resentful toward life after facing the same trial, person B works harder, develops themselves, and eventually succeeds.
There is an Arabic saying that beautifully summarises this:
«لا تكن قاسيًا فتكسر، ولا تكن ليّنًا فتعصر»
“Do not be so hard that you break, nor so soft that you are squeezed and crushed.”
What truly matters in life is balance. Rather than being like a tree that breaks in the wind, one should be like wheat, able to bend when the wind blows and yet remain standing. Neither excessive rigidity nor excessive softness can keep a person upright. Resilience, flexibility, and a clear sense of purpose are among the most essential provisions for the journey of life.
Hardships are part of the human condition and are inevitable. Yet what heals, matures, and strengthens a person is often hardship itself. Keeping oneself occupied is like medicine: it eases pain, restores order to the mind, and helps a person find their way again. Life becomes meaningful for those who are able to maintain their balance.
This world is a place of trial. Indeed, the expression al-dunyā dār al-imtiḥān—“the world is the abode of testing”—conveys this truth succinctly. The fact that the concept of happiness is mentioned only once in the Qur’an and that those who attain happiness are described as being in Paradise clearly indicates that this world is not the place of ultimate happiness. Nevertheless, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Ask Allah for well-being, for after certainty of faith, no one has been granted anything better than well-being.”
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) lived with only the most basic means and, through his example, taught those who could be content with little to remain grateful. As for enduring trials with patience, this is possible only through Allah’s permission and assistance.
In Surah al-Takāthur, our Lord draws attention to the obsession with accumulating wealth, while also reminding us that worldly life is merely play and distraction. But have we ever looked toward the mountains and reflected upon the magnitude of the trust placed upon humankind? Our Lord entrusted this great responsibility to human beings and promised the Hereafter in return.
Today, if we do not work for a month, no one will pay us a salary. Our Lord, however, asks us to carry responsibility throughout an entire lifetime and, in return, rewards us with “gardens beneath which rivers flow.” It is not possible to attain Paradise without being tested. The greater the difficulties you experience, the greater the blessings Allah may bestow upon you.
Had the Prophet Joseph (peace be upon him) not been cast into the well, would he have risen to become a ruler in Egypt? Had the Prophet Job (peace be upon him) not been tested through illness, would Allah have granted him so many blessings? The essential matter is not to lose our love for Allah, regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves.
At this point, the following words of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya are particularly meaningful:
“On the journey toward Almighty Allah, the heart is like a bird: its head is love, and its two wings are fear and hope. When the head is sound, the wings fly well. But if the head is severed, the bird dies. If its wings are injured, the bird becomes defenceless and falls prey to hunters.”
The most important thing is to preserve love. For when love is lost, a person feels unable to breathe. At the same time, it is essential to establish a balance between fear and hope. Indeed, when a Companion said on his deathbed, “I am between fear and hope,” the glad tidings given to him by the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) demonstrated just how precious this balance truly is.
Ozan Dur
Yasmin Mogahed, Reclaim Your Heart, translated into Turkish by Gülcan Pamak
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