There are some people who love exams and some who don’t. Personally, I’ve always hated tests. I don’t think I’ve ever looked forward to an exam in school except for the rare times when I had studied and prepared so well that I knew I would do amazing. I haven’t really met anyone who enjoys tests, if you’re someone who enjoys them, may Allah put more barakah in your life. As much as we hate exams and tests, we have to take them in order to pass school, in order to progress in life.
Just like that, Allah SWT gives us tests in this life and no matter how much we hate them, we have to pass them to achieve Jannah. In this blog, we’re going to be talking about how tests are what make us resilient.
Do you remember those days when it was the middle of the year right before winter break was starting and there were midterms coming up in school? I don’t know if this was the case for everyone but for me the exams were all stacked in one week and it was called mid-term week. And the last day of mid-term week was the start of the 2 week winter break where there would be no school for 2 weeks. And then when you’d come back you’d have new lessons and then finals would approach again at the end of the year. And then throughout the months, you’d have a few small tests here and there. Every year of school consisted of exams.
No matter how much we dreaded taking those exams, we knew they’d eventually be over. And now as I’m in my late 20s and I look back at my days in school and college, I barely remember how stressed I was back then. I don’t remember how much I cried because of those exams.
Just like that, we have tests in life. You may feel like things are so tough leading up to the test and during the test. But always remember that every test has to end. No test in life continues forever. Think back to a test you had in the past and try to remember how stressed you were because of it. And now look at how that test has ended and you barely even remember it. Life keeps going on and more and more tests keep coming.
We hear so many stories of how all the Prophets went through tests and trials throughout their lives. And we see how each of them had a beautiful ending and all the trials and tests eventually ended.
Let’s take Yusuf AS’s story as an example.
There are many tests that Yusuf AS went through but let’s look at just 1 of them. When Yusuf AS was thrown into the well by his brothers, he was there alone in the dark for some time. Imagine how hard that must have been. In those moments he didn’t know if he was ever going to be found and if he was found, what would happen to him. All he had down there in the well was his connection to Allah SWT. Eventually a caravan that was passing by found him and sold him as a slave. He was sold to Aziz, a high-ranking official in Egypt. Although we don’t have too much detail to what Yusuf’s years were like while he was growing up with Aziz and his family, we do know that in the Qur’an in Ayah 21 of Surah Yusuf, it says:
وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِى ٱشْتَرَىٰهُ مِن مِّصْرَ لِٱمْرَأَتِهِۦٓ أَكْرِمِى مَثْوَىٰهُ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَنفَعَنَآ أَوْ نَتَّخِذَهُۥ وَلَدًۭا ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ مَكَّنَّا لِيُوسُفَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلِنُعَلِّمَهُۥ مِن تَأْوِيلِ ٱلْأَحَادِيثِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَىٰٓ أَمْرِهِۦ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ (٢١)
“The man from Egypt who bought him said to his wife, “Take good care of him, perhaps he may be useful to us or we may adopt him as a son.” This is how We established Joseph in the land so that We might teach him the interpretation of dreams. Allah’s Will always prevails, but most people do not know.”
So we know that Yusuf AS was treated properly by Aziz and his family. From this, we see that there was some relief from the test that Yusuf AS went through of being thrown in a well by his brothers. He didn’t die in the well and he was sold to a family that was kind to him and thought to adopt him. From this test, we learn patience and trust in Allah SWT. When Yusuf AS was in the well, there was no control that he had over his situation. There was nothing he could have done at that moment to help himself besides pray to Allah SWT. He had to let go completely and just trust Allah SWT. When he was sold as a slave, there was nothing Yusuf AS could have done to stop that from happening. He just trusted and went along with the plan that Allah SWT had for him.
There are so many trials and victories that happen in the life of Yusuf AS that we don’t have time to go over in this blog. But we know that eventually Yusuf AS was reunited with his brother and his father. It took many many years but eventually, the trial ended and ease was granted. His life was planned out perfectly by Allah SWT. We learn so many lessons from Yusuf AS’s life. If he didn’t go through so many tests and trials we would not have the lessons we have today from his life.
We can see that ease is granted throughout trials and eventually, the trial ends.
Tests are what make life worth living.
There are many tests that Yusuf AS went through but let’s look at just 1 of them. When Yusuf AS was thrown into the well by his brothers, he was there alone in the dark for some time. Imagine how hard that must have been. In those moments he didn’t know if he was ever going to be found and if he was found, what would happen to him. All he had down there in the well was his connection to Allah SWT. Eventually a caravan that was passing by found him and sold him as a slave. He was sold to Aziz, a high-ranking official in Egypt. Although we don’t have too much detail to what Yusuf’s years were like while he was growing up with Aziz and his family, we do know that in the Qur’an in Ayah 21 of Surah Yusuf, it says: “The man from Egypt who bought him said to his wife, “Take good care of him, perhaps he may be useful to us or we may adopt him as a son.” This is how We established Joseph in the land so that We might teach him the interpretation of dreams. Allah’s Will always prevails, but most people do not know.”
So we know that Yusuf AS was treated properly by Aziz and his family. From this, we see that there was some relief from the test that Yusuf AS went through of being thrown in a well by his brothers. He didn’t die in the well and he was sold to a family that was kind to him and thought to adopt him. From this test, we learn patience and trust in Allah SWT. When Yusuf AS was in the well, there was no control that he had over his situation. There was nothing he could have done at that moment to help himself besides pray to Allah SWT. He had to let go completely and just trust Allah SWT. When he was sold as a slave, there was nothing Yusuf AS could have done to stop that from happening. He just trusted and went along with the plan that Allah SWT had for him.
There are so many trials and victories that happen in the life of Yusuf AS that we don’t have time to go over in this blog. But we know that eventually Yusuf AS was reunited with his brother and his father. It took many many years but eventually, the trial ended and ease was granted. His life was planned out perfectly by Allah SWT. We learn so many lessons from Yusuf AS’s life. If he didn’t go through so many tests and trials we would not have the lessons we have today from his life.
We can see that ease is granted throughout trials and eventually, the trial ends.
Tests are what make life worth living. Think of a person that you respect. Do you respect them because they have such an easy life? Or do you respect them because they’ve been through so much and have come out so much stronger each time?
Who are you inspired by? Why are we so inspired by the Prophets? Why are we so inspired by people who have gone through so many struggles in life? It’s because it is through how they handled the test that we learn lessons from. That is what we get inspiration from. Someone who has had a life without difficulty is not someone you’d read about. It’s not someone you’d be inspired by. Would you read a book where the character didn’t have to overcome any life challenges? Would you read a book without a climax? Probably not because the plot would be “boring.” Some of the best books I’ve read and movies I’ve seen had a character who struggled so much to get the happy ending they deserved. The bigger the struggle, the better the movie.
Think of your life like that. The bigger the trials, the bigger the reward, and the bigger the inspiration. Every test is an opportunity to showcase our strengths. It’s our chance to become an inspiration for others and help others. It’s our chance to get closer to Allah SWT. It’s a chance to prove our resilience. It’s our chance to live a life worth reading about.
I remember attending Seerah intensive here in Dallas TX that was hosted by Qalam Institute a few years ago. It was a week of intense learning of the Prophet Muhammad SAW’s life. We started from the birth of the Prophet SAW to the passing of the Prophet SAW. And I’m telling you, there is no person’s life that you can learn from more than the Prophet SAWs life. He SAW had so many tests and trials. He SAW had so many challenges. We as a class cried so much at times because when you really learn what the Prophet SAW had to go through in his life, you can’t help but be astonished. But it was those difficult and impossible trials that made the Prophet SAW the most studied man in history. Until the end of time, people will be learning about the Prophet SAW.
The Prophet SAW experienced the hardest of the hardest hardships. He lost his parents, he lost his wife, he lost his grandfather, he lost his uncle, he lost his kids, he was kicked out of his home, he was made fun of, he was thrown rocks upon, and the list goes on. He SAW faced so many hardships that the mind can at times not comprehend that this was one person over just 60 some years. 60 years is not a really long time. A person could spend an entire lifetime learning from the trials that the Prophet SAW went through.
Think about your life. How many trials have you been through? How many tests have you had to overcome? If a book was written about your life, what would the book be like?
This doesn’t mean that you should go out and find hardships. This just means that when you are going through tests, just know that the test will end soon and this is adding to your inspiring life story.
If you live your life like someone whose life is going to be turned into a book one day, then trust me, you will live a much more resilient life. Wouldn’t you rather read about someone who overcame struggles and hardships and came out stronger and better over a book about someone who just cried, worried, and complained?
Make your book worth reading. When trials come your way, take them as an opportunity to get closer to Allah SWT. Take them as an opportunity to prove how resilient you are. Take them as an opportunity to write an amazing life story. Be the hero in your story. Not the victim.
If you feel like you’re being tested nonstop and you’re tired, just remember how amazing your story is compared to others. Think about how every test is an opportunity and eventually every single test will end.
Your life is going to end one day. How do you want your story to be? How do you want your akhirah to be?
Until next time my friend,
Remember you got this because you have Allah.
Your sister,
Mariam
