Praising Allāh in the Midst of Calamity

One of the Salaf said, “When I am afflicted with calamity, I praise Allāh four times: I praise Allāh for it not being worse than it is, I praise Allāh for nourishing me with the ability to bear it patiently, I praise Him for granting me the accord to say, ‘To Allāh we belong and to Him we return,’ and I praise Him for not making the tribulation in my religion.”

Looking to relief through patience is an act of worship since tribulation never remains forever.

Patiently bear every calamity, take heart,

Know that harm never endures forever.

Be patient, just as the nobles were patient:

It is a fleeting event; here today, gone tomorrow. 

If the most severely afflicted person were to be dipped but once in the bliss of Paradise and then asked, “Have you ever seen calamity?” He will reply, “My Lord, no!” [1]

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Gratitude: One of the Greatest Blessings

As regards one whose deeds are great and many, he must busy himself with showing gratitude for them, for the accord to show gratitude is one of the greatest blessings Allah bestows upon His servant. It is obligatory upon him to meet these deeds with gratitude and realize his deficiency in displaying due gratitude.

Wahd ibn al-Ward, when asked about the reward of a particular deed said, “Ask not about its reward, but ask about the gratitude due upon one who was guided to it.”1

Abu Sulayman would say, “How can an intelligent person be amazed with his deeds? Deeds are one of Allah’s blessings, as such it is upon him to show gratitude and to show humility. It is only the Qadariyyah who are amazed at their deeds!”2  ie. those who do not believe that the actions of the servant are created by Allah, Mighty and Magnificent.

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‘Shaykh Ibn al-‘Uthaymeen!…’

Concerning the Imaam, the Shaykh – Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (rahima-hullaah), it has been narrated:

“A member of the Daâ’wah and Guidance Centre in Jeddah narrates that during the hajj of 1416A.H, he was in the company of the Shaykh at King ‘Abdul-al ‘Azeez Airport in Jeddah surrounded by the pilgrims who were arriving for hajj.

Here, the Shaykh undertook that which was obligatory upon him by giving daâ’wah to the arriving pilgrims. A large group of Russian pilgrims arrived and the Shaykh wanted to offer some words (of daâ’wah) to them. So he asked if there was a translator amongst them. Then, the (Russian) guide for the group came forward not knowing this was Shaykh Ibn âl-‘Uthaymeen.

After completing the translation, the guide asked who the Shaykh was. He was told that it was Shaykh Ibn âl-‘Uthaymeen. At this, he turned to embrace the Shaykh kissing him (on his forehead) whilst crying. He then grabbed hold of the microphone and addressed all the members of his group that this was Shaykh Ibn âl-‘Uthaymeen. At this, tears began falling from the eyes of each and every member of the group, whilst the guide was repeatedly loudly calling out on the microphone ‘Shaykh Ibn âl-‘Uthaymeen! Shaykh Ibn âl-‘Uthaymeen! Shaykh Ibn âl-‘Uthaymeen!…’

The members of the group then came (forward) and conveyed their greetings to the Shaykh and kissed him (on his forehead).

The guide for the group then turned to the Shaykh and said:

These are your students. They used to read your books in shelters under the ground during the Communist rule.

• ‘al-Jaamiâ’ li-Hayaat al-‘Allaamah Muhammed ibn Saalih al-Uthaymeen’ Page 38

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