FAQ in the category of Misfortunes and Disasters

Committing suicide is one of the greatest sins that Islam banned. Committing suicide is a greater murder and sin than killing another person. Therefore ulama (scientists, knowers) even disputed whether the janazah prayer of a person who committed suicide could be performed or not. There is no dispute over the murderer who killed another. The janazah prayer of a murderer is performed.

A person who has the tiniest portion of belief in his heart does not consent to such a big sin and bad ending, and does not attempt to commit suicide. Our prophet (PBUH) informed that committing suicide was a great sin in many hadiths. One of the hadiths is as follows:

"He who commits suicide by throttling shall keep on throttling himself in the Hell Fire (forever) and he who commits suicide by stabbing himself shall keep on stabbing himself in the Hell-Fire." (Bukhari, Janaiz 84)

This hadith tells us that a Muslim must not attempt to commit such a sin under the influence of a worldly event by being unable to bear it. The greatest and the worst worldly event cannot be regarded as great in comparison to a hereafter problem. After all, this world is temporary, it will pass by.

The events that force a person to commit suicide because they are thought to be unbearable may turn out to be not so worthy of sadness after a while; then it will be forgotten in time and new questions will occur.

The wisdom why patience is necessary as soon as the misfortune occurs is justified here.

Believers are not depressed by temporary things; they do not regard them as never ending sorrow and grief. They show patience by saying this will also pass and try to get the reward of the patience. Thus, they transform the misfortune into compassion.

The janazah prayer of a person who committed suicide is performed. There occurs nothing as to go out of belief but something like being unable to bear the pressure of the events due to the weakness of belief. Therefore the janazah prayer of a person who committed suicide is performed. That person can deserve to go the paradise only after he serves the punishment of committing suicide in the hereafter.

One of the reasons why committing suicide is a great sin is that man is not authorized to kill himself. Human body is a construction made by Allah. He who has built that structure will pull it down. Man cannot own his body and his soul....
 

This world is a place of service and hardship, not a place of reward and comfort. The real duty of man is to know his Lord and to live according to the criteria He imposed. And this is done through worshipping.

Worshipping is divided into two:

1- Positive worshipping

2- Negative worshipping

The positive worshipping, as we know, includes salah-obligatory prayer performed five times a day-, fasting, etc. The negative worshipping, on the other hand, is the great good rewards that man gains when he accepts his weakness and poverty, and takes refuge in his Lord and shows patience when he faces  diseases, calamities and natural catastrophes.

On the other hand, it is the prophets - primarily our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) - and pious people, who are the beloved servants of Allah, that have encountered the hardest of the troubles. If troubles were evil, as it is supposed, then Allah would not inflict these troubles on His most beloved ones. As it is stated in the hadith:

“The ones who are subject to the troubles and hardships most are the most virtuous ones and best of the humanity.” (1)

The reason why Muslims face troubles and calamities more is that the punishment of the mistakes they have done in this world will be given here and not left to the Hereafter. As the big mistakes and murders are handled in big courts and small ones in small courts, the mistakes of the believers whose sins are few are cleansed in this world with various troubles and calamities, and not left to the Hereafter. However, the mistakes of the disbelievers are postponed to the eternal place of punishment, Hell, because the troubles and calamities of this world would not suffice.

(1) al-Munawi, Fayzu’l-Qadir, 1:519, no: 1056; al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, 3:343; Bukhari, Marda: 3; Tirmidhi, Zuhd: 57; Ibn Majah, Fitan: 23; Darimi, Riqaq: 67; Musnad, 1:172, 174, 180, 185, 6:369.

Not every trouble is necessarily punishment; not all the troubles and diseases should be seen as reflections of punishment.

It is said in a hadith:

The biggest of the troubles come first to the prophets, then to the people of closeness to God, and then to the other pure slaves.

We understand from the term trouble to be tested with calamities. The outcomes of the hard tests are also great. The questions asked in the examination for officers and those asked in the examination for higher positions are surely different. However easy the first one is, the outcome of the second is much more important.

A very good expression about the issue:
Everything of the fate is good, beneficial. And every evil coming from it is also beneficial. Ugliness is also beautiful. (Risale-i Nur Collection, the Words)

Man must first look at his body. He must think every one of his organs separately. Then he must ask himself, Which one of them is not in the best place, form, size, and duty? Moreover, he must go to his spiritual world and continue with the same observation: Which one is useless: memory or imagination? Which one is superfluous: affection or fear?

As the body is complete with all its organs and can only function that way, the soul is also complete with all its feelings and senses. It can also function only that way. If you take away the intelligence and memory from the soul of man, he cannot function in any way. If you take away the feeling of anxiety, he would get lazy; he would not work for either his world or the Hereafter. If you take away fear, he would grow unable to guard his life. If he does not have the feeling of affection, he would not relish anything.

As is seen, both the body and the soul of man are in the best and most purposeful form. This is the open fate. Likewise, the incidences one undergoes in his lifetime are according to a measure and in order. And this is called the spiritual fate. The open fate is a sign of spiritual fate. Both of them are good in all aspects, of course except for the sins and rebellions performed with our small wills.

In front of the reflections of the spiritual fate outside of our will, we should immediately look at the open fate and endless purposes in it, being but weak slaves, confused of what to do. For example we should contemplate our mercifully nourishment in our mothers wombs: At that time, divine wisdom and mercy tended to us in the best way and we were completely unaware of the things going on.

We now live with the reflections of the same mercy.

We must rely on the mercy of our Lord, who fed us that day, provided our growth, and made every part of us in the best way, taking our lesson to the full from the hadith: Thinking good of God is worship. We should take every event we face as a question of examination and seek the reflections of mercy in the events that we do not like. When man takes his self as the sole standard, he errs. The self of a young is inclined to fleeing from the school and playing. But mind opposes to this. It shows him the good ranks or the possible agonies to him and prevents him from game. So what is pleasing to the self is not so to the mind.

The heart is so different a world. If illumined with faith, it sees every event as the reflections of the divine names. It becomes closer to the fact: Just like all the names of God are beautiful, all the reflections of them are also beautiful. From then on, for this fortunate slave there is no ugliness left.

The ones who say: Both your punishment and favors are pleasing. are fortunate people who have reached to that rank. They have deserved to be the addressee of the expression: God loves them, and they love God

In the Risale-i Nur Collection, beauty is dealt with in two ways: Beautiful on its own, and Beautiful with its results. We can give some examples to this classification: Daytime is beautiful on its own, and the night has a beauty of its own. One of them reminds us of wakefulness and the other of sleep. Isnt it clear that we need both of them?

On the other hand, the fruit is beautiful on its own; the medicine with its results.

The events man confronts are like either night or day. Health resembles day; disease resembles night. When thought that disease is compensation to sins, that it reminds man of his weakness and servitude to God, and turns his heart from world to his Lord, it will be seen that it is also as great a favor as at least health. Health is the festival of the body; and disease is the food of the heart.

Night and day are only one circle of the reflections of power and beauty. There are so many circles like the positive and negative poles of electricity, the white and dark of the eye, and the red and white blood cells. We are surrounded with these couples in our both inner side and outer side, and we derive different benefits from each one.

A relevant verse is as follows: it may be that you dislike a thing while it is good for you, and it may be that you love a thing while it is evil for you (Al-Baqarah Surah, 2:216)

The verse is about war in the way of God, but its judgment is general. And with this verse a different couple is seen: war and peace. Peace is like daytime, everybody likes it; war, on the other hand, is like night. But the future of the ones who escape war when needed turns to darkness, and their generation suffocate in endless darkness. And the ones who are martyred in the way of God in war immediately rise to the rank of closeness to God, and the life of the world they lost becomes like night when compared to their new lives.

Is there any trouble bigger than death? The verse consoles us against the other troubles, diseases, calamities of this world by informing us of that death, which is so unpleasing to us, has great benefits behind it.

In a hadith stated by God, it is said, My mercy surpassed my wrath.

This hadith is interpreted that way: Under all the troubles there are such reflections of God that they surpass the pain and sufferings that troubles cause.

When compared to the eternity, the life span of ours is less than a moment. If diseases, troubles, and sufferings that we face in this short life benefit our eternal lives, then it is just the best. What importance does a life of seventy or eighty in comparison with the eternity? Arent all the transitory troubles and sufferings unimportant in comparison with the eternal bliss?

However, the self wants the immediate relish; it does not think about the future. That area belongs to the mind and heart. As is just stated, not all the troubles are punishment. The events that are unpleasing to our selves and that save the transitory world of ours are: -either divine warning, that turns us away from the wrong way; -either compensation to our sins, that makes us suffer our burden in this world, doesnt let our burden come with us to the eternal world; -or a cause to turn our hearts from the transient life of this world to God and the Hereafter.

On the other hand, troubles are a test of patience for man; the reward of this test is really great.

Finally, they are divine slaps, punishments. In general calamities, all of these factors may have a share; for one group, punishment; for another, warning; and for another, compensation for sins

In personal troubles, this must be the best way: If the trouble comes to us, we should accuse ourselves, and urge them to repentance. And the troubles and calamities coming to others should be seen as a cause of their progress. By this way, we will be progressing in the betterment of our selves, and we will avoid thinking bad about others.

In hadiths (sayings of the Prophet) the Prophet used different expressions while explaining the development of embryo in mother's womb. While some hadiths imply that the embryo becomes alive when it is 120 days old, some hadiths explain that it becomes alive when it is 40 days old. The scholars who interpret the hadith as 120 days have said that it is not forbidden to have abortion before the first 4-month is finished, but that after the completion of 4 months, abortion is forbidden. 

We have stated that disasters and troubles are atonements for the believers for the mistakes they make in this world. However, innocent and pious people also suffer from these disasters and their lives and properties may be harmed. At this point, the first one of the questions that come to our minds is Shouldnt it be right if the sinful only suffered from these disasters and not the innocent?

It is stated in the verse, And beware and guard yourselves against a trial that will surely not smite exclusively those among you who are engaged in wrongdoing. (Anfal Surah, 8:25) There are some lessons we have to take from this verse; but the first thing that intrigues us is why disasters do not exclusively befall the cruel but also affect the innocent. In other words, when a disaster occurs, the innocent suffer along with the guilty; and the innocent may lose their lives and properties.

The answer to that question is that this world is the place of test and question. In other words, if the cruel and guilty were to suffer when a disaster comes, and if the innocent and pious are protected from it, then a situation contrary to the purpose of test would emerge.

an earthquake happens and only the sinful are dragged out of the debris as dead; the others are well. A flood comes, the cruel are drowned, and the innocent are saved by a mysterious hand. The sinful, who have heard of this, begin to repent, because they think that if they do not repent and perform their worship, they will immediately suffer calamities

As a pre-requisite of the test, when a disaster comes, it covers both the good and the evil together. Thus, the essence of the test is not damaged. If the evil only suffered in calamities and cruelties and the innocent were saved, then the essence of the test would be spoilt. The evil also would have to be good. Hence, people with souls like that of Abu Bakr and people with souls like that of Abu Jahl would be in the same rank. For this reason, sometimes innocent people with no sins face with cruelties; but they receive great rewards for these disasters and cruelties. Disasters are atonements for their sins and cause them to rise in rank. If the victims of disasters are children who were not yet to be taken accountable for their deeds, it is hoped from the mercy of God, who does not leave the least good deed and the least evil deed without a result, that He bestows upon them bliss much bigger than other children receive in the Hereafter.

All the consciences that grieve, all the minds that reflect, all the hearts that are wounded and all eyes that shed tears ask; What can we do?

This question is put into the hearts of all believers by the cruelty of Israel.

There emerges another question for the ones who want to put out their rightful rage and to go to war: How can we resist against bombs with catapults and against tanks with sticks?

The feeling of patriotism does not even want to think bout this question and says, Whatever? We must do something anyway.

We are also of the same opinion. We must do something; but we must do something having much thought and made plans about future; and even so many things we must do.

We know that bringing the history upside down and itching to the wound will not be of much help. On the other hand, we think that treatment will not be possible before correct diagnosis.

There is one way for the mind: to come to such a position as to defy bombs with better ones, tanks with more equipped ones. By not entering that long way, we will not be doing anything except lengthening the war, and boosting and spreading the cruelty to other lands.

What is required is not the death of these patriots, but their progress to a certain destination with great sacrifice and effort. If we believed death would solve everything, the first thing we would do would be to sacrifice ourselves. But if this sacrifice would only weaken our side, then we cannot see it as a solution. We should plan our future attentively, and should not hesitate to make any material help that must be done today. It is a duty of fraternity of belief and of humanity to make any material help to the needy whose houses are destroyed, relatives lost and who are thus left alone, who suffer from illnesses, and who despair under bad conditions, and to begin the shipment of food and medication.

Let us continue with the subject by looking into our situation in order to diagnose the illness: Currently, isnt the capital of the Muslim World and especially that of the Arabs invested in the Christian banks for interest? We know that it is allowed to take interests from the non-Muslim countries. But here is an important point we are mistaken: If we are obliged to invest our money into their banks like workers there, then we must take the interest of our money, because otherwise, it would be a kind of help to them. But, without such a compulsion, it is surely not a right thing to invest our money into their banks with the sole intention of making profit. Because, if they give ten bucks interest to our money, they make thirty bucks profit from it; they feed on our money, get arms, and shoot us with our own money. If the patrons of petroleum and people of kingdom of the Muslim world cannot make such a simple reasoning, then we must first warn them before Israel.

Being the community of the Prophet who says: He is not from us whoever is full while his neighbor is hungry., if we make holiday palaces in western countries, and pour water into our baths from golden fountains, while our neighboring Muslim countries grieve under the tyranny of Jews; we must first question ourselves and gain consciousness.

Everybody knows how absurd it is to sacrifice people for idols. But if someone has believed in it, he will perform this cruelty willingly. In the heads of the Jews, there is an idol of faith. They believe that the only nation that has the right to live on Earth is the Jews; they look down on other nations as slaves, and even deem it a good deed to kill them. It is not possible to expect mercy and compassion from these people whose minds are that much confused and whose hearts are darkened. The only solution is to empower ourselves so as not to be defeated by them.

It has become of vital importance for everyone that, in the Middle East, a super power or powers emerge. This power is expected to realize in the Arab World and with the Arab union. The capital invested in interest must immediately be directed to the development of these countries, misery and unemployment must be done away with, the gap of income between neighboring countries must be filled as much as possible, and besides, we must be at least as strong as they are, against the enemy and thus their trespasses must be prevented. The main objective must be not to wage war but to live in peace and to make efforts for the Muslims to catch up with the developed countries.

This duty, as is stated above, is mostly for the Arab countries. Actually, even if they want, they cannot pull back all their money from the western banks. They well know that this would be the beginning of a new war, and they are aware that they are not prepared for such a war at all. At least from now on, they must make a good plan and progress in development with wide strides.

We expect this with great hope. If the Arab World does not go into the way of being super power, they must cooperate with Turkey, which has progressed much in that way. They should invest in Turkey, cooperate with it in commerce, and they both should form a mutual economic power.

This way is long, but the only solution.

To accomplish without working, to harvest without sowing are contrary to the rules and principles of God. Efforts of ours will be a benediction in terms of action, and with the acceptance of this supplication, with God willing, it will be possible for us to succeed much more than we hope.

Peace is absolutely good. These are the good and beneficent results which will take place in peace: we live Islam with all its institutions, get instruction, make commerce, become rich and give zakah- distribution of one fortieth of one's income as alms (one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith), explain Islam to the ones from other religions. Besides, if we were forced to fight, it would be a must on us to perform this duty according to the principles of Islam. In Islam, the rules and principles of war are very important. It is forbidden to harm the children, animals, crops, and the religious people-who do not interfere in the war and tend to their own prayers- of the enemy. The ones who do not obey these will be cruel and it will be participating into this cruelty to appreciate it. At this point, we must pay utmost attention to control our hearts.

The world is the field of the Hereafter. Our enemies harvest an eternal crop of hell from this field for themselves with their cruelty, and finally they will find themselves in a range of punishments the beginning of which is the world of grave. And we must avoid deriving sins and punishment by behaving against the rules of war. Our feelings must not deviate us away from the right path by dominating our minds; our hearts must be victorious against our selves. And this is a hard test for the patriots.
Here, I want to highlight a very important truth our religion has instructed us:

Most of the reflections of the names of God are general, and are bound to some conditions. Whoever complies with these conditions will benefit them.
The one who acts in accordance with the name Hakim-who acts with wisdom- and so acts with wisdom and purpose will get its reward as success.

The reflection of the name Shafii-who gives the remedies of diseases-, is also bound to certain conditions. In this world, every trouble has its remedy. Whoever finds and uses this remedy will deserve health and ease. Here, there is also no distinction of believer-disbeliever.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) informs us that nine tenth of livelihood is from commerce. There are fixed rules of success in commerce. Whoever sticks to them will achieve success; and here also no distinction of religion or sect exists.

Lastly, I want to point out a very important point shortly:

God is the absolute rich One and the One absolutely lacking any need. In other words, he by no means needs anything. He becomes pleased with the Muslims being victorious over Earth by working, but He does not in the least need that victory. To give an example from the world of creatures; it is not the sun but humans that need to see. If all the human beings close their eyes, the sun will get no harm and will not be saddened in the least. If they all open their eyes and start to see again, there will be no increase in the light of the sun. In both situations, the loser and the winner is only the human. Faith is the opening of the eye of the heart. For people to be believer and to benefit from the light of faith is a great profit for them. God does not need this faith, but He is pleased with it. This point must be well understood and every effort must be made for the Muslim World to get out of the misery they have fallen. As long as we fail to show these efforts, wanting the help and guidance of God is like wanting fruits from dry sand.

The unprecedented cruelty done by the Israel fastens the realization of the news related by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) about the future of the Jews. Just like the good news of the conquest of Istanbul, that of the cease of the existence of the Jews upon Earth will take place. In addition, this will be done not by the birds of punishment-that destroyed the army of Abraha- but by the armies stronger than those of Jews.

Finally, we can summarize the duties that we must fulfill against that fire of cruelty:

1- God tasks not a soul beyond its scope. Taking our lesson from this verse, we must determine what we can accomplish, and must do every kind of help that we can to the oppressed.

2- We must boost our progress by knowing that these helps are just precautions for a time, and that the real precaution is being stronger than the enemy, and we must refrain from laziness, entertainment and dissoluteness, extravagance, and the unwariness of feeding the non-Muslims with our own money. We must work with all our capacity, not only to be rich, but to be powerful, to say stop to the cruel and to save the oppressed.

We summon all Muslims to taking great pains, and hope and pray that God may make us successful.

A lesson of truth from the Risale-i Nur Collection: It is required that a Sultan has mercy and favor on his right and punishment and taming on his left. Reward is the pre-requisite of mercy. And taming calls for punishment. The place of reward and punishment is the Hereafter. (Mesneve-i Nuriye)

As it is not suitable for the greatness of the sultan not to award the ones who obey him, so it is also not suitable not to punish the ones who rebel; both of them are an expression of weakness and inability. God Almighty is free of these kinds of weaknesses.

Wanting his punishment not to take place comes to two meanings:

First, not punishing the rebels, the aggressors, and the cruel. This is contrary to the greatness, wisdom, and justice of God. As this is not possible, there is one option left: Second, the condition of man being innately incapable of riot, and being always obedient. This, however, is the definition of the angel, not human.

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Is there any evidence for the existence of "Shab-e-barat" (Night of Barat)" ? Or is it only a misconception?

Laylatul Barat (Night of Barat)

Worship consists in fact of two kinds, positive and negative. What is meant by the positive is obvious. As for negative worship, this is when one afflicted with misfortune or sickness perceives his own weakness and helplessness, and turning to his compassionate Sustainer, seeks refuge in Him, mediates upon Him, petitions Him, and thus offers a pure form of worship that no hypocrisy can penetrate. If he endures patiently, thinks of the rewards attendant on misfortune and offers thanks, then each hour that he passes will count as a whole day spent in worship. His brief life becomes very long. There are even cases where a single minute is counted as equal to a whole days worship. (The Flashes, 2. Flash)

Patience is one of the worshipping responsibilities that Apostle of God (peace be upon him) performed perfectly. He (pbuh) passed the test of patience with having emigrations, wars, misfortunes, and difficulties in the most advanced meaning.

Namaz (ritual of worship centered in prayer) is the Miraj (miraculous ascension to the throne of God) of a believer. Misfortunes and sicknesses are different ascension stairs. A Muslim ascends spiritually as he submits to every command of God and as he avoids forbidden. Patience, in the cause of misfortunes and sicknesses is another way of this ascension. The misfortunes that a person experiences teach him how incapable of himself in the presence of misfortunes such as traffic accidents, floods, and storms. A human who understands that he is incapable of controlling incidents, which occur in his own body as external influences, after taking necessary treatments, with the conscious of knowing not being the owner of himself trusts his God and looks for cure from Him. This aspect is a great development for a believer.

Humans, having different tests throughout their lifetimes, after a brief world life will turn back to realm of eternity. They will be re-united with the essentials of the shadows and they will find and experience benefactions of Marifat (communion with the God) and affection for God in the most perfect form in there.

Our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) invoked God against the destruction of his community. The most important of these invocations took place in his Farewell Pilgrimage, in Arafat and Muzdalifa. In these two holy places, he invoked for many things as God inspired. He even invoked for the forgiveness of the trespasses of others rights.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) most often invoked God not to destroy his community. He recounted to his community:

I asked my God not to destroy my community. My Lord accepted my supplication. He said: Their destruction will be among themselves. When they sin, I will set them quarreling and fighting. I also prayed for the abolishment of this; but my Lord did not abolish it.

The matter they could solve with their wills was not abolished. As long as other communities sin, heavenly and earthly mishaps will befall them; but as long as the community of Muhammad (PBUH) sin, they will clash with one another, their unity nd solidarity will be damaged, and they will fall into discord. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) prayed for the abolishment of this many times; but God did not abolish it-He knows its purpose.

God knows best.

First, we must point out that there is a huge reward from Allah Almightys Mercy for the innocent in such calamities and disasters. Because the possessions that those innocents had had become charity on their behalf thus get immortal and their lives which ended as a result of those disasters earn them a kind of martyrdom for an eternal life. Certainly, this reward is not small in return of tiny and temporary troubles.

Those who tyrannize over people are sure to suffer for it thoroughly in the Hereafter, if not in this world. In this regard, justice will prevail. As for those tyrannized, they will avenge themselves on tyrants; also will be given never-ending bounties in large numbers by Allah Almighty since they were tyrannized for no guilt in the world. When those innocents are asked of their conditions in the Hereafter, they would reply, We have been heavily rewarded here with too little trouble in the world, and besides tyrants got what they deserved. We are very much pleased.

In addition, those who suffered from such troubles may be given various gifts as a sign of Allah Almightys mercy.

Nobody is wronged by Allah Almighty. In addition, He never ignores the punishments of the wrongdoers, just delays it. No one can show more mercy than He can and no one can go further in punishment than Him.

One cannot show mercy more than Gods.
One cannot rage more than Gods

It is not wrong to be sad and cry without revolting against Allah (SWT) during the time of troubles. As a matter of fact, our prophet Muhammad (PBUH) cried upon the death of his son, Hz. Abraham, near his grave. This shows that it is permissible to be sad during the troubles and calamities. However, it is necessary to avoid saying things which are considered revolting such as ‘why has this trouble come to me?’, ‘what did I make wrong to deserve these things?’ and so on.

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The question that is caused by darkness.

Out of our nature, each one of us yearns for what is absent in us. Besides, the one who possesses perfect health does not appreciate the value of what he has and most often stays blind to it. It would be wise to explain the issue with this example: A child who cries because he does not have shoes suddenly sees a handicapped child who has no legs. Astounded, he wipes his tears and thanks God saying O Lord, thanks be to You that I have legs; how fortunate I am indeed, please forgive me and thus finds peace. So, man must be thankful for his state. He must know well what he has and appreciate its value.

To sum up, in deprivation, we should find consolation by looking at the ones who are inferior to us; and in property and knowledge, we should look at and endeavor to keep up with the ones who are superior to us.

Humankind has always sought justice in this world. One thing to know first is that there is by no means real justice in the world. The absolute justice will be seen on the Judgment Day. The world is a place of instruction and test. Here are many complicated issues our minds cannot penetrate, our feelings and senses cannot discern. Let us give some examples.

In the realm of lights, visible lights occupy just the % 4 of the sum. The others are Alfa, Beta, Gamma, Radio, Television, IKS, Ultrasound, Infrared, Ultraviolet, Mion, Laser, Radar, etc. These are comprised of cosmic rays and are invisible in nature. Therefore, we have just % 4 visible areas and % 96 invisible. Thus, even the things we suppose to see fall into a doubtful rank statistically. In other words, we can see very few things.

As for our sense of touch, it is not possible for us to know by touching many small beings our eyes cannot see and such great bodies as far away galaxies and planets.

The power of our other senses is more or less just as weak and cannot suffice for us to understand everything.

However, above our senses is the greatest possession of us that we call mind. We are obliged to complete our many deficiencies by it. Thanks to our mind, many gadgets have been developed and it has been possible for us to know and perceive certain mysteries with it. Nonetheless, mysteries are not few.

Again thanks to the mind, we can observe the reasons of certain imbalances seen on earth. For instance, let us think over a baby who is created as lacking an organ from birth.

As some people think, such a birth is not by any means the injustice of God. Here are great lessons for a wise man.
Just like for the salvation of the country many people sacrifice their lives and others can continue living on that land thanks to the martyrs and the patriots

In this world, which is the property of God, God Almighty wants the continuance of the human generation and their peace. For this reason, it is ordained that people give thanks and be glad for their states. Someone who is generally sound will suppose that everyone else is also sound. It can only be possible by seeing handicapped people to discern that a complete body is a sheer blessing. Therefore, the handicapped, who we see as poor, have great services for the humanity to find the way of guidance. For this reason, I am of the opinion that they are so pure and valuable people in the presence of God as martyrs are. However, humanity is far from understanding many other purposes similar to this. The handicapped and the ill themselves may be oblivious to this ordainment of God Almighty.

Therefore, to repeat, there is no injustice in the states of the ones born with handicaps and the ones handicapped afterwards. There are just meaningful services and deep purposes in question. On the one hand, it is ordained that other people offer thanks for their states and have peace of heart by seeing them; on the other, it is admonished that man must get protection from alcohol, cigarette, drugs, being exposed to dangerous rays, illnesses and other harmful things, otherwise the babies of those people who do not get protection will be handicapped like them.

In spite of these favors of God, the number of unwise, insensible, selfish, and thankless people is increasing with each day, and the number of handicapped youth is increasing proportionately.

In the same way, it is known by all that all actions against the orders of God such as illegitimate births, divorces, adoptions, and family discords result in the increase in youth problems. But, if man, in the face of these wonderful examples of lesson in the world, still searches for peace of mind and happiness with his insensitive and in a way blind state, he will surely find none. If the young generation, by seeing the faults of mistaken parents, does not head for the right way, we would have to be more pessimistic about the coming generations of the humanity.

That those whose child die receive reward is because children intercede for their parents and that their parents show patience. If she bears it patiently, a woman whose husband dies will also receive the reward for her patience, too, God willing.

The most outstanding reason why unbelief and denial spoiled the spiritual structure of our society to such a great extent, and why a lot of doubts, hesitation, superstitions and nonsense have stuck in our minds is that we can benefit neither from the Quran nor Our Prophet that are the sources of true guidance for us. The fact that today science and high technology fail to provide peace in both social and personal life despite their great progress that many crucial principals like compassion, loving-kindness, affection and justice have withdrawn from social life and instead given place to tyranny, despotism and anarchism and that no philosophical doctrine is able to diagnose and treat these problems of the society and that even some doctrines themselves cause oppression and totalitarianism all is because we have failed to seek the help of Islam.

Indeed, the limited and inadequate strength of mind cannot be a fully dependable guide for a human being who is a candidate for an awe-inspiring life and in deep love with an eternal happiness. He can proceed through it to a certain extent He can only find this truth and obtain the joy of both this world and the hereafter by depending upon the prophets.

It is essential that the prophets be sent to mankind so that all divine truths which embrace everything and which are unlimited can be thought to people. Therefore, Allah sent prophets to human beings so that they can discern what is good and what is wrong.

The prophets informed people about the unity of Allah, improved those following them in the way of knowing Allah and saved them from attributing partners to Him and from wrong beliefs.

Those luminous people became the most brilliant mirror for the names and attributes of Allah. They truly loved Allah and caused his followers to love Him. They comprehended the secret meanings of the universe and conveyed them to their followers. Since the creation of human being, they have provided persuasive responses for the most challenging questions such as who are you, where are you coming from and where are you going to?

Indeed, Allah created prophets in the most elevated state, educated their senses and abilities in the most perfect way, and sent them as guides and teachers to entire humanity.

Sometimes, Allah cripples one of His slaves by taking his/her foot; In return for it, He rewards him/her in the hereafter. By taking his/her foot, He makes His slave to understand his/her weakness, disability and neediness. By disabling His slave, He turns His slave’s heart to Himself and allows the development of his/her feelings. Thus, by taking very few, He gives him/her many things. So even if not seemingly, but in reality, it is the expression of grace from Allah for His slave. Just like martyrizing His slave at first, and then giving him/her Paradise… A man is being martyrized in a war. By being martyrized, he gains an elevated position which is envied by siddiqs, salehs in the presence of Allah on the Day of Judgment. Other people who see them say: “Ah, if only Allah had granted us martyrdom on the ground of war”. Therefore, even if such a man is smashed into pieces, He is not considered having lost much.

Even if some people scarcely go astray with pessimist feelings of resentment, crestfallenness and inferiority complex, such disabilities induce numerous people to have a feeling of kindness about Allah. In this respect, it is not true to expose the losses of such people. What forms a basis about this subject is to evoke a desire for the hereafter in the souls of man.  

“Wisdom is present in every work of Allah, He does not do anything meaningless.” Erzurumlu İ. Hakkı

We cannot show a definite cause for this subject matter. That is, we cannot say that every calamity or disaster is given by Allah for only punishment. The earthquakes and disasters on earth have lots of reasons. We cannot evaluate them all in one category.

Please click on the links given below;

It is said that troubles are the reflections of the punishment of God. Is this the case for all the troubles?

Why do the troubles like earthquake, war, plague, etc. happen to the Muslims?

Other Articles and Questions on Troubles and Calamities

Creating an Earthquake

The most important and effective thing to do for this subject is to move away him/her from the environment in which he/she stands in and provide him/her a religious community house (a dormitory like place where students come from abroad and study there while they are not separated from their religious duties such as fasting, praying). Mud definitely splashes to a person who is in a swamp. You should take him/her from that swampy environment and settle him/her in a place where there are decent people. Such an environment must be provided for him/her.

If a female or a male is forced into marriage by being threatened with death, intensive beating or long-term imprisonment, that marriage is not valid. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) stated the following regarding the issue:
“Allah forgave my ummah for actions carried out as a result of mistakes, forgetting and being forced for my sake.”1
The following hadith reported by Imam Nasai enlightens the issue in a very nice way:
Hansa, the daughter of Hidama from Ansar, goes to Hazrat Aisha and complains to her:
“My father forced me into marriage with the son of his brother to increase his prestige. I do not want him.”
Hazrat Aisha says “wait until the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) comes” and makes her sit down.
When the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) comes, Hazrat Aisha informs him about the situation. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) sends for the father of the girl and gives the girl the authority to marry.
Then Hansa says to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH):
“O Messenger of Allah! I will accept to marry him but I wanted to make it clear that fathers had no authority to force their daughters into marriage.”2
What we understand from taking the authority from fathers is that they cannot force their daughters into marriage. Both of the hadiths above show that the consent by the female is one of the conditions for the marriage to be valid. Since forcing eliminates consent, the marriage becomes invalid.
This decision is the view of the majority of the mujtahid imams. However, Hanafi sect has a different view. According to Hanafis, consent, in essence, is not one of the conditions for the marriage to be valid. As evidence, they present the hadith that states being serious and making a joke have the same effect in carrying out the act of marriage.  
However, the view of the majority of the imams regarding the issue is better in terms of the state of the home to be set up and to prevent unjust treatment of the parties in marriage.
1 Ibn Majah, Talaq: 16.
2 Nasai, Nikâh: 36.

The relevant narration is as follows:

Abu Said al-Khudri (r.a.) narrated: One day, when the Prophet (pbuh) entered the mosque, he met a person named Abu Umama (r.a.) from the Ansar (local inhabitants of Medina). Our Prophet asked him, "O Abu Umama, why do I see you sitting in the mosque outside of time of prayer too?"

He replied, "Because of a trouble and debt that does not set me free O Messenger of Allah."

Thereupon, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “Shall I teach you some words? If you read them, Allah will relieve you of trouble and pay off your debt."

He replied, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah, teach me those words."

Our Prophet (pbuh) said: “When the sun sets and the sun rises, read this dua”

اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنّ۪ي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحَزَنِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْجُبْنِ وَالْبُخْلِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ غَلَبَةِ الدَّيْنِ وَقَهْرِ الرِّجَالِ

Allaahumma inni ‘a’udhu bika minal-hammi walhazani wa ‘a’udhu bika minal-’ajzi walkasali wa ‘a’udhu bika minal-jubni walbukhli wa ‘a’udhu bika min ghalabatid-dayni wa qahrir-rijal.

O Allah, I seek refuge in you from grief and sadness, from weakness and from laziness, from miserliness and from cowardice, from being overcome by debt and overpowered by men.

Abu Umama (r.a.) says: I read this prayer and Allah (c.c.) relieved me of my sorrow and allowed me to pay my debt. (Abu Dawud, Salah 367)

As understood from the hadith, Abu Umama (r.a.) went to the Masjid an-Nabawi under the pressure of his debts and troubles, and sought refuge in Allah. When our Prophet (pbuh) came to the mosque and saw Abu Umama there, although it was not time for prayer, he asked the reason for his attitude. When he learned about the situation, he recommended a dua to him and informed him that if he recited the dua which He taught him, Allah would relieve him of his grief and make it easier for him to pay his debts.

Islam prohibits Muslims from damning/cursing themselves and other Muslims. The Prophet (pbuh) stated the following:

“Do not damn yourselves, your children and your wealth; your damning will be accepted if you say it at a time when prayers are accepted.” (Muslim, Zuhd 74; Abu Dawud, Witr 27)

The Prophet (pbuh) avoided damning. He said he was not a prophet that damned but that showed mercy. (Muslim, Birr 87)

When he went to Taif from Makkah in order to convey the message of Islam, he was treated very badly; he was stoned while he was returning and his blessed feet were in blood. Meanwhile, he was informed by Allah that "his damning them would be accepted and He would destroy them if he wished." However, the Prophet (pbuh) said, "O Lord! No! Maybe children that will worship You will be born from them." The Prophet (pbuh) prayed as follows for his enemies who broke his tooth and wounded his face at Uhud:

"O Allah! Guide my nation because they do not know what they are doing." (Tajrid Sarih Translation IV/314)

When he was asked to damn against the tribe of Daws, who did not accept Islam despite all efforts, prayed as follows:  

"O Lord! Guide the tribe of Daws; make them join us." (Tajrid Sarih Translation VIII, 344)

However, the Prophet (pbuh) sometimes damned the enemies of Allah. He damned the tribe of Kilab, who martyred seventy Muslims who went to them to call them to Islam, in Bi’r Mauna. He also damned the polytheists who made fun of him in the Kaaba while he was performing prayers. He saw that they were killed during the Battle of Badr. (Tajrid Sarih Translation, X; 43-45) During the Battle of Khandaq, he prayed Allah so that the enemy who gathered around Madinah would be scattered; thereupon, a storm that broke out suddenly at night turned the enemy upside down. (Tajridi Sarih Translation, VIII, 342-343)

We can say that Muslims should avoid damning other Muslims even if they are sinners.

A person who oppresses others in this world will not get away with his oppression. He will be punished for his oppression in this world; he will also be punished severely in the hereafter. What the oppressed person needs to do is to show patience.  

Some hadiths regarding the issue and their short explanations:

“…Damning a believer is like killing him." (Bukhari, Janaiz 84, Muslim, Iman 176, 177)

Damning means wishing a person to be kept away from Allah’s mercy both in the world and the hereafter. To say “Damn you”, “God damn” “damned”, “damned man”, etc. means to want that person to be deprived of and be kept away from mercy whether one is aware of what he says or not. The first being that was damned is Satan. Shaytan alayhil-la'na is an expression that is used frequently, meaning "Satan, who was driven away from Allah's mercy".

To damn a believer means to wish that he will be deprived of divine mercy eternally like Satan. That is a very big crime like violating the right to live of a Muslim, that is, killing him. It even means to want a Muslim to die. A person who kills deprives the Muslim he kills of worldly rights and interests only. A person who damns tries to prevent a Muslim’s happiness both in the world and the hereafter whether what he wishes comes true or not.   

The decree that a person who damns needs to be killed like a murderer cannot be deduced from the determination "Damning a believer is like killing him." However, it shows the bigness of the crime he commits. Not the penalty in the world but the spiritual responsibility of a person who damns is equal to that of a murderer.

It is not easy to kill a believer because it is a deed. However, it is easy to damn a believer because it is a word. When this difference is considered, it is understood that the threat expressed by the hadith aims to prevent a person from damning by thinking that "it is easy."

"It does not fit a siddiq to damn." (Muslim, Birr 84; Tirmidhi, Birr 72)

Siddiq means an honest and veracious person. The hadith states that it does not fit such a person to damn. If a person damns others due to unnecessary reasons, it means there is a flaw in the quality of belief and Islam of that person. It means he has not reached the level of being honest and veracious.

"Those who damn will be neither intercessors nor witnesses on the Day of Judgment." (Muslim, Birr 85, 86; Abu Dawud, Adab 45)

The hadith shows the deprivation of those who habitually damn others on the Day of Judgment. Such people will not be able to intercede for anybody and witness on the Day of Judgment; they cannot experience such happiness. This is both an indicator and penalty of being away from nice feelings and relationships like pity and mercy that need to exist among believers. It means, the intercession and witnessing of those who damn will not be accepted on the Day of Judgment.

"Do not damn one another with Allah's curse, wrath or Hell" (Abu Dawud, Adab 45; Tirmidhi, Birr 48)

Muslims are warned not to damn and curse one another with statements like "Allah damn you", "May Allah's wrath hit you" and "Burn in Hell". Wishing damnation, wrath and penalty are statements that believers should not utter even in order to soothe their fury.  

"A dignified believer cannot have the habit of criticizing, damning, doing bad deeds and uttering bad words." (Tirmidhi, Birr 48)

Dignified believers do not defame and damn others; they do not overstep the limits related to deeds and words; they do not act immorally. The biggest danger of those deeds, which indicate lack of dignity, especially the deed of damning habitually, is the return of the damnation to the person who damns:

"When a man curses anything, the curse goes up to heaven and the gates of heaven are locked against it. Then it comes down to the earth and its gates are locked against it. Then it goes right and left, and if it finds no place of entrance it returns to the thing which was cursed, and if it finds no place of entrance it returns to the thing which was cursed, and if it deserves what was said (it enters it), otherwise it returns to the one who uttered it." (Abu Dawud, Adab 45; Tirmidhi, Birr 48)

If a curse/damn cannot find a place in heaven and on earth, it returns to the person who is cursed/damned; if he is a person that deserves damnation, it remains with him; otherwise, it returns to the person who curses/damns. The curse of the person who curses becomes valid for himself. It means a person’s preparing his own damnation with his own mouth. Doubtlessly, a sane and dignified believer does not want to fall into such a ridiculous and painful state. The way to avoid such a situation is not to curse/damn others.    

Conclusion:

- Man should not damn himself, his relatives, others, animals and even other beings.

- Such meaningless wishes might be realized if they are uttered at a time when prayers are accepted.

- Muslims should always utter nice words and good prayers; they must never utter bad words.

- It is a big sin to damn a Muslim.

- It fits Muslims to wish mercy for one another, not damnation.

- It does not fit an honest and veracious person to damn..

- Those who damn will be deprived of the right to intercede and witness in the hereafter.

- Dignified believers do not wish damnation, wrath and penalty for others; they do not utter bad words; they do not overstep the limits and they do not act immorally.

- A curse will not remain suspended. If the person who is cursed does not deserve it, the curse will return to the person who curses.

- Wishing mercy and goodness fits a Muslim. For, those who wish goodness for others actually wish goodness for themselves.

Ata Ibn Yasar narrates:

"The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"When a slave is ill, Allah sends two angels to him and says to them,

‘Go and look what my slave says to his visitors’.

If he praises Allah and lauds Allah when they come to him, they take that up to Allah, who knows best. Thereupon, Allah He says,

'If I make my slave die, I will make him enter Paradise. If I heal him, I will replace his flesh with better flesh and his blood with better blood and I will efface his evil actions.'" [Muwatta, Ayn 5, (2; 940)]

This hadith mentions the great thawab a believing slave will receive when he becomes ill but shows patience, does not complain to Allah about his illness and praises Him. The wording of the hadith expresses this reward as a definite promise.

This hadith mentions the great and special reward a patient will receive if he does not complain to Allah about his illness and continues praising Him. It is stated that if such a person dies, his spirit will be purified and he will go to Paradise directly and that if he does not die, his body will be purified from illnesses.

The Quran and hadiths are a test from beginning to end. From this point of view, it is not appropriate to limit test within certain borders. For, the life itself, its creation and its end with death are all tests:

“He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed: and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving.” (al-Mulk, 67/2)

That is, everything that interests life in the world and the hereafter is a test and trial. 

However, there are words used directly in the sense of testing and trying. The most important two words among them are bala and fitnah. We will try to answer based on those two words. We advise you look at the interpretations of the verses in question and the explanations of the hadiths.

Bala, Ibtila

The word bala is used in the sense of “to wear off, to try, to test, grief, misfortune, hardship and trouble” in the Quran.

The horrible tortures Pharaoh inflicted upon Sons of Israel are described as 
- “tremendous trial” (balaun azim, al-Baqara 2/49; al-A‘raf 7/141; Ibrahim 14/6) and
- “manifest trial” (balaun mubin, ad-Dukhan 44/33).

Hz. Ibrahim’s attempt to sacrifice his son Ismail is also called “obviously a trial” (al-balaul-mubin) (as-Saaffat 37/106).

The success of the slave in this test in which Allah tried him is described as a “gracious trial” (balaun hasan). In this context, the Battle of Badr and the victory at the end of it is described as “balaun hasan”, that is, a successful test. (see al-Anfal 8/17)

The religious responsibilities are expressed with the word bala (ibtila) in verse 155 of the chapter of al-Baqara and in verse 31 of the chapter of Muhammad

Allah’s giving fear and hunger, decreasing goods, lives or fruits are also expressed as bala. (see al-Baqara 2/155)

In fact, the world is a place of bala (test) where who will do the best deeds will be seen; and death and life were created for this according to the Quran. (see al-Mulk 67/2)

The Prophet (pbuh) was sent to be tested and to test. (see Muslim, Jannah, 63)

Allah tests everybody, first and foremost, the prophets. According to a hadith the sufists lay emphasis on a lot, the people that are tried the hardest are the prophets and then those who resemble them. (see Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 56; Ibn Majah, Fitan, 23; Darimi, Raqaiq, 67; Bukhari, Marḍa, 3)

It is inevitable for man to confront problems and misfortunes. For, the real personality of man is revealed as a result of testing. As leather is tanned so is man tried; gold is tried by fire and man is tried by misfortunes.

Only great man can endure great tests. According to a hadith, the greatness of thawab to get depends on the greatness of the misfortunes. Therefore, Allah sends misfortunes to His beloved slaves. He who shows consent to it attains Allah’s consent. He who rebels is hit by Allah’s wrath. (Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 56; Ibn Majah, Fitan, 23)

Being hit by misfortunes causes a person to be purified of his sins and to be elevated spiritually. There are some sins that can be forgiven only when a person shows patience in the face of misfortunes. Hz. Aisha states that she has never seen anyone who suffered more severe pains than the Prophet (pbuh). (see Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 56)

The sins of a believer who suffers from an illness is forgiven.  (al-Muwattaʾ, ʿAyn, 8; Musnad, VI, 157)

The word bala is also used it the sense of afiyah, which means peace. According to a hadith, when the people who lived in peace in the world see the plenitude of the rewards given to the people who were tried (in the world) on the Day of Judgement, they will say, “we wish our skins had been cut off with scissors in the world”; and they will envy their state in the hereafter. (Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 58)

However, it is necessary to wish afiyah (health) from Allah. (Tirmidhi, Daʿawat, 91; Musnad, V, 231, 235)

Therefore, it is necessary to show mercy to those who are tried by misfortunes and it is necessary for those who are in peace to praise and thank Allah. (Muwattaʾ, Kalam, 8)

The Prophet (pbuh) said,
- “Do not be abased by exposing yourself to problems that you cannot cope with.” (Tirmidhi, Fitan, 67; Ibn Majah, Fitan, 31)
He always took refuge in Allah from unbearable misfortunes. (Bukhari, Daʿawat, 23)

Fitnah

The word fitnah is derived from fatn (futun), which lexically means “to melt precious metals like gold and silver in fire to determine their purity”.

The meaning of fitnah is given as follows in classical dictionaries: “testing, trying by material and spiritual problem, sorrow, hardship and misfortune”

A woman who places love of fire in man’s heart or prevents him from thinking logically is called fattan. The same word is also used for Satan, who confuses man, perverts him and causes him to be punished, and for a thief since he causes harm.

Gold and silver, which stimulate man’s ambition and causes him to commit sins, are called “two fattans”; Munkar and Nakir, who expose man to a hard test, are called  “two fattans of the grave”. (Raghib al-Isfahani, al-Mufradat, “ftn” item; Lisanul-ʿArab, “ftn” item; Tajul-ʿArus, “ftn” item; Musnad, II, 173; III, 346)

The use of the word fitan in the sense of “severe torture inflicted due to one’s faith” is also common. (for instance, see Jahiz, p. 29, 30, 32, 40)

Fitnah might not express a situation that always causes bad results especially when it is used in the last sense. It can be regarded as a way of positive test and trial that contributes to man’s or community’s religious and ethical development since it strengthens the will of believing, provides ethical purification, enables man to prove his resoluteness in his belief and meritorious lifestyle.

The word fitnah is mentioned in thirty-four verses and the words derived from it are mentioned in twenty-six verses in the Quran.

It is seen that the word fitnah is used in the following senses in the Quran when the resources, especially Tabari’s tafsir book called Jami’ul-Bayan, which is known as the most important resource related to determining the meanings of fitnah based on its usage in the Quran and which became the subject of some special research regarding the issue:   

- Test (ibtila), trial (ikhtibar) and examination (imtihan) (al-Baqara 2/102; Taha 20/40, 85, 90, 131);
- shirk (polytheism), kufr (unbelief), pressures applied by the polytheists aiming to force Muslims to return to polytheism (al-Baqara 2/191, 193, 217; an-Nisa 4/91);
- deviate, make deviate, lead into temptation (al-Maida 5/41, 49; as-Saaffat 37/162);
- penalty, torture, throwing into fire (al-Ankabut 29/10; adh-Dhariyat 51/13, 14; Buruj 85/10);
- attack of the enemy (an-Nisa 4/101);
- Allah’s giving different means to His slaves and revealing their intentions and attitudes toward one another (al-An‘am 6/53; al-Furqan 25/20; see Tabari, VII, 206-207; XVIII, 193-194);
- sin (at-Tawba 9/49);
- seduction and trap of Satan (al-A‘raf 7/27);
- suggestions thrown in by Satan to those in whose hearts is a disease (al-Hajj 22/53);
- temptation (al-Hadid 57/14; see Tabari, XXVII, 226);
- madness (al-Qalam 68/6)

Tabari reminds that the real meaning of fitnah in Arabic is “testing and trial” and points out that the other uses are basically related to this meaning.

Trial and testing can be related to the risky things that are regarded as boons like wealth, property, children and health as well as problems like poverty, illness, misfortune, attack of Satan or enemy. (Jamiʿul-Bayan, I, 461-462; XVI, 162, 196-197, 200, 235)

This issue is clearly stated in the following verse in particular: “…and We test you by evil and by good by way of trial…” (al-Anbiya 21/35).

“…If good befalls them, they are, therewith, well content; but if a trial comes to them, they turn on their faces…” (al-Hajj 22/11) It is seen that fitnah is used as the opposite of good in the verse above. According to Tabari, the word fitnah in the verse above expresses hardships like financial difficulty, misfortune and torture. (ibid, XVII, 122)

Various forms of testing and trial expressed by the concept fitnah are indicated in the Quran.

Fitnah can be a test applied by Allah on His slaves.

- Allah tests people by evil and by good so that they will prove their sincerity in belief and ethics. (al-Anbiya 21/35)

- People are tested through the splendor of the life of this world. (Taha 20/131)

- Possessions and children are a means of trial. (al-Anfal 8/28; at-Taghabun 64/15)

- Ample sustenance or boons in general are also a means of trial. (az-Zumar 39/49; al-Jinn 72/17)

- People are also tested through grief (Taha 20/40) and various troubles (at-Tawba 9/126; al-Hajj 22/11).

Fitnah can be in question related to the relationship between people.

The negative attitudes of deniers toward Muslims are also regarded as fitnah for Muslims because their patience and adherence to Islam are tested therewith. (al-Furqan 25/20)

On the other hand, any trouble to which Muslims are exposed can be a fitnah from which unbelievers will deduce wrong conclusions. As a matter of fact, tafsir scholars explained the verse “Our Lord! Make us not a (test and) trial for the Unbelievers…” (al Mumtahina 60/5) as follows: “Do not make us undergo a hardship and trouble through them or in another way; otherwise, unbelievers will say about us, ‘If they were on the right path, they would not undergo such hardships’; thus, they will have wrong thoughts about us.” (Shawkani, V, 246)

According to the Quran, man can be a fitnah for himself due to his wrong beliefs like denial and hypocrisy or due to his bad deeds. (al-Hadid 57/14; see Shawkani, V, 198)

Besides, things like the following are expressed by the word fitnah in the Quran:
- seduction and trap of Satan (al-A‘raf 7/27),
- suggestions thrown in by Satan to hearts (al-Hajj 22/53),
- Pharaoh’s torturing his nation in order to prevent them from entering the religion of Musa (Yunus 10/83),
- enemy’s attacking Muslims, killing or enslaving them (an-Nisa 4/101; see Tabari, V, 243),
- Jews Trying to beguile the Prophet from worshipping and making him accept their vain desires (al-Maida 5/49; see ibid, VI, 274).

The aim of those in whose hearts is perversity following the part of the Quran that is allegorical is to cause fitnah (Aal-i Imran 3/7), that is, to form doubts and hesitations in the minds of the believers (ibid, III, 180). The believers called “ashabul-uhdud” were tortured by the deniers by being thrown into fire and thus were exposed to fitnah. (al-Buruj 85/10)

In some verses, the subversive activities of the polytheists to make the Muslims give up their religion and return to polytheism and the different methods applied by the hypocrites to do the same thing (at-Tawba 9/47-48; see ibid, X, 145-147) are expressed with the concept fitnah. They even tried to expose the Messenger of Allah to a fitnah with the same purpose in Makkah. (al-Isra 17/73; see ibid, XV, 129-130)

Those activities of fitnah, which were applied with intense pressure in Makkah, continued after the Migration against the Muslim tribes outside in Madinah in particular; they caused some of them to return to polytheism. (an-Nisa 4/91; ibid, V, 201-202)

The meanings of some verses related to testing and trial:

al-Baqara, verse 155: Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere.

al-Baqara, verse 286: On no soul doth Allah Place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray:) "Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden Like that which Thou didst lay on those before us; Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector; Help us against those who stand against faith.."

al-Baqara, verse 214: Or do ye think that ye shall enter the Garden (of bliss) without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? they encountered suffering and adversity, and were so shaken in spirit that even the Messenger and those of faith who were with him cried: "When (will come) the help of Allah?" Ah! Verily, the help of Allah is (always) near!.

al-Baqara, verse 249: When Talut set forth with the armies, he said: "Allah will test you at the stream: if any drinks of its water, He goes not with my army: Only those who taste not of it go with me: A mere sip out of the hand is excused." but they all drank of it, except a few. When they crossed the river,- He and the faithful ones with him,- they said: "This day We cannot cope with Goliath and his forces." but those who were convinced that they must meet Allah, said: "How oft, by Allah´s will, Hath a small force vanquished a big one? Allah is with those who steadfastly persevere.."

al-Baqara, verse 49: And remember, We delivered you from the people of Pharaoh: They set you hard tasks and punishments, slaughtered your sons and let your women-folk live; therein was a tremendous trial from your Lord..

Aal-i Imran, verse 186: Ye shall certainly be tried and tested in your possessions and in your personal selves; and ye shall certainly Hear much that will grieve you, from those who received the Book before you and from those who worship many gods. But if ye persevere patiently, and guard against evil,-then that will be a determining factor in all affairs.

as-Saaffat, verse, 63: For We have truly made it (as) a trial for the wrong-doers.

as-Saaffat, verse, 106: For this was obviously a trial.

al-Hujurat, verse, 3: Those that lower their voices in the presence of Allah´s Messenger,- their hearts has Allah tested for piety: for them is Forgiveness and a great Reward.

al-Araf, verse, 141: " And remember We rescued you from Pharaoh´s people, who afflicted you with the worst of penalties, who slew your male children and saved alive your females: in that was a momentous trial from your Lord.."

al-Araf, verse, 163: Ask them concerning the town standing close by the sea. Behold! they transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath. For on the day of their Sabbath their fish did come to them, openly holding up their heads, but on the day they had no Sabbath, they came not: thus did We make a trial of them, for they were given to transgression.

al-Araf, verse, 168: We broke them up into sections on this earth. There are among them some that are the righteous, and some that are the opposite. We have tried them with both prosperity and adversity: In order that they might turn (to us).

Sad, verse, 24: (David) said: "He has undoubtedly wronged thee in demanding thy (single) ewe to be added to his (flock of) ewes: truly many are the partners (in business) who wrong each other: Not so do those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, and how few are they?"...and David gathered that We had tried him: he asked forgiveness of his Lord, fell down, bowing (in prostration), and turned (to Allah in repentance).

Sad, verse, 34: And We did try Solomon: We placed on his throne a body (without life); but he did turn (to Us in true devotion):.

al-Anbiya, verse 35: Every soul shall have a taste of death: and We test you by evil and by good by way of trial. to Us must ye return..

al-Anfal, verse 17: It is not ye who slew them; it was Allah: when thou threwest (a handful of dust), it was not thy act, but Allah´s: in order that He might test the Believers by a gracious trial from Himself: for Allah is He Who heareth and knoweth (all things)..

al-Anfal, verse 28: And know ye that your possessions and your progeny are but a trial; and that it is Allah with Whom lies your highest reward.

ad-Dukhan, verse 33: And granted them Signs in which there was a manifest trial.

al-Qamar, verse 27: For We will send the she-camel by way of trial for them. So watch them, (O Salih), and possess thyself in patience!.

an-Nahl, verse 92: And be not like a woman who breaks into untwisted strands the yarn which she has spun, after it has become strong. Nor take your oaths to practice deception between yourselves, lest one party should be more numerous than another: for Allah will test you by this; and on the Day of Judgment He will certainly make clear to you (the truth of) that wherein ye disagree..

al-Mumtahina, verse 10: O ye who believe! When there come to you believing women refugees, examine (and test) them: Allah knows best as to their Faith: if ye ascertain that they are Believers, then send them not back to the Unbelievers. They are not lawful (wives) for the Unbelievers, nor are the (Unbelievers) lawful (husbands) for them. But pay the Unbelievers what they have spent (on their dower), and there will be no blame on you if ye marry them on payment of their dower to them. But hold not to the guardianship of unbelieving women: ask for what ye have spent on their dowers, and let the (Unbelievers) ask for what they have spent (on the dowers of women who come over to you). Such is the command of Allah: He judges (with justice) between you. And Allah is Full of Knowledge and Wisdom.

Yunus, verse 30: There will every soul prove (the fruits of) the deeds it sent before: they will be brought back to Allah their rightful Lord, and their invented falsehoods will leave them in the lurch.

al-Kahf, verse 7: That which is on earth we have made but as a glittering show for the earth, in order that We may test them - as to which of them are best in conduct.

al-Anbiya, verse 35: Every soul shall have a taste of death: and We test you by evil and by good by way of trial. to Us must ye return.

al-Ankabut, verse 2: Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, "We believe", and that they will not be tested?

al-Ankabut, verse 3: We did test those before them, and Allah will certainly know those who are true from those who are false.

Muhammad, verse 31: And We shall try you until We test those among you who strive their utmost and persevere in patience; and We shall try your reported (mettle).

al-Mulk, verse 2: He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed: and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving.

al-Insan, verse 2: Verily We created Man from a drop of mingled sperm, in order to try him: So We gave him (the gifts), of Hearing and Sight.

al-Insan, verse 3: We showed him the Way: whether he be grateful or ungrateful (rests on his will).

Some hadiths related to testing and trial:

“The greatest reward comes with the greatest trial. When Allah loves a community, He tests them. Whoever shows consent to it wins His pleasure, but whoever is discontent with it attracts His wrath.” (Ibn Majah, Fitan 23, hadith no: 4034)

“The example of a believer is that of a fresh green plant the leaves of which move in whatever direction the wind forces them to move and when the wind becomes still, it stands straight. Such is the similitude of the believer: He is disturbed by calamities (but is like the fresh plant he regains his normal state soon). And the example of a disbeliever is that of a pine tree which remains hard and straight till Allah cuts it down when He wills.” (Bukhari, Tawhid 32, hadith no: 92, Marda wat-Tibb 1, hadith no: 3, 4; Muslim, Sifatul-Munafiqin 14, hadith no: 58-62)

Hz. Sad (a Companion) narrates: “I asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Which people are most severely tested?’ He said: ‘The Prophets and then believers based on their degrees. A man will be tested in accordance with his level of religious commitment. If his religious commitment is strong, he will be tested more severely; and if his religious commitment is weak, he will be tested in accordance with his religious commitment. Calamity will keep befalling a person until he walks on the earth with no sin on him.’” (Suyuti, Jamius-Saghir, 1/136)

“The people who are tested most severely are prophets, then, righteous people and then believers based on their degrees.” (Darimi, 2/320; Suyuti, Jamius-Saghir 1/1364)

“Strange are the ways of a believer for there is good in every affair of his and this is not the case with anyone else except in the case of a believer for if he has an occasion to feel delight, he thanks (Allah); thus, there is a good for him in it, and if he gets into trouble and shows resignation (and endures it patiently), there is a good for him in it.” (Muslim, Zuhd 64)

"Allah Almighty says, ‘If a believing slave praises Me when I give him an illness, he will get up from his bed purified from his sins as if he has just been born.’ Allah Almighty will say, ‘I have tied my slave and tested him. (O My angels! Record thawabs for him as if he is healthy though he is ill." (Ahmad bin Hanbal, Musnad 4/123)

“Indeed the world is green and sweet, and indeed Allah made you vicegerent on earth. However, He will check how you behave. So beware of the world, and beware of the women. For the first fitnah (mischief) of Sons of Israel was because of women.” (Muslim, Dhikr 26, hadith no: 99; Tirmidhi, Fitan 24, hadith no: 2286)

“When Allah loves a slave, He prevents him from the world just as one of you prevents a sick person from water.” (Tirmidhi, Tibb 1, hadith no: 2107)

“Do not wish to confront the enemy. Know that you are tested through your enemy. However, pray as follows: ‘O Allah! Protect us from them! Drive their harm away!” (Siratu Ibn Hisham, 2/33)

“Paradise is surrounded by hardships and the Hell is surrounded by temptations.” (Muslim, Jannah 1, Hadith no: 2822, 4/2174)

"Among the nations before you, a believing man would be put in a ditch that was dug for him, and a saw would be put over his head and he would be cut into two pieces. The body of another one would be combed with iron combs that would remove his flesh from the bones and nerves. They could not make them abandon their religion. By Allah, Allah will complete this religion. A traveler from Sana (in Yemen) will go to Hadramawt without fearing anyone but Allah; he will fear a wolf as regards his sheep, but you (people) are hasty." (Bukhari, Manaqibul-Ansar 29, Manaqib 25, Ikrah 1; Abu Dawud, Jihad 107, hadith no: 2649)

The month of Safar is the second month in the Hijri calendar. As it is known, the first month of the Hijri calendar is the month of Muharram; it includes the day of ashura. The third month is Rabi'ul-Awwal; the Prophet (pbuh) was born on the twelfth night of this month.

It is known that some months and days in the Hijri calendar are known as holy due to some kinds of worshipping being rendered fard in them and being the date of some important events. For instance, the month of Rajab, Shaban and Ramadan are known as three months of worshipping in which nafilah and fard deeds of worshipping were decreed; especially the month of Ramadan and Laylatul-Qadr (Night of Power) in this month are mentioned in the Quran; the other two are mentioned to form a productive ground for various kinds of supererogatory (nafilah) worshipping in sound hadiths. It is known that the months of Muharram, Rajab, Dhul-Qada and Dhul-Hijja were respected by Arabs before Islam and they avoided wars in these months.

It is necessary to mention here the other holy days and nights mentioned in sound resources: Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Arafah days and nights,holy nights, Friday, day of Ashura, etc. Various kinds of worshipping are performed including, nafilah, wajib and fard on these days.

As it is seen, in Islam, there are certain months, days and nights that are respected and that are allocated for certain types of worshipping but it is not possible to mention any time period allocated for disasters, misfortunes and acts of God. Such an allocation is not suitable for the spirit of Islam. It is not appropriate to declare certain months as months of misfortunes. It is not possible to limit Allah’s will with months and days; besides, such an allocation does not comply with the manners of servitude.

Do divine warnings and disasters not take place in other months? They do. Besides, even if we suppose that divine warnings increase in certain months, it was forbidden by the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) to declare those months as months of misfortunes and inauspiciousness. 

The month of Safar was accepted as ominous by the Arabs of Jahiliyyah and to perform umrah in this month was regarded as a major sin. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) eliminated this belief of inauspiciousness attributed to this month by saying,

“Umrah is legitimate in all months.” (Bukhari, Hajj, H. No:777) 

However, we see that there have been superstitions among people since the time of the Arabs of Jahiliyyah that the marriages established in this month will not last long, that the activities done in this month will be abortive, that the works started in this month will end ominously, etc. 

According to what is reported from Abu Hurayra, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"There is no ill omen in Islam; the best thing is a good omen." (Bukhari, Tibb, 54)

Thus, he stated that this harmful understanding is not present in Islam. The following is stated in another hadith:

"There is no ill omen in things, in the month of Safar and in the hooting of the owl." (Muslim, Salam, 102)

After determining that the month of Safar is a normal month, we can mention the following prayer (dua) that is deemed appropriate to say in the month of Safar though it is not confirmed by reliable sources:

“Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. O Allah! Praise and thanks be to You! I am grateful to you. I am your slave and therefore I am peaceful. I entrust my soul, religion, world, hereafter, end of my works and deeds to You. I entrust the ummah of Muhammad to You from the severity of your power, strength, might and force. You are the one who protects the entrusted things, whose decree is valid and whose qada is victorious."

"Ya Ahkama’l-Hakimin wa ya Asraa’l-Hasibin wa ya Akrama ma’mulin wa ajwada mas’ulin ya Hayyu ya Qayyumu ya Qadimu ya Fardu ya Witru ya Ahadu ya Samadu ya man lam yalid wa lam yulad wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad! Ya Azizu Ya Wahhabu Salla’llahu ala khayr-i khalqihi Muhammadin wa alihi wa sahbihi ajma’in! Amin!”

It is advised that one should perform a prayer of two rak'ahs on the last Wednesday of this month, reading one al-Fatiha and eleven al-Ikhlas in each rak'ah and uttering eleven istighfars and eleven salawat after the prayer.

There is no special way of giving sadaqa in this month. One should give sadaqah in this month as he does in the other months.

Is it sunnah to read the following prayer 100 times between the noon and the afternoon on the first Wednesday of the month of Safar?

“YA DAFIAL BALAYA IDFA’ ANNAL BALAYA FALLAHU KHAYRUN HAFIZAN WA HUWA ARHAMURRAHIMIN INNAKA ALA KULLI SHAY’IN QADIR."

Its translation: “O Allah, who drives misfortunes away! Drive misfortunes away from us! Allah is the best protector, He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy. You definitely have power over all things."

Answer:

It is a nice prayer and it can be said any time. It can also be said in the month of Safar. However, we have not been able to find any hadiths stating that it should be said in the month of Safar. Accordingly, it is more appropriate to say this prayer at any occasion without allocating it to a certain time.

It is fard for a person to protect his life and to stay away from things that will harm him.

When a person becomes sick, he has the right and even the duty to be treated. For, the body is something entrusted to him. It is necessary for the body to be healthy so that a person will worship and fulfill certain Islamic orders and avoid prohibitions. If a disease hits a believer despite the measures, he needs to be treated. For, the Prophet (pbuh) said,

"O slaves of Allah! Be treated." (see Tirmidhi, Tibb, 2; Abu Dawud, Tibb, 1, II; Ibn Majah, Tibb, 1; Ahmad b. Hanbal, III/156, IV/278)

Treatment includes all methods of treatment like use of medicines, cleaning the wound with surgery, blood transfusion when necessary, amputation of a limb, or removal of a limb that has to be separated from the body. During such an operation, the doctor can look at the private parts of the patient as much as it is necessary. However, it is essential for women to be treated and operated by female doctors and nurses as much as possible. For, the Prophet (pbuh) expressed various warnings regarding the issue.

The Companions asked Hz. Prophet (pbuh),

"O Messenger of Allah! Does a person have to be careful about covering his body even when he is alone?"He answered as follows:

"It is definite that Allah is worthy of being ashamed of more."(Bukhari, Ghasl, 20; Tirmidhi, Adab, 22, 39; Ibn Majah, Nikah, 28)

Once, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) went to the place where camels given as zakah were kept. When he saw that the shepherd had taken off his clothes under the sun, he dismissed the shepherd and said,

"A person who has no shame should not work for us." (as-Sarakhsi, al-Mabsut, X, 156)

However, it is permissible to look at the private parts of a man or a woman when there is a necessity. For example, it is permissible for the doctor to look at a man's private part for circumcision or for treatment. Similarly, the midwife looks at the private parts of the woman during birth; when there is no female doctor, a male doctor can treat a woman if it is necessary. For, the Prophet allowed midwives to be present during birth and witness the birth when necessary. This state includes looking, too. (as-Sarakhsi, ibid, X, 156)

As- Sarakhsi (6. 490/1097) states the following about the treatment of a woman by a man:

"If it is not possible to find a woman (doctor) who will cure a boil on the body of a woman, if it is not possible to teach another woman how to treat it, and if the sick woman might die or become exhausted or suffer a pain that she cannot stand, it is permissible for a man to treat it by covering the body of the woman except the place where the boil is. This man avoids looking at the other parts of her body. For, it is worse for a person to look at the opposite gender. Here, it is necessary to decide whether there is a necessity or not. The necessity is the risk of death. When such a risk occurs, it is not permissible to look at her more than what is necessary." (as-Sarakhsi, ibid, X /157)

Treatment with haram things.

There is a disagreement whether it is permissible to use things that are haram to eat and drink, whether they are dirty or not, in treatment.

According to Hanafis, it is permissible to be treated by something haram if it is definitely known that it will cure. Al-Qasani (d. 587/1191), a great Hanafi scholar, states the following:

"It is permissible to eat carrion for a person when he is about to starve, to drink wine when one is too thirsty and to remove the morsel in the throat; similarly, it is permissible to be treated by haram food and drinks if it is definitely known that they will cure. However, if it is not definite that it will cure, treatment with it is not possible. On the other hand, Abu Yusuf regarded drinking urine of camel with the purpose of treatment permissible.  For, the Prophet (pbuh) ordered Uranis, who got sick due to climate difference, to drink the urine of camels of zakah. (al-Qasani, ibid, I, 61)  According to Abu Hanifa, it is not permissible because it is not definitely known that it will cure. According to him, it is possible to understand the hadith about Uranis as follows: "Hz. Prophet (pbuh) stated that this urine will cure only them. (al-Qasani, ibid, I, 61-62)

According to Hanbalis, it is not permissible to be treated with the food and drinks rendered haram in Islam. Ibn Taymiyya gave the following answer to the question whether it was permissible to be treated by wine, pork and similar things:

"Treatment with them is not permissible." (Ibn Taymiyya, Fatawa, Egypt, 1329, I, 270)

Ibnul-Qayyim gave the same answer. (Ibnul-Qayyim, Zadul-Maad, II, 114) After quoting, Sahnun's statement, "Wine and pork cannot be used in treatment", Ibnul-Arabi adopted the same view. (Ibnul-Arabi, Ahkamul-Quran, I, 59)

The evidence they base their view on is the Sunnah. According to what is reported from Tariq b. Suwayy al-Jufi, he asked the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) about wine and the Messenger of Allah prohibited it. Tariq said, "I produce it as medicine." Thereupon, he said, "It is no medicine, but an ailment." (Darimi, Ashriba, 6; Muslim, Ashriba, 12; Abu Dawud, Tibb, II; Tirmidhi, Tibb, 8)

Abud-Darda states that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"Allah sent both illness and cure; He created a cure for each illness; be treated but do not use haram things in treatment." (see Malik, Muwatta', Ayn, 12; Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad I,13, 446, III, 156)

The following was reported from Ibn Mas'ud: "Allah did not create cure in the things that He rendered haram." (ash-Shawkani, Naylul-Awtar, VIII, 203). In another hadith, the Messenger of Allah prohibited dirty medicine and said,

"Allah did not create cure of my ummah in the things that He rendered haram to them." (see Abu Dawud, Tibb, II; Tirmidhi, Tibb, 7; Ibn Majah, Tibb, II, Ahmad b. Hanbal, II, 305, 446, 478; ash-Shawkani, ibid, VIII, 203; Ibn Taymiyya, I, 270)

According to those who hold this view, when there is nothing else but haram things to overcome hunger and thirst for a person who is in great difficulty, the only remedy is to eat or drink haram due to necessity. As for the treatment of diseases, medication is not only this haram thing. There are usually alternative medication or methods of treatment. Therefore, hunger and disease are not the same. For, it is certain that hunger can be removed with the haram food but it is not known beforehand in the same certainty that this disease will be treated with this medication. On the other hand, it is fard for a person who understands that he will die of starvation to eat haram food; it is controversial whether it is fard to be treated with haram in case of illness. For, many Companions and Tabiun did not undergo treatment and no scholar blamed them. (Ibn Taymiyya, Fatawa, I, 259-260, 268-270)

According to Zahiris, it is permissible to be treated with haram things. Ibn Hazm, a Zahiri scholar, says,

"Wine becomes permissible for a person who is in great difficulty. A person who drinks wine in order to overcome his thirst, to be treated or to prevent being choked is not punished." (Mu'jamul-Fiqhi Ibn Hazm, Ta'lif, comittee, Damascus University)

The evidence Ibn Hazm bases his view on is as follows:

"To eat and drink urine is haram at normal times but it is not haram in cases of treatment and similar necessities. As a matter of fact, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) rendered urine of camel permissible to Uranis for the treatment of their illnesses." (Mu'jamul-Fiqhi Ibn Hazm, I, 353; al-Qasani, ibid, I, 61)

Ibn Hazm analyzed the hadiths that those who did not regard treatment with haram things permissible based their views on and stated that some of them were weak; he interpreted the others as follows:  

"It is permissible to drink haram things when there is a necessity for treatment. When they are permissible, they should not be included among “dirty medicines”, which are forbidden to use in treatment; therefore, they cannot be called “dirty”.(see Abu Dawud, Tibb, II; Tirmidhi, Tibb, 7; Ibn Majah, Tibb, II; Ahmad b. Hanbal, II, 305, 446, 478; Mu'jamul-Fiqh, I, 353)

In conclusion, the moderate way about treatment with haram things is the view of Hanafis. If it is possible to treat the illness with legitimate food, drinks and medicine, they are used. If it is known through experience that the illness can be treated by haram food, drinks or medicine, it is permissible to use them in treatment. In this case, the rule "Necessities make impermissible things permissible" is applied. For, an illness is included in the scope of the concept of necessity when it is grave.

Adding intoxicants into medicine

Alcohol and other intoxicants are added to some medicine and they are advised to patients by doctors. First of all, if there is an alternative medicine without alcohol, it should be preferred. If there is no alternative and if it is certain that it will cure or relieve the patient, it is permissible for the patient to use that medicine. Today, most of the drugs used in depressive and neurological cases include tranquilizers. The nervous system of the patient is tranquilized; he is prevented from feeling pain; his sleeplessness is eliminated and the state of panic and anxiety in operations is reduced to a minimum. 

If the tranquilizer used in drugs undergo some changes through metamorphosis, the quality of “dirtiness” of it can change. Al-Qasani (d. 587/1191), the great Hanafi fiqh scholar, states the following while explaining the view of Muhammad b. Hasan ash-Shaybani (d. 189/805):

"According to Imam Muhammad, if something dirty undergoes a change in the course of time and if its properties change, it becomes something else and clean. When something dirty undergoes a change, its properties and meaning change, it ceases to be dirty. For, the word dirty is used for it due to a certain property. When that property changes, its name changes too, like wine transformed into vinegar." (al-Qasani, al-Badayi, 85)

Ibnul-Arabi, a Maliki fiqh scholar, states the following:

"If somebody has to be treated by a dirty animal, he can use it as it is or after burning it. If it undergoes a change when it is burnt, it is permissible to use it in treatment and to perform prayers when it is on him." (Ibnl-Arabi, Ahkamul-Qur'an, I, 59)

Ibn Taymiyya, a Hanbali scholar, states the following:

"If a dirty animal, blood, pork, and similar substances rendered haram by Allah fall into water or another liquid, break up in it and lose their property and traces, no dirty animal, blood or pork exists in it any longer. When wine falls into a flowing substance, disappears in it and loses all of its properties that can be perceived by sense organs, if a person drinks that substance, he is not regarded to have drunk wine." (Ibn Taymiyya, Fatawa, I, 20)

In conclusion, if a small amount of something that is haram to eat and drink is mixed with a medicine in a way that it will melt and disappear and its color, taste or trace will disappear or its properties that are haram will disappear, compared to a dirty substance that is transformed into something else by melting or boiling, it becomes permissible to be used as medicine. (For detailed information, see Abdülkerim Zeydan, İslâm Hukukunda Zaruret Hali, Translated by H. Karaman, İslâm'ın Işığında Günün Meseleleri, İstanbul 1982, I, 312 ff)

The true calamity and the harmful calamity is the one which harms our faith, our Islam and our high ethics. We must always seek refuge with Allah and beg for His help because of these calamities. (see Tirmidhi, Daawat: 79).

However, calamites which are not connected with religion are not calamities in reality. Some of them are warnings from Allah and some of them are a means of redemption for sins and some others, such as diseases, are blessings from Allah, which serve as purification. (see Bukhari, Iman, 39; Muslim, Birr, 52).

As a matter of fact, glad tidings are given in some narrations:

“Sins drop off a person because of trembling with marsh fever just like fruits drop off a tree because of being shaken.”(Bukhari, Marda: 3, 13, 16; Muslim, Birr: 45).

“A disease cleans off a Muslim’s sins just like fire cleans off the stains of gold and silver.”(Ibn Majah, Tibb 18).

And in another hadith, the Prophet says that Allah sends the most violent and the most severe calamities to the ones whom He loves the most:

“People who experience calamities the most are, firstly, (prophets and then saintly people) based on their levels. One is exposed to calamities and tests according to his faith. If his faith is strong, he experiences more calamities. However, if his faith is weak, he experiences calamities accordingly. By experiencing calamities again and again, a person is purified from all his sins.” (Tirmidhi, Zuhd 57; Ahmad bin Hanbal 1, 172, 174).

“If a human being does not to deserve a place prepared for him in (Heaven) with his deeds, Allah sends a calamity to his body or to his properties or to his family so that he is made to deserve this place through his patience to this calamity.” (Ahmad bin Hanbal V-272)

Therefore, believers can experience calamities and troubles because of many reasons and wisdoms, all of which are for their own good.

1- One of them is as a result of sins we commit.

“Whatever misfortune happens to you, is because of the things your hands have wrought.” (ash-Shurah, 30)

“Whatever evil happens to thee, is from thy (own) soul (your own sins).” (an-Nisa, 79)

“Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls).” (ar-Ra’d, 11)

2- Calamities, misfortunes and diseases are sent as redemption for sins.

“One who suffers calamities in the worldly life and shows patience goes to the hereafter purified from his sins or with his sins decreased.”

“Each calamity is because of a sin that is to be forgiven.” (Abu Nuaym)

“Each calamity that happens to a believer redeems his sins.”  (Bukhari)

“Calamities and diseases hit a believer until his sins are forgiven.” (Hakim)

3- Calamities hit a believer so that he will deserve a sublime place in Heaven. For this reason, Prophets experienced lots of calamities and misfortunes. 

“The most violent calamities hit prophets and saintly people.”  (Tirmidhi)

“Calamities hit one to allow him to receive blessings.” (Bukhari)

“Misfortunes happen in order to lead a person to a higher degree.” (Abu Nuaym)

“A human being, of whom Allah wills the best, experiences calamities.” (Tabarani)

“If one was always in good health and fineness, these two would be enough to destroy him.”  (I. Asakir)

“Even if a believer hides in a nest of lizard, someone will still find him to give him trouble.” (Bayhaqi)

“World is a dungeon for believers (compared to the blessings of Heaven).”  (Muslim)

“Whoever loves Allah and His Messenger should gird on armor! (be prepared!)” (Bayhaqi)

In short, we can say the most violent calamities hit those whom Allah loves the most. Patience shown to calamities allows saintly people to advance. The Prophet prayed to Allah to give him endurance against calamities which might hit him.

It is understood from what you describe that you have a serious anxiety problem. Our advice to you for an anxiety problem of this level is to see a religious psychotherapist who is a specialist first without wasting time because in order to solve the problem, it is necessary to understand the psychological dynamic underlying your “extreme anxiety”, especially while performing prayers. If it is understood and if an awareness occurs, the source of distress can come from the unconscious to the conscious. Then, the automatic negative thoughts that cause you anxiety and stress can be prevented.

Excessive anxiety is caused by unrealistic, exaggerated, or negative thoughts whose reasons we do not exactly know. The origin of the unknown anxieties lies either in a trauma experienced in the past or in an event such as violence, humiliation, derogation, attack on personality, injury to personality, etc. Or it happens when what you do and your thoughts, values, and beliefs conflict. In your case, you either had a problem directly related to prayer or you had a problem before a prayer or in an issue that the prayer evoked. Or, the devil gives you false delusions about prayer.

Understanding it can untie the Gordian knot.

If you do not have the opportunity to go to a religious psychotherapist who is a specialist, I hope you will experience some relief when you yourself notice what the main reason for the anxiety is.

1) We recommend you to write the following regularly.

a) The first thing you need to determine: We think that those anxieties started after a certain point in your life, not on the first day you started performing prayers. When did your anxiety first begin at this level, and what changed in your life and world of thought at that time? If you can detect it, you will be relieved because you will realize what the real source of trouble is then.

b) The second thing you need to determine: Do you experience this problem every time you pray in your normal life, or occasionally? If you feel it from time to time, write down on a piece of paper what you go through and what goes through your mind at that time.

c) The third thing you need to determine: When does the severity of the extreme anxiety you feel increase and when does it decrease? What automatic thoughts run through your mind as it increases or decreases?

d) The fourth thing you need to determine: Do you experience this anxiety only while praying, or do you experience it at other times, for example, during other deeds of worship? If you experience it only while performing prayers, write down the automatic thoughts about the belief that you have before the prayer or what the prayer evokes.

If you write those four items regularly for about a month, you will be able to draw easily the scale of the negative automatic thoughts that lead you to anxiety like an electrocardiogram. After that, search and think about how unrealistic those negative thoughts are.

2) Although we cannot completely eliminate our negative emotions on our own, we can reduce their severity and frequency. You can also take some precautions to reduce the discomfort caused by severe anxiety.

a) You should know that none of those anxieties harms your belief, prayers and other deeds of worship. They are like the impurity reflected in the mirror; in such a case, the mirror is not dirty, and the anxieties reflected in your inner world will never harm the prayer.

b) You can practice deep breathing before the prayer. This breathing exercise that you will do when you are anxious will provide relaxation in your body. However, this breath should be diaphragmatic breathing and should be taken deeply. Close your eyes, think of a place or event that gives you peace of mind, visualize a beautiful view in your mind. Slowly count to eight with each inhalation and do the same with each exhalation.

c) Reconsider your thoughts about prayer. It is not the prayer that causes you anxiety; it is your automatic thoughts about prayer or the delusions of the devil. In this context, we recommend you to read the topics of prayer and delusions in the “Twenty-First Word (Yirmi Birinci Söz)” from the Risale-i Nur Collection frequently.

d) Go to large mosques frequently and watch how people pray peacefully there. Engrave their peaceful state in your mind. And then visualize it in your mind. The more often you do this, the more relaxed you will be.

May our Lord help you.

It is worship to show patience to illnesses and not to revolt. It has great rewards.

Illnesses are different kinds of worship for patient slaves.

“Worship consists of two kinds, positive and negative. What is meant by the positive is obvious. As for negative worship, this is when one afflicted with misfortune or sickness perceives his own weakness and helplessness, and turning to his Compassionate Lord, seeks refuge in Him, meditates upon Him, petitions Him, and thus offers a pure form of worship that no hypocrisy can penetrate. If he endures patiently, thinks of the reward attendant on misfortune and offers thanks, then each hour that he passes will count as a whole day spent in worship. His brief life becomes very long.” (Badiuzzaman Said Nursi, Lem’alar (Flashes))

An understanding that will deprive man, who is a traveler to the hereafter, of this second type of worshipping will cause his rank in Paradise to be lower. 

“I was a secret treasure. I wanted to be known and created the creatures.”

Most of those who read the sacred hadith above look at this world; they do not remember the hereafter very much. The source of this incomplete understanding and evaluation is being ignorant of the fact that Allah Almighty is free of time. In fatc, this sacred hadith is not related to this short worldly life.  This meaning will be manifest fully in the hereafter and the miracle of Miraj (Ascension) is a glad tiding of it. Our lofty prophet and famous messenger travelled all of the layers of the sky with this miracle, observed Paradise and Hell, and after these scenes of majesty and beauty, he was addressed by the owner of those manifestations and attained the honor of seeing His holy beauty.  

In Nur Collection, the phrase “great miracle of the sainthood of Ahmad" is used for Miraj. As it is known, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has two aspects: his slavery and his prophethood. He believes in his Lord and worships Him the most in terms of slavery. He loves Him the most and fears Him the most. He performs nafilah worshipping several times more than fard worshipping. He performs prostration, which is the boon that makes a slave approach his Lord the most, as much as possible.

One of the duties of slavery that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) realized in perfect sense is patience. He won the test of patience with migration, battles, so many misfortunes and hardships in the best way. So many lofty and holy deeds of worshipping that we cannot express introduced him to the miracle of Miraj.

Prayer is the Ascension of the believer. Misfortunes and illnesses are another ladder of progress. People who are subject to different tests with such manifestations throughout their lives will migrate to the land of eternity after this short worldly life. They will attain the origins of the shadows in the world, and find and enjoy the boon of knowledge and love in the perfect form there.

In short, to think of a life without any misfortunes and illnesses means to ignore the test in this world and Paradise and Hell, which are the results of this test. Doing so means to be overwhelmed by the shadow, content oneself with it, and to ignore the original.

We do not know about any supplications related to patience only but you can pray by Allah's name AS-SABUR (the Patient One).

Patience is a faculty of spirit; it is a nice trait. A person can put up with unbearable and hard things only through patience. Perseverance, which is shown in order to defend and maintain a right, is possible only through patience. It is necessary to be patient and to get used to patience in order to fulfill Allah’s orders, to resist the illegitimate desires of the soul that are not regarded as appropriate by the mind and religion, to put up with the misfortunes that hit man and that cause great pain and agony, and to overcome them.

The mother of all virtues and the secret to be successful and attain perfection is this nice trait. The cause of all kinds of disgrace is to be impatient or not to be able to show patience as it is necessary. Patience is superior to all virtues. 

"Allah is with those who patiently persevere." (al-Baqara, 2/153, 155)

Patience leads to salvation and success. Patience is hard but its fruit is nice. The Prophet (pbuh) mentions the virtue of patience as follows:

"He who shows patience becomes successful."

"Patience is the key to success."

"Patience is a light."

"Patience is a treasure from the treasures of Paradise."

"It is good for you to show patience in the face of the things that cause you trouble."

With the following hadith, the Prophet (pbuh) emphasized the importance of patience shown as soon as a misfortunes hits man: 

"Verily, the patience is at the first stroke of a calamity." (Bukhari, Janaiz, 32)

To show patience does not mean to show consent to condemnation, helplessness, abasement, to put up with unjust transgressions and attacks that will harm human honor and to keep silent in the face of them. For, it is not permissible to show patience in the face of illegitimate things. It is necessary to feel pain and to struggle against them. It is not patience but weakness and laziness for man to put up with the evil deeds that he can overcome with his power and will and to act laxly related to his needs that he himself can meet. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) prayed as follows:   

"O Lord! I take refuge in you from weakness and laziness." (Bukhari, Jihad, 25)

There are some hardships that are beyond a person’s will and power. When those kinds of misfortunes hit man, it is one of the traits of a Muslim to show patience by showing consent to divine will without getting excited and complaining. As a matter of fact, Allah Almighty orders nice patience (sabr jamil) in the Quran. (Yusuf, 12/18). The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"Sabr jamil is the patience in which there is no complaint." (Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, IV / 303)

In fact, it is of no use and unnecessary to show patience when one can do something and to show impatience when one cannot do anything.  

Patience, which is mentioned in more than seventy verses in the Quran, means to adapt to the obligatory cases that are contrary to human nature and to resist hardships. The purpose of patience is not to feel uneasy in the face of unexpected events, not to panic and to endure. Allah states that he will reward those who show patience endlessly and praises them.

Believers are usually hit by the oppression and evil deeds of Allah’s enemies just because they believe; they are tortured and they have to fight against the enemies. In such cases, patience is the source of power and guard of belief. When the Pharaoh wanted to torture those who believed in Hz. Musa, they prayed as follows:

"O Lord! Pour out on us patience and constancy, and take our souls unto thee as Muslims (who bow to thy will)." (al-A'raf, 7/126)

It is known how the Prophet (pbuh) and the first Muslims showed patience and endured when they were tortured and oppressed.

The aspects of the deeds of worship that are regarded as hard by the soul will be relieved by patience. Thus, we will perform five daily prayers easily and perform fasting on hot summer days. The other deeds of worship and ethical deeds are like that too. The following verses indicate this issue:

"But indeed if any show patience and forgive, that would truly be an exercise of courageous will and resolution in the conduct of affairs." (ash-Shura, 42/43)

"And We shall try you until We test those among you who strive their utmost and persevere in patience; and We shall try your reported (mettle)." (Muhammad, 47/31)

Man often obeys his soul; he finds it hard to obey Allah’s orders and to avoid His prohibitions; he tries to satisfy the bad desires of his soul that it likes; he avoids good deeds and virtues. For instance, he finds it easier to spend his money for his pleasures and entertainment than giving it to a poor person. Playing football is more interesting for a boy than studying. Walking around is preferred to working and earning money.  

In such cases, it is a nice deed for man to choose the good and useful one and to try to do it with patience and perseverance though he finds it hard.

Besides, man can experience welfare or poverty in his life; he can become ill after being healthy; he can be hit by misfortunes like flood, earthquake and fire; the greatest support for him at those times is patience. Doing something contrary can lead him to disobedience and ingratitude to Allah. Allah Almighty states the following regarding the issue:

"... Allah has indeed been gracious to us (all): behold, he that is righteous and patient,- never will Allah suffer the reward to be lost, of those who do right." (Yusuf, 12/90).

Prophets are the greatest models of patience. We should ask Allah to include us among His slaves who "are firmly patient and constant,- grateful and appreciative". (Ibrahim, 14/5)

Patience leads to salvation. Patience is the source of belief and worship, wisdom and knowledge, in short, all virtues. A patient person is a good person. Allah states that those have faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of truth, and of patience and constancy. (al-Asr, 103/1-3)

The Prophet (pbuh) states the following:

"Whoever remains patient, Allah will make him patient. Nobody can be given a blessing better and more encompassing than patience." (Tirmidhi, Birr, 76)

"It is very useful for you to show patience in the face of something that you do not like." (Ahmed b. Hanbal, Musnad, I/307)

Allah Almighty also states the following:

"Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere." (al-Baqara, 2/ 155)

We learn from the verse above and similar ones that Allah tests man through various misfortunes and that those who patiently persevere pass this test.

All hardships are tackled and all obstacles are overcome by patience.

Hz. Prophet (pbuh) states the following:

"Wondrous is the affair of the believer for there is good for him in every matter and this is not the case with anyone except the believer. If he is happy, he thanks Allah and thus it is good for him, and if he is harmed, he shows patience and thus it is good for him." (Riyadus-Salihin, I/54)

Patience, which we believe to be definitely very good for us, is a common trait of prophets. All of the prophets underwent various hardships, were tortured, deported and imprisoned by kings but they always showed patience. There are many verses mentioning the patience of prophets in the Quran. The life of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is full of examples of patience. Therefore, what every Muslim needs to do is to ask patience from Allah and to be patient by thinking that salvation is in patience.

Firstly, the principle “unbelief continues but oppression does not continue” shows that Israel continues its unbelief in terms of their principles of faith because they violated the prohibition of Saturday along with oppression.

Secondly, a period of time that seems very long to us is very short for Allah. The state does not hurry to catch a criminal because it is sure that it will catch and punish the criminal. Allah's patience is definitely more than the state’s patience; He does not have any concern that He cannot – God forbid – catch the criminal. Even if a person lives under oppression throughout his life, it is a very short time for Allah. For, a big penalty awaits the oppressors in the hereafter.

Thirdly:

“Let not the Unbelievers think that our respite to them is good for themselves: We grant them respite that they may grow in their iniquity: But they will have a shameful punishment.” (Aal-i Imran, 3/178)

As it is expressed in the verse above, Allah gives some time to oppressors but He never neglects/forgets them. On the contrary, He gives the oppressors some more time so that they will commit crimes to deserve more penalty because their oppression will infuriate Allah. Long live Hell for oppressors!

The fourth point is this: For Allah’s wrath to come for the oppressors and His help for the oppressed ones as soon as possible, it is necessary for the oppressed ones to show a stance that will deserve help. The abasement and faint-heartedness of both the Palestinians and the other Islamic countries, which are their brothers, virtually invite the continuation of the oppression.  Those who died inshallah went into the presence of Allah as martyrs. However, the disagreement and division of the Muslims that are alive and their supporting the oppressors make them accomplices and delay the salvation of Palestine.

There is no direct relationship between reading the supplication of the Prophet Yunus (Jonah) in order to get rid of coronavirus in particular. This supplication is a supplication that is accepted as it is clearly stated in the Quran; therefore, it can be read for any tribulation.

Therefore, it can be read for coronavirus as well as other misfortunes. If we are to say a number, it will be useful to read it 33 or 99 times.

The supplication of the Prophet Yunus is as follows:

لاَۤ اِلٰهَ اِلاَّ اَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ اِنِّى كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ

“There is no god but thou: glory to thee: I was indeed wrong.” (al-Anbiya, 21/87)

For more information, please click on the link given below;

Is there a hadith stating that he who reads the supplication of the Prophet Yunus will be saved from his tribulations?

This world is a place of service and hardship, not a place of reward and comfort. The real duty of man is to know his Lord and to live according to the criteria He imposed. And this is done through worshipping.

Worshipping is divided into two:

1- Positive worshipping

2- Negative worshipping

The positive worshipping, as we know, includes salah -obligatory prayer performed five times a day-, fasting, etc. The negative worshipping, on the other hand, is the great good rewards that man gains when he accepts his weakness and poverty, and takes refuge in his Lord and shows patience when he faces diseases, calamities and natural catastrophes.

On the other hand, it is the prophets - primarily our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) - and pious people, who are the beloved servants of Allah, that have encountered the hardest of the troubles. If troubles were evil, as it is supposed, Allah would not inflict these troubles on His most beloved ones. As it is stated in the hadith:

“The ones who are subject to the troubles and hardships most are the most virtuous ones and best of the humanity.” (1)

The reason why Muslims face troubles and calamities more is that the punishment of the mistakes they have done in this world will be given here and not left to the Hereafter. As the big mistakes and murders are handled in big courts and small ones in small courts, the mistakes of the believers whose sins are few are cleansed in this world with various troubles and calamities, and not left to the Hereafter. However, the mistakes of the disbelievers are postponed to the eternal place of punishment, Hell, because the troubles and calamities of this world would not suffice.

Footnotes:

(1) al-Munawi, Faydul-Qadir, 1:519, no: 1056; al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, 3:343; Bukhari, Marda: 3; Tirmidhi, Zuhd: 57; Ibn Majah, Fitan: 23; Darimi, Riqaq: 67; Musnad, 1:172, 174, 180, 185, 6:369.

"Worship consists in fact of two kinds, positive and negative. What is meant by the positive is obvious. As for negative worship, this is when one afflicted with misfortune or sickness perceives his own weakness and helplessness, and turning to his Compassionate Lord, seeks refuge in Him, meditates upon Him, petitions Him, and thus offers a pure form of worship that no hypocrisy can penetrate. If he endures patiently, thinks of the reward attendant on misfortune and offers thanks, then each hour that he passes will count as a whole day spent in worship. His brief life becomes very long." (Lem'alar, İkinci Lem'a)

One of the duties of worship that the Messenger of Allah performed perfectly is patience. He passed the test of patience successfully through migration, wars and so many misfortunes and problems.

Prayer is the ascension (Miraj) of the believer. Misfortunes and diseases are another ladder of ascension. A Muslim rises spiritually as he obeys every command of Allah and avoids every prohibition of His. Another form of this ascension takes place through showing patience in the face of misfortunes and illnesses. The misfortunes that hit man teach him that he is a weak slave and that he has no power to prevent any incidents from traffic accidents to floods and storms. Illnesses repeat the same thing in the inner world of man. A person who understands very well that he cannot control the incidents like external influences in his own body puts his trust in his Lord and expects the cure from Him after taking the necessary precautions for treatment. This is a great progress for the believer.

People who undergo different tests with such different manifestations throughout life will move to the land of eternity after this short world life. They will attain the origin of these shadows and they will find and taste the blessings of knowledge and love in the perfect form there.

Patience is a faculty of the spirit; it is a nice trait. A person can put up with unbearable and hard things only through patience. Perseverance, which is shown in order to defend and maintain a right, is possible only through patience. It is necessary to be patient and to get used to patience in order to fulfill Allah’s orders, to resist the illegitimate desires of the soul that are not regarded as appropriate by the mind and religion, to put up with the misfortunes that hit man and that cause great pain and agony, and to overcome them.

The mother of all virtues and the secret to be successful and attain perfection is this nice trait. The cause of all kinds of disgrace is to be impatient or not to be able to show patience as it is necessary. Patience is superior to all virtues. 

"Allah is with those who patiently persevere." (al-Baqara, 2/153, 155).

Patience leads to salvation and success. Patience is hard but its fruit is nice. The Prophet (pbuh) mentions the virtue of patience as follows:

"Patience is a light."
"He who shows patience becomes successful."
"Patience is the key to success."
"Patience is a treasure from the treasures of Paradise."
"It is good for you to show patience in the face of the things that cause you trouble."

With the following hadith, the Prophet (pbuh) emphasizes the importance of patience shown as soon as a misfortunes hits man:

"Verily, the patience is at the first stroke of a calamity." (Bukhari, Janaiz, 32)

To show patience does not mean to show consent to condemnation, helplessness, abasement, to put up with unjust transgressions and attacks that will harm human honor and to keep silent in the face of them. For, it is not permissible to show patience in the face of illegitimate things. It is necessary to feel pain and to struggle against them. It is not patience but weakness and laziness for man to put up with the evil deeds that he can overcome with his power and will and to act laxly related to his needs that he himself can meet. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) prayed as follows:

"O Lord! I take refuge in you from weakness and laziness." (Bukhari, Jihad, 25)

There are some hardships that are beyond a person’s will and power. When those kinds of misfortunes hit man, it is one of the traits of a Muslim to show patience by showing consent to divine will without getting excited and complaining. As a matter of fact, God Almighty orders nice patience (sabr jamil) in the Quran. (Yusuf, 12/18). The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, "Sabr jamil is the patience in which there is no complaint." In fact, it is of no use and unnecessary to show patience when one can do something and to show impatience when one cannot do anything.

Patience, which is mentioned in more than seventy verses in the Quran, means to adapt to the obligatory cases that are contrary to human nature and to resist hardships. The purpose of patience is not to feel uneasy in the face of unexpected events, not to panic and to endure. Allah states that he will reward those who show patience endlessly and praises them.

Believers are usually hit by the oppression and evil deeds of Allah’s enemies just because they believe; they are tortured and they have to fight against the enemies. In such cases, patience is the source of power and guard of belief. When Pharaoh wanted to torture those who believed in Hz. Musa, they prayed as follows:

"O Lord! Pour out on us patience and constancy, and take our souls unto thee as Muslims (who bow to thy will)." (al-A'raf, 7/126)

It is known how the Prophet (pbuh) and the first Muslims showed patience and endured when they were tortured and oppressed.

The aspects of the deeds of worship that are regarded as hard by the soul will be relieved by patience. Thus, we will perform five daily prayers easily and perform fasting on hot summer days. The other deeds of worship and ethical deeds are like that too. The following verses indicate this issue:

"But indeed if any show patience and forgive, that would truly be an exercise of courageous will and resolution in the conduct of affairs." (ash-Shura, 42/43);

"And We shall try you until We test those among you who strive their utmost and persevere in patience; and We shall try your reported (mettle)." (Muhammad, 47/31).

Man often obeys his soul; he finds it hard to obey Allah’s orders and to avoid His prohibitions; he tries to satisfy the bad desires of his soul that it likes; he avoids good deeds and virtues. For instance, he finds it easier to spend his money for his pleasures and entertainment than giving it to a poor person. Playing football is more interesting for a boy than studying. Walking around is preferred to working and earning money.  

In such cases, it is a nice deed for man to choose the good and useful one and to try to do it with patience and perseverance though he finds it hard.

Besides, man can experience welfare or poverty in his life; he can become ill after being healthy; he can be hit by misfortunes like flood, earthquake and fire; the greatest support for him at those times is patience. Doing something contrary can lead him to disobedience and ingratitude to Allah. God Almighty states the following regarding the issue:

"Behold, he that is righteous and patient,- never will Allah suffer the reward to be lost, of those who do right." (Yusuf, 12/90).

Prophets are the greatest models of patience. We should ask Allah to include us among His slaves who "are firmly patient and constant,- grateful and appreciative". (Ibrahim, 14/5)

Patience leads to salvation. Patience is the source of belief and worship, wisdom and knowledge, in short, all virtues. A patient person is a good person. Allah states that those have faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of truth, and of patience and constancy will attain salvation. (al-Asr, 103/1-3)

The Prophet (pbuh) states the following:

"Whoever remains patient, Allah will make him patient. Nobody can be given a blessing better and more encompassing than patience." (Tirmidhi, Birr, 76)

"It is very useful for you to show patience in the face of something that you do not like." (Ahmed b. Hanbal, Musnad, I/307)

God Almighty also states the following:

"Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere." (al-Baqara, 2/ 155)

We learn from the verse above and similar ones that Allah tests man through various misfortunes and that those who patiently persevere pass this test.

All hardships are tackled and all obstacles are overcome by patience.

Hz. Prophet (pbuh) states the following:

"Wondrous is the affair of the believer for there is good for him in every matter and this is not the case with anyone except the believer. If he is happy, he thanks Allah and thus it is good for him, and if he is harmed, he shows patience and thus it is good for him." (Riyadus-Salihin, I/54)

Patience, which we believe to be definitely very good for us, is a common trait of prophets. All of the prophets underwent various hardships, were tortured, deported and imprisoned by kings but they always showed patience.

There are many verses mentioning the patience of prophets in the Quran. The life of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is full of examples of patience. Therefore, what every Muslim needs to do is to ask patience from Allah and to be patient by thinking that salvation is in patience.

The crime of raping

In the Islamic law, no distinction has been made about the attribute of forcing. According to the Islamic law, what matters is committing fornication “by force”. Accordingly, force, whether material or spiritual, will be sufficient for the formation of the element of the crime.

What we mean by material force is that the rapist limits the actions of the victim in a way that makes it impossible for her to prevent the act of raping. It can occur as the victim being tied up, being beaten so much as to faint, or being threatened with a weapon or lethal tool. Spiritual force, on the other hand, is generally in the form of the rapist’s threatening the victim to kill her spouse, children or family, something that the victim cannot bear if she does not consent. (1)

To sum up, the force used to commit the crime of rape can be material or spiritual; material force consists of the use of violence while spiritual force occurs through threatening.

Punishing the guilty

All criminals and oppressors will be punished either in this world or in the hereafter; they can never get away with it. People who have been persecuted seek their legal rights; and if they cannot obtain their rights in this way, they are left to the hereafter.

One of the conditions for punishing a man or woman who committed fornication is that the fornication should be committed based on one’s own free will. Islamic scholars agree unanimously that no punishment is required for a woman who is forced into fornication.

In addition, four witnesses are necessary to prove fornication but the number of witnesses related to rape does not have to be four. If the number of witnesses who saw that the woman had been raped is fewer than four, the penalty of tazir is applied to the rapist. If the woman cannot prove that she has been raped, she does not have to be punished by qadhf (slander of fornication).

Penalties for fornication and rape are among the rights of Allah. Since it is a crime committed against the society, it is regarded as one of the rights of the society. Thus, it is not necessary for the victim to be a plaintiff for the aggressor to be punished; even if there is no complaint by the victim, the rapist is punished if his crime is proved.

Even if the rape does not occur, penalty of tazir is in question for such harassment.

Ta’zir penalty is the punishment that the judge deems appropriate, such as harsh words, imprisonment, flogging and death, depending on the state of the offender and the attribute of the crime.

Accordingly, the person who raped can also be given the death penalty within the scope of the penalty of tazir.

The penalty for fornication is stated as follows in the Quran:

“The woman and the man guilty of adultery or fornication,- flog each of them with a hundred stripes: Let not compassion move you in their case, in a matter prescribed by Allah, if ye believe in Allah and the Last Day: and let a party of the Believers witness their punishment.” (an-Nur, 24/2)

The penalty varies depending on whether the person who fornicates is married or single. If he/she is single, flogging with a hundred stripes is necessary; if he/she is married, the penalty is being stoned. However, either four people must witness that they saw it, or the person who has committed fornication must confess to the state authorities four times separately that he has committed fornication and must want to be punished for penalty to be imposed. Otherwise, the penalty will occur in the hereafter. The persecuted person will receive his/her right, and the persecutor will be punished duly in the hereafter.

First of all, it should be known that no punishment can be applied by individuals in Islam. On the contrary, if it is determined that such a crime has been committed by the courts of the state, the punishment is given by the state. Otherwise, an imaginary crime might be created due to grudge, suggestions of the soul and the devil, feelings of hatred and enmity, and slanders to punish people arbitrarily and unjustly. In addition, due to the nonsense of “restoring one’s honor”, not one, but dozens of murders can be committed – because of blood feuds. In terms of religion, nobody one has the right to do it as an individual.

On the one hand, the religion of Islam states that it is a very bad crime and aims to distance people from fornication by arousing disgust in the conscience of people in the face of such bad deeds. On the other hand, it aims to prevent slanders of fornication by stating that if that grave crime is falsely attributed to a person and slandered, the slanderer will be punished with a hadd penalty of being flogged with a hundred stripes.

In addition, Islam urges people to be careful regarding the issue by deciding that the crime of fornicating will become definite only if four witnesses see the “actual relationship” with their own eyes. Thus, the Quran virtually warns people as follows with that decree: “Do not open your mouths and do not even move your lips regarding the issue”.

The verses regarding the issue are as follows:

“And those who launch a charge against chaste women, and produce not four witnesses (to support their allegations),- flog them with eighty stripes; and reject their evidence ever after: for such men are wicked transgressors unless they repent thereafter and mend (their conduct); for Allah is Oft- Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (an-Nur, 24/4-5).

Finally, we deem it useful to attract attention to a statement of the Quran, showing the ugliness of that social disgrace:

“Nor come nigh to adultery: for it is a shameful (deed) and an evil, opening the road (to other evils).” (al-Isra, 17/32)

One of the reasons why the phrase “Nor come nigh to adultery” is preferred instead of “Do not commit adultery” is to teach people the following lesson: Preventing fornication in society depends on eliminating the reasons that lead to fornication. The saying “Fire and gunpowder do not sleep together” is very wise and a product of experience.

When the basic principles of the religion of Islam are considered, it can be said that it calls out to all humanity as follows:

“O people! Do not approach the place where the smell of fornication comes from and where there is a slight breeze from it because it is a minefield that is ready to explode any moment. Or, be careful! There is a high-tension line there; do not approach; there is a great danger. Religiously, there is a thick red line there in terms of religion, family and humanity; do not violate that line!”

Can a person who rapes or attempts to rape be given death penalty??

Maliki fiqh scholars display a different approach from other scholars and regard kidnapping of a woman with the intention of rape within the scope of “hiraba”, that is, banditry. Rape by force is an uglier deed than seizing property by force because honor is much more important and valuable than property.

Four types of punishment are mentioned in the Quran regarding the sanction to be applied to the crime of banditry:

“Execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land” (see al-Maida 5/33)

Since Malikis define the crime of banditry more comprehensively and consider every crime committed based on force and violence, violation of public order and security, including rape, within this framework, they prefer to give the state a wider authority to punish the criminals.

As a matter of fact, when Ibn al-Arabi was appointed as a qadi, a case of terror was brought to him; some bandits kidnapped a woman in a group by force from her husband and the group; the perpetrators were caught as a result of intense hunt; when Ibn al-Arabi consulted the muftis about the punishment to be given to the perpetrators, the muftis claimed that the incident was not a crime of hiraba. Thereupon, Ibn al-Arabi told them that violations of chastity and honor were much more serious and uglier than violations of property, emphasizing that people could consent to their property’s being taken from them, but that they could not accept the kidnapping of their wives and daughters. Then, he expressed his opinion that if a more severe penalty had been imposed in the verse in question, it would have been about kidnapping with the intention of rape. (2)

Therefore, according to Maliki madhhab, if a person were waylaid with the intention of rape, the decrees of hiraba would be applied to the perpetrator. Based on this ijtihad, which could be used depending on the situation, the presence of two witnesses would be sufficient for the proof of the crime and the application of the punishment mentioned in the verse to the perpetrator.

This ijtihad provides convenience especially for the plaintiffs who claim that they have been sexually assaulted and cannot bring four witnesses. The approach of Maliki madhhab on hiraba punishment is different from the scholars of other madhhabs. According to the approach of Malikis, if the public authority deems it necessary, even if the crime of rape has not actually been committed, it is entitled to give a penalty between exile and death penalty in return for the act of mere intimidation and kidnapping. (3)

Rape is mostly expressed with the phrase “ugly deed” in Ottoman records. When it is used for women, it means rape, and when it is used for men, it means sodomy.

We see that in the Ottoman Empire, which was governed by Shari’ah, death (4) or amputation (5) punishments were given to rape crimes.

To sum up, the person who raped could be given the death penalty either as a penalty of tazir or as part of the crime of hiraba/banditry.

References:
1) see Sulhi Dönmezer, Ceza Hukuku, İstanbul 1961, pp. 50-51; Mustafa Cevat Akşit, İslam Ceza Hukuku, İstanbul 1976, pp. 57.
2) Ibnul-Arabi, Ahkamul-Quran, Beirut, 1998, 2/95.
3) Ahkamul-Quran, 2/94 ff; Ibn Rushd, Bidayatul-Mujtahid, Beirut, 1995, 4/1759 ff.
4) Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivi Mühimme Defteri, d.no. 7, h.no. 225. akt. Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivi Daire Başkanlığı, 7 Numaralı Mühimme Defteri (975-976/1567-1569.
5) Ahmet Akgündüz, Kanunnameler, II, 43; see Koç, Mehmet, Osmanlı Hukukunda Ta’zir Suç ve Cezaları, Aybil Yayınevi, Konya 2017.

Since the mistakes of unbelievers are big, their reckoning will be carried out in the big court in the hereafter and they will be punished in Hell, which is the place of big punishment.

Since the mistakes of Muslims are small, they are punished for some of their mistakes in the world. Therefore, misfortunes usually hit Muslims. The hardships they suffer during those misfortunes are atonement for their sins.

for more information, please click on the links given below;

What is the reason for misfortunes and calamities hitting the Muslims and the reason for inauspiciousness according to hadiths?

Why do the troubles like earthquake, war, plague, etc. usually happen to Muslims?

Like in the past, happiness and wealth are frequently confused today. And this wrong view will probably exist in the future.

Some think that wealth, luxury, position and title are same as happiness. However, they see many people around who have everything and can taste every worldly pleasure, but are still unhappy. Some cannot get on well with their partner. Some complains about their sons’ naughtiness. Some seek cure for a deadly disease of their mother. Some have a lot of receivables in the market but cannot get them. Some have problems with their company partners.

Thousands of problems like these tell man continuously that this world is a not a place of comfort.

The following is stated in the Quran:

“Every soul must taste of death and We try you by evil and good by way of probation; and to Us you shall be brought back.” (al-Anbiya/the Prophets, 35)

Accordingly, this world is place of exam.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) defines the world as “arable field of the afterlife” in a hadith (saying or tradition of the Prophet Muhammad).

This world was not created as a place of comfort but as a place of testing and the field of the hereafter. In this place of testing, all human beings make efforts and sweat all the time. They cultivate their field every day for the hereafter and become very tired at the end of the day.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) says:

“There is no comfort/ease in this world.”

How is it possible to find comfort in this strange world where night and day run one after the other, disease and health check us in turns, difficulty and ease surround us one after the other, turmoil and peace dominate our spirit in turns.

There is no comfort in the world, but there is happiness for the believer. If one tastes the faith in this world and follows the way of good deeds, he makes use of every good and bad incident of this life for the sake of his afterlife. And the most importantly, he does not bother himself because he knows there is no comfort in this world.

Here is a formula of happiness from Prophet Muhammad (pbuh):

“Be like a poor man or a traveler in this world.”

Our attention is drawn to two sources of happiness in this hadith and we are given two recipes of happiness:

The first recipe: To know that we are poor and strangers in this world and we came here to earn something for our real homeland, the afterlife.A person who knows himself like that does not fall in love with this mortal world and does not exaggerate the temporary problems of this world. He knows that he will leave this world one day and aims the real world of happiness.

“You are a guest here and will go to another place from here. A guest does not give his heart to something that he cannot take away with him.” (Mesnevî-i Nuriye)

The second recipe: To know that we are travelers and live accordingly. Such a person only wants to reach his destination; it does not matter very much whether he sits on the front or back seats on the bus. Sometimes, we read on a newspaper: A murderer was caught in a foreign country and brought back with an airplane. How can travelling on a luxury plane make this man happy? However, a small merchant becomes happy when he goes to a big city to buy and sell goods even if he travels on the back seat of a little bus. For, he knows that the end of this travel he will buy goods and be rich after these troubles.

On the other hand, And if man does not seek the facilities of his home when he is on the bus, he does not feel uncomfortable on that travel. Otherwise, he makes himself unhappy. In the Risale i Nur Collection, there are many precious recipes of happiness. Let us present three of them here:

“The one who forms a relation with the Pre-Eternal Monarch through belief and obeys Him through good works will pass with the speed of lightning or of Buraq through the stages of this guest-house of the world, the spheres of the intermediate realm and the world of resurrection and the extensive frontiers of all the realms that are beyond the grave, until he attainseternal happiness.” (Sözler/The Words)

When a person submits himself to his Lord, he gets the taste of not being ownerless and unprotected. He says “I have a Creator who created me in the best way, placing my every organ in the best place, organizing my spiritual world in the best way, running my every sense for a different task. My blood circulation and this world’s turning are all with His power and knowledge. So I am not alone, abandoned, or ownerless.”

The happiness and calmness of being a creation and artwork of Allah cannot be compared any other worldly pleasure.

A chain of happiness starting from belief reaching the happiness in two worlds:

“Belief necessitates affirmation of Divine unity, affirmation of Divine unity necessitates submission to Allah, submission to Allah necessitates reliance on Allah, and reliance on Allah necessarily leads to happiness in thisworld and the next .” (Sözler/The Words)

Happiness in both worlds is possible with reliance to Allah. A believer performs the necessities of whatever he wants for this life and afterlife and then finds peace by relying on Allah since he knows that “Every good result comes from Allah”.

Tawakkul means to know Allah as a trustee. It is a consciousness that originates from belief and a result of surrendering. Those who surrender to Allah trust in Him. Surrendering originates from oneness. A Person who knows that there is no real does except Allah, the everything belongs to Him and that everything is under His control will definitely surrender to Him.

Another recipe of happiness is as follows:

“The mark of reining in and tethering the soul and leaving the spirit free and urging it towards perfections is ‘happiness in this world and the next’.” (Sözler/The Words)

In this sentence, the happiness in this world and the next are based on two things: The first one is controlling and restraining the soul, and the second one is developing our spirit.

for more information, please click on the link given below;

Some circles claim that today’s wretched state of the Muslim World has been occasioned by the religion of Islam and therefore they stand against the religion. How should we respond to them?

The disasters and misfortunes that hit man can be due to the mistakes he made, due to a test or so that he will gain thawabs. That is, not all misfortunes that hit man are due to his sins. For instance, prophets are innocent but the biggest misfortunes hit them. As a mattear of fact, the Prophet explained the reason for the severe illness he suffered before his death as follows:    

The Prophet could not lie still in his bed due to the severity of his illness and the high fever. He was turning to the right and left in his bed. Those who were near him said,

“O Messenger of Allah! If one of us showed that he suffered so much pain, you would scold him.”

The Messenger of Allah explained his situation with this answer:

“My illness is not like the ones that you know. Allah inflicts the most severe troubles, illnesses and misfortunes on His righteous and believing slaves. However, due to that trouble, illness and misfortune, He elevates the rank of that person and eliminates his sins.” (see Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, 2/207-208)

Umm Bishr, Bishr b. Bara’s mother, who visited the Messenger of Allah when he was ill, narrates what she saw as follows:

“I went to see the Messenger of Allah. When I saw the severe temperature in his body, I could not help saying,

‘O Messenger of Allah! I have never seen such a fever.’

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

‘Our illness is more severe than the illnesses of other people but the reward that we will get will be more.’ (Sa’d, Tabaqat, 8/314)”

When a misfortune hits man, he knows in his conscience that it happened due to this or that mistake/sin.

One of the attributes / duties of prophets is “nadhir” meaning the one who warns. They prophesy the disasters that will strike those who persist in disobedience to Allah.

Allah Almighty states in His book that He “created death and life so that He would try which of us is best in deed” (al-Mulk: 67/2 ), “would test us with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of our toil)” (al-Baqara:2/155)

The material causes of natural disasters are certain; it is a topic of science.

There is also the Creator of the causes behind those causes; it is necessary not to forget it when such things happen, and to consider whether it is a warning or a penalty.

Every trouble that befalls a Muslim is definitely good for him: It either erases his past sins, or prevents the future afflictions and misfortunes, or it is a divine warning, or it is a test to increase his spiritual rank.

The answer to this question can be viewed through the answers given by Badiuzzaman Said Nursi to similar questions:

“Third Question:  What is the reason for this disaster, which arises from the wrongdoing of a few individuals, occurring to a degree generally throughout the country?

The Answer:  The general disaster results from the wrongdoing of the majority: most people in effect participate in the actions of those tyrannical individuals by supporting them either actively or morally or in some connection.

Fourth Question:  Since this disaster of an earthquake results from wrongdoing and is atonement for sins, why are the innocent and those not at fault struck by it? How does Divine justice permit this?

The answer, again in regard to its meaning:  Since this matter concerns the mystery of Divine Determining, we refer you to the Risale-i Nur and here only say this:

وَاتَّقُوا فِتْنَةً لاَ تُصِيبَنَّ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنْكُمْ خَاصَّةً That is, "And fear tumult or oppression, which affects not in particular only those of you who do wrong."

The meaning of the above verse is as follows: this world is a field of trial and examination, and a place of striving where man is accountable for his actions. Accountability and examination require that reality remains veiled so that through competition and striving the Abu Bakrs may rise to the highest of the high and the Abu Jahls may enter among the lowest of the low.

If the innocent remained untouched by such disasters, the Abu Jahl’s would submit just like the Abu Bakr’s, and the door of spiritual and moral progress through striving would be closed and the mystery of accountability spoiled.

Since Divine wisdom requires that oppressed and oppressor are together afflicted by disaster, what then is the share of the wretched oppressed of Divine mercy and justice?

It was said in reply to this question:

For them, there is a manifestation of mercy within the wrath and anger in the disaster. For, just as the transient property of the innocent becomes like alms and gains permanence, the relatively little and temporary difficulty and torment is a form of martyrdom for them which also gains for their transient lives a permanent life. The earthquake earns for them a huge, perpetual profit, so for them is an instance of Divine mercy within the wrath.” (see Sözler, p. 172-173)

To sum up, it is understood from the explanations above that when Allah destroys a group, the innocent people there receive their share from that misfortune. That both the oppressors and the oppressed receive their shares from the same misfortune is a necessity of the mystery of testing.  

If the unbelievers and oppressors were destroyed in an earthquake or another disaster and their believing and innocent neighbors were not destroyed, the mystery of testing would be spoiled; in that case, both good people and bad people would believe and obey Allah.

However, what is meant by testing is to discriminate between the conceited people who sacrifice their minds and hearts for their souls and the humble people who sacrifice their souls and desires for the sake of the truth coming from Allah. Therefore, both the oppressors and the oppressed die together in disasters. However, in the second life, the oppressors go to Hell and the oppressed go to Paradise; thus, divine justice is realized.    

Great rewards by the mercy of Allah Almighty are in question in those misfortunes. For, the transient property of the innocent becomes like alms and gains permanence, the relatively little and temporary difficulty and torment is a form of martyrdom for them which also gains for their transient lives a permanent life.

It is not a small reward to gain a great and eternal bliss in return for a little and temporary difficulty in this world. Those who oppress or those who cause those misfortunes to come will definitely suffer for what they did in the hereafter truly though not in this world. Therefore, justice will be realized.

Those who were harmed because of those oppressors will get their rights from those oppressors; in addition, they will be granted endless boons in the eternal realm by Allah’s grace and mercy since they were hit by this misfortune though they were innocent and sinless. When those who suffered from such disasters though they were sinless will be asked about their state in the hereafter, they will say, "We have received great rewards in return for little difficulty and we saw that the oppressors were punished truly; we are very glad." 

The spirits of animals will remain in Paradise eternally; they will receive rewards from endless mercy due to the hardships they suffered.

We have not been able to find a hadith narration stating, “A person is always tested through the one he loves.”

However, the statement ‘A person is always tested through the one he loves’ is true. It is expressed as follows in some verses:  

“And know ye that your possessions and your progeny are but a trial; and that it is Allah with Whom lies your highest reward.” (al-Anfal, 8/28)

“Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere!” (al-Baqara, 2/155)

It is understood from the verses above that man is tested with what he loves most.

In addition, it is stated in some hadiths that Allah tests His beloved slaves.

“The ones who are tested the most severely among people are prophets. Then, those who follow them (in terms of their ranks) and then those who follow them.” (Musnad, 1/172, 174, 180, 185, 6:369)

“The greatest reward comes with the greatest trial. When Allah loves a society, He tests them. Whoever accepts it wins His pleasure but whoever is discontent with it receives His wrath.” (Ibn Majah, Fitan 23, hadith no: 4034)

“When Allah loves a slave, He prevents him from the world, just as one of you prevents his sick people from water.” (Tirmidhi, Tibb 1, hadith no: 2107)

Thus, we are tested through what we love and we will continue to be tested; it should not be forgotten that if we are tested, it means Allah loves us.

What matters is to be aware of it and to show consent to being tested.

The Prophet (pbuh) points out that apart from those who are martyred in war, a woman who dies due to childbirth, a believer who dies by drowning or burning are also considered martyrs. (Ibn Majah, Jihad, 17)

The misfortunes that hit a person will be atonement for his sins. In this respect, death by fire or drowning will not only atone for one’s sins, but also elevate him to the rank of martyrdom.

Abu Hurayra (radiyallahu anh) narrates:

“Be moderate and stand firm in trouble that falls to the lot of a Muslim (as that) is an expiation for him; even stumbling on the path or the pricking of a thorn (are an expiation for him).” (Muslim, Birr 52)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) consoles the believers and states that taking the middle path is a kind of shield against sins. Even though a believer commits some sins due to his human nature, Allah creates the means to cleanse them: Such as all kinds of events, calamities and accidents that upset and disturb the believer. No matter how they come, they become atonement for sins as long as the believer “strives to find the truth” and does not incline toward evil knowingly.

The importance of good intentions is also evident here. That is the meaning of striving to find the truth in deeds.

The hadith also shows how sensitive the Companions were toward sin and how vigilant and meticulous they were in issues concerning the Hereafter.

The Prophet attracts attention to the fact that a woman who dies during childbirth, the believers who die by being drowned and burnt are regarded as martyrs in addition to those who die in war. (Ibn Majah, Jihad, 17)

The misfortunes that hit man will be atonement for his sins. Therefore, when a person who dies in a fire or when he is drowned, this kind of death will be atonement for his sins and will elevate him to the degree of martyrdom.

Abu Hurayra narrates:  

"Be moderate and stand firm in trouble that falls to the lot of a Muslim (as that) is an expiation for him; even stumbling on the path or the pricking of a thorn (are an expiation for him)." (Muslim, Birr 52)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) consoles believers and states that being moderate will be a kind of shield for them. If a believer commits some sins due to becoming human, his Merciful Lord creates some causes to clean them: All kinds of problems, misfortunes and accidents that distress a believer. No matter how they happen, they are regarded as atonement for sins if a believer tries to find the truth and does not tend to do bad deeds deliberately.

The importance of good will is seen here too. That is the meaning of trying to find the truth in deeds.

The hadith also shows how sensitive the Companions are in the face of sins and how alert and meticulous they are related to the issues involving the hereafter.

As it is valid related to all issues, there are material and spiritual duties that we must fulfill before, during and after the disasters such as floods, earthquakes, fires and storms come. It is also a deed of worship to comply with them.

We focus primarily on those tasks in all cases; we perform them on time, properly and as perfectly as possible with the consciousness of worship; then, we show consent to the result no matter how it occurs.

Thus, a Muslim obeys not only the laws of the Quran, but also the laws of “adatullah and sunnatullah”, which are also called the laws of nature, and acts accordingly; he makes the necessary preparations, takes precautions, determines the strategies and implements them. Then, he prays to Allah, takes refuge in Him and shows consent to the result by trusting in Allah. Thus, his belief develops and he receives the thawab of worship at every level.

In that case, taking all kinds of material and spiritual precautions is both our duty and a deed of worship.

After this short information, we will answer your questions:

1) Our relationship with Allah occurs in two ways.

First: It takes place at the level of creed; it is our attitude, imagination and thought in the circle of “tawhid (oneness)”, which prioritizes the oneness of Allah, who creates and governs everything.

The only Creator in the points of invention and creation that are seen in all kinds of things, such as taste-delight, misfortune-reward and blessing-penalty is Allah.

“Allah is the Creator of all things...” (az-Zumar, 39/62)
“But Allah has created you and your handwork.” (as-Saffat, 37/96)

It is clearly stated in the verses above and similar ones that it is Allah who creates everything.

“Yes, out of innumerable examples, we look at only a single tree and a human individual, and we see that both outwardly and inwardly the fruit-bearing tree and multi-membered man have been delimited by unseen compasses and a subtle pen of knowledge, and that each of their members have been given perfectly ordered fitting forms so that they may produce the required fruits and results and perform the duties of their natures. As for this, since it could occur only through infinite knowledge, they testify to the number of plants and animals to the necessary existence and boundless knowledge of a Maker and Giver of Form, an All-Knowing Determiner Who knows the relationships of everything with everything else and keeps these in view, and knows the definition through the compasses and pen of the decree and determining of pre-eternal knowledge of the outsides and insides of their fellow-men and fellow-trees and their species, and of their measured proportions and form, and they testify to the One Who does this.” (see Şualar, p. 649)

Second: It is our viewpoint in the circle of causes, which are the manifestations of Allah's laws in the universe. We will use all the means in the universe in order to fulfill our duties in terms of causes. However, we will not fall into a dilemma to associate any of them with the creator.

“Yes, wise and purposive works like the feeding of man, and particularly of the helpless and infants, and especially their conveying from the kitchen of the stomach the nutrients necessary for all their members and even their cells, and the mountains being pharmacies and stores of all the minerals necessary for man, could only occur through an all-encompassing knowledge. Aimless chance, blind force, deaf nature, and lifeless, unconscious causes and the simple, overwhelming elements could in no way interfere in this feeding, administering, preservation, and planning, which is knowing, percipient, wise, compassionate, and gracious. Apparent causes such as those are merely employed and utilized within the bounds of the knowledge and wisdom of One possessing absolute knowledge, and at His command and with His permission, as a veil to the dignity of Divine power.” (see Şualar, p. 648).

Knowing that Allah is the inventor / creator of disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and storms is a requirement of the knowledge of creed in the “First” part. Taking precautions against those disasters is a requirement of the information and documents in the “Second” part. For, the first place where spiritual faculties such as mind, strength, skill and effort should be used is to take precautions in the face of problems. Those who do not do it are regarded to have lost the test related to this issue.

2) Taking refuge from qadar in qadar, escaping from qadar to qadar and referring to qadar against qadar are all duties of worship.

For example, it means taking precautions against one qadar with another qadar when a hungry person eats, a thirsty person drinks and an ill person sees a doctor and takes medicine.

Besides, our belief that everything, whether good or bad, is predestined by Allah prevents us from being grievous; and taking precautions against harmful things by acting in accordance with causes prevents blindness and ingratitude.

Those precautions do not reduce the reward and do not hinder the secret of testing. “Reliance on God, which is a necessity of oneness, is not to reject causes altogether; it is rather to know that causes are a veil to the hand of power and have recourse to them. Knowing that attempting causes is a sort of active prayer, it is to seek the effects only from Almighty God, recognize that the results are from Him alone, and to be thankful to Him.” (see Sözler, pp. 314-315)

3) Not every misfortune is a manifestation of wrath. The information included in our website is as follows:  

Not every misfortune is wrath; it is necessary not to see every illness or misfortune as a manifestation of wrath.

The following is stated in a hadith:

“The greatest misfortunes hit prophets, then saints, and then other righteous slaves.” (see Munawi, Faydul-Qadir, 1/519, no: 1056; al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, 3/343)

Thus, some misfortunes are manifestations of wrath but not every misfortune is a manifestation of wrath; on the contrary, many manifestations of mercy are hidden in misfortunes.

Allah gave people some of His attributes as examples so that they can be “units of measure”. Man does not become a god with them - God forbid. For example, the attributes of seeing, hearing and speaking exist in both Allah and man. However, Allah does not resemble anything; neither do His attributes.

Similarly, attributes such as being glad, being pleased, showing consent, being furious, getting angry, taking revenge, and punishing are common. However, the attributes of man never resemble the attributes of Allah.

- First of all, the statement in the question meaning “Allah’s intervention takes place immediately after an evil act” is not true because one of the names of Allah is Halim; it means He does not punish the criminals immediately. There are expressions that reinforce this meaning in various verses and hadiths.

“Whatever misfortune happens to you, is because of the things your hands have wrought, and for many (of them) He grants forgiveness” (ash-Shura, 42/30)

That fact is underlined in the verse above.

However, calamities and troubles are of great importance in people’s lives because most people become spoiled when they see themselves healthy and wealthy without needing anything. From this point of view, misfortunes are also considered as warning and beautiful blessings of Allah.

- Let us listen to this issue from Badiuzzaman Said Nursi:

“The sheep struck by the stones turn back, as if saying: “We are under the shepherd’s command. He knows us better than ourselves, so we must return.” Then, the sheep returns followed by the herd.” “Know, O my soul, you are not more astray than the sheep. When stricken with misfortune, say: ‘ اِنَّا لِلّٰهِ وَ اِنَّٓا اِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ (‘To Allah We belong, and to Him is our return.)’ al-Baqara, 2/156) Return to the real shelter and become a believer; do not be depressed. He takes care of you more than you.” (See Mesnevi-i Nuriye, p. 120).

- Finally, we can find the best answer to this question in Risale-i Nur Collection

“Almighty Allah sends calamities and inflicts tribulations; isn’t this an injustice towards the innocent in particular, and animals even?”

“The answer: God forbid, sovereignty is His. He holds sway over His possessions as He wishes. Moreover, a skilful craftsman makes you a model in return for a wage and dresses you in a bejewelled garment that he has artistically fashioned. Then in order to display his art and skill, he shortens it and lengthens it, measures it and trims it, and he makes you sit down and stand up. Can you say to him: “You have made the garment that makes me beautiful ugly. You have caused me trouble, making me sit down and stand up.”? Of course, you cannot say that. If you did, you would be crazy.

“Similarly, the All-Glorious Maker has clothed you in an artistically wrought being bejewelled with such faculties as the eye, the ear, and the tongue. To display the embroideries of various of His names, He makes you ill, He afflicts you with tribulations, He makes you hungry, He fills you, He makes you thirsty; He makes you revolve in states like these. To strengthen the essence of life and display the manifestation of His names He makes you pass through numerous such conditions. As is indicated in the comparison, if you ask: “Why do you inflict these calamities on me?” a hundred instances of wisdom will silence you. In any event, calm, repose, idleness, monotony, and arrest from motion are forms of non-existence, and harm. Motion and change are existence and good.”

“Life finds its perfection through motion; it progresses by means of tribulations. Life performs various motions through the manifestation of the divine names; it is purified, finds strength; it unfolds and expands; it becomes a mobile pen to write its own appointed course; it performs its duty and acquires the right to receive reward in the hereafter.” (See Mektubat, pp. 44-45)

There are many verses and hadiths confirming the trueness of the famous rule, “The penalty/reward is from the kind of deed.” Some of the verses of the Quran regarding the issue are as follows:

“Yea, to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: so that He rewards those who do evil, according to their deeds, and He rewards those who do good, with what is best.” (an-Najm, 53/31).

“To those who do right is a goodly (reward)- Yea, more (than in measure)!...” (Yunus, 10/26)

“In the long run evil in the extreme will be the End of those who do evil…” (ar-Rum, 30/10).

“Is there any Reward for Good - other than Good?” (ar-Rahman, 55/60).

“(Nothing cool shall they taste therein, nor any drink, Save a boiling fluid and a fluid, dark, murky, intensely cold, A fitting recompense (for them).” (an-Naba, 78/24-26)

Some hadiths regarding the issue are as follows:

“If a person conceals the fault of his Muslim brother in the world, Allah will conceal his fault on the Day of Judgment.” (Ajluni, 2/252)

“If a person meets a need of his brother in the world, Allah will meet his need on the Day of Judgment.” (Ajluni, 2/283)

“Allah shows mercy to His slaves who show mercy to others.” (Ajluni, 1/216)

“Do whatever you wish; you will definitely be rewarded or punished for it.” (Majmauz-Zawaid, 10/219)

“Protect Allah (His commands) so that Allah will protect you.” (Majmauz-Zawaid, 7/189)

The penalty/reward being from the kind of deed means in the first place in general that the return for a good deed is a good deed and the return for a bad deed is a bad deed. In addition, the reward or penalty that is given being appropriate for the deeds done can be thought as its second meaning.

- It is possible to see the reflections of the second meaning in some incidents:

a. The crime that the nation of the Prophet Lut (Lot) committed was a kind of fornication; therefore, they were virtually stoned from the sky.

b. The most distinguished characteristic of the tribe Ad, which was the Prophet Hud’s nation, was boasting of their power. They were strong and well-built; therefore, they persecuted and stormed people. In return for their persecution, they were destroyed by a storm.

This fact is indicated in the verses below:

Now the ´Ad behaved arrogantly through the land, against (all) truth and reason, and said: ‘Who is superior to us in strength?’ What! did they not see that Allah, Who created them, was superior to them in strength? But they continued to reject Our Signs! So We sent against them a furious Wind through days of disaster, that We might give them a taste of a Penalty of humiliation in this life; but the Penalty of a Hereafter will be more humiliating still: and they will find no help.” (Fussilat, 41/15-16)

c. The tribe of Thamud, which was the Prophet Salih’s nation, slaughtered and eliminated the camel sent to them as a miracle. In return, Allah eliminated them.

“The (mighty) Blast overtook the wrong-doers, and they lay prostrate in their homes before the morning,- As if they had never dwelt and flourished there…” (Hud, 11/67-68)

We see the relationship between the deed and its penalty in the verse above. A mighty/terrible sound overtook them in return for the sound produced by the poor camel when it was slaughtered. They knelt down in their houses in return for making the camel kneel down. They were eradicated as they eradicated the camel.

The Prophet (pbuh) attracts attention to the following five things in a hadith:

1. When fornication is committed openly in a community, plagues and diseases that were never known among the predecessors will spread among them.

2. When they cheat in weights and measures, they will be stricken with famine, undergo bad straits and be ruled by oppressors.

3. When they do not give zakah of their wealth, they will be deprived of rain from the sky; and were it not for the animals, no rain would fall on them.

4. When they break their covenant with Allah and His Messenger, Allah will send them some enemies from outside to overpower them and to take some of what is in their hands.

5. When they do not rule according to the Book of Allah and do not choose what Allah send, Allah will send them an inner mischief and conflict.” (Ibn Majah Fitan, Hadith No: 4259)

The Prophet (pbuh) attracts attention to fifteen bad characteristics in another hadith as follows:

"When fifteen characteristics appear in my ummah, misfortunes will hit them:

1. When the treasure of the state is regarded as booty and is owned by a certain group.

2. When trust is usurped.

3. When people find it difficult to give zakah.

4. 5. When a man fulfils the requests his wife and disobeys his mother.

6. 7. When a person treats to his friends and is rude to his father.

8. When voices are raised in mosques.

9. When the leader of a nation is the most despicable one among them.

10. When a person is treated well because people are afraid of him.

11. When intoxicants are drunk.

12. When silk is worn (by males).

13. When singers and musical instruments become widespread.

14. When the members of the ummah that come later curse the previous members of the ummah.

15. When irreligious education is given.

Wait for a red wind or a slight hasf or mash then.” (Tirmidhi, Fitan, 38)

The following three results of the fifteen bad characteristics above are mentioned in the hadith:

- A red wind. Yes, such a wind blew from the north to all parts of the world. It affected half of Europe, an important part of Turkish people, China and many other countries.    

- Hasf means collapsing. A community with such characteristics will definitely collapse. The material and spiritual collapsing seen in the society, families, ethics, honor and self-sacrifice in our country can be regarded from this point of view.   

- Mash means a person’s being transformed into an animal. It is stated in the Quran that some communities were transformed into monkeys and pigs. It is possible for this transformation to take place materially and spiritually. For instance, a monkey is an animal that imitates. A pig is the only animal that is not jealous of its spouse. From this point of view, many imitators of sins with the characteristics of a monkey and many unchaste people with the characteristics of a pig will be seen.

Sadaqah (charity) is what is given to the poor and needy for the sake of Allah, without any return; any kind of help, any kind of favor; any expenditure made in the way of Allah.(1)

The following three characteristics must be present together for any help or favor to be considered sadaqah:

1. It must be done for the sake of Allah,
2. It must be given especially to the poor and needy,
3. It must be done gratuitously.

If those three conditions do not occur together, what is given does not gain value as sadaqah.

Sadaqah is a clear sign and an actual witness of obedience to Allah’s commands.

Our Lord orders believers to give sadaqah as follows: “And spend something (in charity) out of the substance which We have bestowed on you, before Death should come to any of you and he should say, ‘O my Lord! why didst Thou not give me respite for a little while? I should then have given (largely) in charity, and I should have been one of the doers of good.’”(2)

“O ye who believe! Give of the good things which ye have (honorably) earned, and of the fruits of the earth which We have produced for you…”(3)

He describes real believers as follows:

“…and spend out of what We have provided for them.”(4) 
“Those who spend (freely), whether in prosperity, or in adversity...”(5)

Sadaqah is the way to gain Allah’s consent and to achieve happiness in this world and the Hereafter.

Our Lord Almighty states in the Holy Quran that every good and nice deed done in the way of Allah will be rewarded:

“Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the garden (of Paradise)...”(6)

“...And whatever good ye send forth for your souls ye shall find it in Allah’s Presence...”(7)

“Those who spend their substance in the cause of Allah, and follow not up their gifts with reminders of their generosity or with injury,-for them their reward is with their Lord: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.”(8)

“Now no person knows what delights of the eye are kept hidden (in reserve) for them - as a reward for their (good) deeds.”(9)

“…For men and women who give in Charity… for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward.(10)

“Whoever expects to meet his Lord, let him work righteousness, and, in the worship of his Lord, admit no one as partner.”(11)

Sadaqah does not diminish wealth(12); it increases wealth and makes it prosperous.

The following is stated in a sacred hadith: “O son of Adam! Give charity and I will give you charity.”(13)

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) gave Asma, the daughter of Abu Bakr, the following advice:

“O Asma! Do not be stingy so that Allah will not give you less. Give without counting, and Allah will give you without counting. Do not tighten your purse strings so that Allah will not decrease His blessings to you and will not tighten His purse strings. Give charity so that Allah will give charity to you.”(14)

Sadaqah is an expression of gratitude for Allah’s blessings.

Our Lord wants us to be grateful to Him and not be ungrateful(15); He says,  “If you are grateful, I will add more favors unto you”(16) and states the following: “Then, shall ye be questioned that Day about the joy (ye indulged in!)”(17)

Sadaqah is a donation that makes the poor smile in this world and the giver smile in the hereafter and brings people closer to their Lord.

When the Companions asked our beloved Prophet (pbuh), “O Messenger of Allah! What shall we spend in the way of Allah?”, our Lord said, “…They ask thee how much they are to spend; Say: “What is beyond your needs.”(18)

“…And whatever of good ye give, be assured Allah knoweth it well.”(19)
“…And nothing do ye spend in the least (in His cause) but He replaces it.”(20)
“Then shall anyone who has done an atom’s weight of good, see it.”(21)

The Prophet (pbuh) said: “(Doing favors) and recommending good is sadaqah; so is avoiding evil and forbidding others to do so.”(22)

“Make haste in giving sadaqah because misfortunes cannot get ahead of sadaqah.”(23)

“On the Day of Resurrection, when there is no other shade, Allah will shelter seven people in the shade of the Throne. One of them is the one who gives sadaqah so secretly that his right hand does not know what his left hand gives.”(24)

Umar b. Abdulaziz said: “Prayer leads you halfway, fasting leads you to the door of the Ruler, and sadaqah leads you to the presence of the Ruler.”

As a matter of fact, our Lord says, “When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them)…”(25) This fact is expressed as follows in two sacred hadiths:  

“I am as My slave thinks I am, and I am with him when he mentions Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it.”(26)

“When My servant draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a cubit, and if he draws near to Me a cubit, I draw near to him a fathom. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.”(27)

“You are closer to us than us, / You are invisible; what is veil?”(28)

The poet Yunus Emre expresses that fact in the couplet above.

Sadaqah prevents misfortunes, lengthens life, eradicates mistakes and protects man from hellfire.

Our beloved Prophet said: “Give sadaqah to the extent that you can afford, even if it is little.”(29)

“Protect yourself from the fire of hell, even if it is with half a date; and those who cannot find that much should protect themselves even with a good word.”(30) “A good word;(31) every legitimate and good deed is sadaqah.”(32)

“Give sadaqah even if it is a date, because a date satisfies hunger. Just like water extinguishes fire, sadaqah extinguishes mistakes.”(33)

Sadaqah extinguishes Allah’s anger and averts evil death.”(34) 

“Sadaqah prevents misfortunes and lengthens life.”(35); “ It extinguishes the penalty of sins just like water extinguishes fire.”(36)

Ibn Abi Ja’d said, “Sadaqah closes seventy doors of evil.”

Luqman advised his son as follows: “My son! When you commit a mistake, give sadaqah immediately after it.”(37)

We should know that “A little sadaqah repels a lot of trouble.”

Sadaqah means giving away the most valuable, best, cleanest, most beautiful and lovable property for the sake of Allah because Allah is clean. He accepts only the clean ones.(38)

The Prophet said: “Good news for those who give away what they earn through halal ways.”(39)

It is not appropriate for a person to keep the good part of his wealth for himself and spend the bad part in the way of Allah. A believer spends the best of his wealth in the way of Allah, not the worst.

Allah Almighty states the following: “O ye who believe! Give of the good things which ye have (honorably) earned, and of the fruits of the earth which We have produced for you, and do not even aim at getting anything which is bad, in order that out of it ye may give away something, when ye yourselves would not receive it except with closed eyes. And know that Allah is Free of all wants, and worthy of all praise.”(40)

The following is stated in a hadith: “Whoever gives sadaqah from his lawful earnings, Allah accepts it.”(41) The following is stated in another hadith: “The most valuable sadaqah is the one that a poor person gives secretly to another poor person according to his means.”(42)

Sadaqah is a kind of lending to Allah. Allah will repay this sadaqah many times over. As a matter of fact, the following is stated in the Quran: “O ye who believe! If ye will aid (the cause of) Allah, He will aid you...”(43)

“If ye loan to Allah, a beautiful loan, He will double it to your (credit), and He will grant you Forgiveness: for Allah is most Ready to appreciate (service), Most Forbearing.”(44)

The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Whichever believer feeds a hungry believer, Allah feeds him from the fruits of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection. Whichever believer gives drink to a thirsty believer, Allah gives him to drink from the ‘sealed nectar (rahiq makhtum)’ on the Day of Resurrection.”(45)

Every kind of help and good deed is sadaqah (charity). Our Almighty Lord says, “By no means shall ye attain righteousness unless ye give (freely) of that which ye love”(46)

“Goodness (righteousness) is to believe in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the holy books, the prophets, to spend out of what one loves on the near and dear ones, orphans, the poor, the stranded, the beggar and the slave, to pray, to pay zakah, to fulfill one’s promises when one makes a contract, to be patient in times of hardship, sickness and war.” As the Quran puts it,

“It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness- to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the Allah-fearing.”(47)

The characteristics of the servants who do good and the rewards they will receive are described as follows.

“As to the Righteous, they shall drink of a Cup (of Wine) mixed with Kafur.”

“A Fountain where the Devotees of Allah do drink, making it flow in unstinted abundance. They perform (their) vows, and they fear a Day whose evil flies far and wide. And they feed, for the love of Allah, the indigent, the orphan, and the captive,- (Saying),”We feed you for the sake of Allah alone: no reward do we desire from you, nor thanks.”(48)

According to the narration, those verses were sent down about Ahl al-Bayt.

Hasan and Husayn, the grandsons of our beloved Prophet, fell ill. Ali (ra) and Fatima (ra) were in sorrow. Some of the Companions suggested to Fatima (ra) and Ali (ra) that they should make offerings in the way of Allah for their children to recover from their illness. Ali and Fatima made a vow to fast for three days if their children recovered from their illness. Hasan and Husayn regained their health. Ali and Fatima began to fast. On the evening of the first day, a poor person came to the door at iftar time and asked for help. Ali and Fatima offered all the food they had prepared for iftar to the poor person; they broke their fast with water and intended to fast the next day. On the evening of the second day, an orphan came to the door during iftar and asked for help from Fatima and Ali. Ali and Fatima offered the orphan the food they had prepared; they broke their fast with water and intended to fast the next day. On the third day, a captive came to the door at iftar time and asked Ali and Fatima for help. Ali (ra) and Fatima (ra) gave the captive the food they had prepared and said, “We are feeding you for the sake of Allah; we do not expect any thanks or reward from you. They broke their fast with water.

The highest form of sadaqah is when a person learns knowledge and then teaches it to a fellow Muslim,(49) and when he gives sadaqah that lasts, which is what we call ongoing charity (sadaqah jariyah).” Social services such as mosques, schools, hospitals, fountains, bridges, etc. that a Muslim builds during his lifetime are sadaqah jariyah.

The Prophet (pbuh) states the following regarding the issue:

“When a human being dies, his book of deeds closes. Three things ensure that his book of deeds remains open:

1. Sadaqah jariyah, (ongoing charity),
2. Knowledge that people benefit from,
3. A good son who prays for him.”(50)

“The knowledge that a believer learns and spreads while he is alive, a righteous son he leaves behind, a Mushaf (copy of the Holy Quran) he bequeaths, a mosque he built, a building (guesthouse) he built for travelers, a fountain he built, everything he gives while he is alive and healthy are all sadaqah.”(51)

 “Every tasbih (subhanallah) is a sadaqah, every hamd (alhamdulillah) is a sadaqah, every tahlil (la ilaha illallah) is a sadaqah, every takbir (Allahuakbar) is a sadaqah, recommending what is good is a sadaqah, and forbidding what is evil is a sadaqah...”(52)

“If a Muslim plants a tree and a human or an animal eats its fruit, it is a sadaqah for the owner of that tree.”(53)

“If a Muslim spends money for the sustenance of his family and hopes for reward, it is a sadaqah for him. Even if a Muslim shows a smiling face to his Muslim brother, it is sadaqah.”(54)

It is possible to give sadaqah openly or secretly. However, it is better to give it secretly.

“If ye disclose (acts of) charity, even so it is well, but if ye conceal them, and make them reach those (really) in need, that is best for you: It will remove from you some of your (stains of) evil. And Allah is well acquainted with what ye do.”(55)

 “Those who (in charity) spend of their goods by night and by day, in secret and in public, have their reward with their Lord: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.”(56)

The verse above was sent down about Abu Bakr (ra).

Our beloved Prophet (PBUH) asked the Companions to help the army in the expedition to Tabuk, whereupon Ali (ra) gave one of the four dinars he had in his possession at night, one during the day, one secretly and one openly.

Umar (ra) gave half of his wealth and thought that he had surpassed everyone in this regard. However, Abu Bakr (ra) spent all his wealth in the way of Allah.

Thereupon, the Prophet (pbuh) asked, “What have you left for your children, O Abu Bakr?” Abu Bakr (ra) replied, “I have left Allah and His Messenger, O Messenger of Allah!” After this incident, Abu Bakr (ra) returned to his house, made wudu, performed a prayer of two rak’ahs and said, “O Lord, I have spent everything for Your sake. Now I have one more wish, and it is this: On the Day of Resurrection, O Lord, enlarge this gentle body of mine so much as to cover the fire of hell; and burn me instead of the believers who will enter Hell. When the above-mentioned verse 274 of chapter of al-Baqarah was sent down, the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Those who accumulate much wealth are miserable.” One of the Companions asked three times, “Is there not any exception to it? O Messenger of Allah!” The Prophet (pbuh) pointed with his blessed hands and said, “Except for those who spend their wealth from their right and left, from behind and in front, from this and that.” The following is stated in another verse: “The parable of those who spend their substance in the way of Allah is that of a grain of corn: it groweth seven ears, and each ear Hath a hundred grains. Allah giveth manifold increase to whom He pleaseth: And Allah careth for all and He knoweth all things.”(57) When this verse was sent down, our beloved Prophet prayed three times, “O Lord, increase it even more for my ummah.” Then, the following good news came: “Those who patiently persevere will truly receive a reward without measure”(58).

(Mehmet Emin BAYAR, Din Hizmetleri Müşaviri)

Footnotes:

(1) Türk Dil Kurumu dictionary Sadaka item.
(2) al-Munafiqun 63/10.
(3) al-Baqara: 2/267.
(4) al-Baqara: 2/3.
(5) Aal-i Imran 3/134.
(6) at-Tawba: 9/111.
(7) al-Muzzammil: 73/20.
(8) al-Baqara: 2/262.
(9) as-Sajda 32/17.
(10) al-Ahzab 33/35.
(11) al-Kahf : 18/110.
(12) Muslim: Birr 69; Muwatta Sadaqah 12.
(13) Bukhari, Zakah 28; Muslim, Zakah 57.
(14) Bukhari, Zakah 21; Muslim, Zakah 88; Tirmidhi, Birr 40.
(15) al-Baqara, 2/152.
(16) Ibrahim 14/7.
(17) at-Takathur, 102/8.
(18) al-Baqara, 2/219.
(19) al-Baqara, 2/273.
(20) Saba, 34/39.
(21) az-Zilzal, 99/7.
(22) Muslim Salatul-Musafirin 48, Zakah 56; Bukhari, Sulh 11.
(23) Faydul-Qadir, 3/195.
(24) Bukhari, Adhan 36, Zakah 16; Muslim, Zakah 91.
(25) al-Baqara 2/186.
(26) Riyadus-Salihin Translation Vol. 3 pp 38-39 h. no. 1464.
(27) Bukhari, Tawhid 50; Muslim, Dhikr 2,3 20-22.
(28) Yunus Emre.
(29) Bukhari, Zakah 21.
(30) Bukhari, Zakah 10, 9, Adab 34; Muslim, Zakah 66-67.
(31) Bukhari, Adab 34, Muslimi, Zakah 56.
(32) Bukhari, Adab 33; Muslim, Zakah 53.
(33) Riyadus-Salihin, .
(34) Tirmidhi, Zakah 28.
(35) Defterdar S. M. Paşa Devlet Adamlarına Öğütler, 124.
(36) Riyadus-Salihin Hadith no 1525.
(37) Luqman:
(38) Bukhari, Zakah 8; Muslim, Zakah 68.
(39) Bazzar.
(40) al-Baqara: 2/267.
(41) Bukhari, Tirmidhi.
(42) Hadith
(43) Muhammad 47/7.
(44) at-Taghabun: 64/17.
(45) Tirmidhi, Qiyamah 42.
(46) Aal-i Imran: 3/92.
(47) al-Baqara: 2/177.
(48) ad-Dahr: 76/5-9.
(49) Kütüb-ü Sitte Muhtasarı Vol. 16 p. 548 H. no. 6060.
(50) Muslim, Dhikr 23, 20/22; Bukhari Tevhid 50.
(51) Kütüb-ü Sitte Muhtasarı, Vol. 16 p. 547 H. no. 6059.
(52) Muslim Salatul-Musafirin, 84, Zakah: 56; Bukhari Sulh: 11, Jihad 72.
(53) Sahih-i Buhari Muhtasarı, Vol. 12, p. 129.
(54) Bukhari, Nafaqat 1, Iman 41; Muslim, Zakah 48.
(55) al-Baqara: 2/271.
(56) al-Baqara 2/274.
(57) al-Baqara: 2/261.
(58) az-Zumar 39/10.

For more information, please click on the link given below;

When it is said that lifespan is lengthened through sadaqah, does it mean the time of death changes?

Material disasters are not disasters in terms of reality. The real disaster is the spiritual disasters, which are our sins.

Therefore, it is never permissible to attribute sins to destiny. It is Allah who creates, but it is our soul that wants it.

“All things, good and evil, are all from Allah.” (an-Nisa, 4/78) It is stated in the verse that it is Allah who creates both good and evil. The principle of Ahl as-Sunnah “Allah is the creator of both good and evil” is like an explanation of such verses.

“Whatever good, (O man!) happens to thee, is from Allah. but whatever evil happens to thee, is from thy (own) soul...” (see an-Nisa, 4/ 79)

In the verse above, attention is drawn to the point that is related not to Allah’s creation, but to the partial will of people.

Material disasters either atone for our sins, prevent further troubles and calamities in the future, or are a means to make us attain higher positions in our eternal life. Therefore, every disaster is both a blessing and a great test for us.

After this brief information, we will explain the issue of luck and fortune:

Luck or fortune is a term used to mean the life program drawn by the divine will for people.

Deep-rooted belief and thought systems, especially heavenly religions generally accept that God, who creates and governs the universe, has infinite knowledge, will and power. All objects and events of the universe are within the scope of these perfect attributes of His.

Therefore, the life program of each individual, as well as the societies formed by humans, must inevitably follow the line determined by divine knowledge and will. There is no doubt that Allah doth command according to His will and plan. (see Aal-i Imran 3/40; al-Maida 5/1)

On the other hand, it is observed and known that although human desires are almost unlimited, the possibility of their realization in life are limited.

Therefore, people attribute important tasks that they cannot actually accomplish or that they think are difficult to achieve to the divine program called destiny (qadar).

According to the preferred view the word, baht, which was transferred from Persian to Arabic, means “the superhuman program to which good and bad events are connected” but it is mostly used for happy events.

The word talih used in Turkish is derived from the Arabic word tali’ (الطالع).

Tali’ means “rising, emerging”, or when used for the sun and the moon, it means “rising, manifesting”.

Those who are engaged in astrology call the events that they predict will occur depending on the appearance of certain stars tali’.

Accordingly, fortune (talih) is “a program that will occur in the future beyond human will and power”; in other words, it is “a manifestation of destiny, mostly in a good way.”

The word kismet (qismah) which means “share, a certain part of what is shared” in Arabic, and the word “nasib” are used in the same sense in Turkish.

Qismah is related to the words qasm and iqtisam, meaning “to divide, to share”. The following is stated in a verse, “It is We Who portion out between them their livelihood in the life of this world.” (az-Zukhruf 43/32).

Accordingly, qismah means “Allah’s determining in advance (in pre-eternity) the things that everyone will obtain in terms of their livelihood in particular and dividing their sustenance”; and nasib means “the share allocated to everyone in this distribution”.

The word qadar (destiny) used to express the same feelings and beliefs actually has a broad content that can include all other concepts.

Qadar means “all living and non-living natural objects and all events being known in advance by Allah. “It is not possible for anything to remain outside of this knowledge or contradict it.

Islamic scholars accept that divine will and predestination include everything good or bad.

However, in Turkish, unlike the words fortune, luck, kismet, nasib and chance, which came into our language from French, qadar (fate) is generally used for painful manifestations.

The word falak (dahr in Arabic and charkh in Persian), which is used to mean “fortune, luck”, is also used to mean the power that organizes this program rather than the pre-arranged program of human life.

The fact that life is full of good and bad events, and that man has to live by accepting the events that he does not like but cannot eliminate or even avoid, inevitably leads man to the conclusion that there is a supernatural ruler and influencer, and creates the need to be connected with this being. This is the meaning of belief in Allah being innate.

Aside from the supporters of Jabriyya (Fatalism), who ignore the human will, which is very few in number in every century, Islamic scholars have accepted that humans have a limited power and will in addition to the absolute power and will of Allah, and they have interpreted various verses and hadiths regarding the issue in line with this understanding.

Thanks to the two valuable things that man has, namely freedom of will and intellect, man is considered superior to many beings (see Aal-Isra 17/70) and is held responsible to the Creator and the created beings.

When there is freedom of will and the mental capacity to direct it, man is to take action and make the best effort he can. It is not possible to achieve success without making efforts in accordance with the laws of nature arranged by Almighty Allah.

Accordingly, aside from theoretical discussions about fate and freedom of will, it is seen that waiting for the manifestations of destiny without making any practical efforts that will lead to a result; and being upset with one’s luck in case of failure contradicts the principles of faith, law and ethics of Islam.

There is no doubt that where there is no freedom of will and the power to act, there is no responsibility and hence no earthly or otherworldly punishment or reward.

As a matter of fact, those who adopt the view of Jabriyya regard the will of the servant as non-existent in the face of Allah’s absolute power and will, but they actually accept that every human being is held responsible.

From the viewpoint of responsibility, Jabriyya’s assumption that human will is ignored appears to be a purely theoretical and philosophical debate that does not translate into practice.

The Prophet (pbuh) advises us to give sadaqah in order to be protected from calamities and misfortunes. In addition, one of the reasons for the misfortunes that hit the believer is the sins he commits because Allah cleanses the sins of the believer with the misfortunes in this world so that his reckoning will be easy in the Hereafter. In this respect, not committing sins is also a means of preventing misfortunes. Besides, praying also protects a person from misfortunes

Misfortunes that hit man are a kind of mercy since they lead to the forgiveness of his sins. It is a necessity of servitude to be patient and to thank when misfortunes come.

Not every misfortune is sorrowful; it is necessary not to regard each misfortune or each illness as a manifestation of sorrow.

The following is stated in a hadith:

“The biggest misfortunes come to prophets, then to saints and then to other sincere people.” (see Munawi, Faydul-Qadir, 1/519, no: 1056; al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, 3/343)

When we say misfortunes, we mean “being tested through misfortunes”. The outcomes of big tests are big. The questions asked in a test for recruiting officials and governors are not the same. The former is easier than the latter; and the outcome of the latter is more important than the former.

A wonderful statement regarding the issue is as follows:

“Everything about qadar (predestination) is good and nice. Even the evil that comes from it is good, and the ugliness is beautiful.”
(see Sözler, p. 472)

Man should have a look at his body first. He should think of each one of his organs separately. Then, he should ask himself: The place, shape, size and duty of which organ is not arranged in the best way? Then, he should have a look at his own world of spirit and continue the same thought in the same realm. Is memory or imagination unnecessary? Is love or fear extra? 

The body forms a whole with all of its organs and it becomes useful when it is so; similarly, the spirit is a whole with all of its feelings, emotions and faculties. It can only be useful when it is so. If you remove the mind and memory from the human spirit, it cannot function. If you remove the feeling of anxiety, man will be lazy; he will not work for the world or the hereafter. If you remove fear, he cannot protect his life. If he does not have the feeling of love, he will not take pleasure from anything.

Both the body and the spirit of man were arranged in a wise way. It is called the “visible qadar”. Similarly, all of the incidents that a person experiences throughout his life are regular and orderly. It is called the “spiritual qadar”. The visible qadar gives information about the spiritual qadar. All aspects of both of them are nice except for the sins committed through the partial free will.    

When we, as weak individuals, are astonished by the manifestations of the spiritual qadar that are outside our will, and falter and hesitate, we should look at the visible qadar and endless wisdoms in it. For instance, we should remember the merciful training in the uterus: The divine mercy and wisdom trained us in the best way then and we were not aware of anything that was taking place.

Now, we are experiencing different manifestations of the same mercy.

We should learn from the hadith “Having good thoughts about Allah is regarded as worshipping”; and we should rely on the mercy of our Lord, who feeds and raises us and who arranges our life in the best way. We should evaluate all of the incidents that we experience as exam questions and we should look for a manifestation of mercy in the incidents that our souls do not like. The soul of a young person does not want to go to school but wants to play games. However, the mind objects to it. It shows the soul the beautiful ranks in the future and dissuades it from games. That is, what is good for the soul is not good for the mind.

The heart is a completely different thing. If it is illuminated with belief, it sees everything and every incident as a manifestation of divine names. It attains the fact, “All of Allah’s names are beautiful and all of the manifestations of His names are beautiful too.” No ugliness is in question for that fortunate person anymore.

Those who say “Both Your sorrows and Your blessings are nice” are fortunate people who have attained that rank. Those people are the people who are defined as, “Allah loves them and they love Allah.”

•••
In Risale-i Nur Collection, beauty is dealt with in two parts: “something that is beautiful itself” and “something that is beautiful in terms of its outcomes”. We can give some examples regarding this classification: The day is beautiful itself; the night has a different beauty. One evokes being awake the other being asleep. Is it not obvious that we need both?

On the other hand, the fruit itself is beautiful and the medicine is beautiful in terms of its outcomes.

The incidents that man experiences are like the night or the day. Health evokes the day and disease evokes the night. If it is considered that diseases atone for sins, that they show man that he is weak, that they remind him of his slavery and that they break off the relationship of the heart with the world, making it turn toward the Lord, it will be seen that diseases are blessings as great as health. Health is the feast day of the body and diseases are nutrition for the heart.

“Night and the day” are only a chain of the manifestations of “jalal and jamal” (majesty and beauty) that are continuously active in the universe. There are many other chains like the minus and plus poles of electricity, the black and white part of the eye, red and white blood cells of the blood. We are surrounded by those binary systems in our inner world and outside; we benefit from them in different ways.   

A Quranic verse regarding the issue is as follows:

“But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you.” (al-Baqara, 216)

The verse is related to jihad but its decree is general. This verse attracts the attention to another binary system: War and peace. Peace is like the day; everybody likes it; war evokes the night. However, those who do not fight when it is necessary endanger their future and their generations are destroyed. Those who are martyred during wars attain the rank of saints and the worldly life that they lost is like the night compared to their new life.   

 Can you think of a misfortune worse than death? By informing us that there are good things behind the things that the soul dislikes, the verse offers consolation for the other troubles, diseases and disasters of the world.

The following is stated in a sacred hadith: “My mercy has surpassed My wrath.”

This sacred hadith is interpreted as follows: “There are so many manifestations of Allah’s mercy behind each misfortune that His mercy surpasses the pains caused by each misfortune.”

Life is not like even a moment compared to eternity. If the diseases, misfortunes and troubles that we experience in this short life are good for our eternal life, there is no need to worry about them. Seventy or eighty years have no value compared to eternal life. All of the ephemeral misfortunes and troubles of this world are like nothing compared to the endless bliss.     

However, the soul of man wants immediate pleasures; it does not look at the future. That area belongs to the mind and the heart. As we have mentioned, not every misfortune is sorrowful. The incidents that our souls do not like and that blacken our ephemeral world are either divine warnings that put us back to the right path or atonement for our sins; they make us suffer their consequences in this world, not leaving them to the hereafter. Or, they are means of turning man’s heart from the ephemeral life in the world to Allah and the hereafter.

 On the other hand, misfortunes are a testing of patience; the reward of passing this test is great.

Lastly, they are divine punishments. General misfortunes may contain parts of all of them. They may be sorrow for some people, warning for some people and atonement for others...

The safest method for individual misfortunes should be as follows: If the misfortune affects us, we need to blame our own souls and then repent. If the misfortune affects other people, we should regard it as something that will cause them to improve themselves. Thus, we will improve and train our souls; and we will not think of bad things about other people.

- Troubles are the elements that add life to life because a trouble-free, uniform and monotonous life is more like a dead body than a living one. It is closer to non-existence than existence. Life gains motivation and progress through difficulties.

“Patience and prayer are two good weapons of the believer.” This saying is narrated as a hadith. (see Kanzul-Ummal, III/272, h.no: 6505).

Patience is a power of endurance that gives us resistance against hardships and difficulties. It is emphasized in the hadith that those who do it truly are believers because the power of endurance of man is limited. Patience is a truly unique weapon in the hands of a person who believes in Allah, who will increase his power, who is ready everywhere with His knowledge and who overcomes every difficulty. One can resist against all hardships and overcome all difficulties with patience.

On the other hand, what transforms all problems into joy - like a machine that transforms everything - is belief in the hereafter. He who believes in the hereafter has the power to say “Ya Hu! This will also end,” in the face of the hard tests of the world. He says, “Ya Sabur” (O the Patient One) in the face of all kinds of suffering in order to attain eternal health just like a patient who takes bitter medicine in order to get well.  

What made the Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) attain the sultanate of Egypt from slavery was his patience.

Patience is a weapon against the enemy of haram; it is also a unique weapon to use to fulfill Allah’s commands; in addition, it is also the most powerful weapon against misfortunes.

“My ummah is a nation that has received mercy. They will not be tormented in the hereafter. Their torment/punishment is given in the form of disasters such as mischief / severe tests, earthquakes and innocent killings in the world.” (Abu Davud, Fitan, 7)

Islamic scholars have focused on the meaning of this hadith and tried to make it understandable with different interpretations. The hadith is one of the problematic hadiths with ambiguous meaning.

The problem is this: There are many sound hadiths stating that some people from this ummah, especially those who commit major sins and die without repenting, will go to hell and will later come out of it through intercession or by the grace of Allah (see Awnul-Mabud, the interpretation of the hadith in question)

Attention is drawn to the following points for the solution of this problem:

a. What is meant by the phrase “this Ummah” refers to the people / Companions of the time of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). It does not mean the whole ummah.

b. What is meant by “ummah marhumah” is that they are entitled to more divine blessings than other ummahs. The heavy burdens that were placed on previous ummahs were not placed on this ummah. Otherwise, it does not mean that all of their sins are forgiven because it is against the secret of testing too.

c. There is a hidden simile and comparison in the phrase “They will not be tormented in the hereafter”. In other words, “There will be no punishment ‘as heavy as the punishment of other nations’ for them in the hereafter.”

d. Or, there will be no punishment for most of this ummah. Since the decrees are general, such a style was preferred - in order to open a door of hope.

e. As stated in the verse “Whoever works evil, will be requited accordingly” (an-Nisa, 4/123), every action that is done, whether good or bad, has a reward or punishment. The punishment for the evil done by this ummah is generally given in this world in the form of various troubles, heavy tests and misfortunes. That is the general rule, but some will also suffer their punishment in the hereafter.

f. According to Munawi, the reason for a different practice for this ummah is this: For the previous ummahs, the measure of justice and the standards required by the name of Rabb of Allah, who wants education / to discipline, were in force. For this ummah, Allah’s grace and blessings are in force.

g. What is meant by “ummah” mentioned in the hadith might be a certain group, a class, or a community that does not commit major sins.

h. What is meant by “ummah” mentioned in the hadith is not the one that is addressed by the offer, but the one that accepts it (ummah al-ijabah). In other words, it is the ummah that follows Allah’s commands and avoids His prohibitions.

i. According to Tibi, the main message conveyed in the hadith is that this ummah has received more blessings from Allah than other ummahs, and that every misfortune that hits them in the world, even if a thorn pricking their feet, will be atonement for their sins. Accordingly, if a person suffers troubles and misfortunes in this world - because of his sins - he will no longer suffer punishment in the hereafter:

“Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere, Who say, when afflicted with calamity: ‘To Allah We belong, and to Him is our return’:- They are those on whom (Descend) blessings from Allah, and Mercy, and they are the ones that receive guidance.” (al-Baqara, 2/155-157)

No calamity, not even the pricking of a thorn, remains unrequited; it too has a reward. We see this fact in the following hadith:

 Abu Hurayra narrates:  The Prophet (pbuh) said:

“If a Muslim is hit by any misfortune, trouble, grief, sorrow, torment, or worry, or even if a thorn pricks him, Allah will surely make it atone for his sins.” (Bukhari, Marda,1; Muslim, Birr, 52)

There are many hadiths about patience. We think the following hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad will be enough as an example:

 The Prophet (pbuh) said;

“The judgment/decision that Allah has foreseen for the believers makes me very happy:

If a good thing befalls him, he praises and thanks his Lord. If a calamity befalls him, he praises his Lord and shows patience. In any case - even for a morsel he puts in his wife’s mouth - there is a reward for the believer.” (Ahmad b. Hanbal, 1/173).

The hadith above shows that a believer’s life always revolves around profitable wheels. He shows patience in the face of troubles and receives rewards; he thanks Allah when he is in relief and receives rewards. How happy are the believers who spend their lives in accordance with Allah’s commands!

When Allah creates something, He creates them so that they will bring about good things. When we look at the order in the universe, we do not see any deficiency or irregularity; sane people that see the order in the universe cannot help glorifying the majesty of Allah.

However, people can transform those good things that were created in the universe to evil things through their own will.

The creation of fire is useful. However, if a person puts his hand into fire, it will be evil for that person. As a matter of fact, Allah created fire so that people would meet their needs. However, if a person puts his hand into fire with his own will, he cannot say, “Why did Allah create fire?”, “Why did the fire burn my hand?”, “Why did Allah allow it?” There are laws that Allah imposed on the universe. If you obey those laws, you will gain some advantages; if you disobey them, you will be harmed. These examples can be multiplied.

As for man, with the expression of the Quran, Allah created people so that they would worship Him; He ordered people to keep away from bad deeds, ugly deeds and naughtiness; He stated that He would punish those who do not obey Him with a severe torture and He warned people regarding all issues by sending more than one hundred thousand prophets.

However, people who do not fulfill their duty and do not heed those orders will suffer the consequences.

The reason why Allah does not prevent evil deeds directly is the fact that we are being tested in this world. This world is a place of testing; people are allowed to do good deeds and bad deeds. If those who do bad deeds and who make mistakes were intervened, the testing would be meaningless.

If roses were thrown on those who did good deeds and thorns were thrown on those who did bad deeds, the world would not be a testing place.

As for a person who suffers a misfortune, that misfortune will be beneficial for him in terms of its result. If he had sins, that misfortune would be atonement for his sins. If he had no sins, that misfortune would be atonement for the sins he would commit in the future. Besides, the misfortunes he suffers may be a means of entering Paradise for him. That is, Allah will treat that person who suffered misfortunes with mercy; the rewards that Allah gives will eliminate those misfortunes.

We sometimes misinterpret some incidents that are seemingly bad and object to them by asking why it happened because we do not know the real nature and the inside of the incidents. It is definitely not appropriate to ask for misfortunes. However, when it does happen, it is necessary to show patience and think of its reward by saying, “Both your troubles and your blessings are nice.” It is the high degree of slavery.

"Not every misfortune is sorrowful; it is necessary not to regard each misfortune or each illness as a manifestation of sorrow."

The following is stated in a hadith:

“The greatest misfortunes come to prophets, then to saints and then to the other sincere people.” (see Munawi, Fayzu'l-Qadir, 1:519; Hakim, al-Mustadrak, 3/343; Musnad, 1/172, 174, 180, 185, 6:369)

When we say misfortunes, we mean being tested through misfortunes. The outcomes of big tests are big. The questions asked in a test for recruiting officials and governors are not the same. The former is easier than the latter; and the outcome of the latter is more important than the former.

A wonderful statement regarding the issue is as follows:

“Everything about Divine Determining is good and beautiful. Even the evil that comes from it is good, and the ugliness is beautiful.” Badiuzzaman Said Nursi, Sözler (Words)

Man should have a look at his body first. He should think of each one of his organs separately. Then, he should ask himself: The place, shape, size and duty of which organ is not arranged in the best way? Then, he should go to his own world of spirit and continue the same thought in the same realm. Is memory unnecessary or imagination? Is love extra or fear?

The body forms a whole with all of its organs and it becomes useful when it is so; similarly, the spirit is a whole with all of its feelings, emotions and faculties. It can only be useful when it is so. If you remove the mind and memory from the human spirit, it cannot function. If you remove the feeling of anxiety, man will be lazy; he will not work for the world or the hereafter. If you remove fear, he cannot protect his life. If he does not have the feeling of love, it will not take pleasure from anything.

Both the body and the spirit of man were arranged in a wise way. It is called the visible qadar. Similarly, all of the incidents that a person experiences throughout his life are regular and orderly. It is called the spiritual qadar. The visible qadar gives information about the spiritual qadar. All aspects of both of them are nice; except for the sins committed through the partial free will.

When we, as weak individuals, are astonished by the manifestations of the spiritual qadar that are outside our will, and falter and hesitate, we should look at the visible qadar and endless wisdoms in it. For instance, we should remember the merciful training in the uterus: The divine mercy and wisdom trained us in the best way and we were not aware of anything that was taking place.

Now, we are experiencing different manifestations of the same mercy.

We should learn from the hadith

“Having good thoughts about Allah is regarded as worshipping”; (Abu Dawud, Adab, 81, hadith no: 4993)

and we should rely on the mercy of our Lord, who feeds and raises us and who arranges our life in the best way. We should evaluate all of the incidents that we experience as exam questions and we should look for a manifestation of mercy in the incidents that our soul does not like.

A person is mistaken if they only measure by their own nafs. (evil commanding soul). The soul of a person does not want to go to school but wants to play games. However, the mind objects to it. It shows the soul the beautiful ranks in the future and dissuades it from games. That is, what is beautiful for the soul is not beautiful for the mind.

The heart is a completely different thing. If it is illuminated with belief, it sees everything and every incident as a manifestation of divine names. It attains the fact, “All of Allah’s names are beautiful and all of the manifestations of His names are beautiful, too.” No ugliness is in question for that fortunate person anymore.

Those who say “Both your troubles and your blessings are nice” are fortunate people who have attained that rank. Those people are the people who are defined as, “Allah loves them and the love Allah.”

In Risale-i Nur Collection, beauty is dealt with in two parts: “something that is beautiful itself” and “something that is beautiful in terms of its outcomes”.We can give some examples regarding this classification: The day is beautiful itself; the night has a different beauty. One evokes being awake the other being asleep. Is it not obvious that we need both?

On the other hand, the fruit itself is beautiful and the medicine is beautiful in terms of its outcomes.

The incidents that man experiences are like the night or the day. Health evokes the day and disease evokes the night. If it is considered that diseases atone for sins, that they show man that he is weak, that they remind him of his slavery and that they break off the relationship of the heart with the world, making it turn toward the Lord, it will be seen that diseases are bounties as great as health. Health is the feast day of the body and diseases are nutrition for the heart.

“Night and the day” are only a chain of the manifestations of “jalal and jamal”(majesty and beauty) that are continuously active in the universe. There are many other chains like the minus and plus poles of electricity, the black and white part of the eye, the red and white blood cells of the blood. We are surrounded by those binary systems in our inner world and outside; we benefit from them in different ways.

A Quranic verse regarding the issue is as follows: “But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you” (al-Baqara, 216)

The verse is related to jihad but its judgment is general. This verse attracts the attention to another binary system: War and peace. Peace is like the day; everybody likes it; war evokes the night. However, those who do not fight when it is necessary endanger their future and their generations are destroyed. Those who are martyred during wars attain the rank of saints and the worldly life that they lost is like the night compared to their new life.

Can you think of a misfortune worse than death? By informing us that there are good things behind the things that the soul dislikes, the verse offers consolation for the other troubles, diseases and disasters of the world.

A sacred hadith: “My mercy has surpassed my wrath.” (see Acluni, Kashf al-Khafa, 1/448).

This sacred hadith is interpreted as follows: “There are so many manifestations of Allah’s mercy behind each misfortune that His mercy surpasses the pains caused by each misfortune.”

Life is not even like a moment compared to eternity. If the diseases, misfortunes and troubles that we experience in this short life are good for our eternal life, there is no need to worry about them. Seventy or eighty years have no value compared to eternal life. All of the ephemeral misfortunes and troubles of this world are like nothing compared to the endless bliss.

However, the soul of man wants immediate pleasures; it does not look at the future. That area belongs to the mind and the heart. As we have mentioned, not every misfortune is sorrowful .

The incidents that our soul does not like and that blacken our ephemeral world are either divine warnings that put us back to the right path or atonement for our sins; they make us suffer their consequences in this world, not leaving them to the hereafter. Or, they are means of turning man’s heart from the ephemeral life in the world to Allah and the hereafter.

On the other hand, misfortunes are a testing of patience; the reward of passing this test is great.

Lastly, they are divine punishments. General misfortunes may contain parts of all of them. They may be sorrow for some people, warning for some people and atonement for others...

The safest method for individual misfortunes should be as follows: If the misfortune affects us, we need to blame our own soul and then repent. If the misfortune affects other people, we should regard it as something that will cause them to improve themselves. Thus, we will improve and train our soul; and we will not think of bad things about other people.

There is no time limit to fulfill a vow. You can fulfill this obligation up to the end of your life. Therefore, it is not appropriate to attribute the troubles and misfortunes that befell you to not fulfilling your vow. Do not attach importance to that wrong thought.

It is necessary to give alms (sadaqah), not to skip worship, and to keep away from sins to avoid troubles and misfortunes.

As Muslims, we know that nothing that happens to us is meaningless or without purpose. Behind every event, there is certainly wisdom and goodness.

However, the following question is also very important: If Allah is punishing a servant for a bad deed, how should the goodness and wisdom in this be understood?

First of all, let us clearly state this: When Allah afflicts a servant with a hardship, it does not only mean “punishment.” The same event can simultaneously contain different wisdoms such as punishment, warning, purification, and test. In other words, a hardship is not one-dimensional, but a multi-dimensional divine act.

The Qur’an clearly establishes this balance. On the one hand:

“Whatever good happens to you is from Allah; but whatever evil befalls you is from yourself.” (al-Nisāʾ 4:79)

reminds us of human responsibility.

On the other hand:

“It may be that you dislike a thing, and it is good for you…” (al-Baqarah 2:216)

draws attention to the divine wisdom behind what appears outwardly.

Within this framework, if a person commits a wrong and then faces a hardship, this situation can be understood in several ways:

First of all, it may be an expiation for sins. The hardships that befall a believer can lead to the forgiveness of their sins. A temporary hardship in this world may prevent a much greater punishment in the Hereafter. In this sense, what appears as punishment is actually a mercy.

Secondly, it can be a warning and a reminder. A person may not always realize their mistakes and may fall into heedlessness. A hardship can shake them, make them reflect, and lead them to ask, “Where did I go wrong?” This, in turn, may guide the person to repentance. Thus, the hardship becomes a turning point that brings the servant closer to Allah.

Thirdly, such difficulties may serve as protection from greater calamities. Through a small warning, a person may be prevented from falling into a much greater disaster or deviation. What appears as hardship may in fact be a mercy that prevents greater harm.

Fourthly, if the person does not have a clear sin, or if the hardship is not a punishment, then it may be a test and a means of raising their rank. Indeed, the prophets and the most righteous people were subjected to the greatest trials. This is to elevate their ranks in the sight of Allah.

At this point, an important measure is this: If a hardship brings a person closer to Allah, leads them to repentance and patience, then it is خير (good) for them. But if it leads them to rebellion and distancing from Allah, then it serves as a warning for them.

In conclusion, instead of definitively saying, “this is a punishment” or “this is only a test,” the most sound approach is this:

A person should hold themselves accountable, repent if they have made mistakes, and in all circumstances show patience and trust in Allah. Because for a believer, the outcome does not change: a hardship either removes sins, awakens the heart, or raises one’s rank.

In every case, there is goodness and wisdom in what Allah decrees for His servant.

Rain salah and rain dua are kinds of worshipping. Lack of rain is the time of that worshipping. That worshipping and dua are not done to bring rain. If it is done only with that intention, it will not be accepted since it is not sincere. When the sun sets, it is the time of the evening (maghrib) prayer. Similarly, Allah sends drought so that believers will pray.

Solar eclipse and lunar eclipse are the time of kusuf and khusuf prayers. That is, the night and the day are veiled by divine signs, declaring the greatness of Allah; so, God Almighty invites His slaves to perform a kind of worshipping. That prayer is not performed so that the moon or the sun will appear again (it is definite by astronomic calculations when the eclipse will take place and how long it will last). Similarly, lack of rain is the time for rain prayer. The aim of that worshipping is not rain.

From this point of view, it is necessary not to see lack of rain as absolute punishment. Allah wants His slaves to pray; he shows this by sending drought.

The following is stated in the hadiths:

“A person who dies after hiding his love and preserving his chastity is regarded as a martyr.” (see Kanzul-Ummal, h. no: 6999-7000; Hakim, Khatib)

“Allah forgives the sins of the patient people who conceal their love and preserve their chastity and puts them in Paradise.” (Ibn Asakir)

So, it is very rewarding in our religion to preserve chastity and to avoid sinning because of falling in love. Since love generally blinds people, it is difficult to prevent oneself from sinning. The reward (thawab) for accomplishing difficult tasks is bigger. The following is stated in a hadith:

“The superior people of my ummah are those who preserve their chastity when they are subjected to the trouble of love.” (Daylami)

According to the hadith, love must be concealed in order to achieve the reward in question.

The word qunut means to pray to Allah Almighty in prayer, to turn to Him, and to bow down before Him. The practice of qunut in prayer is certain based on the hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). (1)

Based on those narrations, Islamic scholars generally divide qunut into two parts:

Regular (usual) qunut

Qunut performed in times of calamity and extraordinary circumstances (Qunut Nazilah)

1. Regular Qunut

Scholars of the four madhhabs have accepted the legitimacy of the regular qunut. However, there are some differences among madhhabs regarding in which prayer and at what stage it should be recited.

According to Hanafi madhhab:

Qunut is recited in the third rak’ah of the witr prayer before ruku’, after saying takbir and holding the hands together, and then Qunut begins. According to Hanafis, reciting Qunut in witr prayer is wajib.

According to Shafi’i madhhab:

It is sunnah to recite qunut in the second rak’ah of the morning prayer (fajr) after ruku’, and also in the witr prayer during the second half of Ramadan.

According to Hanbali madhhab: Qunut is performed in witr prayer.

According to Maliki madhhab: Qunut is recited in the morning prayer. (2)

2. Qunut Nazilah (Qunut Recited in Times of Calamity)

Qunut Nazilah is the qunut that Muslims recite to ask for help from Allah Almighty when they are exposed to great distress, oppression, war, disaster or a social calamity.

According to Hanafi madhhab:

When a major calamity or misfortune befalls Muslims, qunut nazilah may be recited during fard prayers in which recitation is aloud.

The reason for referring to “two types of qunut” here is to distinguish their areas of application; qunut nazilah is not a completely separate type of worship.

According to Shafi’i madhhab:

In such cases, it is mustahab to recite qunut prayer in all five fard prayers.

According to Hanbali madhhab:

It is mustahab to recite qunut prayer in the morning prayer. (3)

How to Perform Qunut Nazilah

There are different practices among madhhabs regarding the place of the qunut.

Generally speaking: If it is to be performed after ruku’, the imam or the person praying alone rises from ruku’ and, after saying “Sami’allahu liman hamidah, Rabbana wa lakal-hamd,” recites qunut supplication

In some madhhabs, it is performed before ruku’.

There are also differing opinions regarding the raising of the hands. Raising the hands during qunut has been regarded as a behavior appropriate for supplication. However, not all madhhabs follow the same practice in this regard.

As a general principle, when asking for a blessing, help, or mercy from Allah during prayer, the palms of the hands are turned upward. When asking for the removal of a calamity or misfortune, the palms of the hands are turned downward.

Therefore, one may pay attention to the position of the hands depending on the content of the supplication recited during qunut nazilah.

What supplication is recited as qunut nazilah?

There is no single prescribed prayer for qunut nazilah. One prays to Allah Almighty in a manner appropriate to the hardship being experienced.

However, there are two well-known qunut prayers mentioned in books of Islamic fiqh:

Qunut Prayer Recited by Hanafis

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْتَعِينُكَ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُكَ، وَنُؤْمِنُ بِكَ وَنَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَيْكَ، وَنُثْنِي عَلَيْكَ الْخَيْرَ كُلَّهُ، نَشْكُرُكَ وَلَا نَكْفُرُكَ، وَنَخْلَعُ وَنَتْرُكُ مَنْ يَفْجُرُكَ

اللَّهُمَّ إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ، وَلَكَ نُصَلِّي وَنَسْجُدُ، وَإِلَيْكَ نَسْعَى وَنَحْفِدُ، وَنَرْجُو رَحْمَتَكَ، وَنَخْشَى عَذَابَكَ، إِنَّ عَذَابَكَ بِالْكُفَّارِ مُلْحِقٌ

Allahumma inna nasta’inuka wa nastaghfiruka wa nastahdika wa nu’minu bika wa natubu ilayk. Wa natawakkalu alayka wa nuthni alaykal-khayra kullahu nashkuruka wa la nakfuruka wa nakhla’u wa natruku man yafjuruk.

Allahumma iyyaka na’budu wa laka nusalli wa nasjudu wa ilayka nas’a wa nahfidu narju rahmataka wa nakhsha adhabaka inna adhabaka bilkuffari mulhiq.

Its meaning:

“Oh Allah, we ask you for help and seek your forgiveness and guidance, and we believe in You and have trust in You, and we praise You in the best way and we thank You and we are not ungrateful to You, and we forsake and turn away from the one who disobeys You. O Allah, we worship You only and pray to You and prostrate ourselves before You, and we run towards You and serve You, and we hope to receive Your mercy, and we fear Your punishment. Surely, the disbelievers will receive Your punishment.”

Qunut Prayer Recited by Shafi’is

اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنِي فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ، وَعَافِنِي فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ، وَتَوَلَّنِي فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ، وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ، وَقِنِي شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلَا يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ، وَإِنَّهُ لَا يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ، وَلَا يَعِزُّ مَنْ عَادَيْتَ، تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ

Allahummahdini fiman hadayta. Wa afini fiman afayta. Wa tawallani fiman tawallayta. Wa barik li fima a’tayta, wa qina sharra ma qadayta.

Fainnaka taqdi wala yuqda alayk, wa innahu la yazillu man walayta. Wa la ya’izzu man adayta. Tabarakta Rabbana wa taalayta.

Its meaning:

“O Allah, guide me with those You have guided aright, and grant me health with those that You have granted health. Take me into Your charge among those whom You have taken into Your charge. Bless me in what You have bestowed on me, and guard me against the evil that You have decreed, for You alone decree, and no one can decree against You. One whom You have patronized can never be despised and the one whom You have antagonized can never become honored. Blessed and exalted are You, our Lord Our Lord.” (4)

In conclusion, reciting qunut nazilah is considered legitimate by many scholars in situations where Muslims are experiencing great suffering, such as in Palestine. The method of recitation may vary according to different madhhabs. What matters is to sincerely turn to Allah Almighty, to pray for the removal of oppression, the protection of the oppressed, and the salvation of Muslims.

References:
1) Bukhari, Witr, 7; Muslim, Masajid, 294-308
2) Marghinani, al-Hidaya, 1/66-67; Nawawi, al-Majmu’, 3/492-493; Ibn Qudama, al-Mughni, 2/111-115; Shinqiti, Lawami’ud-Durar, 2/127-130.
3) Wahba az-Zuhayli, al-Fiqhul-Islami wa Adillatuhu, 2/1000-1002.
4) Wahba az-Zuhayli, al-Fiqhul-Islami wa Adillatuhu, 2/1000-1002.