How should I put up with the oppression inflicted on me? I prayed against the people who oppressed me but my prayers were not accepted. My belief has been shaken. I want to abandon worshipping..

How should I put up with the oppression inflicted on me? I prayed against the people who oppressed me but my prayers were not accepted. My belief has been shaken. I want to abandon worshipping..

Dear Brother / Sister,

- This world is a place of testing; there are easy tests and hard tests. The traps of Satan are abundant in those kinds of hard tests of troubles and misfortunes. To fail the test – God forbid – by obeying Satan’s suggestions will not eliminate the troubles of the world; what is more, it will bring about troubles in the hereafter. Loss in this world and the hereafter will be certain.  

- In a place where there is such injustice and oppression, the test is valid not only for the oppressed but also for the oppressor. The oppressor fails the test because he oppresses. The oppressed person will pass the test if he shows patience. A person who gives one but wins one thousand is not at a loss. A person who shows patience for the tests of Allah in this ephemeral world will live happily in the eternal life. When a person views the issue with the consciousness of belief, he will see that the happiness to come in the eternal future will compensate the temporary unhappiness at the moment.

- Everybody needs to be given the equality of opportunity for the test to be righteous. The equality of opportunity  is only possible when people can use their free will freely. If Allah prevented people who wanted to commit murders, theft and oppression, there would not be any testing.

Therefore, it is cruel judgment to blame Allah for the bad deeds that man commits through his free will, which is the indispensable condition of the testing. Besides, having such a judgment through the suggestion of Satan will earn man nothing but disrespect toward Allah will cause punishment both in this world and in the hereafter.   

- We should not forget that, sometimes, good things bring about bad things and bad things bring about good things. It is the best way to wait for the manifestations of the endless mercy of Allah with such hope.
 
The period of waiting is also a process of testing. In this process, the person can attain peace by showing consent to the righteous qadar of Allah – even if he shows fury against those who oppress him, because the following prophetic principle promises us peace: “a person who shows consent to qadar becomes free of greef.” (Munawi, Faydu’l-Qadir 3/187) To do the opposite of it will cause more grief.

It is necessary to trust in Allah. To resent Allah and to abandon worshipping due to the oppression of a person will rejoice Satan and the enemy only. It harms the person who resents Him. With the expression of Badiuzzaman Said Nursi, “The one who criticizes qadar strikes his head against the anvil and breaks it. The one who accuses God's mercy will inevitably be deprived of it”. (see Lemalar (Flashes), 2. Lema)

- It is necessary to view the issues righteously. For instance, a person who is oppressed prays Allah against those who oppress him and wants his prayer to be accepted at once. However, if Allah had accepted the prayers of the people based on their wishes and desires at once, the world would have probably been destroyed now.   

There are some people who want the world to collapse around the people who oppress him. However, all of the deeds of Allah are based on wisdom; there is a certain period determined for everybody. Allah will not kill anyone before their time is due just because we want it.   

However, we know that oppression will not be permanent. The punishment for oppression is valid both in this world and in the hereafter.

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