# Is Allah Testing or Punishing Me? | Why Me?

**Author:** Dr. Omar Suleiman
**Series:** Why Me
**Published:** 2024-03-30
**YouTube:** https://youtu.be/M-xa_Pigiew
**URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/is-allah-testing-or-punishing-me-why-me
**Topics:** Afterlife, Faith

## Description
Do you worship God on edge? Is your relationship with Him dependent on everything going right in your life? If so, then you're missing out on something important that Allah promised us: He tests those whom He loves. Tests are opportunities to learn life lessons, grow in faith, and earn forgiveness...

## Transcript
**[0:01]** Who told you this world would be fair or perfect? It wasn't Allah. In fact, He promised that every last person will face tests on earth.

**[0:22]** We know that no trial will last forever, but still, why is Allah testing you so much? Is this a sign of His punishment?

**[0:42]** What response does He expect from you?

**[1:00]** Imam Ibn al-Jawzi tells the story about a man in his lifetime who used to pray in the masjid for 80 years every single salah.

**[1:21]** And then this man's son died. And instead of turning back to Allah, he turns around and says, it's no point for anyone to make du'a to Allah because Allah does not listen to anyone's prayers. He said, at that moment, I realized that this man was merely worshipping Allah out of habit,

**[1:37]** but he didn't have a relationship based in any knowledge or faith. And this is what Allah meant when He said, وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ حَرْفٍ that some people worship Allah on an edge. It's like they're standing on a cliff and if something happens that they don't like,

**[1:52]** they just jump off with their faith. At the root of it is that their relationship with Allah is conditional. It's circumstantial and it only sticks if He doesn't test you the way that you don't want Him to. On the other hand, look at the Prophet (ﷺ) in a moment that would have broke any of us in Ta'if.

**[2:10]** إِن لَّمْ يَكُن بِكَ غَضَبٌ عَلَيَّ فَلَا أُبَالِي As long as you are not angry with me, I don't care. Why is Allah testing me?

**[2:31]** When you're going through a series of tests and trials, you start to wonder, is this a test or a punishment? The short answer is that you'll find out as you live your life. The long answer is, pay attention to what preceded the test and then how you received the test.

**[2:50]** As for what preceded the test, if it came after you committed a sin or in the capacity of that sin or in the genre of that sin, so for example, you took on a haram undertaking in your wealth and then financial destruction came to you, or you got into a haram relationship and your family ties were corrupted,

**[3:07]** take your test as a wake-up call and an expiation for your sins if you repent. And if your test came when you were getting complacent and comfortable in life, take this as a sign that Allah is waking you up to maintain your focus on Him and the hereafter by doing more good deeds.

**[3:23]** And if your test came when you were doing good or as a result of your good, take it as a sign of Allah's love and that He's purifying those deeds so that they're only for His sake and that He's raising your rank in the process. But the only way to really know if this came as a manifestation of Allah's love or punishment

**[3:40]** is entirely based on your response. Listen to what the Prophet (ﷺ) said, إِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِعَبْدِهِ الْخَيْرَ عَجَّلَ لَهُ الْعُقُوبَةَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَإِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِعَبْدِهِ الشَّرَّ أَمْسَكَ عَنْهُ بِذَنبِهِ حَتَّىٰ يُوَفَّىٰ بِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ

**[3:57]** When Allah wants good for His slave, He hastens His punishment in this world. And when He wants bad for His slave, He withholds His sins from him until He appears before him on the Day of Judgment. So the consequences of your sins being faced here is actually a sign of Allah's wanting good for you.

**[4:14]** Whereas if you're committing sins and you're not facing the consequences, it's actually a sign of Allah's wanting bad for you. And He continued, إِنَّ عِظَمَ الْجَزَاءِ مَعَ عِظَمِ الْبَلَاءِ And indeed, the greater reward comes with the greater trial.

**[4:29]** So the more you're tested, the more your potential reward. وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ إِذَا أَحَبَّ قَوْمًا ابْتَلَاهُمْ فَمَن رَّضِيَ فَلَهُ الرِّضَا وَمَن سَخِطَ فَلَهُ السَّخَطُ And indeed, when Allah loves a people, He subjects them to tests.

**[4:44]** So whoever is content, then for him is the pleasure of Allah. And whoever is angry, then for him is Allah's wrath. So whether or not your test is a manifestation of Allah's love or punishment is entirely based on whether you responded to that test with contentment and humility or anger and arrogance.

**[5:02]** Allah tests those whom He loves with trials to either bring them back or to bring them up. In another hadith, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, إِذَا أَحَبَّ اللَّهُ عَبْدًا حَمَاهُ الدُّنْيَا كَمَا يَظَلُّ أَحَدُكُمْ يَحْمِي سَقِيمَهُ الْمَاءَ

**[5:17]** If Allah loves His slave, He protects him from this dunya. The way that one of you would hold back water from your loved one when they are sick. Now what does this mean? It means that if someone is sick and they really want cold water to help them cope with the symptoms of that sickness.

**[5:33]** But you know that it will actually aggravate the underlying cause of their sickness if they drink that water. You hold back that water out of love for them. Now subhanAllah, you're looking at them crying and begging for it. But as much as your heart breaks due to their crying, you don't give it to them because you care about them.

**[5:51]** This is how Allah is with us when He loves us and holds back something of this world that He knows we so badly want. And the increase of pain that is then faced is merely the increase of reward. And when Ibn Mas'ud (رضي الله عنه) visited the Prophet (ﷺ) when he was dying,

**[6:08]** and he felt the fever of the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, It was hotter than anything I had ever felt. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that the pain was doubled because the reward was doubled. But how do you deal with the disappointment of the moment?

**[6:23]** The Prophet (ﷺ) saw a dream of what he thought was Ta'if receiving him, but it was Madinah later on instead. We too can think that Allah is sending us some much needed relief, maybe even as a reward for a struggle we've already gone through.

**[6:50]** We start celebrating with those that we love and start imagining a new life altogether.

**[7:06]** Because the same Lord who put mercy in our hearts also put hopes in our minds. So we start dreaming of all the ways that our life is going to be filled with joy.

**[7:23]** Then just as quickly as we get our hopes up, Allah wills that our worst fears materialize. And we're left feeling empty, alone, unheard, or maybe even hated by Allah.

**[7:41]** Because all we see is what was just taken away from us, not what was given to us. And that's the key. Ibn 'Awn (رضي الله عنه) says, And know that you cannot attain true contentment until you are just as content with what Allah has withheld from you as you are with what He has given you.

**[7:59]** Because if you're only content with what He gives you, then you're not content with Him. You're content with His gifts, not with the Giver. And if you're only content with the Giver when He gives you what you want, then you're not really content with Him at all. You're content with yourself and your own desires being fulfilled.

**[8:17]** True contentment is when you're content with Allah regardless of what He gives or withholds. And that's when you know that your relationship with Him is based on love, not on conditions. And that's when you know that your worship is for His sake, not for your own sake.

**[8:32]** And that's when you know that your faith is real, not just a habit. And that's when you know that you're truly grateful, not just when things are going well. And that's when you know that you're truly patient, not just when you have no other choice.

**[8:47]** And that's when you know that you're truly trusting in Him, not just when you can see the way forward. And that's when you know that you're truly relying on Him, not just when you have no other option. And that's when you know that you're truly submitting to Him, not just when it's easy.

**[9:02]** And that's when you know that you're truly worshipping Him, not just when you feel like it. And that's when you know that you're truly loving Him, not just when He gives you what you want. And that's when you know that you're truly content with Him, not just with His gifts.

**[9:17]** And that's when you know that you're truly at peace, not just when everything is going well. And that's when you know that you're truly successful, not just in this world, but in the hereafter. And that's when you know that you're truly blessed, not just with what you have, but with who you are.

**[9:32]** And that's when you know that you're truly happy, not just when things are going your way. And that's when you know that you're truly fulfilled, not just when your desires are met. And that's when you know that you're truly alive, not just when you're breathing.

**[9:47]** And that's when you know that you're truly free, not just when you have no constraints. And that's when you know that you're truly strong, not just when you have no weaknesses. And that's when you know that you're truly wise, not just when you have all the answers.

**[10:02]** And that's when you know that you're truly humble, not just when you have nothing to be proud of. And that's when you know that you're truly generous, not just when you have plenty to give. And that's when you know that you're truly kind, not just when it's easy to be kind.

**[10:17]** And that's when you know that you're truly compassionate, not just when you feel like it. And that's when you know that you're truly merciful, not just when others deserve it. And that's when you know that you're truly forgiving, not just when it's easy to forgive.

**[10:32]** When the hardships in your life pile up seeming like they may never end, you must remember that the entirety of the dunya is nothing more than a testing ground.

**[11:04]** And if this test leads you to anger and to hurt the people you love, how then can you begin to appreciate that it may be that Allah was calling you back to His love?

**[11:34]** You're not going to find Jannah on earth, and you don't need to. In the words of the Qur'an, in moments of taqwa, and in connection with your Lord, you'll find that ease is always lying in wait for its turn to greet you.

**[11:51]** But Allah knows exactly when to give you that ease. Perhaps for now, it's in your decree to handle more.

## Other Episodes in "Why Me"
- [Did My Life Really Matter? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/did-my-life-really-matter-why-me.md)
- [When Life Comes Full Circle | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/when-life-comes-full-circle-why-me.md)
- [What Will The Day of My Death Be Like? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/what-do-i-feel-when-im-dying-why-me.md)
- [Will Allah Still Forgive Me? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/will-allah-still-forgive-me-why-me.md)
- [How Can I Accept That I'm Dying? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/how-can-i-accept-that-im-dying-why-me.md)
- [What If It's Too Late? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/what-if-its-too-late-why-me.md)
- [Do Good Deeds Extend My Life? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/do-good-deeds-extend-my-life-why-me.md)
- [Why Is There So Much Suffering in The World? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/why-is-there-so-much-suffering-in-the-world-why-me.md)
- [Can I Escape The Outcome of My Sins? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/can-i-escape-the-outcome-of-my-sins-why-me.md)
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- [Why Did They Have to Die? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/why-did-they-have-to-die-why-me.md)
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- [I Didn't Mean to Hurt You | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/i-didnt-mean-to-hurt-you-why-me.md)
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- [Why Do I Have These (Dis)Abilities? |  Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/why-do-i-have-these-disabilities-why-me.md)
- [What Shaped My Personality? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/what-shaped-my-personality-why-me.md)
- [Why Is This My Family? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/why-is-this-my-family-why-me.md)
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- [Why Did Allah Choose This Time for Me? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/why-did-allah-choose-this-time-for-me-why-me.md)
- [Where Was I Before I Was Born? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/where-was-i-before-i-was-born-why-me.md)
- [Trailer: Why Me? | A Ramadan Series on Understanding Qadar](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/trailer-why-me-a-ramadan-series-on-understanding-qadar.md)