Q: I just wanted to clarify a bit of doubt that I have regarding trials and tribulations. I know that everything comes from Allah and that a Muslim is such that he is happy in all conditions, but sometimes it is hard to practice on that. Is crying because of a trial you have been afflicted with a sign of ingratitude towards Allah?
A: To cry upon a calamity or difficulty is not a sign of ingratitude nor is it a sin. THis is natural. Rasoolullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) also shed tears when his son Ebrahim (Radhiyallahu anhu) died. What is wrong is to cry our loud shouting and shrieking, and to beat the breast out of anguish, and then to exclaim things that are contrary to The Law of Allah.
Most importanly the belief in taqdeer should be firmly embedded in the heart; that whatever has befallen me was destined for me; nothing could stop it; and it came from Allah. One has to make sabr when the calamity befalls. Sabr doesn’t mean that one should actually be happy during that time; sabr means that one does not utter or do anything that is contrary to Shariah. Those who have mastered sabr and are very close to Allah are able to be happy and content; but this is not possible for most people. The least is to resign oneself to the happening, accept that it was ordained by Allah, and not break any law of Allah due to anguish and anxiety. If one is naturally sad and bereaved, this is not a sin because it is all part of human nature.
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