In spite of the sadness and depression Muslims—including me—feel due to the miserable conditions of their fellow Muslims in different parts of the world, I do not have such a melancholic attitude as some people, nor do I share with them the pessimistic view that Almighty Allah has ceased to help or support Muslims.

Let me tell you something, suppose you are a tennis player and you are playing a match with your opponent, would you oppose the judgments of the umpire? Of course not! You agreed to participate in the match; therefore, you are obliged to adhere to the rules of the game.

Allah’s is the sublime similitude: He has laid down certain rules and teachings and ordered us to sincerely abide by them in order to deserve His help and support. But we have not obeyed these rules and teachings, so we have no right to ask for Allah’s support. This reasoning is logical, isn’t it?

Let’s contemplate the conditions of Muslims nowadays. All Muslims are suffering and feeling sad, but they do nothing except shed tears and pray to Almighty Allah to deliver them of the ordeals they face. However, they do so passively, without exerting their best to reform themselves and their countries.

How many Muslims sincerely stick to their religion so that they may deserve Almighty Allah’s blessings? How many Muslims love their nation and religion more than they love themselves so that they may be worthy of Almighty Allah’s mercy? How many Muslims are active in serving their nation so that they may ask Almighty Allah’s help?

Is this a nation really worthy of Allah’s help? Or, in other words, is this not a nation worthy of Allah’s wrath? I know my words are rough, but this is the bitter truth that we all should see clearly.

I do not lay blame on certain people, nor do I say that there is no longer good in our Muslim nation. There is still good in the nation, but it is done individually, not collectively. However, general reform and victory does not come except through collective, rather than individual, efforts undertaken by all members of the nation.

Besides, I do not say I am innocent; after all, I am a member of this nation, and have the same flaws that all my fellow members have. However, I do recognize the causes of my drawbacks, and I do not blame others for what I suffer from.

In spite of all this, I do not see the picture as gloomy as you do, dear brother. On the contrary, I feel there is still hope. There is always light at the end of the tunnel. True, the gloomy darkness surrounds our nation, but once we take the initiative and embark on serious work to change this situation, we will soon perceive the rays of dawn shining on horizon.

The first step towards deserving Allah’s help is to recognize our faults and shortcomings and then do our best to reform ourselves.

What Muslims are suffering from today is an affliction that is not necessarily meant to test believers’ faith and purify their souls. Many a time, affliction is intended to punish believers for their negligence in applying Almighty Allah’s teachings.

Let us contemplate further upon the nature of affliction. Affliction is of two kinds: affliction as a punishment for negligence, and affliction as a test for the believers’ faith.

Sheikh of Islam Ibn Taymiyah states, “There is no thing in Almighty Allah’s Book or the Sunnah of His Prophet that ordains Muslims to declare when something unfortunate takes place as a result of their own deeds, that this is Allah’s destination for them and so they are satisfied with it.”

This is a principle that we are to abide by; we are not to place the responsibility of our own deeds upon Almighty Allah. Many people make some statements when they are afflicted with something, mostly due to their negligence and disregard of their duties, such as “this is Allah’s destiny and He is free to do what He, the Almighty wills,” or, “maybe this is a blessing in disguise, Allah willing.” Such statements are, in fact, no more than manifestations of false satisfaction.

True satisfaction with Allah’s destiny comes when one uses up all means to achieve one’s duty but one does not reap the expected result. This does not mean that we neglect our duties and then say this is Allah’s destiny. Such passive attitudes contradict the Islamic beliefs with regard to the legal responsibilities and missions that people have been made to undertake.

The religious texts, as well as the realities on earth, assert that man has freedom of choice and is held responsible for his deeds. Had it been true—as some people believe—that man has no freedom of choice, being destined to do all what he does, there would have been no meaning for rewarding good people and punishing bad ones.

Allah Almighty says:

Explaining this verse, Imam Al-Qurtubi said, “According to this verse, Almighty Allah says that He does not change the good condition of a certain people into a bad one until they change their pure nature and insist on disbelief. It is then that He, the Almighty, will bring afflictions unto them.”

Almighty Allah also says:

Imam At-Tabari said that “from yourselves” here, means “due to the sins you have committed.”

Hence, there is no reasoning in saying that the afflictions that befall Muslims nowadays are Allah’s destiny and that we have to be satisfied. On the contrary, these afflictions are no more than punishments for our sins. This requires us to reform ourselves as soon as possible, so that Almighty Allah may lift these punishments.

There are many other religious texts from the Qur’an and Sunnah indicating that affliction may refer to punishment. For instance, Almighty Allah says:

Imam Al-Qurtubi said that the phrase “what they used to do” refers to the disbelief and sins committed by the people of this township.

Almighty Allah also says:

Allah Most High says:

He, Most High, says as well:

He also says:

In another verse, Allah most High says:

He, Most High, also says:

He Most High also says:

Besides, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) invoked Almighty Allah’s wrath against the disbelievers of Quraysh saying, “Oh Allah! Be hard on the tribe of Mudar and let them suffer from famine years like those of the time of Joseph.” He (peace and blessings be upon him) also invoked Almighty Allah against those who would disobey Almighty Allah and His Messenger. In this regard, it was reported upon the authority of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited qunut (a supplication offered to Almighty Allah during Prayer) for one month in the Fajr (Dawn) Prayer, cursing the tribes of Ra`l and Dhakwan.

The afflictions that befell the people referred to in the above verses and hadiths are kinds of punishment for their disbelief and disobedience to Almighty Allah.

This kind of affliction is mentioned in many Qur’anic verses. Almighty Allah inflicts it on His true believers to test their faith and bring out the best in them.

He, the Almighty, says:

This verse indicates that this kind of affliction is not confined to fighting against Allah’s enemies; it rather refers to any kind of adversity and hardship.

Explaining this verse, Imam At-Tabari said:

Allah Almighty addresses the believers saying that do you think you will enter Paradise without first being tested with afflictions like that befell the followers of the prophets and messengers who passed away before you. They were afflicted with such hardship, poverty, and diseases that they were shaken as if in an earthquake. Such afflictions were severer than the fear and struggle that may befall a people when facing their enemies, yet they did not consider Allah’s help away as you do and say “when comes Allah’s help.”

This meaning is also obvious in Almighty Allah’s words:

Imam At-Tabari said, “Affliction, in this verse, refers to the hardships and adversities that afflicted those who passed away in their selves and wealth.”

Almighty Allah is capable of defeating the enemies of His believers without the latter’s suffering hardship in this respect, yet He Almighty sends affliction upon true believers for great wisdoms.

The Almighty says:

Explaining this verse, Imam At-Tabari said:

Allah says in this verse that He could have sent immediate punishment upon the disbelievers and spared the believers the hardship they would face in fighting against them, but He Almighty willed that the defeat of those disbelievers be at the hands of the believers. This would test the believers’ true faith, and hence, Almighty Allah would know who sincerely fought in His cause and showed forbearance in this regard.

Sayyed Qutb (may Allah have mercy upon him) said:

This kind of affliction brings out the best qualities in true believers. There is no aim nobler than supporting the cause of Allah for true believers; they cannot do without it, so they spare no effort in this cause and are willing to sacrifice their lives for it. Almighty Allah wants to enhance the faith of the believers. Hence, He, the Almighty, purges their souls of all whims and desires that may make them succumb to the temptations of this world. This turns weaknesses in their characters into points of strength and helps them get rid of any flaw they may have suffered from. In their new mould, they will put all their whims and desires into a scale and fighting in Allah’s cause and seeking to please Him into the other scale. The scale would turn then in favor of Allah’s cause and pleasure. This proves true the faith of those believers and indicates how right and wise is their choice of the cause they live for.

In their struggle for Allah’s cause and voluntarily jeopardizing their lives for it, true believers train themselves to belittle that kind of fear which many people pay much and may even sell themselves to ward it off, i.e., fear of death. Facing death in battlefields for Allah’s sake is nothing for true believers; they do not care whether they survive or die for this noble cause. In fact, each time a true believer jeopardizes his life for Allah’s sake, he experiences such noble feelings that purges his soul and heart more and more, moulds him anew, and refines his spirit, personality and character.

Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim meditated also upon the meaning of affliction:

When Almighty Allah afflicts true believers by depriving them of something, He does not do so owing to misery, or due to this thing being lacking in His treasures, or out of having favoritism against them. On the contrary, He afflicts them to make them always return to Him, to strengthen them by submitting to Him, and suffice them by needing Him. He, the Almighty, wants them to taste the sweetness of resigning to His will, experience the pleasure of always being in need of Him, and become true servants of Him. By depriving them, He, in fact, assigns them the noblest positions, shows them His wisdom in might, His mercy in omnipotence, and His kindness in power. Thus, His sending affliction upon them is, in essence, a blessing in disguise, a kind of improving and teaching them, and an expression of love to them.

Dear brother, afflictions distinguish believers from hypocrites, and show the essence of souls in clarity. Successful are those people who remain steadfast on the right path in the face of afflictions and adversities without ever diverting or giving up a principle they have vowed to abide by. Since those people’s aim is to please Almighty Allah and call other people to return to Allah in full submission, Almighty Allah will support them, purge their hearts, and forgive them.

Those people are worthy of getting Allah’s help, yet Almighty Allah sends them afflictions to test their faith and purify their souls. But in the case of afflicting people for their negligence and deviance from the right path, there is no room for receiving help from Almighty Allah before first repenting to Him and doing their best to reform themselves and purify their hearts.

One may say that the fault of the righteous people is that they also bear the responsibility for negligence with the rest of the people. The following hadith answers this question: Zaynab bint Jahsh, Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) once came to her in a state of fear and said, “There is no god but Allah. Woe unto the Arabs from a danger that has come near. An opening has been made in the wall of Gog and Magog like this,” making a circle with his thumb and index fingers. Zainab bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “O Allah’s Messenger! Shall we be destroyed even though there are pious persons among us?” He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Yes, when the evil increases” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).