13. EASE ACCOMPANIES HARDSHIP
The Messenger of Allah said, “and that with hardship comes ease.” This statement is taken from His, Glorious is He, sayings ,
‘Allah will appoint after difficulty, ease.’’
“For truly with hardship comes ease; truly with hardship comes ease.”2
Humayd ibn Hammad ibn Abu al-Khuwar narrated that A’idh ibn Shuraih narrated to him that he heard Anas ibn Malik saying, ‘The Prophet was sitting in front of a hole in the ground and remarked, “If hardship were to enter this burrow, ease would follow it in and remove it.” Then Allah revealed,
“For truly with hardship comes ease; truly with hardship comes ease.”3
This was recorded by ibn AbI Hatim, al-Tafsir and it was recorded by Bazzar with the wording, ”Were hardship to come and enter this burrow, ease would follow it in and remove it. Then He recited, ”For truly with hardship comes ease. “
They have ruled Humayd ibn Hammad da’If. Ibn Jarir Records on the authority of Ma’mar from al-Hasan who said, ‘The Prophet came out one day, joyous and happy, saying, “One hardship will never overcome two eases.”‘
“For truly with hardship comes ease; truly with hardship comes ease.”6
He also records this via the route of ‘Awf and Yunus from al-hasan as a mursal hadith. He also records it as a hadith of Qatadah who said, ‘It has been mentioned to us that the Messenger of Allah gave his Companions the glad-tidings of this verse saying, “One hardship will never overcome two eases.'”
ibn Abi al-Dunya records the hadith of Mu’awiyah ibn Qurrah on the authority of someone who narrated to him that ibn Mas’ud said, ‘Were hardship to enter a burrow, ease would follow it in. Then he recited,
“For truly with hardship comes ease; truly with hardship·comes ease.”9
He also records the hadith of ‘Abdu’l-Rahman ibn Zayd ibn Aslam from his father from his grandfather that when Abu ‘Ubaydah was besieged, ‘Umar wrote to him saying, ‘No matter what hardship a person faces, Allah will send relief afterwards for one hardship cannot overcome two eases and He says,
”You who have faith! Be patient; be supreme in patience; be firm on the battlefield; and have taqwa of Allah so that hopefully you will be successful.`
‘This was also how ibn ‘Abbas and other exegetes explained this verse saying, ‘One hardship will never overcome two eases.’
While one of the early people was in the open desert in a state of extreme grief, a line of poetry came to him,
When a man awakes aggrieved, I think death is better for him.
When night came, he heard a voice call out,
Be assured 0 person Beset with worry! Poetry has he recited, Still uppermost in his mind: When hardship intensifies, Ponder, “Didn’t Expand..”13 A hardship lies between two eases When you recognise that, rejoice!
He said, ‘I memorised these verses and Allah relieved me of my distress.’ Many poems are written this vein; we shall select a few to quote here:
Be patient, patience yields wonders. Despair not at calamity, Ease closely follows adversity. At hard times, adversity is removed.
One of them said:
Many are those who despair at events The relief from which is imminent.
Another said,
Perhaps relief is soon to follow, We treat our souls with ‘perhaps’. Closest is a person to relief When he surrenders to despair.
Another recited,
When affairs become hard, expect relief. Relief is imminent when adversity intensifies.
Another composed the following lines,
Despair not if you are aggrieved for a day, You have been living in ease for many a day. Do not think lowly of your Lord, Beauty is most befitting for Him. Do not relinquish hope; that is disbelief! Allah will make you suffice with little, Know this: ease follows hardship, Allah is the most truthful of all who speak.
One of them said,
Patience is the key to relief’s door. Ease follows every hardship. Time does not stagnate: One event follows another.
We will conclude this treatise by mentioning some of the subtleties, benefits and wisdoms of tribulation:
1 . The expiation of sins and being rewarded for bearing tribulation with patience. The scholars have differed if a person will be rewarded for the actual tribulation itself.
2. The servant is reminded of his sins so that he can repent and turn back to Allah, Mighty and Magnificent.
3. The heart becomes soft after having been coarse and hard. One of the Salaf said, ‘A person could fall ill and as a result bring his sins to mind. Then, by virtue of his fear of Allah, they would break up and disperse like flies and Allah would forgive him.’
4. A person humbling himself and submitting himself before Allah, Mighty and Magnificent. Indeed such a state is more beloved to Allah than many deeds of obedience.
5. They lead a person’s heart to return to Allah, to stand at His door, implore Him and to be submissive before Him. This is one of the greatest benefits of tribulation. Allah has censured those who are not submissive to Him at times of hardship,
“We seized them with the punishment, but they did not go low before their Lord; nor will they humble themselves.”14
“We sent Messengers to nations before you and afflicted their nations with hardship and distress so that hopefully they would humble themselves.”15
One of the previous Scriptures states, ‘Allah puts a servant to trial because He loves to hear his humble entreaty.’
Sa’Id ibn ‘Abdu’l-‘Aziz said, ‘Dawiid (‘alayhis-salaam) said, “Glory be to the One who causes a person to supplicate when faced with tribulation. Glory be to the One who confers gratitude to a person in a state of ease.”‘
Abii Ja’far Muhammad ibn ‘Ali passed by Muhammad ibn al Munkadir who was in a state of intense grief. He asked after him and he was told that he was burdened by debt. Abu Ja’far said, ‘Has the door of supplication opened for him?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘A servant is truly blessed if, when in need, he frequently invokes his Lord, no matter what that need.’
Some of them, when supplicating at times of adversity, would not want a quick response for fear that the state (of need of their Lord) that they found themselves in would end. Thabit said, ‘When the believer invokes Allah, Allah entrusts Jibril to fulfil his need saying, “Do not hasten in meeting his need for I love to hear the voice of My believing servant.'” This is reported as a hadith of the Prophet but all its routes are da’if.
One of the Salaf saw the Lord of Might in a dream and said, ‘My Lord, I have invoked You so much but without response!’ He replied, ‘I love to hear your voice.’
6. Tribulation leads the heart to relish the delight of patience and to be content. This is a station of immense rank and importance; the excellence of which we have already alluded to.
7. Tribulation leads to a servant giving up dependency on the creation and leads him to turn to the Creator alone. Allah has told us that the polytheist turns to Alahl sincerely when supplicating to Him at times of need, what then of the believer?!
8. Tribulation leads a person to actualise and live Tawhid in his heart and this is the most sublime of stations and noblest of rankings.
One of the Judeao-Christian narrations mentions, ‘Tribulations bring you and Me together. Well-being brings you and yourself together. ‘
By ibn Rajah al-Hanbali
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