Life was not made to be all-time rosy. Like every natural phenomenon created by Allah in twos such as we have in day and night, hot and cold, male and female, health and illness, good and bad, life was on the other hand designed to have ups and downs, pleasant and painful moments; all for the sake of putting a believer’s faith on trial, mainly for his own good. Allah affirms this in Qur’an 29:2-3 saying “Do men think that they will be left alone on saying ‘we believe’ without being tested? Certainly, we tried those before them so that Allah will surely know those who are (truly) faithful; He will certainly know the liars.”
Unlike the good old days when societies were once built on justice, driven by self-sacrifice, and sustained by mutual self-respect and restraint, there’s no time when trials have almost become synonymous with life than now. The character of life and living in the modern world is that of having more unfriendly circumstances to experience than those that seek to give us comfort and satisfaction.
Meeting up with our daily needs including three-square meals has become extremely hard for most Nigerians. Many people die from curable diseases such as malaria fever and diarrhea because they cannot afford the cost of treatment. The worst of all the trials Nigerians have suffered in the past few years is that of insecurity. Banditry, kidnapping and resurgence of insurgency have separately rendered a huge number of women as widows, and children as orphans. But no matter how difficult or bad things get for us, individually and collectively, trials are intended in Allah’s wisdom to make us stronger, not weaker. We must not be daunted as to lose our faith in the omnipotence and omniscience of Allah whose supremacy, command, and knowledge of all the trials that confront us are, indeed, absolute.
While trial and nemesis could both stand for afflictions suffered by one or a group of persons; each within the semantic context of their Qur’anic implications has a meaning that distinguishes it from the other. The synonyms of ‘trials’ in this scriptural sense of the word include test, ordeal, burden, hardship, tribulation and woe. Allah (SWT) states in Qur’an 21:35 ‘…And we test you by evil and by good by way of trial. To us must ye return”. Nemesis on the other hand denotes punishment, doom and retribution. Allah (SWT) affirms in Qur’an 42:30 “Whatever misfortune happens to you, (it) is because of the things your hands have wrought; and for many (of them) He grants forgiveness”.
As part of their punishment, some nations were destroyed in the past for the sins which today have become hobbies among men and women. Allah (SWT) states 29:40 “Each of them we seized for his crime: of them against some we sent a violent tornado (with showers of stones); some we caught by a (mighty) blast; some we caused the earth to swallow up; and some we drowned (in the waters); it was not Allah who injured (and oppressed) them but they wronged themselves”.
Prophets and messengers of Allah including the Ulul-Azm among them also went through trials in their lifetimes. Allah mentions in Qur’an 2:155 “Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods and lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere”. When calamity befalls a believer, Islam nonetheless encourages the afflicted to hold-on to his/her faith and to recite Qur’an 2:156 “…To Allah we belong and to Him is our return”.
Trials are not restricted to a particular class of people. Neither do trials have any respect for faith, gender nor age. Whether natural or man-induced, trials have purposes. Allah has reasons for every challenge that comes the way of man. Apart from establishing people’s sincerity in their faith, trials provide opportunity for the afflicted to assess and strengthen the existing spiritual relationship between him and his creator. Trials are also meant to purge the filthy parts of faith. That which purifies our heart is, therefore, a trial.
Whether as trial of our faith or as nemesis for our sins, some of the challenges confronting us as a country have implied message in them, not only to perceived ‘sinners’ but also to the pious among us. The message is a call for Nigerians to collectively come back to Allah with a deep sense of remorse; to repent in the case of perceived sinners, and to reaffirm submission to Allah’s Will in the case of the pious. As we sincerely do this, Allah would increase us in faith if the challenge(s) were a form of trial; or forgive us if it were nemesis for our ungodly actions. In any case, Islam exhorts believers never to lose hope in their desire for Allah’s mercy. We therefore have cause, in spite of our shortcomings, to believe that our national challenges are not intractable.
Yet, let us fear Allah and remain sincere in all that we think about, do and speak. Let’s repent from our sins. Let’s change from our bad behaviours and Allah will change and make things better for us. Let us see public funds as if they were our personal wealth that we struggled with our sweat to earn. May Allah guide us to appreciate trials embedded in the challenges of life as a stimulus that would inspire us to righteousness, amin.
