How Hardships Increase Your Faith
Faced with hardship and you’re still optimistic - what’s your secret my guy?
That feeling when you know something challenging/difficult is about to befall you, or has already happened, is a fairly sinking feeling.
The less resilient you are, the more it will affect you. Vice versa, the more resilient you are, the less it will affect you.
I’ve found this first hand to be the case, and Alhamdulilah can say from experience, whenever something feels difficult, challenging, impossible to get through - there is always a way to overcome it and often when looking back you see the underlying benefit / positive impact it has on your life. Of course in the moment, not many people can always see this far ahead (looking me).
Understanding why a hardship is presented to you is important. In Islam there is the premise that hardship, challenges and trials befall us as a way to purify the soul, and an opportunity for growth and strengthening of one's faith. It's believed that trials and tribulations, if endured with patience and reliance on Allah, lead to higher status with God, forgiveness of sins, and greater rewards in the hereafter.
Which still may cause you to question why a hardship should befall me? Ultimately that’s not an answer I know.
You probably know of someone, who has gone through a financial hardship, a relationship break-up, lost their job or broken their leg and couldn’t play their favourite sport anymore.
But, give it some time and from those people you thought about - do you think they are stronger, more content, better in character now? Well, perhaps yes, perhaps not.
Applying it back to Islam - hardships are not just a way to make us come out the other side stronger, more resilient and tougher to face any challenge. It also enabled the following:
It can build patience and forbearance within you. You are less reactive when something doesn’t work your way
It can build a deeper connection to God through extra prayers, extra supplications, extra worship - which is never a bad thing.
It can strengthen your faith, you see a challenge and instantly you go to God to guide you.
All the above points make us stronger, it keeps us grounded and mentality tough regardless of what happens in our daily lives.
Tried to find a relevant picture to summarise hardships.
Just imagine you are running a marathon on this surface - how would you deal with it?
Some challenges you may have experienced in your life, which other will not, conversely, others will experience a dozen challenges, which you cannot sympathise with. It’s all about perspective.
I have given a couple of examples below of more common challenges/hardships people face.
(1) Job security at risk due to a new CEO intending to change structures,(2) a doctors appointment around a growing concern in your leg, or (3) perhaps you realise you have left the milk out and it’s a hot day and you’re unsure whether to go back home or buy a new bottle of milk.
These three situations would all have different bearings on you.
If number three resides with you as having the largest detrimental impact, then I hear you. I’ll buy you another milk - let me know if it is semi-skimmed, full fat or one of the alternatives.
Often however, the first two would be more impactful to your mood.
Job security and growing concerns in your leg as far from ideal, they cause you to overly worry and stress. You become fixated on the negatives and struggle to see any positives. Yet, re-conditioning yourself to think more optimistically, for example - your job is at risk, in this situation you choose to accept this reality and instead of dwelling, you use any experience and knowledge learnt and apply to new jobs. Here, you’ve addressed the reality of the situation quickly and taken proactive measures to improve your outcomes.
Similarly, a health concern, can knock you back - yet realising what is in your control, i.e; taking the right medications, doing the right exercises, eating well, these things can set you back on the right track.
You may have come across that one individual who said “you should be more optimistic and use reason when presented with challenges/hardship.” - (insert clenching of fist emoji) - but lowkey they are right.
Optimism is important to me, but it may not work for everyone. The hardships we face can help us get closer to God. I try to shift my focus from seeing challenges as things happening to me to viewing them as things happening for me.
Focus your efforts on what you can fix, leave the rest to God.
Find peace in knowing that every trial, hardship, challenge is a test from God, to bring you closer to him.
Be comfortable knowing that our mood patterns fluctuate as humans, God created us this way, try your best, be mindful, learn from past experiences.
Leaving you with this verse.
يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ أَن يُخَفِّفَ عَنكُمْ ۚ وَخُلِقَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ ضَعِيفًۭا
Translation: And it is Allah’s Will to lighten your burdens, for humankind was created weak.
