Hadiths on Relief Following Hardship
Relief often follows hardship and trials that individuals face. When difficulties reach their peak, God grants His servants a broad relief from His bounty. Various hadiths from the purified Sunnah convey this message, including the following:
- From Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him): “I was riding behind the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) when he turned to me and said, ‘O young man, preserve your relationship with Allah, and He will preserve you; know Allah in times of ease, and He will know you in times of difficulty.’
“The pen has dried regarding what is destined to happen. So, if all of creation wanted to benefit you with something that Allah has not decreed for you, they could not; and if they wished to harm you with something that Allah has not decreed against you, they could not harm you. It is important to know that victory comes with patience, relief accompanies hardship, and with every difficulty, there is ease.”
- From Ibn Mas’ud regarding the Messenger (peace be upon him): “If hardship were in a hole, ease would enter it and lead it out. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) recited: ‘Indeed, with hardship comes ease.’
- From Abu Darda about the Prophet (peace be upon him): “He was asked about Allah’s statement: ‘Every day He is in a matter.’ He replied, ‘Among His matters is to forgive a sin, to relieve a distress, to elevate a people, and to lower others.’
- From Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud regarding the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Whoever is afflicted by hardship and turns to people will not have his hardship resolved; however, whoever turns to Allah in times of need will soon find relief, either quickly or eventually.”
Supplications for Alleviating Worries from the Sunnah
Allah (Most High) alleviates the worries of His servants when they turn to Him and raise their hands in sincere supplication. Numerous supplications from the Sunnah are known for easing worries, including:
- From Ibn Abbas about the Messenger (peace be upon him): “Whoever frequently seeks forgiveness will find a way out of every difficult situation and relief from every worry, and Allah will provide for him from sources he never expected.”
- From Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri regarding the Messenger (peace be upon him): “O Allah, I seek refuge in You from worry and sorrow, and I seek refuge in You from incapacity and laziness, and I seek refuge in You from cowardice and stinginess, and I seek refuge in You from the overwhelming burden of debts and the oppression of men. He then said: I acted upon this, and Allah (the Exalted) removed my worry and fulfilled my obligations.”
- From Ali: “A man came to him and said: ‘I am unable to fulfill my financial obligations; please help me.’ He said: ‘Should I not teach you words the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) taught me? If you were burdened with a debt equivalent to the mountain of Uhud, Allah would fulfill it for you. Say: O Allah, suffice me with Your lawful provisions so that I am not in need of what is unlawful, and make me independent through Your grace from all others besides You.’
- From Sa’d Ibn Abi Waqqas regarding the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Shall I not inform you of a supplication that when a distress or calamity from this worldly life befalls any one of you and he supplicates with it, will relieve him? The supplication of Dhun-Nun: ‘There is no deity except You; exalted are You; indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.’
- From Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud regarding the Prophet (peace be upon him): “No one is ever afflicted with worry or sadness and says: ‘O Allah, I am Your servant, son of Your servant, son of Your female servant; my forelock is in Your hand. Your decree is ongoing over me, and Your judgment upon me is just.’
(“I ask You by every name that You have called Yourself, or taught to one of Your creatures, or sent down in Your Book, or kept to Yourself in the knowledge of the unseen with You, to make the Qur’an the spring of my heart, the light of my chest, the removal of my sadness, and the departure of my worry.” Upon this, Allah removes his worry and sadness and replaces it with relief).
Relief After Hardship in the Holy Quran
When a Muslim faces tight circumstances and hardships, he turns to Allah (the Exalted), the One who removes affliction and calamity, calling upon Him with certainty to relieve his distress. He is surely capable of doing so. However, one should not hasten for the relief; it may arrive swiftly or after a period. Allah has provided examples of relief in His glorious Book, among which are:
- The relief granted to Prophet Job (peace be upon him).
Allah (the Exalted) stated: “(And [mention] Job, when he called to his Lord, ‘Indeed, adversity has touched me, and you are the most merciful of the merciful.’)
- The relief provided to the mother of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him).
Allah (the Exalted) said: “(And We returned him to his mother that she might be content and not grieve.)
- The relief offered to Prophet Jonah (peace be upon him).
Allah (the Exalted) stated: “(And he called out within the darknesses, ‘There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.’ So We responded to him and saved him from the distress.)
- The relief received by Prophet Jacob (peace be upon him).
Allah (the Exalted) stated: “(But when the bearer of good tidings arrived, he cast it upon his face, and he returned with clear sight. He said, ‘Did I not tell you that I know from Allah that which you do not know?’)