Guidance for Every Heart in Trial

“No disaster strikes, except by permission of Allah. And whoever believes in Allah – He will guide his heart. And Allah is Knowing of all things” (64:11).

No calamity befalls anyone in this worldly life except by the permission of Allah — that is, by His will and His enabling. It is as though the calamity itself is directed toward the servant, entirely dependent on the will and permission of the Almighty. When a calamity descends upon believers, they are granted a special gift from their Lord: Allah guides their heart — so they remain firm, endure with patience, and find tranquility.

The first step toward attaining this guidance of the heart is to recognize that the calamity — its direction, its occurrence, and its will — comes from the One who is All-Wise, All-Merciful, All-Just and All-Powerful. The next is to know with certainty that Allah (swt) alone is fully capable of removing the harm and granting relief and victory.

From these two realizations – that the calamity comes from Allah, and that He alone is capable of removing it – arises the complete surrender to Him. This surrender cultivates contentment, and through contentment, the servant attains true peace of heart. It is then that the blessing of guidance of the heart manifests: Allah casts certainty into it, a certainty that shapes and affirms a comprehensive vision of events, in contrast to the partial and flawed perception constrained by human weakness and deficiency. The foundation of this comprehensive vision is the Divine statement: “Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return” (2:156).

This vision builds within the believer a profound perception that becomes the foundation of emotions when facing the struggles of life. One would then sense the hand of Allah in every event and see the signs of His divine planning in every movement, and thus, the heart finds peace in both prosperity and adversity. The goal is not merely to hasten the removal of the trial — for its timing is divinely decreed with Allah’s wisdom — but rather to seek balance in emotions, steadfastness, and patience, so that resolve remains firm, strength does not falter, and grief does not distract from the essential duties of life and the management of affairs. The ultimate aim, then, is steadfastness and emotional balance. The proof of this lies in the words of Allah, The Exalted: “No disaster strikes upon the earth or among yourselves except that it is in a register before We bring it into being – indeed, that, for Allah, is easy. We let you know ˹this˺ so that you neither grieve over what you have missed, nor boast over what He has granted you. For Allah does not like whoever is arrogant, boastful” (57:22–23).

To help oneself absorb this meaning and make it a lens through which one views events and upon which one bases efforts and choices, the believer must realign the direction of his/her thoughts and outlook so that they become divine in nature. Take the example of mercy, which, in common perception, is often associated with ease, prosperity, comfort, and joy. This is the image formed within the soul that finds peace only in such things. Yet, the believer looks beyond this and strives to attain the mercy defined by Allah, Himself — the mercy that the All-Merciful has called mercy — even if, outwardly, it appears as trial and hardship. Look at the story of Maryam (peace be upon her), when the Lord of Majesty said to her: “Thus your Lord has said: It is easy for Me. We shall make him a sign for mankind and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decreed” (19: 21). Allah (swt) chose Maryam above the women of the worlds, honored her, and bestowed upon her this immense mercy. Yet, this mercy could only be attained through a severe trial — the assault on her most cherished virtue, her chastity. When she conceived, she cried: “Would that I had died before this and had been forgotten, completely forgotten!” (19:23). As mercy outwardly appeared as a calamity upon Maryam, the gift of guidance of the heart manifested, bringing stillness and peace within. 

In such moments, the Most Merciful bestows upon His servants the gifts of resilience, patience, and assurance. Indeed, Allah never forgets those who remember Him, nor does He neglect them; rather, He steadies their hearts and guides them upon His path. One cannot fully grasp the true magnitude of Allah’s mercy until the moment the servant meets his/her Lord. As The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “If a man were dragged upon his face from the day he was born until the day he dies, old and frail, all in obedience to Allah, he would deem it trivial on the Day of Judgment.” This is because of what they will witness firsthand of the greatness of Allah’s bounty and the splendor of His gifts. The way Allah (swt) guided the heart of Maryam was by preserving her purity: her child was made to speak in the cradle, a living testimony to her innocence. What outwardly seemed like a heavy trial was, in reality, a profound mercy bestowed by Allah.

Where is this mercy found? Mercy resides in the obedience to Allah (swt). Wherever obedience to Allah exists, mercy accompanies it. An example of this is the Companions of the Cave, about whom Allah said: “So they took refuge in the cave; Allah spread His mercy over them and prepared for them their affair in ease” (18: 16). Allah granted them security, safety, tranquility, and comfort in the cave, protecting them from hunger, thirst, cold, and heat. There, all vital necessities were fulfilled, mirroring even the elements that Allah described for Paradise, where He placed His servant Adam and Hawwa (Eve) (peace be upon them). Thus, we see that Allah is with His servants: He steadies them, strengthens their patience, and magnifies their reward, even as they experience what outwardly appears to be a calamity.

For a servant to attain reassurance and the guidance of the heart, he/she must understand the subtleties of Divine decree. When Prophet Nuh (peace be upon him) called upon his Lord, saying, “Indeed, I am overpowered, so help me” (54:10), Allah said, “So We opened the gates of the sky with pouring rain, and caused the earth to gush forth with springs, so the waters met for a fate already set. And We carried him on [a construction of] planks and nails” (54:11–13). The word “So” here indicates immediacy and promptness. Yet, a significant period of time elapsed between the supplication and the fulfillment of the promise. Though in the physical world, a significant span of time may have elapsed, the promise remains near in reality, for in Allah’s view, it is close. Likewise, the believer who is certain of Allah’s word — the patient, steadfast, and vigilant one — perceives it as near and even rejoices in it before its arrival. As Allah (swt) said: “And who is truer to his covenant than Allah? So rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted. And it is that which is the great attainment” (9:111).

True believers remain always certain that help is near. It is a matter of faith, as stated in the verse: “Do you think you will be admitted into Paradise without being tested like those before you? They were afflicted with suffering and adversity and were so ˹violently˺ shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed with him cried out, ‘When will Allah’s help come?’ Indeed, Allah’s help is always near” (2:214).