A Trial Set Aside for Those Allah Loves

Numbers five and six, even though they could be treated as two separate lessons: "and that Allah may purify the believers and destroy the disbelievers."

First, that Allah may purify the believers: Ibn al-Qayyim has interesting words on this. He says that Allah loves some of His servants so much that He reserves for them high places in Paradise; yet the deeds of a servant are not sufficient on their own to take him up to that reserved level. So how is it achieved? By Allah making him go through trials in this world — suffering, hardship, pain — and that is how he climbs up to his high, reserved station. So Allah loved some of the Companions so much, but because their deeds were not sufficient to take them up to the level reserved for them in Paradise, He made them go through the Battle of Uḥud, and suffer its pain, its hardship, its injury and its defeat, and suffer the grief of hearing the false report that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had been killed. All of this was distress that the believers had to go through — a purification process, a selection process; these are the trials.

Then, destroying the disbelievers: Allah dislikes some of the disbelievers so much that places are reserved for them in the Fire, and Allah destroys them through their own actions in this world. That the disbelievers defeated the believers and killed seventy of them, and that the believers had to suffer all of this hardship at their hands, is destruction for the disbelievers — it is not something for them to be happy about. For Ibn Qamiʾah to strike the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and for ʿUthmān ibn Abī Waqqāṣ to strike the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),^** is that good news for them? Is that something to be happy about? That is the worst thing that ever happened to them in their lives, and they would be condemned to the Fire for eternity for it. So Allah dislikes some of the disbelievers, and they deserve His damnation and eternal punishment because of the actions they commit in this world.

So when a certain nation of disbelievers appears to have free rein to do whatever it wants with the Muslims — to kill some of them in whichever country it wants, and to round them up, interrogate them, torture them, and throw them in prisons for years on end without any due course of law — is that good news for them? That is a sign that Allah (swt) is angry with this nation or people. That is a sign that Allah (swt) has His wrath on them. That is a sign of what will happen to them on the Day of Judgement. So Allah (swt) gives these tyrants a chance in the dunyā so that they may achieve, rightfully, and claim their places in the Fire. One should not think this is a sign that the Muslims are weak or that this religion will be defeated. No. This is an indication — and the example of Pharaoh can be brought up here: how he succeeded in punishing the Children of Israel for years. Was that something for Pharaoh to be happy about? No. That was because Allah (swt) was building a case against him; Allah (swt) was gathering evidence against him, to be presented on the Day of Judgement. And that is exactly what is happening with the enemies of Allah today. Allah is building a case against them. Let no one think that they will escape justice. Allah (swt) sees and hears everything, and on the Day of Judgement all of what they have done will be presented to them in the court of justice of the Day of Judgement. That is why it is called Yawm al-Qiyāmah, the Day of Judgement, Yawm al-Ḥisāb: because Allah (swt) will judge them, and all of this evidence will be presented to them, and nothing will be hidden — lā takhfā ʿalayhi khāfiyah, nothing is hidden from the eyes of Allah (swt), the All-Knowing. So this is a ḥikmah that should not be neglected or overlooked. Allah (swt) is building a case against the enemies of Allah (swt): because Allah knows the evil of their hearts, Allah (swt) makes it manifest through their actions, so that they will not come on the Day of Judgement and say, "O Allah, how is it that You are casting us into the Fire when we have not done any evil?" So even though Allah (swt) already knows what is in their hearts, Allah (swt) gives them a chance to play it out in the real world, so that they will not have any excuse on the Day of Judgement.