Recite the last two chapters of the Qur'an, remember Allah, and supplicate to Him:
And from the evil of the envier when he envies. (Qur'an 113: 5)
Hide or keep secret your affairs from the jealous person:
'O' my sons! Do not enter by one gate, but enter by different gates... (Qur'an 12: 67)
Be generous to a person who attempts to harm you, for perhaps he will then desist:
Repel evil with that which is better. (Qur'an 23: 96)
Ahmad ibn Yusuf wrote that man positively knows that ease comes after difficulty, just as the light of day comes after the dark of night. In spite of this knowledge, the weaker part of his nature takes over when calamity strikes. A person who goes through trials should take steps to remedy his situation or else hopelessness takes control of him. Contemplating the patience of those who were tested in the past is a means of strengthening one's determination.
He mentioned later that hardship before comfort is analogous to hunger before food: food comes at a time when it has its greatest effect on the taste buds. Plato said:
"Hardship is as beneficial to the soul as it is unwelcome in one's life. Comfort is as harmful to the soul as it is welcome in life."
When someone begins to understand his purpose in life, he will know that he is being tested either to gain reward from Allah or to gain atonement for his sins.
After reading a book written by At-Tanooki, I derived three conclusions:
1. Relief comes after hardship. This is a consistent pattern in the life of man, as consistent as the coming of morning after darkness.
2. Hardship is more beneficial to the soul of man than are comfort and ease.
3. The One who brings good and drives away evil is Allah. Know that whatever happens to you was decreed for you, and whatever you have missed out was never meant for you.
Dr. Alexis Carlyle, a Nobel-laureate in medicine, said:
"Working people who do not know how to deal with anxiety and stress are more prone than others are to a premature death."
Indeed, everything that takes place occurs according to a divine decree. A person must nonetheless take the necessary steps to avoid difficulties, and so Carlyle rightly points out that anxiety is one of the factors that lead to the body being damaged
Hardship strengthens your heart, atones for your sins, and helps to suppress an inclination towards pride and haughtiness. You might remember that in times of hardship you abandoned senseless folly and you remembered Allah. When you were afflicted, others extended brotherly compassion to you, and you became the fortunate recipient of the supplications of the righteous.
At such times, you willfully and humbly surrendered yourself to Allah's will and resigned yourself to His decree. Affliction begets circumspection and provides the afflicted with an early warning against following the path of evil. The one upon whom calamity has fallen can display courage with patience; and his circumstances, unlike the one who is drunk with worldly pleasures, permit him to solemnly prepare for a meeting with his Lord.
He is able to pass judgment on this world with an impartial ruling, and thus he will come to know it as something that is not worth pining for. Other points associated with the wisdom and benefits of sometimes facing hardship, though they might escape our comprehension, are definitely present and known to the Lord of all that exists
