“Indeed prayer restrains from the obscene and evil deeds.” (29:45) And if it doesn’t, fix your prayers.

Guard your tongue O mankind
And do not let it bite you, for indeed it is a snake
How many people in the graveyards are there
that were killed by their tongues
Whoever fears meeting Him (on the Day of Judgement),
is truly the brave one.

And restrain your ears from hearing vile speech
Just as you restrain your tongue from speaking it
Because when you listen to this vile speech,
you are a partner to the one saying it, so reflect.

From Anas that The Messenger of Allaah sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam said:

“O Allaah there is nothing that is easy except that You made it easy, and You can make this difficulty easy if You so wish to”

اللهم لا سهلَ إلا ما جعلتَه سهلاً وأنتَ تجعلُ الحزنَ إذا شئتَ سهلاً

Allaahumma la sahala illa ma ja’alta sahlan wa anta taj’all al-huzna itha shitta sahlan

Collected by Ibn Hibban in ‘Saheeh’, Ibn Sunni, and ad-Deeya in ‘al-Mukhtar’ and shaykh Albani declared it Saheeh upon the conditions of Muslim. [Taken from ‘Silsilah Ahadeeth As-Saheehah’ vol.6 hadeeth no. 2886 p.902]

Question:  

If a person is put to trial with a sickness or an evil affliction physically or with his wealth, how does he know that this trial is a test or Anger from Allaah?

Answer: 

Allaah Azza wa Jal tests His slaves in prosperity and adversity, in hardship and ease.  He sometimes tests them with these things to raise their grade and to enhance the status of those people and to double their good deeds. Like what Allaah did for the Prophets and Messengers - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, as well as the righteous people from the worshippers of Allaah.

Like the Prophet - sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam – said, ‘The most severely of the people to be trialed are the Prophets, then those who are next in grade, then the next.’

Sometimes Allaah does this due to the sins and transgression of the people, so that the punishment can be hurried.

Like Allaah Subhanahu said:

وَمَا أَصَابَكُم مِّن مُّصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَيَعْفُو عَن كَثِيرٍ

“And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much.” (42:30)

So, what is general for humans is that they are deficient, and they do not observe all the obligatory duties. Therefore, what afflicts them is due to their sins and shortcomings with regard to Allaah’s commands.

For this reason, if someone from the righteous slaves of Allaah is afflicted with some disease or something similar, then this is from the type of trials for the Prophets and Messengers, raising of their grades and increase of reward, to be an example for others, in having patience and contentment.

So briefly, it could be a test to raise grades and to make the reward greater, like Allaah does for some of the righteous people. It could be expiation for evil deeds, as is mentioned in the saying of Allaah Ta’ala:

”.. whosoever works evil, will have the recompense thereof ..” (4:123)

Also the saying of the Prophet - sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, ‘A Muslim is not afflicted with distress, nor sorrow, nor disease nor hardship, nor sadness nor any harm except that Allaah expiates from his sins even by a thorn that pricks him.’

The saying of the Prophet - sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, ‘Whom so ever Allaah intends good for, Allaah compels him with a trial.’

It could be that this is a punishment which has been hastened due to transgression by the slave and him not having hastened in repenting as is mentioned in the hadeeth of the Messenger - sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam –  that he said:  ‘If Allaah intends good for His slave then He hastens his punishment in this world, and if Allaah prescribes evil for His slave, then Allaah holds back his sins until He recompenses them for him on the Day of Judgment.’ Narrated by Tirmidhi & he declared it hasan.

Taken from: binbaz.org.sa, from the Fatawaa of Shaykh Abdul Azeez bin Abdullaah Ibn Baz. Translated by Abbas Abu Yahya. 

“And We have sent down to you the Book in truth, confirming the Scripture that came before it, testifying to the truth contained therein whilst exposing the falsehood that has been added therein.” 

[Soorah al-Maa’idah 5:48]