وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوفْ وَالْجُوعِ   

We shall surely try you with a degree

of fear and hunger,

    This earthly life is a life of trials and tests.  Life is an appraisal period, to be spent earning the Eternal life.  The earthly life consists of two sides, the positive and the negative.

    There is good versus evil, beauty versus ugliness, safety versus danger, peace versus war, health versus sickness, and content­ment versus anxiety; such examples are but a few.

    Life won't always be on the positive side, therefore the negative and the positive have to clash.  One side has to win sooner or later.  This process is necessary to refine a person, and it is healthier for the society in general.

Ø Allah (swt) put us on this planet for a purpose, He does not do things haphazardly.  Allah gave us Islam to lead us in the proper direction.  Islam offers us the best Directives to lead a righteous and chaste life.

Ø Yet temptations are numerous and they distract us from the good that Allah wants us to pursue.  This means we have to stand on our own, not only to face all the temptations but also to struggle against them the best we can.  We should not let temptations corrupt, demoralize, or dishonor us.

Ø Each of us has to be on the alert against any temptation, indecency, dishonesty or other human weaknesses.

Ø But what is the proper thing to do and what guideline do we follow?

The answer is that Allah (swt) has given us Islam and its Directives, which show us the proper direction, like a map to show us the way through the city.

    But why does Allah want to test us?

    The answer is that by giving us Islam and freedom of choice, Allah wants to refine us to a life of integrity, honesty, and to be righteous and wholesome.  Allah wants to see who is sincere in His service as to earn the Eternal life in Paradise, and who is not, who will be in Hell.

Ø Allah mentions in this Ayah that we will be tried with a degree of fear and hunger.  We will have times of fear, anxiety, and insecurity but these will lead to defensive reactions, and this is very important.  We will discover powers within us we had never thought we had, we may take a course of action we probably thought impossible before.

Ø The same will apply when we are tested with hunger, want, famine, and need.  Action leads to reaction, and our reaction to these will push us to work better, harder, to improve, and to carefully save for such possibilities.  Needs will put us to the test to see how helpful we are to others and how good we are to the unfortunate.

وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الأَمَوَالِ وَالأنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَات   

and loss of wealth, lives, and yield;

    Not only will we be tried by Allah with a degree of fear and hunger, but we will also be tested in our wealth, lives, and yield.

Ø There will be times when wars and diseases break out, or accidents or earthquakes occur which take the lives of loved ones.  Though this brings distress, calamities can also bring countermeasures.  Diseases for example can be prevented or treated, wars can also be prevented sometimes if people work for justice and equality.  Accidents can be reduced if their circumstances are studied and preventive measures taken.

Ø Grief, suffering, and pain are things man likes to avoid, but sometimes they can be prevented or minimized.  No one wants pain or grief, and its memory will induce us to take preventive action.

Ø We may be tested too with a decrease in our wealth, be it large or small.  No man can go through life without his ups and downs, without some losses, without a number of mishaps and calamities.  This can happen to nations too, or even to a number of nations at the same time.  Every mishap stands to benefit us in the long run since it will stimulate our thinking and bring us closer to its prevention in the future.

Ø To one who believes in Allah and has a firm faith in Him, such a person will hang to patience and think of ways to improve the situation rather than be in despair.  He will adapt himself to the new situation the best he can, and he will refuse to lose faith.

but give glad tidings to the steadfast,

Who, when a misfortune befalls them will say:

"Verily, we belong to Allah, and verily to Him we shall return"

  This Quranic selection was revealed at a time when the Prophet (pbuh) and the believers in Medina were in the process of doing their Jihad for Islam, and the days ahead of them were expected to be very difficult, and many underwent tremendous difficulties.  These Ayahs not only applied to them but also apply to us now, since each of us takes it on himself to do his Jihad the best he can.  Therefore, if losses or disasters take place, and if they are the result of our work for Allah and the cause of our Jihad, it is all for the better.  Our patience will be appreciated and rewarded by Allah in a very generous manner, since it is very hard to be enduring in the face of repeated obstacles or distress­ful situations.

    When a calamity befalls, the faithful will take refuge in Allah and will experience relief in doing so, and will say: 

          TO ALLAH WE BELONG, AND TO HIM WE SHALL RETURN

أُولَـئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ وَأُولَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ   

Such are they, on whom are blessings and mercy from their Lord,

and they are those who are rightly guided.

    The faithful who endure for the sake of Allah and suffer for Him are the ones who are strong enough to be patient, who endure all difficul­ties.  Allah Almighty singles them out, and He gener­ously showers them with His blessings, mercy, and abun­dance.

    These people are called the rightly guided and this acknowledgement is one of the highest honors a Muslim can aspire to.  It means: such a person has already found Islam, has understood it, has applied it, has worked for it, and has endured patiently for it.  He did all that for the sake of Allah and for no other interest.  He did it out of love and appreciation for Allah, out of dedication for His cause, and out of devotion to His religion.  This is the genuine Muslim, and he is the fortunate one, because he is the winner in the true sense.