Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds, to Whom belongs the endowments and generosities and Whom we commend out of exaltation. May Allaah raise the rank of Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ^alayhi wa sallam, the master of all the prophets and messengers, and protect his nation from what he feared for them and likewise his pure family members and kind companions. Aameen.
Thereafter, it was said:
Allaah said in the Qur’aan (Surah Al-Balad, aayah 4)
لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الإِنْسَانَ فِي كَبَدٍ
Which means: Indeed we have created man into travail (hardships, toil).
Al-Qurtubiyy said:
Our scholars said that the first hardship man encounters is the cutting off of his umbilical cord, followed by the hardship of being strapped into cloths. Then the hardship of nursing, without which he would die. Then the hardship of teething and movement of his tongue. Then he is weaned, which is harder on him than hitting. He encounters circumcision, pain, and grief. He encounters the strictures of his teacher, the policy of his moralizer, and the strong presence of his tutor. Then he encounters marriage and its obligations. He is occupied with children, servants, and soldiers. He builds houses and palaces. Then he faces old age, with accompanying knee and foot pains. One faces many calamities, too lengthy to enumerate: eye, ear, tooth, and headaches. He has financial responsibilities and faces the burden of debt. He might be beaten, or imprisoned. Every day that passes, one faces calamities and hardships. After all of that, he faces death. Then the questioning by the two angels, the closing in of the grave and its darkness, the Resurrection, and facing his deeds–and until he ends up in Paradise or in Hellfire. Had the matter been ones own choice, one would not have chosen all of these hardships. This signifies that the human being has a Creator who manages him and decreed for him these situations. So let one submit to the orders of the Creator.
And Allaah Knows best.
May Allaah bless us with the good ending. Aameen.
