Our Test With Diseases

Written in Turkish by Prof. Dr. Soner Duman

Translated into English by Hayat Yakup Arıcıoğlu

  Coronavirus is on the whole world’s agenda. Disease that the virus causes is maybe one of the hundreds or thousands of diseases. (May our Rabb protect us from all diseases)

  A believer (mumin) sees his body and health as a trust from Allah, and takes any medical actions needed, and does not neglect the treatment. He trusts in Allah (tawakkul) as he takes precaution and does what he is responsible for. In this article, let’s leave the medical side of the matter to its experts and try to touch upon the profundity of our test with diseases and its effects on our test.

  Our Rabb, who created this world as a test place, tests His (swt) slaves with their lives, wealth, sons and things they love and they do not love. And one of these tests for human is being tested with disease and his health. All the people, including the prophets, have been tested with disease. 

   None of us wants to be sick. And when we are, we want to recuperate as soon as possible. When we get sick despite all our precautions, we should both strive to get better and think those in our inner world.

a. What diseases should make us think first is the fact that we are powerless slaves and mortal creatures.

  Man sometimes can be deceived by his healthy state and feel like he is immortal in the world. But, diseases and troubles remind him that the world is not a permanent place and he is going to die one day as well.

b. Diseases should feel that man in need of his Creator and he should turn to Him (swt).

  One who is sick should improve his dialogue with Allah (swt). Many people feel the need to pray to Allah when they or one of their relatives gets sick while normally not calling Allah to mind. If the person takes a lesson from disease, then he continues his state of turning to Allah in his life thereafter. And some turn to Allah in state of trouble, disease and hardship, break their connection with Allah when they get well again and difficulties go away. The Qur’an says those below about such people:

  “And when affliction touches man, he calls upon Us, whether lying on his side or sitting or standing; but when we remove from him his affliction, he continues (in disobedience) as if he had never called upon Us to (remove) an affliction that touched him. Thus is made pleasing to the transgressors that which they have been doing.” (Yunus, 10/12)

c. One who is sick should think that the disease, which he is hurt and distressed by and shows patience to, is going to erase his sins while striving to be medically treated. He should be away from the ways like rebelling at Allah and finding fault with predestination (qadar).

  As humans, we have a lot of sins committed knowingly or unknowingly. Every difficulty, distress and disease we encounter, conduces these sins to be erased. Thusly, Rasulullah (sas) says:

  “No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that.” (Bukhari, “Patients”,1)

d. Diseases may raise the slave’s rank in the sight of Allah.

Many prophets, scholars (ulama), friends of Allah (awliya) were tested with disease and hence their ranks were raised in the sight of Allah. The best example of this is Hz. Ayyub (Job) a.s. who is mentioned in the Qur’an. And Hz. Ibrahim (Abraham) a.s. stated this fact by saying, “And when I am ill, it is He who cures me.” (Shu’ara,80)

e. Diseases should stop us from woolgathering and let us face the reality.

  In the time when everything goes well in our lives and whatever we want comes true, we are most apt to be close to heedlessness and this-worldliness. But diseases and distress jolt and shake us up.

f. Diseases should teach us the value of health and the importance of healthy life.

  Man does not know the value of a blessing when he has it. When he loses it, he better understands its value. Many of the healthy people cannot comprehend the value of health and wellness. Whenever disease strikes, people recognize its significance better. In this regard, people who had their share of disease take whatever precaution they can in order to not lose their health after recovering.

g. Diseases should give us the opportunity to understand the situation of the sick and empathize with them.

  Ones who have the blessing generally do not know the condition of the needy, nor worry, nor search for them. When they meet with the same situation, they find the opportunity to get to know those who are in difficulty better and empathize with them. Ones who have their share of this side of disease do not maintain their relationship with the sick as they used to and concern themselves with them more.

h. Diseases should teach us to be patient

  Situations that human faces in his life are either of kind that he wants them to happen, or he does not want them to happen. What Allah Teala expects from us is to give thanks when we are given a blessing or good and to be patient when we come across an evil. A believer (mumin), who spends his life by centering patience and gratitude in it, is the one with whom Allah is pleased. As the Prophet (sas) says:

  “Amazing is the affair of the believer, verily all of his affair is good and this is not for no one except the believer. If something of good/happiness befalls him he is grateful and that is good for him. If something of harm befalls him he is patient and that is good for him.” (The Book of Zuhd and Softening of Hearts, 13)

  Our Exalted Rabb states that the calamities in the world are a test and the attitude He (swt) expects from a believer who comes across a calamity to have in the Qur’an:

  “And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient who, when disaster strikes them, say, “Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.” Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the (rightly) guided.” (Baqarah, 2/155-157)

  May Our Rabb protect us from every kind of disease. May He give us shifa (healing) for our diseases that are beyond our control. May He make us His slaves who do not rebel at Him after the calamities faced, take precaution, comply with His decree and trust in Him.

Click on the link to read the Turkish translation of the article: https://www.siyerinebi.com/tr/prof-dr-soner-duman/hastaliklarla-imtihanimiz