The Quran about trial
In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful
There is a very wise saying among the people: “no sweet without sweat”. That is how difficult to achieve something without effort. Therefore, to achieve a certain goal, a person needs to overcome certain barriers. And meaning of barriers is in testing people through the opportunity of applying effort.
The Quran as a universal guide fully describes the upcoming trials. The trial in Arabic sounds like “balya,a” and means: “to test, to cause pain, suffering.”
Initially, the condition of person being in the physical body was his trial.
Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture that We may try him; and We made him hearing and seeing. (76:2)
Tests are different:
- By position
And it is He who has made you successors upon the earth. He has raised some of you above others in degrees that He may try you through what He has given you! Indeed, your Lord is swift in penalty; but indeed, He is Forgiving and Merciful! (6:165)
And do not be like she who broke her yarn after fastening the threads. You take your oaths to get wealth, to make your headship superior to the other. Indeed, God tests you thereby! And He will surely make clear to you on the day of standing before Him that over which you used to differ! (16:92)
2. By diversity
… Had God willed, He would have set you on one basis. But to test you in what He has given you; so race to good. To God is your return all together, and He will inform you concerning that over which you used to differ! (5:48)
3. By life and death
It is He who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed – and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving. (67:2)
4. By evil and good
Every personality will taste death. And We test you with evil and with good as temptation! And to Us you will be returned! (21:35)
5. By signs
Indeed in that are signs, and indeed, We are ever testing! (23:30)
6. By mercy and limitation
And as for man, when his Lord tries him and [thus] is generous to him and favors him, he says, “My Lord has honored me.”
But when He tries him and restricts his provision, he says, “My Lord has humiliated me!” (89:15-16)
7. By heaven and earth
And it is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days – and its abode had been upon water – that He might test you as to which of you is best in deed… (11:7)
8. By all that is on earth
Indeed, We have made that which is on the earth adornment for it that We may test them which of them is best in deed! (18:7)
Narrating about the messengers, the Creator repeatedly positions them as people like us. As a result, the test of the Creator did not bypass His messengers as well.
And when Ibrahim (Abraham) was tried by his Lord with his words and he fulfilled them. God said, “Indeed, I will make you a leader for the people.”
Ibrahim (Abraham) said, “And of my descendants?”
God replied, “My obligation does not include the obscurantists!” (2:124)
The more truth is revealed to humanity, the greater is the test of people in relation to it. It is known from the Prescription that many messengers were sent to the Jews with the revelations of the Lord. According to which, Jews were tested.
We saved your forefathers from the intimates of pharaoh, who afflicted you with the worst torment, slaughtering your sons and keeping your females alive. And in that was a great trial from your Lord. (2:49)
And when Saul went forth with the soldiers, he said, “Indeed, God will be testing you with a river. So whoever drinks from it is not of me, and whoever does not taste it is indeed of me, excepting one who takes handful of water with his hand.”
But they drank from it, except a few of them. Then when he had crossed the river along with those who believed with him, they said, “We have no power today against Goliath and his soldiers.”
In reply, those who were certain that they would meet God said, “How many a small company has overcome a large company by permission of God. And God is with the patient.” (2:249)
And when We saved you from the intimates of pharaoh, who afflicted you with the worst torment – killing your sons and keeping your women alive. And in that was a great trial from your Lord. (7:141)
And ask them about the town that was by the sea. They transgressed – when their fish came straight to them on their sabbath day, and the day they had no sabbath they did not come to them. Thus did We give them trial because they were apostates! (7:163)
And We divided them throughout the earth into nations. Of them some were correcting themselves, and of them some were otherwise. And We tested them with good and bad that perhaps they would return. (7:168)
When Musa (Moses) said to His nation, “Remember the favor of God upon you when He saved you from the intimates of pharaoh, who were afflicting you with the worst torment and were slaughtering your sons and keeping your females alive! And in that was a great trial from your Lord!” (14:6)
Said one who had knowledge from the book, “I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you.”
And when Solomon saw it placed before him, he said, “This is from the favor of my Lord to test me whether I will be grateful or closed. And whoever is grateful – his gratitude is only for himself. And whoever is closed – then indeed, my Lord is Free of need and Generous!” (27:40)
And We gave them of signs that in which there was a clear trial. (44:33)
As heirs of the last revelation, Muslims should not be complacent, because the test of God does not bypass believers:
And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and personality and fruits. (2:155)
You will surely be tested in your possessions and in yourselves. And you will surely hear from those who were given the Prescription before you and from those who associate others with God much abuse. But if you are patient and circumspect – indeed, that is of the matters of determination! (3:186)
O you who have believed! God will surely test you through something of the hunting prey that your hands and spears reach, that God may make evident those who fear Him unseen. And whoever transgresses after that – for him is a painful punishment! (5:94)
The history of human attitude to the prophets and believers shows intolerance towards the truth. Sometimes this attitude is transformed into hard armed clashes. Such events also apply to the test.
Then after distress, He sent down upon you security [in the form of] drowsiness, overcoming a faction of you, while another faction worried about themselves, thinking of God other than the truth – the thought of ignorance, saying, “Is there anything for us in this matter?”
Say, “Indeed, the matter belongs completely to God!” They conceal within themselves what they will not reveal to you.
They say, “If there was anything we could have done in the matter, some of us would not have been killed right here!”
Say, “Even if you had been inside your houses, those decreed to be killed would have come out to their death beds.” [It was] so that God might test what is in your thoughts and purify what is in your hearts. And God is Knowing of that within the thoughts! (3:154)
And God had certainly fulfilled His promise to you when you were killing the enemy by His permission until [the time] when you lost courage and fell to disputing about the order and disobeyed after He had shown you that which you love. Among you are some who desire this world, and among you are some who desire the hereafter. Then he turned you back from them that He might test you. And He has already forgiven you, and God is the possessor of bounty for the believers. (3:152)
And you did not kill them, but it was God who killed them. And you threw not, when you threw, but it was God who threw that He might test the believers with a good test. Indeed, God is Hearing and Knowing! (8:17)
There the believers were tested and shaken with a severe shaking. (33:11)
So when you meet those who closed themselves, strike necks until, when you have inflicted slaughter upon them, then secure their bonds, and either [confer] favor afterwards or ransom [them] until the war lays down its burdens. And if God had willed, He could have taken vengeance upon them, but that is to test some of you by means of others. And those who are killed in the way of God – never will He waste their deeds! (47:4)
And We will surely test you until We make evident those who strive among you and the patient, and We will test by messages about you. (47:31)
However, the most important test will come on the Day of Debt. All the troubles and aspirations, difficulties and joys fade in comparison with the last test of God.
There, every personality will be put to trial for what it did previously, and they will be returned to God, their true patron! And will not be lost from them is whatever they used to invent! (10:30)
The Day when secrets will be put on trial! (86:9)