Surah Baqarah Verse 214

Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while such [trial] has not yet come to you as came to those who passed on before you? They were touched by poverty and hardship and were shaken until [even their] messenger and those who believed with him said," When is the help of Allāh?" Unquestionably, the help of Allāh is near.

Gold is something that all people vie for in this dunya but for the gold to shine, it has to be burnt in a crucible to get rid of the dross, the same goes for diamonds they too need to be chipped. Similarly man needs to be tested, knocked and shaken for his true worth to shine!, people who have everything in life.. become complacent, arrogant, callous but people who have gone through a lot in life, become humble, sensitive and they eventually become loved by all… Like Gold! We hear these everyday clichés of such people “she has a heart of gold”, ‘she has sterling qualities”

This was how it was with the prophets and the righteous people..They were tested the most and they were the most beloved to Allah swt. I would like to share a parable that I read….

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly.
One day a small opening appeared.
He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours
as it struggled to squeeze its body through the tiny hole.
Then it stopped, as if it couldn't go further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly.
He took a pair of scissors and
snipped off the remaining bits of cocoon.
The butterfly emerged easily but
it had a swollen body and shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch it,
expecting that any minute the wings would enlarge
and expand enough to support the body,
Neither happened!

In fact the butterfly spent the rest of its life
crawling around.
It was never able to fly.

What the man in his kindness
and haste did not understand:
The restricting cocoon and the struggle
required by the butterfly to get through the opening
was a way of forcing the fluid from the body
into the wings so that it would be ready
for flight once that was achieved.

Sometimes struggles are exactly
what we need in our lives.
Going through life with no obstacles would cripple us.
We will not be as strong as we could have been
and we would never fly.

Remember whatever test you go through in life ‘the help of Allah is indeed near”- It is a promise of Allah! And the promise of Allah is True! Rejoice!

Farah Ahamed

Online Student
Taleem Al Quran 2009