Author: Abdul Hai Lay'yan
The Divine Education Model in the Family of the Prophets (part 109)
Educational Lessons from the Story of Luqman the Wise (AS)
Lesson Twenty-One: Trials and Tests Are Inseparable from the Call to Allah—Both in the Past and the Present
After Luqman the Wise (AS) instructed his son to take an active role in reforming society by enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, he reminded him that this great responsibility would never be free from hardships and obstacles. The path of calling people to Allah (SWT) has always been accompanied by trials, difficulties, and dangers.
Allah the Almighty says: (وَاصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا أَصَابَكَ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ) [1] Translation: “And be patient over whatever befalls you. Indeed, that is among the matters requiring determination.”
A caller to Allah is, in reality, following the path of the prophets and messengers (peace be upon them). In the holy Qur’an, Allah recounts some of the hardships and sufferings they endured while striving to reform their communities. They faced various forms of emotional abuse, including denial and ridicule.
Allah the Almighty says: (وَلَقَدِ اسْتُهْزِئَ بِرُسُلٍ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِالَّذِينَ سَخِرُوا مِنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ) [2] Translation: “Indeed, messengers before you were also mocked, but those who ridiculed them were ultimately overtaken by the very punishment they used to mock.”
At times, these hardships extend beyond ridicule and rejection to include physical persecution, economic pressure, exile, and expulsion from one’s homeland.
Allah the Almighty says: (أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَنْ يُتْرَكُوا أَنْ يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَاذِبِينَ) [3] Translation: “Do people think that they will be left alone simply because they say, ‘We believe,’ and that they will not be tested? Indeed, we tested those before them so that Allah may make evident those who are truthful and those who are false.”
When the first revelation descended upon the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the Cave of Hira, he became deeply concerned. Prophet Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) took him to Waraqah ibn Nawfal. After listening to the Prophet’s account, Waraqah said, “This is the same angel who came to Moses (peace be upon him). I wish I were young and could live until the day your people drive you out.”
The Prophet (PBUH) asked: «أَوَمُخْرِجِيَّ هُمْ؟» Translation: “Will they really expel me?” Waraqah replied: “Yes. No one has ever come with a message like yours except that he was met with hostility and opposition.” [4]
Therefore, those who call others to Allah should prepare themselves for this reality. Uprooting the thorns of corruption from people’s hearts and removing deeply rooted harmful customs from society require patience, perseverance, and steadfast determination.
Without doubt, after such struggles and sacrifices, abundant goodness and blessings will follow. The seeds of faith that reformers sow in society and nurture with care will eventually bear fruit. Under the shade of these divine values, society will enjoy peace, security, and true prosperity. This has always been Allah’s unchanging way in His creation.
Allah (SWT) says: (حَتَّىٰ إِذَا اسْتَيْأَسَ الرُّسُلُ وَظَنُّوا أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ كُذِبُوا جَاءَهُمْ نَصْرُنَا فَنُجِّيَ مَنْ نَشَاءُ وَلَا يُرَدُّ بَأْسُنَا عَنِ الْقَوْمِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ) [5] Translation: “Until, when the messengers lost hope and thought that they had been denied, Our help came to them. We saved whom We willed, and Our punishment cannot be turned away from the guilty people.”
Likewise, Prophet Musa (Moses) (AS) encouraged his people by saying: (اسْتَعِينُوا بِاللَّهِ وَاصْبِرُوا إِنَّ الْأَرْضَ لِلَّهِ يُورِثُهَا مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ) [6] Translation: “Seek help from Allah and remain patient. Indeed, the earth belongs to Allah; He grants it to whom He wills among His servants, and the best outcome belongs to the righteous.”
In conclusion, patience and perseverance in raising a righteous generation do not benefit only that generation. Rather, they lay the foundation for the guidance and righteousness of generations to come. Sound education today is the cornerstone of the intellectual, moral, and social well-being of tomorrow’s society.
To be continued…
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References:
[1] Surah Luqman, 31:17.
[2] Surah Al-An’am, 6:10.
[3] Surah Al-’Ankabut, 29:2–3.
[4] Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Revelation, Hadith No. 3; Sahih Muslim, Book of Faith, Hadith No. 73.
[5] Surah Yusuf, 12:110.
[6] Surah Al-A’raf, 7:128.
