Someone from Canada wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa and asked whether those disobedient to God Almighty lived in pain and suffering in this world or believers. Huzoor-e-Anwaraa, in his letter dated 25 August 2021, replied as follows:
“Our Lord and Master, the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, explained this subject in the following words of sheer wisdom:
الدُّنْيَا سِجْنُ الْمُؤْمِنِ وَجَنَّةُ الْكَافِرِ
“‘The world is a prison for a believer and paradise for a disbeliever.’ (Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Zuhd wa al-Raqai’q, Bab 1)
“In these comprehensive words, the Holy Prophetsa has explained to us that a believer gives up the worldly desires, declared forbidden and undesirable by Allah the Exalted, for His sake. To achieve the pleasure of Allah the Exalted and to show obedience to Him, he strives and endures hardships. In this sense, this world appears to become a prison for him. However, when he dies, as a result of his temporary sacrifice, he is blessed with lasting relief from these hardships and difficulties in the eternal life of the Hereafter and he is declared the heir to the eternal blessings that God Almighty had promised him. A disbeliever, on the other hand, ignores the commands of God Almighty and takes advantage of the temporary provisions of this world, regardless of whether they are lawful or unlawful, and looks upon this world as heaven. Consequently, when he dies, he may have to face divine punishment in the eternal life of the hereafter for his misdeeds in this world.
“Therefore, it is necessary for a true believer to always remember that the worldly life is in fact transient and so is its suffering. Allah the Exalted removes the suffering of the eternal life of the hereafter for those who suffer in this temporary life. Hence, it is mentioned in a hadith that whatever troubles a believer suffers in this world, even a thorn that pricks him while walking, Allah the Exalted records its reward in his account of deeds or forgives his sins. (Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Birri wa s-Silati wa l-Aadaab, Bab thawabi l-mu’mini fi ma yusibuhu min maradin aw huzn…)
“Allah the Exalted puts His loved ones through the hardships of this worldly life the most. Hence, the Holy Prophetsa said that among the people, the prophets were tried the most, and then according to their rank, the rest of the people were tried too. Hazrat Aishara states, ‘I have never seen someone suffer more than the Holy Prophetsa.’ (Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al-Marda, Bab shiddati l-marad)
“Hence, we know that many of his children died, even though the loss of one child can be a cause of great sorrow. The Promised Messiahas states:
“‘In another place in the Holy Quran, there are the following verses:
وَ اِنۡ مِّنۡكُمۡ اِلَّا وَارِدُهَا كَانَ عَلٰي رَبِّكَ حَتۡمًا مَّقۡضِيًّا۔ ثُمَّ نُنَجِّي الَّذِيۡنَ اتَّقَوۡا وَّ نَذَرُ الظّٰلِمِيۡنَ فِيۡهَا جِثِيًّا۔
“‘[And there is not one of you but will come to it. This is a fixed decree with thy Lord. Then We shall save the righteous and We shall leave the wrongdoers therein, on their knees. (Surah Maryam, Ch.19: Vs.72-73)]
“‘In fact, these verses also refer to the exalted attribute of zulumiyyat [i.e. being disregardful of the consequences of fulfilling one’s mission]. The translation of these verses is as follows:
“‘There is not a soul among you who will not enter a fire. This is a promise that your Lord has made binding on Himself to fulfil. Then, after casting them into that fire, we save the righteous and leave the wrongdoers, i.e., those who are polytheists and rebellious, in hell lying on their knees[…]
“‘In these verses, it has been stated that even the righteous are not exempt from the touch of a certain fire [naar]. This statement means that the righteous, with great bravery, throw themselves into a fire in various ways in this very world, which is a place of trial. They throw their souls into this blazing fire for the sake of God. All kinds of divine fates afflict them in the form of a fire; they are persecuted and inflicted with pain and such great earthquakes hit them that no one except them could withstand such earthquakes. Moreover, it is also mentioned in an authentic hadith that even the fever that a believer suffers from is of hellfire. A believer, due to fever and other afflictions, takes a share of that fire in this very world. Then, in another hadith, it is stated that for the believer, paradise appears in the likeness of hell in this world, that is, the extreme hardships in the way of God Almighty become visible to him in the form of hell. Thus, when he leaps into this hell with delight, he suddenly finds himself in paradise.’(A’ina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 5, pp. 142-145)
“Many divine pearls of wisdom are hidden in worldly suffering and trials, which are sometimes not accessible to the human intellect. Thus, one should endeavour to bear them with patience and prayer. The Promised Messiahas states:
“‘Sometimes, divine wisdom prevents man from achieving any goals in this world and one has to face various kinds of calamities, afflictions, diseases and misfortunes, but one should not be discouraged by them.’ (Malfuzat, Vol. 5, 2016, p. 23)”