WHEN the trials of this temporary life burden us, piling heavily within us, a need to release them, to complain, to call out for help urgently arises. It is a means through which we lighten the load and hopefully find some light.

The urge to release one’s complaints exists in us all, even a camel felt it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) entered the garden of a man from the Ansar (the people of Madina), and upon seeing him, the camel froze and its eyes watered. The Prophet (peace be upon him) came to it and rubbed its ears until it calmed down. He (peace be upon him) inquired about the owner and warned him to fear Allah, for the camel had complained to him that ‘he starves it and tires it by overworking it and using it beyond its capacity.’ (Ahmad and Abu Dawud).

Narrated to us over and over in the Quran are stories of men before us who were tested. They were great men chosen by Allah to carry messages of Truth, but their position did not deem them safe from facing the trials of this life, thus proving that indeed the world is a place of test upon test. For if it were not, Allah would have spared such a noble creation. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The people who are tested the most severely are the Prophets, then the righteous, then the next best and the next best, and a man will be tested in accordance with his level of religious commitment; the stronger his religious commitment, the more severe will be his test.” (Ahmad).

What then was their reaction in adversity? They were created beings with a need to release, complain, and ask of others. But, over and over, in the Quran, it is brought to our attention that they so often convey their fears, needs, and hopes to One. The One who created them. Examining our own states for a moment, we can agree that at some point in the middle of a seemingly hopeless situation, thoughts race through our minds as to whose help we will seek. But the one whom we search for is usually a created being.

Regardless of the level of trust or love we have in such a person, they remain in this universe as creation. Sometimes they can help, but many a time, they can only listen. We feel better, but it is not long before we search for another person’s help. Eventually, we ask: Is it possible to depend on those around us to release our complaints and fulfill our needs?

Almighty Allah described Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) as the one who complained to Him, saying: “Verily Ibrahim (Abraham) was Awwah (one who invokes Allah with humility, glorifies Him and remembers Him much) and was forbearing. (Tafsir Al-Qurtubi). (Qur’an 9:114).

If such was the case with the father of the prophets, what then was the reaction of the other prophets in hardship?

Prophet Nuh (peace be upon him)
After facing rejection and harm from the people to his call, Prophet Nuh (peace be upon him) turned to none but the One Who sent him: “So he invoked his Lord, ‘Indeed, I am overpowered, so help.’” (Al-Qamar 54:10).

When he did so, Allah responded, helped him, and drowned the disbelievers, saving only Nuh (peace be upon him) and those who believed with him: “Then We opened the gates of the heaven with rain pouring down.” (Al-Qamar 54:11)

Prophet Ayyub (peace be upon him)
Afflicted with an extremely difficult illness for many long years, loss of his wealth and family, and rejection by the people all took Prophet Ayyub (peace be upon him) to nowhere and no one but the One Who tested him: And [mention] Job, when he called to his Lord, “Indeed, adversity has touched me, and You are the Most Merciful of the Merciful.” (Al-Anbiyaa’ 21:83)

Crying out to Allah in complaint, mentioning that which one has been afflicted with, does not contradict the meaning of patience; it is part of worship and submission to Allah. Prophet Ayyub (peace be upon him) mentioned his affliction, and Allah praised his example by mentioning his invocation in the Quran. When he knew that none would help him save his Lord, Allah responded, granting him relief: So We responded to him and removed what afflicted him of adversity. And We gave him [back] his family and the like thereof with them as mercy from Us and a reminder for the worshippers [of Allah]. (Al-Anbiyaa’ 21:84).

Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him)
Overwhelmed by layers of darkness; darknesses of the sea, the night, and the stomach of the whale, Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) never lost hope in Allah’s Mercy. He had none to call out to except Him, and that’s what he truthfully did: And [mention] the man of the fish, when he went off in anger and thought that We would not decree [anything] upon him. And he called out within the darknesses, “There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.” (Al-Anbiyaa 21:87).

From the depths of the ocean, his lips moved in a supplication that we recite till this day in the Quran. This is the same supplication that our Prophet (peace be upon him) prescribed for he who is distressed:

Laa illaaha illa Anta Subhanaka inni kuntu min adh-dhalimeen.

(There is nothing worthy of worship but You; how exalted You are above all that they associate with You! Truly, I have been of the wrongdoers.)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said about it: “No Muslim ever prays to his Lord with these words for anything, but He will answer his prayer.” (Ahmad).

And in another report: “I know words that will cause Allah to remove one’s distress. These are the words (of supplication) of my brother Yunus, peace be upon him.” (Tirmidhi).

When Yunus (peace be upon him) released such powerful words, Allah’s Help arrived: So We responded to him and saved him from the distress. And thus do We save the believers. (Al-Anbiyaa 21:88)

Prophet Zakariyya (peace be upon him)
The example of the Prophet of Allah, Zakariyya (peace be upon him), in pleading and crying out to none but Allah is one of unfaltering faith and hope in Allah alone. His moving words, pleading, and begging his Lord move the hearts of those who recite them. His certainty in Allah’s response and expectation of good from Allah, despite what stood in his way as ‘obstacles’ to his need for help, eliminates feelings of despair in every distressed believer:

[This is] a mention of the mercy of your Lord to His servant Zachariyya when he called to his Lord a private supplication. He said, “My Lord, indeed my bones have weakened, and my head has filled with white, and never have I been in my supplication to You, my Lord, unhappy. And indeed, I fear the successors after me, and my wife has been barren, so give me from Yourself an heir who will inherit me and inherit from the family of Ya’qub. And make him, my Lord, pleasing [to You].”

Standing in the way of receiving what he asked for are weak bones, old age, and a wife who is barren. In addition, he knows that his people are in need of prophets after him to pass on the message. His need is great and his relentless supplication strong. After complaining and describing his situation to One Who knows it better than himself, the gates were opened and his need was fulfilled: [He was told], “O Zakariyya, indeed We give you good tidings of a boy whose name will be Yahya (John). We have not assigned to any before [this] name.” (Maryam 19:2-7).

Some of the scholars said: Be like a young child who wants something from his father, and when his father refuses, he sits at his feet crying to him. Be the same if you ask your Lord, and if you don’t get it, sit and cry to Allah for it.

To be continued…

– MARIAM E.

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