What To Think And Do In The Time Of Suffering And Difficulties?

Before I start, I would like to mention something that is our general approach to Du'as in the time of difficulties. This life can never be free from difficulties. We already talked about this in previous courses. This is the nature of this world, and actually this is needed for our progress. What is important is, what the types of suffer we have and who is responsible for our suffering? You cannot say, I don't want any suffering at all. If you don't want any suffering, it means that you have not understood the purpose of this life and you don't want to actually remain in this life. There must be some difficulty, suffering, but am I causing this suffering to myself and other people?

Number two is what areas I am suffering in. Am I suffering in my relation with Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala, in my Iman, in my Akhlaq, in being a good person, being a moral person, being a caring, I don't know, father, or mother, or husband, or wife, or neighbour, or colleague? Am I suffering in these areas? Or I am suffering in some worldly matters? Not in some moral, spiritual, religious matters. Is my musiba in my Deen or my musiba is my Dunya? Is my musiba is my money and body or my musiba is my heart and mind?

Do I suffer from confusion and misunderstanding and doubts, or I am suffering from, for example, some issues in my health or in my poverty, or job, whatever? Who is causing this, and what areas I am suffering in? These are two things that make people different. Otherwise, more or less, everyone suffers. I am sure many times you think, especially those who are younger, that it seems there are people who never suffer. When I look at them, everything is perfect. But this is the way you think.

If you go, enter into lives of people, you see everyone has his own problems. Sometimes they don't understand, sometimes they understand, but they don't share with other people. There is no need to share with everyone our problems. Amir al-Mu'minin, alayhi as-salam says: "radhia bi 'dh-dhulli min kashafa 'an dhurrih". If you mention all your problems to people, then it means that you are happy to be losing your honour. Because it is not that everyone is a good Mu'min to keep his or her opinion exactly before talking to them about your problem. Some of people, whether they like it or not, they change their attitude when you share with them your problems. Some are unfortunately like that. You don't need to say everything to everyone. Everyone has some problems.

One person who was very spiritual in Tehran, and many people considered him as a kind of 'arif, he was a student of Ayatollah Ansari Hamadani, although he had not studied that much. He used to say that if we ask people to bring all their problems and put it in a very large place, like a big plane. We ask people to bring your problems and leave it there, so that everyone can see what problems people have and they are all together. Then we will tell them, now we give you a choice to choose. You can choose your own problem or problem of any other person. He says, everyone, if sees the problems of other people, and has understanding of his own or her own capacity, would say, My problems are the best problem for me. I cannot deal with the problems of other people.

There are issues. We cannot have no problem at all. But the best is if we don't find ourselves responsible, after objective careful examination, not after just quick dismissal of my responsibility, but after careful and objective, I find, Al-hamdulil-Lah, I have not caused this. This is the best thing. Later, then we can work on how to benefit. Problems are there. We should never be despaired. Mu'min would never despair. And actually, our teaching is that when the situation is very, very difficult, and every person may get despaired if they are not believer in Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala. Mu'min in that time has more hope.

When people without faith become very despaired, Mu'min find that's the best way to hope, the best time to hope. Because this is the way Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala works. That He would not interfere and intervene for every small problem. He wants us to be responsible. He wants us to to solve our problems. But when it reaches the point of being desperate, when it reaches the point of istirar, then He would intervene. Therefore, in some Hadiths it says: "Kun la ma la tarju', arj'a minka min ma tarju'". When you have no hope, be more hopeful, compared to the time that you have hope.

And The example is in the Hadith, example of Prophet Musa, 'ala an-Nabiyun alayhi as-salam, when he was traveling in dark night with his family, it was dark, it was cold. His concern was safety of family. Then what happened? The best experience in his life happened. That was he saw the fire, he went to to take some fire, but Allah talked to him. That was the first time that Allah talked to Musa alayhi as-salam. He had no hope for such a thing. For him, just survival was enough. Or the Queen of Sabah, when she went to Sulayman, she just went to save herself and her nation. But then she was able to embrace faith and become believer.

We have to be very hopeful, especially in difficult times. I told you, I think once that when it comes to also doing Tawassul to Imam Mahdi, ajal Allahu Ta'ala farajahu ash-Sharif, I believe that, generally speaking, we should not expect Imam Mahdi, to interfere in every matter and say, Okay, you are my Shi'a, I should help you. You are my community, I should help you. Because in this way, we become very dependent and maybe lazy. Also, then other people would not be finding this a right way of being tested. So Imam alayhi as-salam has his role in the time of Ghaybah, which is to guide, but without being noticed, to help without people being able to point at him that he did this.

For most part, maybe 99%, he does things without anyone understanding he is doing this. Like Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala. Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala does everything, but millions of people, we say there is no God. who is doing all this? Because he keeps a hijab, he keeps a veil. He doesn't want to impose Himself to our understanding so that no one can deny Him. So imam Mahdi is like this in the time of Ghaybah. But there is a way. This is a secret. There is a way to bring imam Mahdi, ajal Allahu Ta'ala farajahu ash-Sharif, to your personal or community or humanity in general life.

Between Imam in the condition of Ghaybah, and this public life that we have, there is a passage, there is a corridor through which Imam can interfere in our public, in our worldly life, or spiritual life in the time of Ghaybah. That is emergency entrance. We have emergency exit, but we have for Imam Mahdi emergency entrance. He can enter through this emergency entrance to this life that we have and help us. But it must be emergency. You have to be mustarr. When you are mustarr and desperately ask him for help, he would come and help.

Some people are very clever. They quickly realize that they are desperate. They get all the time help from Imam Mahdi, ajal Allahu Ta'ala farajahu ash-Sharif. Some people have to see a tragedy that kills millions of people, then they feel desperate. Otherwise, they think, We can manage, we can manage. We can manage. This is one of the worst problems for Mu'minin. If they think they can manage.

You can't manage anything! You cannot even guarantee that next day you are going to wake up. We are so vulnerable, so weak, so dependent. What can you manage? You cannot even say, I am going tonight home. Who knows?

We have to increase our understanding of our need for Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala, our need for Hujja of Allah and being in desperate situation.

Unfortunately, most of the time we think everything is alright. We don't need the Imam. We will be happy if he helps us, but we don't need. We can manage ourselves. Al-hamdulil-Lah, we have community, we have people, we have money, we have guidance. But this is not right.