World as latest.

 World as latest. 

This world is the place of striving and the Hereafter is the place of reward or punishment, where the believers will be rewarded with Paradise and the disbelievers will be punished with Hell. 

Paradise is good and none but those who were good will enter it. Allah is Good and accepts nothing but that which is good. So the way of Allah with His slaves is to test them with calamities and tribulations, so that the believer may be known from the kaafir and so that the truthful may be distinguished from the liar, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: ‘We believe,’ and will not be tested.

And We indeed tested those who were before them. And Allah will certainly make (it) known (the truth of) those who are true, and will certainly make (it) known (the falsehood of) those who are liars, (although Allah knows all that before putting them to test)” [al-‘Ankaboot 29:2-3] 

Victory and success cannot be achieved except after tests which will bring the good forth from the evil and tell the believer apart from the kaafir, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which you are now, until He distinguishes the wicked from the good. Nor will Allah disclose to you the secrets of the Ghayb (Unseen)” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:179] 

Among the trials with which Allah tests His slaves in order to distinguish the believers from the disbelievers is that which He mentions in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Saabiroon (the patient).

Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: ‘Truly, to Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.’

They are those on whom are the Salawaat (i.e. who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided ones” [al-Baqarah 2:155-157] 

So Allah tests His slaves, and He loves those who are patient, and gives them the glad tidings of Paradise. 

Allah tests His slaves with jihaad, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Do you think that you will enter Paradise before Allah tests those of you who fought (in His Cause) and (also) tests those who are As-Saabiroon (the patient)?” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:142] 

Wealth and children are a trial by means of which Allah tests His slaves, to know who will give thanks for them, and who will be distracted from Allah by them: 

“And know that your possessions and your children are but a trial and that surely, with Allah is a mighty reward”

[al-Anfaal 8:28 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Allah tests us, sometimes with calamities and sometimes with blessings, to show who will be thankful and who will be ungrateful, and who will obey and who will disobey, then He will reward or punish them on the Day of Resurrection: 

“and We shall make a trial of you with evil and with good. And to Us you will be returned”

[al-Anbiya’ 21:35 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Testing is according to one’s faith; the most severely tested among mankind are the Prophets, then the next best and the next best. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “When I fall ill, my pain is equivalent to the pain of two men among you.” (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 5648).