You’re watching people who openly sin living their best lives. Designer clothes, luxury vacations, perfect relationships, thriving businesses. Meanwhile, you’re struggling to pay rent, dealing with chronic illness, watching your marriage fall apart, or burying someone you love.
You pray five times a day. You fast. You give charity. You try so hard to please Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He.
And yet your neighbor who doesn’t pray once is getting promoted while you’re getting fired. Your cousin who parties every weekend just bought her third car while you’re taking the bus. That guy from school who openly mocks Islam just got married to someone beautiful while you’re still waiting after years of making dua.
The question burning in your chest is the same one that’s haunted believers for centuries: If Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, loves the righteous, why does He make their lives so unbearably hard?
The Hadith That Flips Everything Upside Down
Let me tell you something that’s going to completely shatter your understanding of suffering.
Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated: “I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, which of the people are most severely tested?’ He said: ‘The Prophets, then the next best and the next best. A person is tested according to his religious commitment. If he is steadfast in his religious commitment, he will be tested more severely, and if he is frail in his religious commitment, his test will be according to his religious commitment. The servant will continue to be tested until he is left walking upon the earth with no sin on him.'” This was recorded in Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 4023, and authenticated by multiple scholars.
Read that again slowly. The Prophets were tested the most. Not the sinners. Not the hypocrites. The best of creation—the people Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, loved most—were given the hardest tests.
Prophet Ayyub, peace be upon him, lost his wealth, his children, and his health. Prophet Yusuf, peace be upon him, was thrown in a well, sold as a slave, and imprisoned for years for a crime he didn’t commit. Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, lost his parents as a child, watched his beloved wife Khadijah and uncle Abu Talib die in the same year, was rejected by his own people, starved in a boycott, and lost six of his seven children in his lifetime.
These were the people closest to Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He. And they suffered more than anyone.
Your suffering isn’t proof that Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, has abandoned you. It’s proof that He’s treating you like He treated His prophets.
Why Allah Lets Sinners Live in Comfort
Here’s the part that’s going to make you rethink everything. The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said in a hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him: “This world is a prison for the believer and paradise for the disbeliever.” This is recorded in Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2956.
A prison. That’s what this dunya is supposed to be for you if you’re truly a believer. It’s not meant to be comfortable. It’s not meant to be easy. It’s temporary suffering before eternal bliss.
But for the sinner? This is their paradise. This is all they get. Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, gives them worldly comforts because He’s giving them their rewards now—in this temporary, fleeting life—because they have nothing waiting for them in the akhirah.
The scholars explain this concept using a powerful example. Imagine two people: one destined for Jannah and one destined for Jahannam. The one going to Jannah could suffer every single day of an 80-year life, but the moment they enter Paradise and experience even one second of its bliss, they’ll forget every hardship they ever faced. They’ll say they never experienced suffering at all.
Conversely, the one going to Jahannam could live 80 years of pure luxury, but the moment they enter Hellfire, they’ll forget every pleasure. They’ll feel like they never had a single good day in their life.
Which would you rather have? Comfort now and suffering forever, or suffering now and comfort forever?
The Real Reason Behind Your Test
Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “When Allah intends good for His servant, He hastens the punishment for him in this world. When Allah intends evil for His servant, He withholds punishment for his sins from him until he appears before Him on the Day of Resurrection.” This was narrated in Jami’ at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2396, and graded as sound.
Let that sink in. When Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, loves you, He punishes you in this world so your slate is clean in the next. When He wants evil for someone, He lets them accumulate sins and enjoys worldly pleasures, only to face the full weight of their punishment on the Day of Judgment.
Your hardship right now? It’s Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, cleaning your record. Every moment of pain, every tear you’ve cried, every injustice you’ve suffered—it’s wiping away your sins like an eraser on paper.
“And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient.” (Quran 2:155)
This isn’t random suffering. This is strategic purification. Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, is literally removing your sins through these trials so you can meet Him with a clean book of deeds.
What Your Suffering Is Actually Earning You
Here’s what nobody tells you about the rewards of patience through hardship.
The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said in a hadith narrated by Abu Sa’id and Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with them: “No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, except that Allah expiates some of his sins for that.” This is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5641, and Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2573.
Even a thorn prick. Even a headache. Even the anxiety keeping you up right now at 3 AM. All of it is removing sins from your record.
But it gets better. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said: “How wonderful is the case of a believer; there is good for him in everything, and this applies only to a believer. If prosperity attends him, he expresses gratitude to Allah and that is good for him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently and that is good for him.” This is from Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2999.
You can’t lose. If life is good, you thank Allah and get rewarded. If life is hard, you’re patient and get rewarded. The believer is always winning, even when it looks like they’re losing.
Meanwhile, the sinner enjoys temporary pleasure but stores up punishment for the akhirah. They’re paying for their comfort with their eternity.
The Hidden Wisdom You’re Missing
Abu Yahya Suhaib ibn Sinan, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Strange is the affair of the believer, verily all of his affairs are good for him. If something of good happens to him, he is grateful and that is good for him. If something of harm befalls him, he is patient and that is good for him. And this is only for the believer.” This is recorded in Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2999.
Your test right now—the one keeping you up at night, the one making you question everything—is actually raising your rank in Jannah. Every moment of sabr (patience) is building you a mansion in Paradise that you can’t even imagine right now.
Think about it. If Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, gave you everything you wanted in this life, you’d become attached to dunya. You’d forget about the akhirah. You’d stop making dua. You’d stop needing Him.
But hardship? Hardship drives you to your knees in tahajjud. It makes you call out to Him at 3 AM when nobody else can hear you. It purifies your intention, strengthens your faith, and reminds you that this world is temporary.
“Indeed, with hardship comes ease.” (Quran 94:6)
Not after hardship. With hardship. The ease is already there, walking alongside your difficulty, even if you can’t see it yet.
Why You Need to Stop Comparing
You need to hear this brutal truth: Stop measuring your worth by someone else’s dunya.
That person living in luxury while sinning openly? You have no idea what’s happening in their heart. You don’t see their panic attacks at 4 AM. You don’t see their broken relationships, their inner emptiness, their fear of death. You see the Instagram highlight reel, not the reality.
More importantly, you have no idea what Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, has planned for them. Maybe they’ll repent tomorrow and all that comfort was just Allah’s mercy giving them time. Or maybe they’re being given rope to hang themselves, accumulating sins that will crush them on Judgment Day.
The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Do not envy one another, do not hate one another, do not turn away from one another, and do not undercut one another in trade, but be brothers, O servants of Allah.” This is in Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2563.
Envy is poison. It makes you ungrateful for what Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, has given you while coveting what He’s withheld for your own good. Every time you compare your struggles to someone else’s success, you’re questioning Allah’s wisdom. And that’s a dangerous place to be.
The Questions You Should Be Asking Instead
Stop asking “Why is this happening to me?” Start asking “What is this teaching me?”
Is this test bringing you closer to Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, or pushing you away? Are you making more dua or less? Are you praying with more sincerity or just going through the motions? Are you turning to the Quran for comfort or drowning in Netflix and social media?
The test isn’t the hardship itself. The test is how you respond to it.
Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said something powerful: “I was never afflicted with a hardship except that Allah blessed me with four things: It was not in my religion, it could have been worse, I was given the ability to be patient, and I hope for reward for it from Allah.”
That’s the mindset shift you need. This trial you’re going through? It’s not destroying you. It’s refining you. It’s burning away the impurities and leaving behind pure gold.
What You Need to Do Right Now
First, change your dua. Stop begging Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, to remove the test. Start asking Him to give you strength to pass it with excellence. Say: “Rabbi inni lima anzalta ilayya min khayrin faqir” (My Lord, indeed I am, for whatever good You would send down to me, in need). Prophet Musa, peace be upon him, said this when he was broke, alone, and desperate, and Allah gave him way more than he asked for.
Second, look for the blessings hidden inside your hardship. You lost your job? Maybe Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, is protecting you from something worse at that workplace. Your marriage is struggling? Maybe this is forcing you both to grow in ways you never would have in comfort. You’re sick? Maybe this illness is erasing decades worth of sins.
Third, increase your gratitude. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Look at those who are beneath you and do not look at those who are above you, for it is more suitable that you should not consider as unimportant the blessing of Allah.” This is in Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2963.
You’re struggling financially? At least you have food today. Someone is starving. You’re dealing with a difficult spouse? At least you’re not alone. Someone is desperate for companionship. You’re sick? At least you’re alive. Someone just took their last breath.
The Ultimate Truth About Suffering
Here’s the final truth you need to accept.
This dunya was never meant to be your home. You’re just passing through. And every hardship you face here is either removing your sins, raising your rank, or both.
The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “The people who face the most difficulty in this world are the prophets, then the righteous, then those who are next to them in rank, and then those who are next to them. A person will be tested in accordance with their level of faith.”
Your hardship is proportional to your iman. Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, doesn’t test people beyond what they can handle. If you’re facing a massive test, it’s because He knows you’re strong enough to pass it.
“So verily, with the hardship, there is relief. Verily, with the hardship, there is relief.” (Quran 94:5-6)
It’s repeated twice in the Quran. The relief is guaranteed. It’s not a maybe. It’s a promise from the One who never breaks His promises.
So when you see sinners living in apparent success while you’re drowning in trials, remember: They’re getting their rewards now because they have nothing waiting for them later. But you? You’re being purified, elevated, and prepared for an eternal home where there’s no pain, no sorrow, no struggle—only endless peace.
Would you really trade that for a bigger car and a nicer house in this temporary world?
The adhan is calling. Make wudu. Pray fajr. And thank Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, that He loves you enough to test you. Because the ease is coming, and when it arrives, you’ll understand why every tear was worth it.
Disclaimer: This article is for educational and spiritual reflection purposes based on Islamic teachings from the Quran and authentic hadiths. For specific religious rulings or personal spiritual guidance, please consult with qualified Islamic scholars.