SubhanAllah! How often do we feel alone in our struggles, believing that no one else could possibly understand the weight of our burdens?
We look around and assume that others are leading happy, carefree lives while we are left to carry our pain in silence. But Allah Al-Hakeem, in His infinite wisdom, reminds us that struggle is woven into the very fabric of human existence. Yes, read it again, it is woven into the very fabric of human existence.
Look at this powerful ayah.
لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ فِي كَبَدٍ
“Indeed, We have created insaan in [a life of] hardship and struggle.”
(Holy Quran 90:4)
The arabic word “كَبَدٍ” means toil, labour, and difficulty, indicating that hardship is not an exception but a reality for every single human being.
A human’s journey begins in the womb, where hardship first takes root. The pain of birth follows, leading to the struggles of infancy, nursing, weaning, and the challenge of taking those first uncertain steps.
Soon comes the burden of seeking livelihood, the weight of responsibilities, the tests of sickness, loss, and heartbreak. Then, old age weakens the body, leading to the final trials of death, the grave, resurrection, and the ultimate accountability before Allah ta’ala.
Life was never meant to be easy. But the beauty of hardship is that it brings us closer to Allah Al-Azeem, if responded in a way that pleases Allah Al-Wadood (The Most Loving One). Every hardship, every struggle, every responsibility, every tear, every moment of pain is a step toward Him, a means of purification, a path to something greater, if only we can grasp the true meaning of it.
So when you feel overwhelmed and weep into your pillow in the middle of the night, thinking you are all alone, remind yourself, You are not alone. Your struggles are heard and seen by Allah As-Sami, Al-Baseer. Your pain is known by The All Knowing Al-Aleem.
Hold on, for every hardship is followed by ease, and every sacrifice will be rewarded in ways beyond imagination inshaAllah.
SubhanAllah! And never ever think that you are the only one suffering, verily humankind is created in كَبَدٍ (hardship and struggle), it is just that sometimes, we become aware of the struggles of others, while at other times, we only see smiling faces that conceal their pain, hearts that confide their sorrow to none but Allah Al-Azeem, just as Prophet Yaqub السَّلَام عَلَيْهِ did when he said:
إِنَّمَا أَشْكُو بَثِّي وَحُزْنِي إِلَى اللَّهِ
“I only complain of my suffering and grief to Allah.” (Surah Yusuf 12:86)