Out of all the creatures Allah made, the human being is unique in form and purpose. A man is adored with senses, intelligence, and free will. His purpose in life was defined to him right before conception. Every one of us from the descendants of Adam took an oath to worship our Lord before coming to earth. The mystery of the transitions that occur in the journey of a man’s life, makes it difficult for him to recall the covenant he took while he was nothing worth mentioning. These words were spoken in Pre-Eternity when Allah addressed the yet ‘non-existent’ sons of Adam.

And ˹remember˺ when your Lord brought forth from the loins of the children of Adam their descendants and had them testify regarding themselves. ˹Allah asked,˺ “Am I not your Lord?” They replied, “Yes, You are! We testify.” ˹He cautioned,˺ “Now you have no right to say on Judgment Day, ‘We were not aware of this.’” — Qur’an 7[Al-A’raf]:172

So this clearly depicts that Allah — our Maker, knows the nature of human beings. By default, they tend to forget which may result in the denial of their testimony on the day of reckoning. So in order to remind us, He narrated this ordeal in His noble book, the Qur’an. I know for sure some Muslims will belie this occurrence even today as they exist. However, as faithful believers, we have no moral authority to deny the proofs, signs, and pieces of evidence presented by our Creator.

The state of man is oftentimes a transitioning one. No one has ever had it smooth all through life. Similarly, everyone has a challenge or the other that they struggle with. In this situation, the only denominator constant across humanity is change. No matter what you’re going through in life, your condition is not permanent. In this piece, I’d like us to examine different phases in which we find ourselves as humans and how to react w in such situations. These phases are sinfulness, righteousness, wellness, and trial. Now let’s examine each of them.

1. Sinfulness: It’s in the nature of human beings to commit sins. The only creatures that are flawless are the angels. Allah has ordained the portion of sin that every individual will commit. Although, this is not a license to go around exhibiting iniquity. Sinfulness is just a low state in which humans find themselves oftentimes satisfying their desires. There are several adverse effects of sins and the worst is that it all counts against you. One beautiful fundamental in Islam is that you are assured of a Lord who forgives all sins via sincere repentance. So when you find yourself in a state of transgression after committing sins, the only antidote is repentance. Sincere repentance in Islam is simple — no confession or bloody sacrifice is needed. When sincere repentance is achieved, you mindfully transition your state of sinfulness into righteousness.

Say: “O My slaves who have transgressed against themselves. Do not despair of the Mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful”. — Qur’an 39[Az-Zumar]:53

2. Righteousness: In one of the beautiful sayings of our beloved prophet peace be upon him, he was asked about what righteousness entails and he puts it this way. Righteousness is that which you do that brings tranquility to the heart. Human beings have a natural instinct to know when they’re doing the right thing from what’s wrong. Why do we often feel discomfort at heart and don’t want people to know when we’re executing something bad? That’s the exact feeling. Righteousness is pushing forth good deeds ahead of the morrow. So in a state of righteousness, humble yourself. Do not feel like you are better than others and do not be proud. Remember Shaytan used to be a devoted servant until he messed it up with arrogance. So keep striving towards becoming the best version of yourself. Look at how Allah beautifully describes His righteous servants with humility:

The ˹true˺ servants of the Most Compassionate are those who walk on the earth humbly, and when the foolish address them ˹improperly˺, they only respond with peace. They are those who spend ˹a good portion of˺ the night, prostrating themselves and standing before their Lord in prayer. They are those who say: “Our Lord! Keep the punishment of Hell away from us, for its punishment is indeed unrelenting”. — Qur’an 25[Al-Furqan]:63–65

3. Wellness: In life, some people were born with a silver spoon. So they can tell you more about what affluence tastes like. Others don’t have it all rough either because they definitely had times when things were up and running for them. This means we are all uniquely blessed in one way or the other. Hence, the keys to happiness aren’t just found during the good times alone. If you stop to count the blessings of your Lord, you will not be able to exhaust the counting. Is it the gift of life, health, provision, safety, family, senses, guidance to faith, name it? Yet little thanks do we give for all these bounties. So when things are smooth as they will sometimes be, give thanks to your Lord. Gratitude is a fruit of great cultivation and you do not find the gross of mankind expressing it. Ingratitude on the other hand leads to transgression which earns you the wrath of Allah the Most High. Therefore, Allah reminds us about the reward for gratefulness:

And ˹remember˺ when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more. But if you are ungrateful, surely My punishment is severe.’”— Qur’an 14[Ibrahim]:7

4. Trial: You must have come across the proverbial adage that says: ‘Life is not a bed of roses’, right? This simply means that no one has a perfect life and we’re all going through trials in different situations. Bear in mind that it is very easy to be a faithful servant of Allah when everything is going well but it’s tougher when things become increasingly difficult. This is where Patience comes to the rescue. No matter what kind of trial you’re going through in life, remain patient and believe in the process. Gold goes through the furnace for it to be purified and appreciated. So no matter how huge the trial you’re facing, remain patient and steadfast. Allah’s Messenger peace be upon him mentioned to us: ‘Great reward comes with great trials. When Allah loves a people, He puts them through a test…’

Allah reminds us about this:

Do people think once they say, “We believe,” that they will be left without being put to the test? We certainly tested those before them. And ˹in this way˺ Allah will clearly distinguish between those who are truthful and those who are liars. — Qur’an 29[Al-Ankabut]:2–3

In sum, these four states are situations in which every human being finds themselves at some point in their life. The situations are not permanent but transient and will only take time for them to change from one to another. Hence, whenever you find yourself in a state of sinfulness, repent back to Allah with immediate effect. And when righteousness reaches you, adorn yourself with a cloak of humility. At times of wellness, let your tongue be moist with gratitude. Know that your period of trial will come as well, so remain patient until you weather the storm. May Allah grant us steadfastness in all ramifications and let us meet Him as sincere servants of His. Amin!

Yaumul Jum’ah 27th Dhul Qa’dah 1444H // Friday 16th June 2023.