I was on the verge of being overwhelmed by the hardships of life. Severe poverty had gripped me. Although I was practicing contentment, my situation was not improving. Things had become so difficult that I thought to myself: “I will go to Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) and complain about the situation that God has destined for me. Perhaps there will be some relief.”
To do so, I set out for the house of the Imam. After obtaining permission, I entered his presence and sat down. As I was preparing to begin my complaint, Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) said:
“O Abahashim! Which of God’s blessings do you wish to thank Him for?”
Upon hearing the Imam’s words, I lowered my head and did not know how to respond. It wasn’t long before the Imam (peace be upon him) spoke again and said:
“God has granted you faith, through which He has forbidden the fire of Hell upon your body. He has granted you health so that you may assist Him in obedience, and He has granted you contentment as your sustenance to preserve your dignity…”
“O Abahashim! I started my speech this way because I thought you were coming to complain to me about the one who has granted you all these blessings. [Indeed!] I have commanded that one hundred ashrafis be given to you. Take them…”[1]
We may all have encountered times in our lives when we were faced with difficulties and problems. Problems that tighten their grip on us to the point where we feel like complaining. However, upon reflecting on the story above, we will realize that the Imam’s words were not just addressed to Abu Hashim Jafari; rather, they were directed to all people of faith who, amid the trials of life, are desperately searching for a way to change their situation. The message of the Imam, in fact, was to look at life through the lens of what we have, not what we lack. The blessings and divine resources that God has granted us, which make us rich even if we have nothing else. And without them, even if we possess everything, we are still “poor.”
If we reflect on the difficulties in our lives, we will find the fulfillment of God’s promise: that He has assured us, “Indeed, with hardship comes ease…”[2]
(From the book “Comprehensive Collection of the Words of Imam Hadi (peace be upon him),” authored by the Hadith Research Group of Baqir al-Uloom Institute (peace be upon him) (with abbreviations and additions))
Footnotes:
[1] Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, Volume 4, page 401, Hadith 5863 – Al-Amali by Sheikh Saduq, page 497, Hadith 682
[2] (Surah Ash-Sharh, Verses 5 and 6)