There is a question that many believers carry quietly within themselves, often for years, without ever saying it out loud. It goes unasked out of fear – of being reprimanded for having “weak faith” or, worse, of it being completely ignored by the community with which we identify. This isn’t the type of question that people ask in moments of ease or happiness, but one that emerges when the heart feels worn down by repeated trials and unanswered prayers. It appears late at night when everything is still and the mind begins to wander through memories of loss, disappointment, and longing. If Allah (SWT) truly loves me, why am I being tested like this? This question is certainly not an indicator that someone is rejecting their faith or the grand design of Allah (SWT), nor is it an accusation against Allah (SWT). More often than not, it is a sign of sincerity, especially presented by the youth; a sign that the believer cares deeply about their relationship with Allah (SWT) and is trying to understand what their suffering means in the larger picture of deen.
Across various cultures, countries, and generations, Muslims find themselves asking this same question in different ways. For some, it grows out of prolonged illness or emotional pain that seems to have no end in sight. For others, it forms after years of striving (praying, avoiding what is forbidden, trying to have sabr, etc), only to watch doors remain closed while others appear to move forward with ease. In these moments, the heart can feel confused and even conflicted. A person may continue to believe in Allah’s (SWT) mercy and wisdom yet still struggle to reconcile those attributes with the heaviness they are experiencing. The fear is not always that Allah (SWT) does not exist or that Islam is untrue, but that perhaps Allah (SWT) is displeased, distant, or no longer paying attention. These are painful thoughts, and Islam does not shame the believer for feeling them. Instead, it speaks to them directly, with honesty and depth.
The Quran makes it clear from the very beginning that faith is not meant to be a shield from hardship. Belief was never presented as a promise of constant ease or emotional comfort. Rather, it is a path that shapes, refines, and sometimes stretches the soul in ways that are uncomfortable, but deeply purposeful. Allah (SWT) asks us in The Quran, “Do people think once they say, ‘We believe,’ that they will be left without being put to the test?” (The Clear Quran®, 29:2)
This verse from The Quran gently corrects the idea that imaan is proven through words alone, and instead shows that faith reveals itself through patience, trust, and perseverance when life does not go as planned. Tests, in this sense, are not disruptors to our faith, they are part of its very structure.
When we turn to the lives of those whom Allah (SWT) loved most, this truth becomes impossible to ignore. The Prophets of Allah (SWT) were not exempt from suffering, even though they were the purest in faith and character. Prophet Ibrahim (AS) was tested with the loss of his family and commanded to sacrifice what he loved most. Prophet Yusuf (AS) was betrayed by his own brothers, sold into slavery, and imprisoned despite his innocence. Prophet Ayyub (AS) endured years of illness, isolation, and loss, yet never turned away from Allah (SWT). Above all, our Prophet Muhammad (SAW), the most beloved of all creation, faced rejection, mockery, hunger, grief, and physical harm, even as he (SAW) remained the closest of all people to Allah (SWT). Their stories force us to confront an uncomfortable truth: closeness to Allah (SWT) does not mean a life free of pain. In many cases, it means the opposite.
The Prophet (SAW) addressed this reality with clarity and compassion when he (SAW) said, “When Allah loves a servant, He tests him.” (Sunan at-Tirmidhi)
None of this is to suggest that suffering is easy or that a believer should feel ashamed for finding hardship overwhelming. The Prophet (SAW) himself experienced deep sadness, grief, and moments of intense emotional pain. He (SAW) turned to Allah (SWT) in dua, sought comfort in prayer, and allowed himself to feel the full weight of human emotion. Islam does not deny pain. It gives it meaning. It teaches the believer how to hold on to Allah (SWT) while hurting, how to remain connected even when answers are delayed, and how to trust divine wisdom without fully understanding it. In this article, we invite you to think about the following question: what does it actually mean, in Islam, to be loved by Allah (SWT)? Only then can we begin to see our tests not as signs of abandonment, but as part of a relationship far deeper and more meaningful than we often realize.
When Allah (SWT) loves someone, what does that mean?
Before we can understand why Allah (SWT) tests those He (SWT) loves, we first need to pause and carefully rethink what divine love truly means in Islam. Many of us, often without realizing it, measure love by the standards of the world around us. We associate love with ease, with comfort, and with being given what we want exactly when we want it. If things are going well, we assume Allah (SWT) is pleased. If things begin to fall apart, we quietly wonder whether something is wrong. Yet Allah’s (SWT) love does not follow human definitions, nor is it limited by the short-term view that we, as human beings, naturally have. Divine love is deeper, wiser, and far more purposeful than temporary comfort.
In The Quran, Allah (SWT) repeatedly speaks about loving particular qualities and actions rather than promising an easy life to certain people. Allah (SWT) says, “Spend in the cause of Allah and do not let your own hands throw you into destruction ˹by withholding˺. And do good, for Allah certainly loves the good-doers.” (The Clear Quran®, 2:195)
Then He (SWT) says, “˹Imagine˺ how many devotees fought along with their prophets and never faltered despite whatever ˹losses˺ they suffered in the cause of Allah, nor did they weaken or give in! Allah loves those who persevere.” (The Clear Quran®, 3:146)
And then He (SWT) says, “[…] Surely Allah loves those who always turn to Him in repentance and those who purify themselves.” (The Clear Quran®, 2:222)
These verses are striking because they do not describe love as a reward of comfort, wealth, or success. Instead, Allah’s (SWT) love is tied to the states of hearts, specifically in terms of patience, sincerity, humility, repentance, and perseverance. Many of these qualities do not develop in times of ease. They are formed, strengthened, and revealed during difficulty.
To be loved by Allah (SWT), then, does not mean that a person is protected from hardship. Rather, it often means that Allah (SWT) is actively involved in shaping that person’s heart and soul. It means Allah (SWT) is guiding them, correcting them, and drawing them closer to Him, even when that process is uncomfortable. The Quran reminds us that Allah (SWT) is Al-’Aleem, and Al-Hakeem. He (SWT) sees not only who we are now, but who we are capable of becoming. He (SWT) knows what will soften our hearts, what will protect us from arrogance, and what will bring us back to Him when we begin to drift. Sometimes, ease would do none of those things. Our Prophet (SAW) explained this reality with clarity when he said, “If Allah wants good for someone, He afflicts him with trials.” (Sahih Bukhari)
Allah’s (SWT) love is also protective in ways we do not always recognize. Sometimes He (SWT) withholds what we desperately want because it would harm us, distract us, or pull us away from Him. At other times, He (SWT) allows difficulty to enter our lives to prevent something far worse from happening, and this is something that, unfortunately, we may never see or fully understand in this world. Allah (SWT) reminds us in The Quran, “[…] Perhaps you dislike something which is good for you and like something which is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know.” (The Clear Quran®, 2:216)
When Allah (SWT) loves a servant, He (SWT) does not abandon them to this world. He (SWT) turns them back to Himself again and again, sometimes through blessings and sometimes through hardship. He (SWT) opens doors of dua, pushes the heart toward sincerity, and strips away false sources of reliance until the believer realizes that true safety and peace lie only with Him. This is why many people find that their strongest connection to Allah (SWT) was not built during the happiest moments of their lives, but during the most painful ones. Understanding Allah’s (SWT) love in this way changes how we view our struggles. It shifts the question from, “Why is this happening to me?” to, “What is Allah (SWT) teaching me through this?” and, “How is He (SWT) drawing me closer through this experience?” This does not remove the pain, but it gives direction and meaning. Once we begin to understand what it truly means to be loved by Allah (SWT), we are better prepared to explore the deeper wisdom behind why trials are not a contradiction to that love, but often a sign of it.
Imtehaan (tests) are a means of purification and spiritual growth
One of the most overlooked realities about hardship in Islam is that it is rarely meant to break the believer; rather, it is meant to refine them. Much like raw gold must be placed under intense heat to be purified of its impurities, the human heart often requires pressure, discomfort, and challenge in order to be cleansed of what weighs it down spiritually. When Allah (SWT) allows a trial to enter the life of a believer, it is not because He (SWT) wishes to see them suffer, but because He (SWT) wishes to elevate them in a way that comfort alone never could. This understanding does not make hardship painless, but it gives its purpose, and purpose changes how pain is carried.
Our Prophet (SAW) spoke about this purification clearly and repeatedly. He (SAW) says, “No fatigue, illness, anxiety, sorrow, hardship, or sadness afflicts a Muslim—even the prick of a thorn—except that Allah expiates some of his sins because of it.” (Sahih Bukhari)
Hardship also has a unique ability to awaken the heart. In times of comfort, it is easy for a person to become distracted, self-reliant, or spiritually complacent without even realizing it. When life is comfortable, dua can become rushed, prayer can become habitual, and reliance on Allah (SWT) can slowly shift toward reliance on one’s own abilities or circumstances. Trials interrupt this state. They force the believer to pause, reflect, and to return to Allah (SWT) with a sincerity that often only emerges when everything else feels uncertain. The Quran captures this reality when Allah (SWT) says, “Whenever someone is touched by hardship, they cry out to Us, whether lying on their side, sitting, or standing. But when We relieve their hardship, they return to their old ways as if they had never cried to Us to remove any hardship! This is how the misdeeds of the transgressors have been made appealing to them.” (The Clear Quran®, 10:12)
Growth in Islam is not measured only by external success or visible achievements. It is measured by the softness of the heart, the depth of patience, and the strength of trust in Allah (SWT) when outcomes remain unclear. Trials cultivate sabr – a quality Allah (SWT) repeatedly praises in The Quran and promises immense reward for. He (SWT) says, “Say ˹O Prophet, that Allah says˺, ‘O My servants who believe! Be mindful of your Lord. Those who do good in this world will have a good reward. And Allah’s earth is spacious. Only those who endure patiently will be given their reward without limit.’” (The Clear Quran®, 39:10)
It is also through hardship that many believers come to truly understand tawakkul. Tawakkul is not passive acceptance, nor is it the absence of effort. It is the deep, internal certainty that outcomes are by Allah’s (SWT) Will alone, even when one is doing everything within their ability. This level of trust is not learned through theory. It is learned through lived experiences, often when plans fall apart and the believer realizes that control was never truly theirs to begin with. Allah (SWT) reminds us of this reality in The Quran when He (SWT) says, “[…] And whoever puts their trust in Allah, then He ˹alone˺ is sufficient for them. Certainly Allah achieves His Will. Allah has already set a destiny for everything.” (The Clear Quran®, 65:3)
Perhaps one of the greatest gifts hidden within trials is that they realign a believer’s priorities. Hardship strips away illusions of permanence and reminds the heart that this world was never meant to be the final destination. It gently, and sometimes forcefully, turns the believer’s gaze toward the Hereafter. The Prophet (SAW) described this world as a prison for the believer and a paradise for the disbeliever, not to diminish the blessings of life, but to remind us that true comfort is not meant to be fully realized here. Trials, in this sense, protect the believer from becoming too attached to a world that is temporary by design. When viewed through this lens, hardship is no longer just something to endure, but something that actively shapes, purifies, and elevates the believer. This does not mean that every trial will feel spiritually uplifting, and nor does it mean that pain will always lead to clarity.
However, it does mean that no trial is random, and no suffering is overlooked by Allah (SWT). Every moment is accounted for, every tear is seen, and every act of patience carries weight beyond what the believer can perceive.
How imtehaan elevates your rank and nearness to Allah (SWT)
Beyond purification and spiritual growth, there is another profound reason why Allah (SWT) tests those He (SWT) loves, and that is to raise them in rank and draw them closer to Him. Not every hardship is sent to erase sins or correct mistakes. Some trials come to honor a believer, to lift them to a spiritual station they could never reach through ease alone. This idea can feel counterintuitive, especially in a world where success is measured by comfort and visible achievement, but in Islam, true elevation is measured by closeness to Allah (SWT) not by the absence of struggle. The Prophet (SAW) explained this reality with remarkable clarity when he (SAW) said, “A servant may have a rank with Allah that he cannot reach through his deeds alone, so Allah continues to test him with what he dislikes until he causes him to reach it.” (Musnad Ahmad)
When we study the lives of the Prophets and the righteous, we see this pattern repeatedly. The intensity of their trials was not a sign of Allah’s (SWT) displeasure, but a reflection of their elevated status. The Prophet (SAW) said, “The people most severely tested are the Prophets, then those most like them, then those most like them.” (Sunan at-Tirmidhi) Elevation through trials is not always visible to others, and often not even to the person experiencing them. A believer may feel broken, exhausted, or insignificant, while in reality they are being raised in ways unseen. Allah (SWT) reminds us in The Quran that true honor comes from Him alone, “O humanity! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may ˹get to˺ know one another. Surely the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous among you. Allah is truly All-Knowing, All-Aware.” (The Clear Quran®, 49:13)
Trials that elevate also detach the heart from unhealthy dependence on people, status, or outcomes. When a believer experiences repeated disappointment in worldly means, they begin to understand, often painfully, that creation was never meant to be a source of ultimate security. This realization redirects the heart toward the Creator. Over time, the believer learns to seek comfort not in certainty of results, but in certainty of Allah’s (SWT) wisdom and care. This shift in reliance is a powerful form of spiritual elevation, one that reshapes the believer’s relationship with both Allah (SWT) and the world.
Allah (SWT) also uses trials to prepare a believer for responsibilities they may not yet realize they are meant to carry. Leadership, guidance, and influence, whether within a family, a community, or through personal example, require depth, humility, and resilience. These qualities are rarely formed through ease. Just as the Prophets were tested before they were entrusted with their missions, many believers are tested before being placed in positions where their faith, character, and compassion will impact others. What feels like delay or hardship may, in reality, be preparation. Importantly, elevation through trials does not mean the believer will never feel weak or overwhelmed. Even the most righteous servants of Allah (SWT) experienced moments of deep sadness and exhaustion. What distinguishes them is not emotional vulnerability, but their willingness to continue turning back to Allah (SWT) despite the weight they carried.
When we begin to see trials as a means of elevation rather than evidence of failure, our perspective shifts. Hardship no longer feels like a personal deficiency or divine rejection. Instead, it becomes a part of a larger journey, one that is shaping the believer for a rank, closeness, and reward beyond what they could ever imagine.
In a 2018 research study, Finding strength in belief: The role of Muslim faith in coping with stress, the authors discovered through in-depth semi-structured interviews with participants 18 and above that even when life was difficult for the participants and stress was at its peak, “all eight participants reported regular engagement with salaah, Quran recitation, and supplication during stressful periods.” Whilst they may have experienced spiritual withdrawal, their faith remained undeterred. They prefaced their research by emphasizing that the stress/chronic stress that comes after many trials and tribulations lead to a multitude of illnesses both mental and physical; however, “positive religious coping, including seeking divine support and reframing difficulties as part of God’s will, has been associated with lower levels of anxiety and depression among Muslims. Conversely, negative religious coping, such as feelings of spiritual abandonment or punishment, can exacerbate psychological distress.”
In the lives of the youth, it is imperative that the Ummah try to keep them as connected to the deen as possible because they are met with many challenges, sometimes all at once, as they continue to grow and explore the world. The tests may seem endless, and with every test that is not reframed in divine love, our youth quickly become more and more distant with their Creator.
When tests become a language of love
For many believers, the question, “why does Allah (SWT) test me if He loves me?” does not disappear easily. It returns in different seasons of life, shaped by new hardships and deeper wounds. Perhaps that is because this question is not meant to be answered once and forgotten, but revisited as faith matures and the heart grows in understanding. Islam does not offer a shallow reassurance that pain will always make sense in the moment, nor does it promise that every trial will be quickly resolved. What it offers instead is something far more sustaining, and that is the certainty that no hardship is meaningless, no tear is unseen, and no struggle is detached from divine wisdom and care. When we step back and look at the broader Islamic picture, a quiet pattern begins to emerge. Trials are not sent to break the believer, but to shape them. They cleanse the heart of burdens it was never meant to carry, elevate the soul to ranks it could not reach on its own, protect faith from unseen harm, and gently, or sometimes forcefully, return the believer to Allah (SWT) when the world begins to feel too secure or too consuming.
Hardship, in this light, becomes a form of communication. It is one of the ways Allah (SWT) engages with the believer’s heart, drawing it closer, deepening sincerity, and strengthening reliance in ways that comfort alone rarely achieves. It is also important to remember that feeling tired, confused, or emotionally overwhelmed does not mean faith is failing. The Prophets themselves experienced grief, sorrow, and exhaustion. The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) wept, felt loss deeply, and turned to Allah (SWT) with words with heavy emotion. Strength in Islam was never defined as emotional numbness or silent endurance. It was defined as returning to Allah (SWT) again and again, even when the heart feels weak. A believer who struggles but continues to turn toward Allah (SWT) is not distant from Him, they are often closer than they realize.
Duas
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحَزَنِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْجُبْنِ وَالْبُخْلِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ غَلَبَةِ الدَّيْنِ وَقَهْرِ الرِّجَالِ
“O Allah, I seek refuge in You from anxiety and sorrow, from weakness and laziness, from cowardice and miserliness, and from being overwhelmed by debt and overpowered by people.”
(Sahih Bukhari)
