The Perfect Believer
Imaam Ibn ul Jawzee

The believer is not one who performs the ordained religious duties
superficially and avoids what is forbidden only, but he is one whose
faith is absolute, with no objection whatsoever arising in his heart
and no obsession dwelling in his soul. The more hardships he faces,
the more his faith grows and the more his submission strengthens.
He could pray and not see a trace of an answer to his prayers, yet
he does not change because he knows that he is owned by One who
deals with him in whatever way He chooses. For if an objection was
to arise in his heart, he then forsakes the role of the slave and
takes on the role of a protester such as that of Iblees (the devil).

A strong faith unveils itself in strong hardships.

A believer sees in Yahya, son of Zakariyya, a fine example. He was
killed by a tyrant who confronted him, yet Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala),
who made him a prophet, did not intervene nor defend him.

Similarly all the tyranny that befell the prophets and the believers
was not held back from them. If one goes to think that Divinity
cannot answer for them then one is an unbeliever. However if one
believes that Divinity can answer for them but chooses not to, and
that Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta`ala) can make the believers go hungry
while infidels are full and inflict the believers with sickness and
grant the infidels health, then one is only left with submission to
the Owner even when tormented or scorched.

Ya'kub cried for eighty years when Yusuf son of Ya'kub (peace be upon
him) was gone, he never gave up; all he said when his other son was
gone too is "May Allah bring all of them back to me".

Musa (peace be upon him) prayed against Fir'aun, who killed
children and crucified magicians and cut their hands, for 40 years
before he was answered.

In such submission the intense of one's strong faith is manifested
not in mere rak`at (bowings in prayer).

So many of those who glorify Qadar were afflicted with tribulations
and this did not increase them except in submission and pleasure
(with their Lord), and there lies an explanation of the meaning of
His words, "Allah is pleased with them" (Qur'an, 5:119 and elsewhere).

Al-Hasan Al-Basree said: people are the same in health but when
hardship befalls they show distinction.