Allaah says in Surah Al-Hajj (22:11) :
"There are among men some who serve Allah, as it were, on the verge: if good befalls them, they are, therewith well content; but if a trial comes to them, they turn on their faces: they lose both this world and the Hereafter: that is loss for all to see! (11)"
[Dan ada di antara manusia yang menyembah Allah dengan sikap dan pendirian yang tidak tetap, iaitu kalau dia beroleh kebaikan, senanglah hatinya dengan keadaan itu dan kalau pula dia ditimpa fitnah kesusahan, berbaliklah dia semula (kepada kekufurannya). (Dengan sikapnya itu) rugilah dia akan dunia dan akhirat, itulah kerugian yang terang nyata. (11)]
Walhamdulillah. The greater the test, the greater the reward, the greater the hardship the greater the reward, the greater the difficulty, the greater the reward from Allaah (tabarak wa ta'ala). And the Salaf understood this.
Urwah Ibn Zubair, a well known from the Salaf had a problem with his foot. So the doctors decided that they had to cut it off, cut the foot off. When the doctors cut it off he didn't say anything except these words: 'O Allaah, for you are Full praise. For if you have taken some, you have left some. And if you have tested, and put through difficulty you have also put in good condition. If you have tested and tried and put through difficulty you have also put good health, good circumstances and good conditions.'
The next day his son was riding a horse or mule and fell off of it and died. So they came to Urwah with the information of the death of his son, he didn't say anything except : 'O Allaah, for you is full praise. For if you have taken some, you have left some. And if you have tested and tried you have also placed us in good situations and good condition.'
So when he was asked about this he said: 'I had 4 limbs (meaning 2 arms and 2 legs) and Allaah took some and left some. 'I had 4 limbs 2 arms and 2 legs Allaah took one and left me three.
I had 7 sons, Allaah (tabrak wa tala) took one and left six.
And he gave me good condition, or good situation my whole life up until this time.
Then he tested me.
Should I not praise Allaah for that?'
Should I not praise Allaah for that?
Should I not praise Allaah for that?'
