for its very importance and magnificence this maxim was already found in the earlier revelations. Hence the Exalted said: “Has he not been informed of what is contained in the Scriptures of Moses, and of Abraham who fulfilled—that no soul shall bear the burden of another, and that man will have nothing but what he strives for?” (al-Najm 53:36-39).

However, if another person was the direct cause of the sin, he is punished in the same way as the one who committed it, for the Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever directs someone to goodness shall have the same reward as the one who performs it” (reported by Abū Dāwūd, 5129); and he said, “Whoever inaugurates an evil practice shall bear its burden and the burden of all who act upon it until the Day of Resurrection” (reported by Muslim, 1017).

9 – Hadith 486 shows the permissibility of weeping for the deceased so long as the voice is not raised. When his son Ibrāhīm died, the Prophet ﷺ said, “The eye sheds tears and the heart grieves, but we say only what pleases the Lord” (al-Bukhārī 1303; Muslim 2315). Al-Bukhārī (1304) and Muslim (924) also relate from Ibn ʿUmar that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Allah does not punish for the tear of the eye nor for the sorrow of the heart, but He punishes—or shows mercy—because of this,” and he pointed to his tongue. Such sorrow is a mercy that Allah places in the hearts of some of His servants, and it lightens the severity of the calamity.

10 – It is obligatory to show patience, seek the reward from Allah, and utter the words of istirjāʿ (saying, innā lillāhi wa-innā ilayhi rājiʿūn). Allah the Exalted says: “Those who, when calamity strikes them, say, ‘Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.’ It is they upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy, and it is they who are rightly guided.” (al-Baqarah 2:156-157) And He says: “Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without measure.” (al-Zumar 39:10)

Thus the people of faith are the least agitated in the face of disasters, the most tranquil, and the least anxious when misfortunes descend. These blessed and noble words from the Book of Allah are the most eloquent and beneficial remedy for any calamity, in both this life and the next, for they contain two foundational truths which, once the servant knows them with certainty, make every affliction easier to bear:

The first: the servant himself, his family, and everything he possesses all belong to Allah the Exalted.