43 — Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “When Allah intends good for a servant, He hastens his punishment in this world; but when He intends evil for a servant, He holds back on account of that servant’s sin until the Day he meets Him.”

The Prophet ﷺ also said, “The greatest reward comes with the greatest trial. If Allah loves a people, He tests them: whoever is content will earn Allah’s pleasure, and whoever is displeased will earn His displeasure.” Recorded by al-Tirmidhi, who classed it as ḥasan.

Explanation
All matters lie in Allah’s hand and come about by His will. He says of Himself, “He is the Doer of whatever He wills” (al-Buruj 85:16), and, “Indeed, Allah does whatever He wills” (al-Hajj 22:18). Thus every affair is under Allah’s control.

No human being is free from mistakes, sins, and shortcomings in what is obligatory. So, when Allah wishes good for His servant, He hastens that servant’s punishment in this life—whether in his wealth, his family, his own self, or someone connected to him—because punishment expiates sins. When the punishment is brought forward and Allah wipes away the servant’s sins through it, he meets Allah with no sin upon him. Trials and calamities will have purified him, and even the agonies of death may be intensified so that one or two remaining sins are erased, allowing him to depart this world free of wrongdoing. This is a blessing, for the punishment of this world is lighter than that of the Hereafter.