But when Allah intends ill for a servant, He grants him respite, lures him on, heaps favors upon him, and wards off misfortunes from him until—Allah’s refuge is sought—he grows arrogant and rejoices in a blameworthy way over what Allah has given him. He will then meet his Lord submerged in his sins and will be punished for them in the Hereafter. We ask Allah for safety.

Therefore, if you see someone brazenly defying Allah while Allah protects him from hardship and showers him with blessings, know that Allah only wills evil for him, for He has deferred the punishment until the Day of Resurrection when it will descend upon him in full.

The hadith also says, “The greatness of the reward corresponds to the greatness of the trial.” In other words, the more severe the trial, the greater the reward. A mild affliction earns a modest reward, whereas a harsh affliction earns a vast reward, for Allah is ever-bounteous toward people: when He tests them with severe hardships, He grants them tremendous recompense; and when the calamity is minor, the recompense is likewise minor.

The Prophet ﷺ further said, “When Allah loves a people, He tests them: whoever is content will have Allah’s pleasure, and whoever is displeased will incur His displeasure.”

This, too, is glad tidings for the believer. When he is tried by a calamity, he should not imagine that Allah despises him; rather, it may well be a sign of Allah’s love for His servant that He afflicts him with trials. If the person is content, patient, and seeks the reward, he will receive Allah’s pleasure; but if he is resentful, then resentment awaits him.

Thus the hadith exhorts a person to remain patient in the face of misfortunes until Allah writes for him His pleasure. Allah is the Grantor of success.