—peace and blessings be upon him—in the report of ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him. Therefore, a person must bridle himself, remain patient, and seek his reward with Allah. He should know that the magnitude of the reward is tied to the magnitude of the calamity: the greater the trial, the greater the recompense.

In the narration of Ibn Masʿūd, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet said, “He is not one of us who tears open his collar, strikes his cheeks, or calls out with the cries of the Age of Ignorance.” Such behavior was common before Islam: when misfortune befell someone, he would rip his garment, slap his cheeks, pull out his hair, or wail, “Alas for me! Alas for ruin! My back is broken!” and similar expressions. The Prophet disavowed anyone who behaves like this.

A believer’s heart is filled with faith in Allah and in His decree. He knows that the situation cannot be other than what it is; the affair has been settled and concluded—written fifty thousand years before the heavens and earth were created. The pens have dried, the scrolls have been folded, and nothing can alter what has already occurred, whatever it may be.

What benefit, then, is there in panic? What benefit is there in resentment? It is nothing but a whisper from Satan: on the one hand to deprive you of reward, and on the other to bring torment upon the deceased.

So, my brother, fear Allah, be patient, seek your reward, and say what Allah has praised the patient for saying: “And give glad tidings to those who are patient—those who, when calamity strikes them, say: ‘Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed, to Him we shall return.’”

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said, “No Muslim is afflicted by a calamity and then says, ‘O Allah, reward me for my affliction and replace it with something better,’ except that Allah will reward him for that affliction and replace it with something better.” That is how it is.