It is narrated from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The magnitude of the reward matches the magnitude of the trial. When Allah loves a people, He tests them. Whoever is content will earn His good pleasure, and whoever is displeased will incur His displeasure.” (1) Al-Tirmidhī graded the report as sound (ḥasan).

“The magnitude of the reward matches the magnitude of the trial”: the word ʿiẓam is read with a kasra on the ʿayn and a fatḥa on the ẓāʾ; in other words, the greater the trial, the greater the recompense.

“Whoever is content”: with what Allah has decreed and allotted to him of affliction.

“Will earn His good pleasure”: meaning, Allah will be pleased with him in exact correspondence to his stance.

“Whoever is displeased”: the khāʾ in sakhaṭ is pronounced with a kasra; sakhaṭ means detesting a matter and refusing to accept it.

“Will incur His displeasure”: that is, Allah will be angry with him as a punishment.

Overall meaning of the ḥadīth: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informs us that abundant reward and multiplied merit are tied to the severity of the tests a servant endures in this world, provided he remains patient and seeks the reward from Allah. One of the signs that Allah loves a servant is that He tries him; if the servant accepts Allah’s decree, hopes for reward, and entertains good thoughts about his Lord, Allah will be pleased with him and reward him. If, however, he resents Allah’s decree and becomes agitated over what has befallen him, Allah will be displeased with him and will punish him.

Relevance to the chapter: The ḥadīth identifies a mark of Allah’s love for His servant and illustrates Allah’s wisdom in subjecting him to hardships.