Blessings are tests too - Reasons We Are Tested (3/3)

Sometimes people wonder if they are being tested by Allah when they are not going through major trials and are instead being blessed with abundance. Tests can come in various forms, including hardships and blessings. Blessings can actually be a greater test because they make us feel less needy of Allah's help. We should always be grateful and remember that Allah is the source of blessings, while fighting pride and the temptation to show off. Those who succeed in these tests will be rewarded and drawn closer to Allah. It's important to use these blessings for the benefit of others and not just for ourselves. There are examples of companions who were blessed with abundance and used their wealth and status to serve Allah and the community. Being tested with abundance does not mean that someone is less loved by Allah, as everyone is tested differently. Finally, what if you are not being tested? This question comes up quite a lot. What if someone doesn't seem to be going through any major trials and in fact they are being blessed with abundance? Does Allah love such a person less than someone he subjects to obvious harsh trials? Tests can take many forms. They can be great or small. A one-off trial or something we face consistently. They can come in the form of hardships or they can come in the form of blessings. In fact, the form of blessings can be a greater pitfall than hardships because they are harder to identify as tests. Why is this the case? Because when we feel less needy of Allah's help, we turn to Him less. We tend to remember Allah less in times of ease. So ease is no less of a test of our faith, especially when we remember that Iblis vowed to use ingratitudes as a means to lead us astray. The way to show patience with such a test is to always be grateful, to know Allah is the source of blessings, to fight pride and ego, and to fight the temptation to show off. And if someone succeeds in the trial, they would be rewarded by Allah and be drawn closer to Allah, no differently from someone who faced their hardships with sabr. Having sabr with blessings is also shown by utilizing the good things Allah gave us. If it is money, do we spend it freely in the way of Allah? Or do we hold back? If it is knowledge or free time or good health or youthfulness, how do we use these blessings? It is not always easy to be generous with those blessings, and to use them for Allah rather than the ego, that is a great test too. Finally, it's worth remembering there are examples of companions who were blessed with abundance. Khadija r.a, Abu Bakr r.a, Uthman bin Affan r.a, Abdur Rahman bin Auf r.a. May Allah be pleased with them all. They were blessed with wealth and status too, but they used that to serve Allah and the Ummah. In fact, they were among those promised paradise. So being tested with abundance does not necessarily mean that the person is less beloved to Allah. They are just being tested differently, and Allah knows best.