💎[The Divine Wisdom of Being Broken in Order to Be Fixed & Improved]

Ibn al Qayyim (d. 751 AH رحمه الله) said (Mukhtaṣar al-Ṣawā’iq p. 306):

"وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَمَّا أَرَادَ كَرَامَتَهُ كَمَّلَ لَهُ مَرْتَبَةَ الْمِحْنَةِ وَالْبَلْوَى لِيَصْبِرَ فَيَنَالَ الدَّرَجَةَ الَّتِي لَا يَصِلُ إِلَيْهَا إِلَّا عَلَى حَسَبِ الِابْتِلَاءِ، وَلَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي ذَلِكَ إِلَّا تَكْمِيلُ فَرَحِهِ وَسُرُورِهِ بِاجْتِمَاعِ شَمْلِهِ بِحَبِيبِهِ بَعْدَ الْفِرَاقِ،

"When Allah, the Exalted, intended to bestow His honor upon him (i.e., Ya’qūb عليه السلام) , He perfected for him the stage of trial and tribulation so that he would be patient and attain the level that can only be reached through trials. Even if the only outcome of that was the completion of his joy and happiness in reuniting with his beloved after separation [this alone would enough].

وَهَذَا مِنْ كَمَالِ إِحْسَانِ الرَّبِّ تَعَالَى أَنْ يُذِيقَ عَبْدَهُ مَرَارَةَ الْكَسْرِ قَبْلَ حَلَاوَةِ الْجَبْرِ، وَيُعَرِّفَهُ قَدْرَ نِعْمَتِهِ عَلَيْهِ بِأَنْ يَبْتَلِيَهُ بِضِدِّهَا،

This is from the perfection of the Lord's benevolence: He, the Exalted, lets His servant taste the bitterness of brokenness before the sweetness of restoration, and makes him appreciate His blessing upon him by testing him with its opposite.

كَمَا أَنَّ سبحانه وتعالى لَمَّا أَرَادَ أَنْ يُكَمِّلَ لِآدَمَ نَعِيمَ الْجَنَّةِ ‌أَذَاقَهُ ‌مَرَارَةَ خُرُوجِهِ مِنْهَا، وَمُقَاسَاةَ هَذِهِ الدَّارِ الْمَمْزُوجِ رَخَاؤُهَا بِشِدَّتِهَا،

Just as when Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, wanted to perfect Adam's bliss in Paradise, He let him taste the bitterness of being expelled from it and the hardship of enduring this world, where ease is mixed with difficulty.

فَمَا كَسَرَ عَبْدَهُ الْمُؤْمِنَ إِلَّا لِيَجْبُرَهُ، وَلَا مَنَعَهُ إِلَّا لِيُعْطِيَهُ، وَلَا ابْتَلَاهُ إِلَّا لِيُعَافِيَهُ، وَلَا أَمَاتَهُ إِلَّا لِيُحْيِيَهُ، وَلَا نَغَّصَ عَلَيْهِ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا لِيُرَغِّبَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ، وَلَا ابْتَلَاهُ بِجَفَاءِ النَّاسِ إِلَّا لِيَرُدَّهُ إِلَيْهِ".

Thus, He did not break His believing servant except to restore him, nor did He withhold from him except to give him, nor did He test him except to heal him, nor did He cause him to die except to bring him to life, nor did He make this world bitter for him except to make him long for the Hereafter, nor did He test him with people's harshness except to draw him back to Him."