A person’s life in this world is not stable. One passes through alternating periods of happiness and dismay, strength and weakness, wealth and poverty, health and sickness, etc.

A true believer is one who maintains a clear level of faith throughout the worldly fluctuations. He continues to remember Allah and ascribe the bounties to Him, and he turns to Him in submission, asking for relief from his affliction.

This is described by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said,
‏عجبا لأمر المؤمن إن أمره كله له خير، وليس ذلك لأحد إلا للمؤمن ‏:‏ إن أصابته سراء شكر فكان خيراً له، وإن أصابته ضراء صبر فكان خيراً له‏‏
“Indeed amazing are the affairs of a believer! They are all for his benefit. If he is granted ease of living he is thankful and this is best for him. And if he is afflicted with a hardship, he perseveres; and this is best for him.” (Muslim)

And Allah said,
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَىْءٍ مِّنَ ٱلْخَوْفِ وَٱلْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ وَٱلْأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ
ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَصَـٰبَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيْهِ رَٰجِعُونَ
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَٰتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُهْتَدُونَ
Certainly, We shall test you with fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits; but give glad tidings to the patient—those who, when afflicted with calamity say, “Truly to Allah we belong, and truly to Him shall we return.” It is those who will be awarded blessings and mercy from their Lord; and it is those who are the guided ones. [Al-Baqarah 2: 155–157]

Thus, a believer shows gratitude and thankfulness for all the wonderful blessings that Allah grants him. And he displays patience and submission during sickness and hardships, hunger, or other afflictions.

Allah has decreed that, in this life, hardships and disasters strike both believers and non-believers. For a non-believer, they are inconveniences that hinder him from proceeding with his normal involvement in the worldly life.

For a believer, on the other hand, they are instances of test and remembrance, tests that promise great rewards, and indications of atonement and expiation of sins.
Regardless of how little is the harm that strikes a believer, it carries with it good news of forgiveness and elevated rank in Paradise. The Righteous Predecessors used to be pleased when a hardship afflicted them, seeing it as a token of Allah’s forgiveness and benevolence.

Let`s take a look at the rewards which a believer gets for the difficulties he had to undergo.

Multiplication of Rewards
Anas RA reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“The amount of reward is in accordance with the amount of suffering. When Allah loves some people, He tries them (with affliction). He who then is content (with Allah’s decree) has achieved the acceptance (of Allah), and he who is dissatisfied (with Allah’s decree) will attain the anger (of Allah).” (At-Tirmidhi)

Rewards for Sickness
One should not look to sickness as a gloomy episode, but should remember the great good in it. It is one form of affliction with which Allah tests His servants, giving them a chance to acquire rewards, as is further emphasized below.

Abdallah bin Mas’ud RA reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ يُصِيبُهُ أَذًى مِنْ مَرَضٍ فَمَا سِوَاهُ إِلَّا حَطَّ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِهِ سَيِّئَاتِهِ كَمَا تَحُطُّ الشَّجَرَةُ وَرَقَهَا
“Whenever a Muslim is afflicted by harm from sickness or other matters, Allah will drop his sins because of that, like a tree drops its leaves” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Removal of Sins
Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri RA reported that the Prophet ﷺ said,
مَا يُصِيبُ الْمُسْلِمَ مِنْ نَصَبٍ وَلاَ وَصَبٍ وَلاَ هَمٍّ وَلاَ حُزْنٍ وَلاَ أَذًى وَلاَ غَمٍّ حَتَّى الشَّوْكَةِ يُشَاكُهَا، إِلاَّ كَفَّرَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ خَطَايَاهُ
“No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that.” [Al-Bukhari]

Elevation in Ranks
`A’ishah RA narrated that once some pain afflicted the Prophet ﷺ causing him to suffer and turn-about in his bed. She said, “Had one of us done this, you would have blamed him.” He ﷺ replied:
“An ailment is intensified for the righteous. Whenever a believer is afflicted by a hardship, whether it is a thorn or more, a sin is taken off from him because of it, and he is elevated by one rank (in Paradise).” (Ahmad)

Continuous Reward
Usually, when a believer falls sick, he would not be able to do the same amount of good deeds (prayer, fasting, helping Muslims, etc.) that he used to do when he was well. But Allah, out of His great mercy, continues to record for him the good deeds that he was forced to stop because of his sickness.

Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari RA narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said,
إِذَا مَرِضَ الْعَبْدُ أَوْ سَافَرَ كُتِبَ لَهُ بِمِثْلِ مَا كَانَ يعْمل مُقيما صَحِيحا
“For a traveling or sick person, his deeds will be recorded in accordance with what he used to do when he was resident or well.” (Al-Bukhari)

Patience Leads to Paradise
`Atta ibn Rabaah R reported that Ibn `Abbas RA told him,
أَلاَ أُرِيكَ امْرَأَةً مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ قُلْتُ بَلَى‏.‏ قَالَ هَذِهِ الْمَرْأَةُ السَّوْدَاءُ أَتَتِ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَتْ إِنِّي أُصْرَعُ، وَإِنِّي أَتَكَشَّفُ فَادْعُ اللَّهَ لِي‏.‏ قَالَ ‏ “‏ إِنْ شِئْتِ صَبَرْتِ وَلَكِ الْجَنَّةُ وَإِنْ شِئْتِ دَعَوْتُ اللَّهَ أَنْ يُعَافِيَكِ ‏”‏‏.‏ فَقَالَتْ أَصْبِرُ‏.‏ فَقَالَتْ إِنِّي أَتَكَشَّفُ فَادْعُ اللَّهَ أَنْ لاَ أَتَكَشَّفَ، فَدَعَا لَهَا
“Do you want to see a woman from the people of Paradise?”
He said, “Yes.”
He said, “It is this black woman. She came to the Prophet ﷺ saying, ‘I have (epileptic) seizures, and I get exposed, so supplicate to Allah for me.’
He ﷺ said, ‘If you wish, be patient and you will attain Paradise; or if you wish, I will ask Allah to cure you.’
She replied, ‘I will be patient! But my body gets exposed (because of the fall), so supplicate to Allah for me that I do not become exposed.’
And he ﷺ did.” (Al-Bukhari 5652)

Thus we have learnt that difficulties are challenging and hard to bear, but they can certainly be very rewarding as well.