As Salaam Aleykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatouh,
A question often arises in the therapy room when working from an Islamic lens, a question that may feel very heavy on the heart yet is quite delicate to answer… which is why I hesitated to address it for a while.
At the same time, it comes up frequently enough that I thought it would be important for me to make space to reflect on this question here, although I may do so very imperfectly.
That question is: Are the challenges we face a punishment from Allah ﷻ because of our sins?
This question tends to arise most when life feels especially painful, when we are carrying grief, anxiety, hardship, or wounds that seem too heavy to bear. In those moments, it can be easy to wonder if Allah ﷻ is displeased with us, or if our suffering is a sign of punishment. These thoughts can add another layer of sadness, guilt, and helplessness to an already difficult situation.
Sometimes, there can also be a deep feeling of unfairness. While we know that we are all sinners and therefore indiscriminately in need of Allah ﷻ’s mercy, our choices are often influenced by the pain we have lived through, the burdens we carry, and even the harm caused by others. Our stories matter. Our wounds matter. And healing begins not with harsh judgment, but with honesty, compassion, and understanding. As a therapist, I consider acknowledging and honouring our pain as an essential first step to healing, and as a survivor of abuse, this is something I cannot stress enough.
There is a hadith in Jami’ at-Tirmidhi in which Anas (RA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“When Allah wants good for his slave, He hastens his punishment in the world. And when He wants bad for His slave, He withholds his sins from him until he appears before Him on the Day of Judgement.” (Jami` at-Tirmidhi, 2396).
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin (Rahimahullah) explained, “And this is also glad tidings for the believer: if he is tested with calamity, let him not think that Allah ﷻ is angry with him. Rather, this may be a sign of Allah ﷻ’s love for his servant.”
This reminds us that real punishment comes in the hereafter, while punishment in this dunya is really a mercy, a purification, an invitation to return to Allah ﷻ with sincerity and hope.
Our challenges may also be:
1. A hidden blessing or protection. Even when hardship hurts deeply, it may be protecting us from something worse or leading us toward something better that we cannot yet see.
Allah says in Surah Al-Baqarah:
“Perhaps you dislike something which is good for you and like something which is bad for you. Allah knows, and you do not know.” (Quran 2:216)
2. A test or an opportunity to get closer to Allah ﷻ so that He will in sha Allah elevate our status in this world and the next:
Abu Huraira (RA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“If Allah wants to do good to somebody, He afflicts him with trials.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 5645).
The truth is that we never know if a challenge is a punishment, a blessing or a test. That knowledge belongs to Allah ﷻ alone. But what we can be certain about is this: the response is always to turn back to Allah ﷻ, with repentance, with trust, with patience, and with hope in His mercy.
If what I have said is correct, it is from Allah ﷻ; and if it is wrong, then it is from myself and Shayṭān.
As Salaam Aleykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatouh.
Audrey Kodye, Registered Psychologist and Islamic therapist at Overcome Anxiety Psychological