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The test that comes with blessings
1 Verse. 1 Story. 1 Lesson.
Taqwa FM
October 16, 2025
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
One Verse. One Story. One Lesson.
1 Verse
“And ˹remember˺ when your Lord proclaimed:
‘If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more. But if you are ungrateful, surely My punishment is severe.’”
— Surah Ibrahim (14:7)
1 Story: The Tale of Three Men : A Leper, a Bald Man, and a Blind Man
Among the Children of Israel, there once lived three men:
one covered in leprosy,
one completely bald,
and one blind.
And Allah decided to test them.
So He sent an angel, disguised as a man.
The angel first went to the leper and asked,
“What do you desire most?”
He didn’t say wealth or status.
He said,
“Good color and good skin. I’m tired of people looking at me with disgust.”
The angel touched him, and by Allah’s permission, his disease disappeared.
For the first time, he saw his reflection and didn’t turn away.
Then the angel asked,
“What wealth do you wish for?”
He replied,
“Camels.”
So Allah gave him a pregnant camel : a livelihood, a future, a means of honor.
And the angel said, “May Allah bless you in it.”
Then the angel went to the bald man.
“What do you desire most?”
He said,
“Good hair. People look down on me because of how I look.”
The angel touched his head, and Allah restored his hair thick and beautiful.
Then he asked,
“What wealth do you wish for?”
He replied,
“Cows.”
So Allah gave him a pregnant cow, and his herds began to grow.
The angel said again, “May Allah bless you in it.”
Then the angel went to the blind man.
“What do you desire most?”
He said,
“To see again, to look at people, to see the world once more.”
The angel touched his eyes, and Allah restored his sight.
Then he asked,
“What wealth do you wish for?”
He said, “Sheep.”
And Allah gave him a pregnant sheep.
Years passed.
The leper now owned a valley full of camels.
The bald man had a valley full of cows.
The blind man had a valley full of sheep.
They were all living in abundance.
And then… the test returned.
The angel came again, this time as a poor, weary traveler.
He approached the leper first and said, “Brother, I’m lost and destitute. Can you spare just one camel so I can reach my destination? I ask you by Allah, the One who gave you good skin and wealth.”
The man replied, “I’ve got too many dues to pay. I can’t help you.”
The angel asked, “Weren’t you once the leper people avoided? Weren’t you poor before Allah blessed you?”
He denied it: “No, no. This is my inheritance. I’ve always had this.”
The angel said, “If you’re lying, may Allah return you to what you were before.”
He then went to the bald man with the same request, same excuse, same denial. The angel said again, “If you’re lying, may Allah return you to your former state.”
Finally, he came to the blind man and said, “I’m a poor traveler. I’ve lost my provisions. By the One who gave you sight, can I have just one sheep?”
The man paused and said, “Indeed, I was blind and Allah restored my sight. I was poor and Allah made me rich. Take anything you wish from my property. By Allah, I will not stop you. Take whatever you need for the sake of Allah.”
The angel smiled and said, “Keep your property. You’ve all been tested. Allah is pleased with you and displeased with your two companions.”
(Narrated by Abu Hurayrah — Sahih al-Bukhari, 3464)
1 Lesson
There will come moments in your life...
when Allah will ask you to give.
And in that moment, He will be watching you.
Your hands will be full.
Your bank account will be stable.
Your fridge won’t be empty anymore.
You’ll be living in the same comfort you once begged for.
And Allah, the One who made you self-sufficient when you were desperate,
will observe how you respond.
Will you become like the leper and the bald man,
those who had so much, yet acted like they had nothing?
Who forgot the Giver the moment they got the gift?
Who mistook the blessing as a security,
when it was really a test?
That’s the scarcity mindset,
when even with full hands, the heart feels poor.
You start saying, “I worked for this. I earned this.”
You forget that the blessing was never meant to make you feel powerful
but grateful.
Because everything you have...
is a loan from Allah.
And He will take it back…
either willingly, through your generosity and giving,
or forcefully, through loss, calamity, or death.
The choice is yours.
So don’t attach yourself to the blessing and forget the One who gave it.
Be like the blind man
who remembered the favor of his Lord,
who knew his rizq came only from Allah,
and gave without hesitation.
When Allah asks you to give, that is your test.
Make sure you pass.
1 Question for You
“If the angel came to me today in disguise :
a needy friend, a donation link, a struggling sibling,
what would my first emotional reaction be?
Fear of loss or faith in Allah’s replacement?”
That first feeling reveals your true theology of rizq.
Dhikr of the Week
The Du‘ā of Sulaymān (AS)
رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَالِدَيَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ وَأَدْخِلْنِي بِرَحْمَتِكَ فِي عِبَادِكَ الصَّالِحِينَ
“My Lord! Inspire me to be grateful for Your favors which You have blessed me and my parents with, and to do good deeds that please You.
Admit me, by Your mercy, into the company of Your righteous servants.”
Closing Note
If you’re seeking deeper, personalized guidance beyond these reflections —
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Until next Thursday/Friday, in shā’ Allāh.
— Aaira
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