Man was created in hardship, and he has continued to deal with these hardships throughout his life. Life is never a straight journey; it’s full of ups and downs, breaks and, sometimes, dead ends. Throughout life an individual suffers a lot. Some days it’s the problems of a job, or some days it’s marital issues; sometimes it’s the problems with friends, and the list goes on.
In our Asian culture, suffering is often glorified. To bear the pain and handle the aversive circumstances with patience is often regarded as a positive outlook on these difficulties. Suffering is considered a positive thing for personal growth, as it pushes human capacities towards excellence. “There would be some good in it.” This statement is often said about hardships or anything unfavourable that happens.
In the religious aspects, Islam also gives a positive outlook on hardships. In the light of Islamic theology, hardship is not only regarded as a way for deliverance of sins, but the same suffering also becomes the source of ease.
“Indeed, with hardship (there will be) ease” (Surah Ash-Sharh).
And if we take a more profound look at the grammatical structure of this ayah, it explains that the ease or relief accompanied with that hardship is much greater in magnitude (يسرا) than the hardship itself (عسر). Human intellect is very limited, and divine wisdom has no limits. Human intellect cannot fully comprehend the hikmah behind every suffering they go through, but if Allah has said that there is ease with every hardship, then there is no second-guessing it.
In Islam, to endure hardship is not just an act of patience or bravery, but it also strengthens the faith in divine decree and is accompanied by great rewards.
In the light of Frankl’s (Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist, also the writer of Man’s Search for Meaning) logotherapy, suffering should not be avoided, but it should be understood and transformed through meaning. Suffering is damaging to one’s psychological well-being when it feels meaningless. The attitude we adopt towards suffering is critical. Even if everything is taken away, we still have the freedom to choose our attitude. Instead of looking at it as a limitation, we can use it as a chance for our personal growth, resilience and psychological strength. Instead of being consumed by the aversive circumstances, we can transcend beyond them. Choosing to look at the positive side is something that is truly transcendental and transforming.
Suffering is the core of human existence. But these not only inflict us with harm but also become a source of our psychological growth and bring ease in our lives that we may not see but have always been there.