Difficulties in life

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم

In verse 286, in The Cow, God says,

...لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا 

God does not burden any soul with more than what it can bear...

Among the many reflections of this segment of this verse, revealed to the Prophet (upon whom be peace) when he made the night journey to the seventh heaven, are that our problems, our trials and our tribulations are custom tailored to us, they are like our fingerprints, they shape our identity. This segment of the verse is not dissimilar to the adage, only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches, except that instead of focusing on the negatives, this segment should, in itself be a source of hope to the God-conscious. 

The other interesting thing about the understanding of this verse is that there are things which each of us are equally responsible for, and that is an ability, a blessing bestowed upon all of us. These are the obligatory acts, acts which are the pillars of one's faith. These favors granted to us- to make a distinction between right and wrong, to perform 5 daily prayers no matter what the circumstances are, should be a motivation, a reminder of sorts for us, that we are capable of making it to the Garden.

The verse goes on, 

...لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ

Each gains whatever good it has done and suffers its bad...

There is an interesting usage of words in this segment of the verse, because ease is associated with good deeds and difficulty is associated with bad deeds. And when one thinks about it, on the face of it, it makes little sense. Sins may be easier in the short term; in the long term, they become difficult and cause unease. Stealing may be easy money, but spending even a day in the gaol, with the humiliation and other socio-economic implications is difficult. The alternative is pretty easy, and this is the view God wants us to have when we look at a choice between what is good and what seems easy.