Ibn al-Qayyim: Worship of Ease vs. Worship of Difficulty

[fisabililah]

Assalamu a'leykum, brothers and sisters. I hope you benefit from this gem from al-Imaam Ibn al qayim (rahimahuallah).

"...Indeed, Allah has tasked His slaves with worship in difficult conditions just as He has in conditions of ease. He has tasked them with worship in what they dislike just as He has tasked them with worship in what they love. Most people are given the chance to worship in regards to what they love. However, the true distinguishing factor is when one worships during conditions that he dislikes, as this is what makes a person degrees and degrees above others, and this is what determines his level with Allah.

So, making ablution with cold water in extremely hot weather is worship, and kissing your beautiful wife that you love is worship, and spending money on her, the children, and yourself is worship. This same ablution with cold water in extremely cold weather is also worship, and abandoning a very tempting sin when there is no fear of anyone finding out is also worship, and spending your money in times of poverty is also worship.

However, there is a huge difference between the two sets of worship!

So, the one who is a slave of Allah in both types of conditions, fulfilling His rights in what he likes and dislikes, is the one who this verse applies to: {"Is Allah not sufficient for His slave?"} [az-Zumar; 25] and in another qira'ah: {"...for His slaves?"} They both carry the same meaning, as the singular form of the word is simply an ascription to the generality of it, and is referring to all of the slaves of Allah.

The complete sufficiency that is referred to in this verse comes with the complete servitude and worship displayed by the slave, and incomplete sufficiency comes with incomplete servitude. So, whoever finds himself with good should praise Allah, and whoever finds himself with anything else should only blame himself..."

['al-Wabil as-Sayyib'; p. 22-23]-Ibn al-Qayim.