Article 38 — Tests
Tests: why is faith tested before the establishment of justice?
The Goal of the Wise — Door Number Thirty-Eight
Read aloud in English
Why do believers go through trials when they are seeking to follow divine guidance?
In the thirty-eighth Door of The Goal of the Wise, Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) examines the spiritual tests that would precede the establishment of the Divine Just State.
The chapter draws in particular on traditions attributed to the Ahlul-Bayt.
Faith and trials
The Quran recalls that the affirmation of faith does not exclude trials.
The book develops this idea by presenting the tests as moments when convictions become visible through actions.
Patience, sincerity and trust are particularly put to the test when circumstances become difficult.
The purification of the community
According to the book, the trials preceding the Rise would have a purifying function.
They would reveal the differences between sincere commitment and motivations founded on personal interest.
This conception occupies an important place in the eschatological interpretation of the book.
Expectations and disappointments
Believers may imagine that divine guidance will immediately bring ease and success.
But prophetic accounts often present periods of hardship.
The chapter invites reflection on the risk of confusing the truth of a conviction with the comfort it provides.
Discernment in trial
Not every difficulty, however, is necessarily a test sent by God.
A trial must not serve to justify abuses, to prevent questions or to demand blind obedience.
Spiritual sincerity can also be expressed through the pursuit of justice and the protection of vulnerable people.
Conclusion — What do our reactions reveal?
The thirty-eighth Door presents trials as a dimension of the spiritual journey.
Do our convictions remain the same when putting them into practice becomes difficult?