THE FIFTY-SECOND DISCOURSE On the reason for the trials borne by certain believers

Certainly God tries a party from the believers who are His friends and who hold friendly relations with Him and spiritual knowledge in their possession, in order that they may be turned through the trial towards prayer to Him and He loves to receive prayers from them. Then when they pray, He loves to accept their prayer so that He may give generosity and munificence their rightful shares because these two ask God, the Mighty and Glorious, at the time of the prayer of the believer, for acceptance; and sometimes the acceptance is granted, but not the immediate fulfilment of prayer, on account of the deferment of decree and not on account of non-acceptance or deprivation. So the servant of God should show good manners at the time of the befalling of a calamity and investigate his own sins of neglecting commandments, or being guilty of doing forbidden things, both open and secret, or finding fault with the decree of Providence, for more often than not he becomes involved in such a trial as a punishment for such sins. So if the calamity is removed, well and good, or else he should continue to pray and show humility and make apology and also persist in his petition to God, for it is possible that the trial is meant to make him persist in his prayer and petition; and he should not blame God for thus delaying the fulfilment of prayer in the manner we have already discussed.