Hadith Text
وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رضي الله عنه قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ الله ﷺ:
«مَا يَزَالُ الْبَلاءُ بِالْمُؤْمِنِ وَالْمُؤْمِنَةِ فِي نَفْسِهِ وَوَلَدِهِ وَمَالِهِ، حَتَّىٰ يَلْقَىٰ اللهَ تَعَالَىٰ وَمَا عَلَيْهِ خَطِيئَةٌ».رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيُّ وَقَالَ: حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ.
Full Translation
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“A believer, male or female, continues to be afflicted in his self, his child, and his wealth, until he meets Allah تعالى with no sin upon him.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, who said: a good, authentic hadith.
Meanings of Key Words
- مَا يَزَالُ الْبَلَاءُ — the trial continues; it does not come once and end immediately. It may recur, deepen, and spread across different parts of a person’s life.
- بِالْمُؤْمِنِ وَالْمُؤْمِنَةِ — the believer, male and female; the rule applies to both. Trial is not a sign that faith is absent.
- فِي نَفْسِهِ وَوَلَدِهِ وَمَالِهِ — in himself, his child, and his wealth; these are the three places where trial often cuts deepest: body, family, and provision.
- حَتَّىٰ يَلْقَىٰ اللهَ تَعَالَىٰ — until he meets Allah; the endpoint is not the world but the meeting with the Creator.
- وَمَا عَلَيْهِ خَطِيئَةٌ — and no sin remains upon him; the trial has purified him fully.
Hadith Lessons
This hadith gives a very serious but comforting picture of the believer’s life. It tells us that trial is not accidental, and it is not always a sign of rejection. A believer may be tested repeatedly in the things most precious to him: his own body, his children, his wealth, and the stability of his life. The hadith does not promise that the believer will be spared these wounds. It promises that the wounds can become a means of purification.
The phrase “until he meets Allah and has no sin upon him” is the heart of the hadith. That means the believer’s hardships are not wasted. Even when the reason is hidden, the result can be cleansing. Suffering can reduce the burden of sin, polish the heart, and make the meeting with Allah lighter. This is not a call to seek pain, nor a claim that every hardship is punishment. It is a reminder that Allah may use hardship to remove what would otherwise remain and follow the servant into the Hereafter.
The hadith also protects the believer from despair. If trials come again and again, it does not mean Allah has abandoned the servant. It may mean the opposite: Allah is dealing with him closely, refining him, and not allowing the baggage of sin to remain. The believer should therefore respond with patience, trust, and repentance, not with objection or hopelessness. The goal is not simply to survive trial, but to arrive before Allah with a lighter load.
Three Questions to Close With
- When trial touches my body, family, or wealth, do I only see loss — or do I also see the possibility of purification?
- If hardship can remove sin, do I treat patience as passive waiting, or as active work of the heart before Allah?
- The hadith says the believer meets Allah with no sin remaining. What in my life still needs to be washed away before that meeting?