The Test of Prosperity
آزمائش اور نعمت
يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ، إِذَا رَأَيْتَ رَبَّكَ سُبْحَانَهُ يُتَابِعُ عَلَيْكَ نِعَمَهُ وَأَنْتَ تَعْصِيهِ فَاحْذَرْهُ.
اے ابنِ آدم! جب تو دیکھے کہ تیرا پروردگار تجھ پر مسلسل اپنی نعمتیں نازل کر رہا ہے اور تو اس کی نافرمانی کر رہا ہے، تو اس سے ڈر (کہ کہیں یہ ڈھیل نہ ہو)۔
“O son of Adam! When you see that your Lord, the Glorified, bestows His favors upon you continuously while you are disobeying Him, then be cautious of Him.”
Reflections: Imam Ali ؑ identifies a dangerous spiritual paradox. Sometimes, the continuous flow of blessings despite our wrongdoing is not a sign of approval, but a “gradual lead-up” to accountability. It can make a person complacent, arrogant, and forgetful of repentance. This wisdom urges us to evaluate our relationship with the Creator: if blessings increase while our character declines, we must wake up before the trial becomes a downfall.