Overwhelming Miracle of the Quran
[6:39] Those who reject our proofs are deaf and dumb, in total darkness. Whomever GOD wills, He sends astray, and whomever He wills, He leads in a straight path.
[6:40] Say, “What if GOD’s retribution came to you, or the Hour came to you: would you implore other than GOD, if you are truthful?”
[6:41] The fact is: only Him you implore, and He answers your prayer, if He so wills, and you forget your idols.
[6:42] We have sent (messengers) to communities before you, and we put them to the test through adversity and hardship, that they may implore.
[6:43] If only they implored when our test afflicted them! Instead, their hearts were hardened, and the devil adorned their works in their eyes.
Plato’s Allegory of the Cave – Alex Gendler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RWOpQXTltA
It is important to be conscientious of when we are being tested so we can behave accordingly.
Blessings in Disguise
[7:94] Whenever we sent a prophet to any community, we afflicted its people with adversity and hardship, that they may implore. [7:95] Then we substituted peace and prosperity in place of that hardship. But alas, they turned heedless and said, “It was our parents who experienced that hardship before prosperity.” Consequently, we punished them suddenly when they least expected.
The Inevitable Test*
[3:186] You will certainly be tested, through your money and your lives, and you will hear from those who received the scripture, and from the idol worshipers, a lot of insult. If you steadfastly persevere and lead a righteous life, this will prove the strength of your faith.
“Disasters, he proposed, create a “community of sufferers” that allows individuals to experience an immensely reassuring connection to others. As people come together to face an existential threat, Fritz found, class differences are temporarily erased, income disparities become irrelevant, race is overlooked, and individuals are assessed simply by what they are willing to do for the group. It is a kind of fleeting social utopia that, Fritz felt, is enormously gratifying to the average person and downright therapeutic to people suffering from mental illness.”
Junger, Sebastian (2016-05-24). Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging (Kindle Locations 520-524). Grand Central Publishing. Kindle Edition.
Quran Talk Blog 