وَتَدَبَّرُوا أَحْوَالَ الْمَاضِينَ مِنَ الْمُؤمِنِينَ قَبْلَكُمْ، كَيْفَ كَانُوا فِي حَالِ التـَّمحِيصِ وَالْبَلاَءِ؟ أَلَمْ يَكُونُوا أَثْقَلَ الْخَلاَئِقِ أَعْبَاءً، وَأَجْهَدَ الْعِبَادِ بَلاَءً، وَأَضْيَقَ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا حَالاً؟! اتَّخَذَتْهُمُ الْفَراعِنَةُ عَبِيداً فَسَامُوهُم سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ، وَجَرَّعُوهُمُ الْمُرَارَ، فَلَمْ تَبْرَحِ الْحَالُ بِهِمْ فِي ذُلِّ الْهَلَكَةِ وَقَهْرِ الْغَلَبَةِ، لاَ يَجِدُونَ حِيلَةً فِي امْتِنَاع، وَلاَ سَبِيلاً إِلَى دِفَاع، حَتَّى إِذَا رَأَى اللهُ جِدَّ الصَّبْرِ مِنْهُمْ عَلَى الاْذَى فِي مَحَبَّتِهِ، وَالاحْتِمالَ لِلْمَكْرُوهِ مِنْ خَوْفِهِ، جَعَلَ لَهُمْ مِنْ مَضَايِقِ الْبَلاَءِ فَرَجاً، فَأَبْدَلَهُمُ الْعِزَّ مَكَانَ الذُّلِّ، وَالاْمْنَ مَكَانَ الْخَوْفِ، فَصَارُوا مُلُوكاً حُكَّاماً، وأَئِمَّةً أَعْلاَماً، وَبَلَغَتِ الْكَرَامَةُ مِنَ اللهِ لَهُمْ مَا لَمْ تَذْهَبِ الاْمَالُ إِلَيْهِ بِهِمْ.
Think about the condition of people from among the believers who passed before you. What distresses and trials they were in! Were they not the most over-burdened among all the people and in the most straitened circumstances in the whole world? The Pharaohs took them as slaves. They inflicted on them the worst punishments and bitter sufferings. They continuously remained in this state of ruinous disgrace and severe subjugation. They found no method for escape and no way for protection. Till when Allāh, the Glorified, noticed that they were enduring troubles in His love and bearing distresses out of fear for Him, He provided escape from the distress of trials. So, He changed their disgrace into honour and fear into safety. Consequently, they became ruling kings and conspicuous leaders and Allāh’s favours over them reached limits to which their own wishes had not reached.
