Created for Struggle: Why Escaping Life Is Not the Answer

“Indeed, We have created man in kabad.”
(Qur’an 90:4)

There are few verses in the Qur’an that capture the reality of human existence as succinctly as this one. Allah tells us that mankind was created fi kabad—in hardship, struggle, toil and continuous exertion.

This is not a description of some people’s lives. It is a description of life itself.

Yet many of us spend years trying to prove this verse wrong.

We convince ourselves that if we could just simplify our lives, avoid difficult people, withdraw from society, reduce our responsibilities or isolate ourselves from anything uncomfortable, we would finally discover lasting peace. We imagine there is a version of life somewhere that is free from struggle.

But Allah has already informed us that such a life does not exist.

The objective of life is not to escape kabad. It is to navigate it in a way that brings tranquillity to the heart.

The Great Illusion

Modern society constantly sells the dream of an effortless existence.

• Work from home.
• Retire early.
• Cut toxic people out.
• Move somewhere quieter.
• Delete social media.
• Find your “peace.”

None of these are inherently wrong. Sometimes reducing unnecessary stress is wise. Islam encourages us to remove harm where we can.

The illusion begins when we believe removing one struggle removes struggle itself.

Leave a demanding job, and financial worries may replace workplace stress.

Avoid difficult relationships, and loneliness may become the next challenge.

Become financially secure, and anxiety about protecting wealth often follows.

Retire from work, and many discover they are battling purposelessness instead of deadlines.

Every stage of life exchanges one form of kabad for another.

The scenery changes.

The reality does not.

Success Has Never Been the Absence of Turmoil

Many people secretly measure success by the absence of problems.

“If I were truly successful, life would finally become easy.”

The Qur’an teaches the opposite.

Turmoil is not evidence that you have failed.

It is evidence that you are human.

Every Prophet carried immense burdens.

• Nuh (AS) preached for centuries with little response.
• Ibrahim (AS) was cast into the fire.
• Musa (AS) confronted tyranny while carrying the responsibility of an entire nation.
• Prophet Muhammad ﷺ buried children, lost loved ones, faced betrayal, hunger, exile and war.

If hardship were the opposite of success, then the greatest people who ever lived would have been the least successful.

Instead, Allah chose them precisely because they could carry immense responsibility while remaining devoted to Him.

Every Human Pays a Price

A young couple struggle to build a marriage.

Parents struggle raising children.

Those without children struggle with longing.

Students struggle through exams.

Graduates struggle to find employment.

Employees struggle with demanding workplaces.

Business owners struggle with uncertainty.

The unemployed struggle with financial pressure.

The elderly struggle with declining health.

Even those admired by millions struggle with expectations, criticism and loneliness.

No one escapes kabad.

The only difference is the shape it takes.

Even Isolation Has Its Own Kabad

Some people conclude that the answer is simply to withdraw.

“If I keep to myself, I won’t have to deal with people.”

But isolation is not the absence of struggle.

It merely replaces one struggle with another.

Human beings were created as social creatures.

Isolation often breeds loneliness.

Loneliness can breed anxiety.

Anxiety can breed overthinking.

Overthinking can become its own prison.

Escaping people does not necessarily bring peace.

Sometimes it simply changes the source of unrest.

Islam Never Promised an Easy Life

Islam does not promise believers a life without trials.

It promises something greater.

• Every trial has purpose.
• Every difficulty can elevate.
• Every hardship can purify.
• Every test can become an act of worship if it draws us closer to Allah.

Peace in Islam was never defined as the absence of storms.

It is the ability to remain anchored while the storm continues around you.

Managing Kabad

Perhaps our greatest mistake is believing peace lies at the end of hardship.

The Qur’an teaches that peace is found within hardship.

When our relationship with Allah is strong, kabad does not disappear.

• Bills still need paying.
• Children still need raising.
• People will still disappoint us.
• Our bodies will still age.
• Loss will still visit us.
• Death will still come.

But the heart learns not to collapse under realities Allah has already told us to expect.

The believer stops asking,

“How do I eliminate struggle?”

and begins asking,

“How do I carry this struggle in a way that pleases Allah?”

That single shift changes everything.

The Wisdom Behind the Verse

Allah did not reveal this verse to discourage us.

He revealed it to free us from unrealistic expectations.

You are not failing because life feels difficult.

You are experiencing exactly what Allah said human life would be.

Real success is therefore not measured by the absence of kabad, but by how we respond to it.

The strongest person is not the one who lives without burdens.

The strongest person is the one whose heart remains at peace while carrying them.

For that is the paradox of the believer.

Life may remain difficult.

Yet the soul can still be at rest.

That is not escaping kabad.

That is mastering it through faith.