"The good is hidden. It only comes to you hiding behind the event." (29:04)
From the episode
- Al-khira is hidden. People say "it's for the best" (khira) after a misfortune, and the sufferer answers "where is the good in this?" He likes the description of al-khira as hidden.
- It comes after. The good never walks beside the crisis. At the moment of the event you see only the crisis; wait, and the good comes behind it.
- Hasty by nature. He explains "man was created hasty" as hasty to be angry before seeing the good in what was decreed.
- You don't need to know why. It is not a condition that you understand the wisdom behind a hardship.
- "Do not accuse God in His decree." In his telling, a Bedouin asked the Prophet for short advice and was told this. Do not say "I pray, and You test me, while that man never enters a mosque".
- The kidney. A medical student standing by the road with friends was hit by a car. They escaped with light injuries; he had a deep wound and lost a kidney. Out of surgery, the doctor said: "Good news, we removed the kidney." The kidney had the beginnings of a tumour.
The idea, explained
Why the good comes later
At the moment of a crisis we can see only the loss; the consequences that might turn out well have not happened yet. So "where is the good in this?" is often asked too early. His phrase, that the good "comes hiding behind the event", is a reminder to wait before judging.
What research calls benefit finding
Studies of people facing serious illness and other hardships find that many later report benefits: stronger relationships, a new appreciation of life, changed priorities. Across studies, finding such benefits is linked with less depression and more well-being over time (Helgeson, Reynolds & Tomich, 2006). The kidney story is an unusually clear case, where the good was physical and found on the operating table; most hidden goods are slower and quieter.
You don't have to know why
He frees the sufferer from one more task: you do not have to work out the wisdom behind what happened. Trust can do its work without an explanation.
Key terms
The hidden good (al-khira) · Haste ('ajal) · Benefit finding.