Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said:
إنك لن تدع شيئاً لله عز وجل إلا بدلك الله به ما هو خير لك منه
“You do not leave anything for Allah’s sake, the Mighty and Majestic, except that Allah will replace it for you with that which is better than it.” (Reported by Imām Ahmad in Al-Musnad no. 21996 – declared saheeh by Al-Albānī in Silsilah al-Ahādeeth ad-Da’eefah, 1/62 and he said: ‘Its isnād is saheeh according to the conditions of Muslim’)
And Allah (the Most High) stated:
ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ ۚ وَمَن يَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ مَخْرَجًۭا ٢
وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ ۚ وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُۥٓ ۚ
“And whosoever fears Allâh and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allāh – then He is sufficient for him.” (At-Talāq: 2-3)
Ibn al-Qayyim stated: “Their saying: ‘Whoever gives up something for the sake of Allah, He will compensate him with something better’ – is true – and the forms of compensation are of various kinds, and the greatest of what Allah grants in return is intimacy with Allah and His love, tranquility and comfort of the heart by way of Him, and its strength, vitality, joy, and contentment with its Lord, the Most High.” (Al-Fawā’id, p. 107)
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said:
مَنْ تَرَكَ اللِّبَاسِ تَوَاضُعًا لِلَّهِ وَهُوَ يَقْدِرُ عَلَيْهِ دَعَاهُ اللَّهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَى رُءُوسِ الْخَلاَئِقِ حَتَّى يُخَيِّرَهُ مِنْ أَىِّ حُلَلِ الإِيمَانِ شَاءَ يَلْبَسُهَا
وَمَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ ” حُلَلِ الإِيمَانِ ” . يَعْنِي مَا يُعْطَى أَهْلُ الإِيمَانِ مِنْ حُلَلِ الْجَنَّةِ
“Whoever gives up fine clothing out of humility for the sake of Allah, while being able to afford it, Allah will call him on the Day of Resurrection before all of creation, and will allow him to choose whichever of the garments of faith he wishes to wear.” The ‘garments of faith’ means that which the believers will be granted from the garments of Paradise. (At-Tirmidhi no. 2481, graded hasan by Al-Albāni)
The Prophet (ﷺ) also said:
مَنْ كَظَمَ غَيْظًا، وَهُوَ قَادِرٌ عَلَى أَنْ يُنْفِذَهُ: دَعَاهُ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى عَلَى رُءُوسِ الْخَلَائِقِ حَتَّى يُخَيِّرَهُ مِنْ أَيِّ الْحُورِ شَاءَ
“Whoever restrains his anger while he is able to quench it, Allah will call him before all of creation on the Day of Resurrection, and will give him his choice of any wife of Paradise that he wishes.” (Ibn Majah no. 4186, Abu Dawood no. 4777 and others – graded saheeh by al-Albānī)
It is not necessarily the case that the replacement is from the same category of thing that is abandoned for Allah’s sake, rather, the intent is that it is replaced with what is better than it – and that is for the one who left a thing due to his imān. It can also be in the same category of that which is left – but the affair is with Allah, and He is the best disposer of affairs.
