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Fatwa CenterMeaning of ‘with hardship [will be] ease’
Question
With harship [will be] ease; is this only for the believers, or is it for all the people? Yasmin Mogehed says that difficulty and pain do not always last, and I heard Christians say something similiar. Is this true for all people, and if so, is it for the next life too, given that we know that most people will be in Hell? Maybe this answer could help me.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
If what is meant by this statement is the saying of Allah (which means): {Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.} [Quran 94:6], then this verse was revealed in the context of giving glad tidings to the Prophet and to his nation after him; that there is ease after hardship. Ibn ‘Aashoor said in At-Tahreer wat-Tanweer, “This is a general promise to all believers, no one is excluded from it; meaning that along with hardship in this worldly life for the believers, there will inevitably be ease in the Hereafter, and perhaps the ease in this worldly life will also be combined with the ease in the Hereafter.”
If what is meant is the general meaning of this statement, then it includes the disbeliever in this worldly life; he may live a time of hardship and after that a time of ease comes as a trial and test for him. Then if he believes after that, then that is good, and if not, then punishment may inflict him. Allah says (what means): {Then We exchanged in place of the bad [condition], good, until they increased [and prospered] and said, "Our fathers [also] were touched with hardship and ease." So We seized them suddenly while they did not perceive.} [Quran 7:95]
Ibn Katheer 
said in his Tafseer (exegesis), “It means: We changed the hardship into prosperity, disease and sickness into health and well-being, and poverty into richness in provision so that they might be thankful to Allah for this, but they were not. The verse: {Until they increased [and prospered]} refers to increase in numbers, wealth and offspring.”
We do not know in what context the writer whom you mentioned said that, and the same applies to the Christians. The fact that hardship and pain do not last forever, if what is meant by this is the situation in this worldly life, then we say that this is mostly the case.
As for the Hereafter, however, there is permanent torment for the disbeliever in the fire of Hell. But with regard to a believer, if he is punished for some of his sins, then he will ultimately be destined to the bliss of Paradise.
For more benefit, please refer to fatwas 336427 and 341239.
Finally, we draw your attention to the fact that it is more appropriate for a Muslim to not be concerned with this kind of questions as they do not lead to any action (good deeds).
Allah knows best.
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