A trial in disguise:

بسم الله والحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله ، وبعد

Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله said:

Favors/Blessings are of two types: 1) Absolute Grace and 2) Confined Blessing.

1) Absolute Grace:  It is the continuous and the permanent bliss, i.e. the blessing of Islaam and the Sunnah. It is the blessing which Allaah سبحانه وتعالى commanded us to ask Him in every prayer, that He تعالى guides us to follow the path of such people whom He had selected for it, and made them the people of Highest Companionship (الرفيق الأعلى), when He تعالى said:

﴿وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّـهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّـهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ ۚ وَحَسُنَ أُولَـٰئِكَ رَفِيقًا﴾

{And whoso obeys Allaah and the Messenger, then they will be in the company of those on whom Allaah has bestowed His Grace, of the Prophets, the Siddeeqoon (those followers of the Prophets who were first and foremost to believe in them, like Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq), the martyrs, and the righteous. And how excellent these companions are!} [Surah al-Nisaa’ (4): 69]

…what is intended here is that this Blessing is an Ultimate Grace and it is specific only for the Believers. And if it is said: “For the Kuffaar there is no blessing from Allaah in this perspective”, then it is true.

2) Confined Blessing: The second blessing is the Confined Blessing, like the blessing of good health, riches, healthy body, high status, lots of children, a good wife and the like. These blessings are distributed between the pious and the sinner, and between a Believer and a Kaafir. So if it is said: “Allaah has bestowed blessings upon the Kuffar from this perspective”, then it is true. But when this Confined Blessing takes the Kaafir away from the truth and towards the (everlasting) punishment and suffering, then this is not a favor. It is rather a trial as Allaah تعالى has mentioned it in His Book:

﴿فَأَمَّا الْإِنسَانُ إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَأَكْرَمَهُ وَنَعَّمَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَكْرَمَنِ * وَأَمَّا إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَهَانَنِ * كَلَّا﴾

{As for man, when his Lord tries him by giving him honor and gifts, then he says (puffed up): “My Lord has honored me.” But when He tries him, by straitening his means of life, he says: “My Lord has humiliated me!” Nay!} [Surah al-Fajr (89): 15-17]

Meaning: “Not everyone to whom I (Allaah) gave honor and favor in this world has really been favored; rather, it was a trial upon him from Me and a test. And not everyone for whom his means of sustenance were restricted by Me is humiliated. Rather, I test My slave with favors in the same way as I test him with sufferings.”

[Ijtimaa` al-Juyoosh al-Islaamiyyah (1/3-7) of Ibn al-Qayyim]

So when your wealth, your children, the internet, the social networking, your work or any other thing which prevents you from obedience to Allaah and His Messenger, prevent you from offering the 5 daily prayers, prevent you from offering the late night prayers, prevent you from the recitation of the Qur'aan, then indeed this is more of a trial than a blessing!