patience
all praise and thanks be to almighty allah and peace and blessings be upon the prophet muhammad, his family and his companions.
the present life is place of tribulations and the hereafter is the place of rewards. the believer has to face difficulties and tribulations in the present life, and who hasn’t?! what we need most is patience especially at our time, the time that witness many expatriations, immigrations, exiles and calamities. it is the time when the true believer who holds tight to his religion, is like the person who holds a burning coal.
we will talk about the great quality of patience that helps people go through difficulties and tests. may we all have patience!
what is patience?
patience is adhering to what allah orders us to follow by fulfilling our duties completely. it is to obey the commands of allah and avoid his prohibitions. it is to accept difficulties and conflicts that we face, deal with them patiently and with contentment till they are resolved.
some scholars defined patience as: “restraining the self from grievance, the tongue from complaining, the organs from hitting or slapping the face or body, tearing clothes, hitting objects and all the violent actions people do when angry or in grief”.
the merit of patience and patients:
* almighty allah rewards the patients more than anybody else. he says in the qur’an: “and indeed we will definitely try you with something of fear and hunger, and diminution of riches, and selves, and products; and give glad tidings to the patient, who, when an affliction afflicts them, say, ‘surely we belong to allah, and surely to him we are returning.’ upon those are the prayers from their lord, and mercy; and those are they (who) are the right-guided.” (al baqarah: 155-157)
* the patients are the leaders and imams of the religion; they help and guide others to face difficulties. almighty allah says in the qur’an: “and we made from among them leaders guiding by our command, since they (endured) patiently and had certitude in our signs.” (as-sajdah: 24)
* patience is the trait of prophets:
the life journey of prophets, peace be upon them all, reflects the best examples of patience, forbearance and endurance to spread the call to believe in almighty allah.
* listen to what the prophet of islam muhammad (peace be upon him) said about patience: “whosoever would be chaste and modest; allah will keep him chaste and modest and whosoever would seek self-sufficiency, god will make him self-sufficient; and whosoever would be patient, god will give him patience, and no one is granted a gift better and more comprehensive than patience.” [al-bukhari and muslim] allah’s apostle also said: “how wonderful is the case of a believer; there is good for him in everything and this applies only to a believer. if prosperity attends him, he expresses gratitude to god and that is good for him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently and that is better for him.” [muslim]
kinds of patience:
there are many kinds of patience such as:
1- patience in obedience to allah:
the muslim should be patient in performing acts of worship because they need effort, will and endurance.
2- patience in avoidance of sins:
the muslim should always resist the temptations that attract him to sins by making them exciting. this needs great deal of patience but it is possible with strong belief.
3- patience in tribulations:
the muslim is patient towards the calamities that befall him in his money, spirit and family. imam ali said: “if you are patient then you will face fate with reward, and if you grieve, you will also face fate but unrewarded.” this means to face it with reward, because whether we like it or not, we have to experience what befalls us.
4- patience on people’s mischief:
the prophet (peace be upon him) said: “the believer, who mixes with people and endures their harm, is better than the one who does not associate with people nor endure their harm.” [ibn maajah]
the fruits of patience:
1- the patients will be rewarded by allah’s protection and sustenance. almighty allah is with the patients as he says in the qur’an: “and obey allah and his messenger, and do not contend together, (and) so you would be disheartened and your vigor goes away; and (endure) patiently; surely allah is with the patient.”
2- multiplication of the patient’s rewards for their forbearance and endurance: “surely (the) patient will only be paid their reward in full without reckoning.” (az-zumar: 10)
3- gaining paradise and salvation from hell: “surely today, i have recompensed them for that they (endured) patiently; (and) (i.e., because) they are the ones who are triumphant.” (al-mu'minun: 111)
4- earning the love and satisfaction of almighty allah through forbearance and patience: “and similarly many a prophet there has been along with whom myriads manifold have fought; so in no way did they feel feeble for whatever afflicted them in the way of allah, and in no way did they weaken, and in no way did they yield themselves; and allah loves the patient.” (al-imran: 146)
motives of patience:
1- contemplating, analyzing and realizing the verses of the qur’an and prophetic teachings and sayings that focus on the merit of patience.
2- believing that everything is predestined and happens according to allah’s fate. this will help the muslim to endure any plight or tribulation he faces.
3- realizing that allah’s decree for the person is better than what the person chooses for himself. in other words, we should submit willingly to the will of allah.
4- remembering that the most afflicted and tested people are the prophets and righteous people, so being tested does not mean that allah hate the afflicted, it means allah is trying him so that if he endures, he will be raised to a higher degree and it will make his faith much stronger.
5- realizing that the time of the tribulation is limited, no matter how long it is, it will end, so it better end with winning allah’s reward.
may allah guide us to what pleases and satisfies him! may allah give us the blessing of the constant remembering of his names, attributes and blessings!
Imân is in two halves: half is patience ( sabr) and half is gratitude ( shukr). Therefore Allâh has mentioned patience and gratitude alongside one another:
Verily in this are signs for all who constantly persevere and give thanks
(Ibrâhîm 14:5; Luqmân 31:31; Sabâ 34:19; ash-Shurâ 42:33)
The reasons why one half of îmân is patience and the other half is gratitude are as follows:
1. îmân is a term which covers words, deeds and intentions, all of which are based on one of two things, action or abstinence. Action refers to performing a deed in accordance with the instructions of Allâh, which is the reality of gratitude. Abstinence, as in refraining from wrong action, requires patience. The whole of religion is embodied in these two things: carrying out that which Allâh has commanded, and refraining from that which Allâh has prohibited.
2. îmân is based on two pillars, yaqîn (conviction) and patience, which are referred to in the following ayah:
And We appointed, from among them, leaders, giving guidance under Our command, so long as they persevered with patience and continued to have faith in Our Signs
(as-Sajdah 32:34).
It is through faith that we know the reality of Allâhs commands and prohibitions, or reward and punishment, and it is through patience that we carry out His instructions and abstain from that which He has prohibited. A person can never come to believe in Allâhs commands and prohibitions, and in reward and punishment, and it is through patience that we carry out His instructions and abstain from that which He has prohibited, and in reward and punishment, except through faith, and that is truly from Allâh. And we can never carry out Allâhs instructions and abstain from that which He has prohibited except through patience. Therefore patience is half of îmân, and the other half is gratitude.
3. Man has two powers, the power of doing and the power of abstaining, which control all his behaviour. So a person will do what he likes and abstain from what he dislikes. The whole of religion is doing or abstaining, carrying out the instructions of Allâh or abstaining from that which He has prohibited, neither of which can be accomplished without patience.
4. The whole of religion is hope and fear, and the true believer is the one who is both hopeful and fearful. Allâh said:
They used to call on Us with love and reverence, and humble themselves before Us
(al-Anbiyâ 21:90).
The Prophet (SAAS) used to pray:
O Allâh, I have surrendered my soul to You, and turned my face to You. My (own) affair I commit to Allâh and I seek Your protection, in hope of You and in fear of You
(al-Bukhârî).
So the believer is the one who is both hopeful and fearful, but hope and fear can only be based on the foundation of patience: fear should make the believer patient, and his hope should lead to gratitude.
5.Any action done by man is either beneficial or harmful to him in this world and the next, or else it is beneficial to him in the world and harmful to him in the other. The best course for man is to do that which is beneficial to him in the Hereafter, and abstain from that which is harmful to him in the Hereafter. This is the reality of îmân: to do what is good for him, and that is gratitude; and to abstain from that which harms him, and that is patience.
6.Man is always is a situation where he has to carry out an instruction of Allâh, or avoid something which Allâh has prohibited, or accept something that Allâh has decreed. In all cases, he has to face the situation with patience and gratitude. Carrying out Allâhs instructions is gratitude, and abstaining from prohibited things and being content with the decree of Allâh constitutes patience.
7.Man is constantly being pulled in two opposing directions: should he respond to the lure of this world of desires and pleasures, or should he answer the call of Allâh and the hereafter, with the eternal Paradise that Allâh has prepared for His friend ( walî)? Going against the call of whims and desires is patience, and responding to the call of Allâh and the Hereafter is gratitude.
8.Religion is based on two principles: determination and perseverance (patience), which are referred to in the duâ of the Prophet (SAAS):
O Allâh, I ask You for perseverance in all my affairs, and I ask You for the determination to stay on the straight and narrow path.
9. Religion is based on truth (haqq) and patience, which is referred to in the âyah:
and they (join together) in the mutual teaching of truth, and of patience and constancy
(al-Asr 103:3).
Man is required to work according to the truth, both by himself and others, which is the reality of gratitude, but he cannot do that without patience, therefore patience is half of îmân. And Allâh knows best.
You may feel tired after having offered six rak’ahs of Taraweeh prayer in Ramadan, but remember that the Prophet Noah spent 950 years calling on his people to believe in God’s oneness, but only few of them accepted his message.
If you are aggrieved by a friend or a neighbour, remember that Jesus (peace be upon him) was about to be crucified by his people, but God raised him to heaven. Yet Jesus wanted nothing except that his people should believe in God the Creator.
If you spend time trying to persuade someone to accept the message of goodness, and you are at the point of despair of making any headway, remember Abraham (peace be upon him) when he was cast into the blazing fire by his people. They took nothing against him except that he wanted them to abandon their idols and believe in God alone. He was saved when God made the fire cool and a place of safety for him.
Throughout your life, remember Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who endured thirteen years of hard opposition by his people who tortured his followers. He had eventually to leave his hometown, the place he loved best, in order to continue his strenuous efforts and deliver God’s message to mankind.
No wonder. It is Prophet Muhammad who said:
‘Wonderful is a believer’s situation. He is in a good position in all situations, but this applies only to a believer. If he gets what pleases him, he expresses his gratitude to God, and this is good for him. And if he is met with adversity, he is patient, and this is good for him’.
[Related by Muslim]
What happens when patience disappears from people’s life?
You shall find some who worship stones, trees, images, etc. even though they are given irrefutable proofs of their error. They continue to adhere to their wrong ways only because their ancestors did so, and they cannot tolerate to be different from their ancestors.
You shall find someone who gambles in the hope of making an easy gain, and another who gratifies his sexual desire in forbidden ways. Such people just cannot be brave enough to resist their desires.
You shall find people keen to satisfy their addiction to tobacco or other poisonous drugs, even though they are fully aware that by so doing they incur God’s anger and expose themselves to numerous diseases. They simply say that they cannot bear the withdrawal symptoms.
A person who suffers a misfortune may take it too hard, and it may destroy his faith and ruin his life. This is simply because his faith is not strong enough to realise that accepting his misfortune with resignation will earn him rich reward from God.
Many are those who cannot persevere with their good actions although these ensure their happiness in both this life and the life to come. Nor do they have the patience and perseverance to stop a sinful action that gives them no benefit but causes them much harm. They simply sink into its depths. They do not resign themselves to the acceptance of a test to which God may expose them. Therefore, they show impatience and lose hope and confidence. As a result, they suffer much in this world and they lose their potential reward from God. They do not have the perseverance that is required to achieve a goal they set for themselves. Hence, their life is wasted with nothing to show for it.
Patience in adversity is the way to achieve what is best and to secure victory. Whoever shows patience will eventually be successful. ‘If you persevere and continue to fear God - that is indeed a matter requiring strong resolve’. (3: 186) No wonder, the word sabr, which means patience, and its derivatives occur more than 100 times in the Qur’an. Indeed, God makes admittance into heaven the proper reward He grants His servants who are patient in adversity, as He says:
‘Today I have rewarded them for their patience in adversity. Indeed it is they who have achieved triumph’.
(23: 111)
Thus, In the great competition we enter, which is life itself, winning and losing are determined by the measure of our patience and the choice we make.
