Patience, or As-Sabr in Arabic, is one of the
most important character building traits that anyone can possess. Patience is a
key to success. Patience is about belief in one of the 6 articles of Islamic
Faith, Al-Qadha wal-Qadar, or destiny. Patience can also be part of a strategy
for better times or a change of situation, but above all, patience invokes
Allah’s support and assistance. In Surah 8 V46 Allah says: ‘And be patient and
persevering, for Allah is with those who patiently persevere’. But it is more
than that, because in Surah 3 Verse 146, Allah says: ‘And Allah loves those who
persevere patiently’.
These are important Quranic verses denoting
the place that as-Sabr holds in human life from a very spiritual aspect.
Indeed, Islamic life, being a life of complete faith, is all about patience in
matters of faith and our belief in the unknown and unseen. This is one of the
reasons why Allah, subhanahu wa-t`ala says: ‘Surely those who persevere (have
patience) shall be granted their reward beyond all reckoning’. S39 V10
Allah SWT further says: ‘I have rewarded them
this day for their steadfastness (patience) so that they and they alone are
triumphant.’ S23 V111
Our Prophet Muhammad, peace and mercy of
Allah be upon him, highlighted the importance of as-Sabr. In a hadith narrated
by Bukhari and Muslim from Abu Sayeed al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him,
the Prophet says: ‘Whoever seeks to be patient or persevere Allah grants him
patience. No one has ever been granted a gift better and broader than
patience.’
Indeed, the Prophet connects it with
overcoming the difficulties and adversities of life. He says: ‘Victory
(success) comes with patience, release comes after suffering and ease comes
after hardship’.
The Quran repeatedly reminds us that the
fruits of patience include better rewards, greater success, or higher gains
after a loss, and that its practice is the only way forward for us all.
The Prophet further guides believers by
saying: ‘The believers’ affair is all but strange as everything causes goodness
and it only happens to a believer and to none other. If he was blessed with
goodness and he thanks Allah it becomes good for him. And if he was afflicted
with suffering and he is patient it becomes good for him’.
Among Islamic practices, Ramadan, in
particular, puts people to tests of their faith and obligations. It requires
extreme patience and a strong Islamic belief to put aside the necessities and
temptations of life for this period of time.
When it comes to a definition of patience in
Islam, the scholars have broadly categorised it in to three types:
1-
Being
patient and steadfast in the path of obedience to Allah
2-
Being
patient and steadfast in not indulging in that which Allah has refrained us
from.
3-
Being
patient on what affects a person in terms of their destiny (Qadha wal-Qadar) in
matters of daily life.
The first of these is the most difficult to
achieve, encompassing, as it does, both the actual acts of conforming to the
teachings and guidance of Allah (i.e. performing punctually the salaah
obligation or any other Islamic obligations), and of not being negligent about
salaah, while trying to abide by all the requirements of Ibadah.
The second one is about abstaining from
wrongdoing and sinful acts. Resisting temptation requires a strong faith and
dedicated focus. If we refuse to be diverted
from our goal these two elements will contribute immensely to the building of
greater strength into our characters. Abstaining purely for the sake of Allah
is greatly rewarding. Allah is quoted in
this Qudsi hadith: (Narrated from Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him)
the Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, says: Allah said: ‘Every
deed of the children of Adam is for him except the fasting. It is for Me and I
will reward for it. Fasting is a shield. So when it is the fasting day of a
person he then should not engage in obscenity nor in the rowdiness. If anyone
engages him in swearing or fights him, he should say: 'I am fasting’.
‘I am fasting’ is a statement that shows our
patience and steadfastness and demonstrates that we are saying NO to any wrong
response or evil reaction. This statement could be changed into another similar
statement and response, i.e. 'I am a person sincerely engaging with my salaah’,
for the Quran says: ‘And establish prayer. Surely prayer forbids indecency and
evil’. So, if one is tempted by indecency and evil, all he needs to remember
and say to himself is: 'I am a person who prays so I must be steadfast in not
indulging in indecent deeds and idle talk'.
Similarly when a Muslim pays zakat and is
charitable he cannot and should not then
become cruel or stony-hearted towards the poor or people less fortunate than
himself. If he does then he should remind himself that he pays zakat, he is
charitable and all that is for aiding good causes.
When a person returns home from Hajj he is
cleansed of the sins that have not concerned or violated the rights of other
people, and this would be the ideal time for him to declare; 'Under all
circumstances of temptation to evil deeds, I must be steadfast and patient, as I
am cleansed of my sins and I must not engage with those trivialities of life
that I was once engaged with'.
The life of a Muslim believer is a great
blessing. The Quran is full of verses which guide Muslims who believe in their
Lord and the destiny that Allah has determined for them. For reasons of space
this blog cannot cover every aspect of this subject, but there will be more on
it in the future - perhaps a booklet, inshaAllah.
To conclude this article I would offer the
following verses from surah Fussilat and
al-`Asr:
Surah fussilat says:
‘O prophet! Good and evil are not equal.
Repel evil with that which is good and you will see that he, between whom and
you there was enmity shall become as if he were a bosom friend. But none
attains to this except those who are steadfast (patient) none attain to this
except those endowed with mighty good fortune. S41 V34-35
Surah Al-`Asr says:
By the time! Lo man is in a state of loss;
save those who have faith and do righteous deeds and counsel each other to hold
on to truth and counsel each other to be steadfast (patient).S103 V1-3
May Allah grant us all a proper
understanding of the meaning and purpose of As-Sabr and may we all benefit from
it in our lives.
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