According to the Oxford dictionary the
English definition of patience refers to accepting and tolerating problems or
suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious. However, the term patience
translated to Arabic is ‘Sabr’ meaning to control or constrain oneself.
During the month of Ramadan, we control our
desires whether it be food, drinking, sexual relations, etc. We also constrain
ourselves from committing things that have already been made haram to us and
that at time can be more of a struggle.
He cried, “No! Your souls must have tempted
you to do something ˹evil˺. So ˹I am left with nothing but˺ beautiful patience!
I trust Allah will return them all to me. Surely, He ˹alone˺ is the
All-Knowing, All-Wise.” [Quran 12:83]
Furthermore, Ramadan allows us to work on
our patience especially when Allah tests us with calamities. It is important to
always be patient as Allah is with those who are patient, there are time when
it may be hard, and we think why Allah is doing this to me. But that is the
wrong mentality to have, Allah loves those He tests, Allah is testing your
faith in Him and wants you make du’a and rely on him.
“Surely, Allah is with those who are As‑Saabiroon
(the patient)” [Quran 8:46]
There is so much virtue in patience, that
it is both rewarded in this life and the Hereafter, The Messenger of
Allah ﷺ says,
“Never a believer is stricken with a
discomfort, an illness, an anxiety, a grief or mental worry or even the
pricking of a thorn but Allah will expiate his sins on account of his
patience”. [Muslim.]
Allah also says,
Verily! I have rewarded them this Day for
their patience, they are indeed the ones that are successful. [Quran 23:111]
Patience is the foundation of the
believer’s faith which has no other foundation. The one who has no patience has
no faith, and if he has any, then it is only a little faith and it is very
weak, and such a person worships Allah not to the full capacity.
The religion of Allah Most High is 100%
complete and was brought to us by the best of mankind, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ).
Allah Most High used the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) to perfect
this religion of His, meaning that the Prophet (ﷺ) was the
perfect example for us to follow.
The Prophet (ﷺ) taught us
what to do in every stage in life. This is one of the qualities that makes the
religion of Islam very unique and standout from other religions which are
practiced in many parts of the world.
The religion of Islam guides us concerning
what to do as soon as we open our eyes in the morning and throughout the
remainder of the day and night till we close our eyes and go to sleep. For this
and many other reasons the religion of Islam is the most complete.
Not only is this religion complete on
guiding us how to live our lives, but there is accountability – reward for all
the good deeds we do and punishment for all the sins we commit.
I would like to discuss the rewards and
virtues of one particular good deed: Patience. First, let us look at an example
of the Prophet (ﷺ) being patient . The story takes place in the city not far
away from Mecca, known as Ta’if. The Prophet (ﷺ) went there to
preach Islam to the locals. The Prophet (ﷺ) approached
the leaders of Ta’if and called them towards Islam . Not only did the
leaders reject the call to Islam but they reacted in such a way that they set
young children upon the Prophet (ﷺ) to taunt him, stone him and
chase him out of Ta’if . The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) bled till his
footwear was drenched in blood. The Angel Jibra’eel Alayhis Salaam came to the
Prophet (ﷺ) and said, “If you wish, then I will give the order for two angels
to crush the residents of Ta’if between the two mountains in which it lies.”
The Prophet (ﷺ) replied in the negative and said, “I am hopeful that their
descendants will accept Islam.” Allahu Akbar . This was the patience of
the Prophet (ﷺ)
Let’s put ourselves in that position, an
innocent man leaving his young children and wife at home to present the gift of
Islam to strangers; risking life and limb in the hot desert . What would
we do if we had been beaten so severely that our feet were soaking in our
blood? Will we be able to control our anger to the extent that we don’t attempt
to frighten the perpetrators in the slightest or even show them deterring
effects when given complete control and resources to do so?
He (ﷺ) did not have
to turn the other cheek as numerous rocks were hitting both and cutting the
rest of his blessed body also. Showing impeccable foresight, his response was
prayer for the generations to come. Allah be praised.
Patience is of three types:
(i) Patience upon obedience – To be patient
when finding it hard obeying Allah Most High’s rules.
(ii) To be patient when a trouble befalls
you.
(iii) To be patient when finding it hard to
abstain from sins.
Every believer should have the above types
of patience. The Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned in a Hadith that patience is from Allah and hastiness is
from the Devil.
The first type of patience is when obeying
Allah and finding it difficult to do so. For example, waking up early for the
fajr prayers. We should be patient and show gratitude when carrying out these
deeds.
The second type of patience is when a
trouble befalls you. For example, a vehicle accident or the loss of property.
We should be patient at these times.
The third type of patience is when finding
it hard to abstain from sins. For example, when a person listens to music and
then finds out it is not allowed in Islam to listen to music, this person tries
his utmost best to refrain from listening to music, even if he has the urge to
do so.
Being patient is a great virtue and comes
with a great reward.
May Allah Most High accept and reward us
for every good deed we do. And May Allah make us from the patient ones and
those that rely on Him. Ameen
