Allah *God* is with the Patient
In this stage of seeking tranquility of the heart, we will be building upon the above verse.
When we talked about things we need to know – such as thinking well
of God and trying to understand tests, as well as things to do – such
as connecting to Allah through our salah (prayer), making du`a’
(supplication) – some comments that were received were along the lines
of “I’ve already done that. But it doesn’t seem to be working.”
No doubt, knowing we will face tests and trying to understand the
reason behind them is crucial, because it enables us not to feel
hopeless. However, difficulties sometimes make it hard for us to
continue with the practice of doing things that get us close to God. So
we must seek help not only in prayer, but in aspiring to be of the
patient.
Patience – An Aspiration?
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that patience is a light. (Muslim)
The characteristic of light is that it shows us the way and allows us to see clearly. How does patience do this?
Patience is linked with hope and trust in God. When something bad
happens, we can force ourselves to be patient by reminding ourselves
that with hardship comes ease and that after a period of hardship God
gives relief. We can only be truly patient when we realize that
everything is from God, and that is how everything is illuminated. It is
the opposite of darkness and impatience. Impatience is darkness because
it frustrates us, we can behave rashly and we do not see the wisdom in
the delay. The Prophet said:
“And whoever remains patient, Allah will make him patient. Nobody
can be given a blessing better and greater than patience.” (Al-Bukhari)
Patience is an aspiration because it is not just something that we
do, but rather something that we need to build in ourselves and adapt to
different situations. Its importance is highlighted in the fact that it
has been mentioned in the Quran over ninety times.
We all know that nothing in the Quran is without purpose, so
reflect on the fact that God is reminding us of this characteristic
numerous times. Ali said: “Patience’s position to faith is similar to
the position of the head to the body. If the head is cut off, the body
dies.” Then he raised his voice saying: “There is no faith, for a person
who doesn’t have patience.”
It won’t come easily, because we are humans and get tired. At the
same time, being of the patient is what we aspire to, because when we do
reach that level, God is with us. What does Allah being with us mean?
Imam Ash-Shawkani talks about this and he says God can be with us
in a general sense (as He is with all human beings) and in a specific
sense, which entails a higher level of care and love for those whom He
is with. So when we read “Allah is with the patient,” know that when you
embody the characteristic of patience, Allah is taking care of you in
ways that you cannot even imagine, and that He is with you every step of
the way.
Why Should I Aspire to Be of the Patient? It’s Just Too Hard!
God says in the Quran: {Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account} (Az-Zumar 39:10)
At-Tabari states that you will be given your reward without having
to go through the scale that other people will. Imagine! Another
interpretation is that the reward you will be given is one without
measure – only God knows the greatness of the reward for those who are
patient.
God also says: {And Allah loves the steadfast} (Al-Imran 3: 146)
Remember how we said God treats those He loves? Because He is
Al-Wadud, God’s love is not silent; it will be manifested. Not only will
God love you, but He will show you that love.
Moreover, the Prophet said:
“There is no Muslim who is stricken with a calamity and says what
Allah has enjoined – ‘Verily to Allah we belong and unto Him is our
return. O Allah, reward me for my affliction and compensate me with
something better’ – but Allah will compensate him with something
better.” (Muslim)
Recall the story of Umm Salamah, who was so grief-stricken when her
husband was killed. The Prophet taught her these words and she said
“Who could be better than Abu Salamah?” So God gave her the Prophet.
Does Patience Mean I Just Have to Wait Around?
Sometimes we think being patient means doing nothing. Someone tells
us “be patient!” and we say “give me something practical to do!” but if
patience was not practical, God would not have told this to all of the
Prophets in the Quran. We just need to understand what patience really
is.
Firstly, we need to know that there are different kinds of patience:
Patience with Doing Good
This means perseverance. The Prophet told us:
“Know that with patience comes victory” (At Tirmidhi).
Does this mean victory comes by sitting and waiting for it? Of
course not. The sunnah of the Prophet shows us that this is not the
case, because he strived to do good, and as he persevered (i.e. he was
not impatient in the sense that he expected the result to be immediate)
God gave him victory.
Patiently persevering in doing good takes many forms: it can be
anything that is praiseworthy in the religion – whether it is acts of
worship, our relationships with people, etc. It is sometimes tempting to
return like with like. If someone is rude to us, let’s try to be like
God’s Name As-Sabur (The Patient). Despite all the wrong that we commit,
He is patient with us and does not punish us immediately. If we
appreciate this patience from God, should we not try to have the same
kind of patience with people?
God wants us to strive for this kind of patience. For example, with
the issue of qiyam al-layl (the night prayer), the Prophet has told us:
“Whoever goes to his bed intending to get up and pray at night,
then his eyes overwhelm him and (he sleeps) until morning, the (reward
of) that which he intended will be written for him, and his sleep is a
charity for him given by his Lord.” (An-Nasai & Ibn Majah)
Why did the Prophet tell us this? So that we never give up; we are
patient with our weaknesses and continue to strive. This is what
patience is.
Patience with Stopping Ourselves from Doing Bad
One of the types of people who is given shade on the Day of
Judgment is the person who is tempted into fornication but resists and
says: “I fear Allah!” (Al-Bukhari)
It is much easier to fall into sin. But the one who constantly
prevents himself from doing bad, can be of the people who is beneath the
shade of God. This requires patience and conviction; despite the
hardship, we are doing something that is beloved to God. Nowadays we are
taught to strive to achieve what we want no matter what. Although
having ambition and drive is good, it should not be by compromising our
ethics. We may have to face setbacks now and then, but when we remember
that our aim is for the hereafter and not simply this world, patience is
easier to inculcate.
Patience When Something Bad Happens
The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught us that:
“Patience is at the first stroke of a calamity.” (Al-Bukhari)
It is not easy to bear bad news and not lose it or break down. It
is even harder to prevent ourselves from questioning something that is
so, in our eyes, blatantly bad. Why? But as we said before, there is a
reason for tests. This is why we are taught in the Quran to say: “To
Allah we belong and to Him we return” so that when are afflicted, we
remember that nothing is outside the realm of God’s knowledge, power and
mercy. He knows this is happening, and there is a higher purpose to it.
Examples of Those Who Are Patient
The Prophet is the best example. Despite being exiled from his
home, losing his loved ones, being abused and suffering near starvation,
he never wavered in his character. He was patient in doing good,
patient in refraining from evil even when he was tempted with wealth and
women, and he was patient when afflicted with calamity. All of his
children died in his lifetime except Fatimah. He lost his wife and two
of his uncles whom he loved dearly. Those who followed him were
tortured. Yet he persisted in praying in the night, was described as
always smiling and never hesitated to help people. His patience was in
perseverance and never questioning the will of God.
Look at Prophet Ayyoub (peace be upon him), who was not only
patient with his affliction but he was content! He lost all fourteen of
his children, his wealth and the companionship of the people because of
his disease. Yet when he was asked to supplicate for God to heal him, he
said: “Allah gave me 50 years of blessings, should I not be patient
with the same number of years of hardship?” He never complained of his
illness. Of course, we should always ask God to help us (and Prophet
Ayyoub finally did) but what we should take from this is he wasn’t angry
with God and never questioned His will.
Finally, ‘Urwah ibn Al-Zubair, one of the companions, had to have
his leg amputated. While he was being visited by a friend, he said, “If
you came to give me condolence for the loss of my leg, I already
submitted to God with patience to reward me for its loss.” But the guest
told him: “I came to inform you that your son fell down in a stable,
and the animal stepped over him, and he passed away.” What would be the
response of ‘Urwa of that moment? He said: “O Allah! You took one child,
and left me many…You took one organ from my body, and left me many
organs…O Allah! You tested me with my body, and you were kind to leave
me with good health. You tested me with the loss of my son, but you were
kind in leaving me the rest of my children.”
May we all be of the patient!
Ameen
By: Jinan Bastaki
