Patience
Translated by Dr. Faheem Bukhatwa
In the name of Allah
most Gracious most Merciful.
Thanks be to Allah, the
Lord of the worlds. Peace and prayers be upon the
most honorable of all messengers Mohammad; and all his folks, companions, and
followers to the day they are all summoned together.
On a previous Friday the talk
was about the night journey the journey to the higher heavens of the messenger
(PPBU). This week the talk is also about the night journey but from another
prospective.
"Messengers before you were
believed, they remained patient for being belied, and they were hurt until our
support got to them. And no changing to Allah's words." An3am, ayah 34.
Allah's traditions and laws showed that the prophets and those who emulated
them are the most that were tested. And patience is the refuge of all those
who were tests in all time and place.
What is patience? Do we need
to be patient? What are the types of patience? And where do we stand from it?
Well, patience: is holding or
limiting ones self to what the Islamic law specifies within our minds. Such
that we realise that we are unaware of Allah's wisdom in his fate and his
actions. Allah says: {You may hate something and yet there is good in it for
you, and you may love something and yet it is bad for you. And Allah knows and
you do not know.} Baqara 216.
And in what way say, such
that we do not over take what Allah told his close ones when a calamity
strikes: {and those that when a disaster hits them they say: We belong to
Allah, and to Allah we shall return.} Baqara156.
And in other senses such that
they do not show dissatisfaction, the messenger PPBU said: {They are not part
of us those who hit their faces, and tear up their garments, and make ignorant
slogans (meaning when a disaster strikes). Their reward declines. And patience
is at the initial chock.}
The next question: are we in
need for patience?
1) Yes, because this
worldly life is full of tests, disasters, gloom, misery and anguish, tough for
the hearts and bodies. Jacob PBU lost his eyesight because of too much crying
due to the loss of his son Joseph. He only survived by taking refuge to Allah
and by being patient.
2) We are in need for
patience because what Allah wants is going to happen regardless. What Allah
wants will be, and what he does not want, will not be. And who are you to
object to Allah's decisions and decrees. Allah says as the messenger reported
to us: {My slave, you want and I want, and only what I want shall be. If you
accept what I want, I will grant you what you want. But if you do not accept
what I want I shall make you struggle for what you want, and still only what I
want shall be.}
Now, the types of patience:
1) Patience for acts of
obedience: our relationship with Allah is not a relationship based on days, or
seasons, like those who know Allah only during Ramadan. Such that when Ramadan
is over, they go like animals to their urges and desires. The more a slave
becomes patient towards obedience, the more he loves the obedience. The
messenger said: {Shall I guide you to what Allah uses to wipe off sins, and
elevates the person levels: complete the wado despite the undesired, the
plentiful steps to the mosques, and the waiting for the next prayer after a
prayer. That is the link, That is the link.}
Acts of obedience at each of
the following moments:
a- Before the act: Such that
the intention is purely for Allah.
b- During the act: Such one
does not become lazy or disinterested.
c- After the act: Such the
individual does not do it as a favor to someone else, nor seeks to impress
someone else.
2) Patience towards
abstaining from doing sins. This includes all sinful acts committed by or
through vision, spoken through the tong, the stomach such that no Haram food
is allowed into it, and for the sexual organs not to be indulged into
adultery.
It was reported that some
Muslim used to light a candle and places his finger on top of the flame and
says: {feel this, feel this, didn't you do such and such sin? And didn't you
do such and such sin?}
3) Patience against
calamities and disasters: A Muslim must be certain that Allah's written fate
upon his slaves.
Prophet Ayoob PBU tested in
himself, his son and his money. And his wife asks him to ask Allah to remove
the damage and to solve his problems. But he says: "How long had we enjoyed
healthy life?" she says "60 years." He says: "I would be so embarrassed to ask
my God for good health unless we go through the same length of time in
sickness as we did in health."
Health is years, and sickness
is days. Good life is years and disasters are only days that all come to pass
and becomes history.
And finally question of where
do we stand with patience?
We must be certain that
winners at the end are the patient and God fearing people. Joseph PBU had his
brothers conspire against him, he remained patient. They dropped him into the
well, but he remained patient. He was sold as a slave (and he is the free one)
and he remained patient. He worked as a servant (and he should have been
served) and he remained patient. He was accused in his honor and he was the
purest but and he remained patient. He was imprisoned and he was the innocent
and he remained patient. Allah delivered him to the highest status, being
sought out by people for their supplies, making his brothers come to him in
need of him when they tried to kill him in the past.
Dear brothers, remember that
no patience unless it is accompanied by certainty of belief in Allah and his
wisdom and justice. Certainty and belief in the day after and when everyone is
brought to account and everyone are rewarded. The messenger PPBU said: {Any
believing slave who is stricken with a disaster, if he says as Allah ordered
to be said: "To Allah we belong, and to Allah we shall return", Allah, reward
me for my calamity, and bring me good after it, then Allah will do so}. And
some of the known duaa used the messenger PPBU is: {Oh, Allah I ask you the
certainty that lightens for me the calamities of this worldly life}.
Notes:
-
Aya (or Ayah): is a verse
of the Koran.
-
Arafa (or Arafa or Arafat): is a
mountain
that represents the climax of the Hajj worship. All doing Hajj must stay at
this location on the same day.-
Duaa: a prayer
in the form of
talking to Allah; praising him and asking him for help.
Ferdose:
is the highest
level of the all the gardens of Eden or paradise.
Hadeeth:
is something
reported
that the messenger said. It includes all the speeches and ceremonies he
gave. It is usually narrated or told by
one
of
his companions. There is a list of hadeeths approximately 14000 that are
reported and checked to be genuine.
No more hadeeths are acceptably added to
this list.
Hijra:
the event of the immigration of the messenger from Mekkah to Madina. This
event marks the start of the Islamic calendar. the Islamic calendar has 12
months based on the lunar cycle. Hijra is also used as a name for the
Islamic dating system.
Iman:
belief
Jihad:
is striving in the
line
of Allah in many forms. Includes a very wide scope varying from improving
oneself to fighting a defensive war in protection
of Allah's word.
Khalifa: is the Muslim ruler. Head
of the Islamic empire. Exact translation: "Successor".
Madinah: A city in the Arabian
peninsula
(known now as Saudi Arabia). A city where the messenger had to immigrate to.
Mekka:
is the holiest Mosque for Muslims. Some say it was first built by Adam, and
some say Ibraham. It is where all Muslims face in their daily prayers.
Nafilah:
a voluntary prayer
other than the five obligatory prayers; performed by a believer.
Ommah:
is the Arabic word for a
nation. It usually refers to the
Islamic nation unless otherwise specified.
PPBU:
Peace and Prayers Be Upon him.
Qadr (night of Qadr):
The night when the
first revelation of the Koran took place. Most likely it happened during in
the ten nights of the month of Ramadan.
Sunna: is the way the Messenger PPBU lived, did or said. It includes the way
he dressed, ate, drank, prayed, interacted with other people and fought.
Basically, sunnah is the life style of the messenger PPBU. It is considered
the second source of legislation in Islamic laws and it is considered an
important reference to be used for concluding arguments and disputes
.
