Part 9

‘\ If:Ghada’s people wish me dead, so be it

** Aba Nu‘aym, vol. 8, pg. 192

The Virtues of Patience

By Allah, I have never begrudged the beloved’s wish! I am like a slave to them: J cannot object.

The point here is that the Prophet (4%) enjoined ibn ‘Abbas to work deeds while in state of contentment if he was able to. If not,

he said, “If you are unable, know that great good lies in bearing with patience what you dislike,” this then proves that being content with decrees that are hard to bear is not an obligation but rather a recommendation, a state of excellence. Whoever is unable to be content must instead be patient. Patience is obligatory, it must be

present, and it contains great good. Allah, Most High, has commanded patience and promised a great reward for it: ,

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“Give good news to the patient: —_ who, when disaster strikes them, say, ‘We belong to Allah and to Him we will return.’ Those are the people who will have blessings and mercy from their Lord; they are the ones who are guided.”””

HEARTFELT ADVICE TO A FRIEND

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“Give Pood news to.the humble hearted, whose hearts quake at the mention of Allah, and who are patient in

the face of all that happens to them.””

al-Hasan said, ‘The state of contentment is rare, but patience is the recourse of the believer.” Sulayman al-Khawas said, “The station of patience is bélow that of contentment. Contentment is that a person, before the onset of tribulation, is content whether it is present or not. Patience i is that a person, after the onset of

tribulation, bears it steadfastly.’

The differer between patience and contentment is that patience is to restrain the soul and to prevent it from displeasure while sensing discomfort or pain.*? Contentment necessitates

* Sabr. to refrain and withhold. Raghib said, ‘It is to withhold the soul as determined by the Legal Law and the intellect.’ Jahiz said that it is a quality made up of sobriety and courage and Munawi said that it was the ability to face disturbing and painful circumstances, both physical and mental. It is to withhold the soul from misery and displeasure, the tongue from complaining and the limbs from derangement; it is to remain firm upon the laws of Allah in all circumstances and to face adversity with the best of conduct.

Ibn Hibban, Rawdatu’l-Ugala’, pp. 126-128, said, ‘It is obligatory upon the intelligent, in the beginning, to adhere firmly to sabr at the onset of difficulty and when he becomes firm in this he should then move on to the level of contentment (rida). If one has not been nourished with sabr he should adhere firmly to inculcating sabr in himself (asabbur) for that is the first stages of rida.

The Virtues of Patience

that the heart readily accept what it is facing and, even if it was to feel some pain at what it is facing, the sense of contentment will lessen it, perhaps even remove it altogether. This is because the heart has felt the soothing breath of certainty and cognisance.”!

This is why a large group of the Salaf such as ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdu’l- ‘Aziz, Fudayl, Abi Sulayman and ibn al-Mubirak would say, ‘The person who is content does not desire a state other than the one he is in whereas the patient does.’ This state of being is reported

from a group of the Companions, amongst whom were ‘Umar and ibn Mas‘id.

‘Abdu’l-‘Aziz ibn Aba Ruwwad said, ‘Amongst the Children of Israel there was a devout worshipper who saw a dream in which he

If a man was to have sabr, truly would |; noble; for sabris the fount of all good and the foundation of all obedience... The stages leading to it are concern (thtimam), awakening (tayakkug), examination and circumspection (sathabbul), and fasabbur, after it comes rida and that is the peak of the spiritual stations... sabris displayed in three matters: sabr from sin; sabr upon obedience; and sabr

in the face of adversity and calamity.’ cf. Ibn al-Qayyim, Madarijj al-Salikin, vol.

*' Rida: the opposite of displeasure and malcontent. Jurjani said that it referred to the joy of the heart at the occurrence of the decree. Ibn al-Qayyim, Madarij, vol. 2, pg. 185 mentioned that it is the tranquillity of the heart in the face of the vicissitudes of the decree and the firm knowledge that it has that Allah would only that which is good for it.

Bayhaqi, Shu‘ab #209 records that ibn Mas‘iid (radiyAllabu ‘anhu) said, ‘Rida is that you not please the people at the expense of the displeasure of Allah; that you not praise anyone for the provision Allah has granted you; and that you not blame anyone for that which Allah has not given you. The grant of provision is not dictated by the avarice of a person and neither is it withheld because of the aversion of another. By Allah’s justice and knowledge did He

place relief and joy in certainty and contentment, and worry and distress in

HEARTFELT ADVICE TOA FRIEND

was told that so-and-so would be his wife in Paradise. So he went to her as a guest for three nights to see what she did. She would sleep while he prayed by night and she would eat while he fasted. When he left her, he asked her about the greatest deed she felt she did. She replied, “I do no more than what you have seen except that I have one quality: If I am in trying times, I do not want to be in times of ease. If I am ill, I do not wish to be healthy. If Iam hungry, I do not wish to be full. And if I am in the sun, I do not wish to be in the shade.” He said, “By Allah, this is a quality that

is beyond the reach of the servants!’”

Therefore, in summary, patience is obligatory and must be present. Beyond patience there is displeasure and malcontent and whoever is displeased at the decree of Allah, his lot will be displeasure. Moreover, the pain he will face and the malice of his enemies will be far greater than his despair, just as one of them said,

ing, Albani, 7akhrij al-Nasa’i and Arna‘at.

* cf. Khattabi, Sha’n al-Du'‘G, pg. 132

The Virtues of Patience

Despair not at any mishap that befalls Allow not the malice of the enemy free hold People, through patience will you see your hopes

When you meet the opposing army, stand firm!

The Prophet (8) said, “Whoever inculcates patience in himself, Allah will grant him patience. Allah has not granted anyone a gift better and more expansive than patience.”

‘Umar said, ‘The best times of our lives have been those accompanied by patience.’ ‘Ali said, ‘Patience with respect to faith

is like the head with respect to the body: a person who has no patience has no faith.””

al-Hasan said, ‘Patience is one of the treasures of Paradise. Allah only confers it to those He ennobles.’ Maymiin ibn Mihran said, ‘No Prophet or anyone else has ever attained good except through patience.’ Ibrahim al-Taymi said, ‘Allai_ 9s not gift a servant with patience at harm, patience at tribulation and patience at calamity except that He has conferred on him the best [gift] after faith in

Allah, Mighty and Magnificent.’ He derived this from the saying of Allah, Most High,

* Bukhari #1469-6470, Muslim #1053 on the authority of Abi Sa‘id al-Khudri *% Bukhari as a ta'‘liq report. Ibn Hajr, Fath, vol. 11, pg. 309, said, ‘Ahmad, Kitab al-Zubd (#117), provided a complete chain to Mujahid who said that “Umar

said...’ and it is sahih.’ It is also recorded by ibn al-Mubarak, a-Zuhd #630, Waki’, al-Zuhd #198

* Ibn Abi Shaybah, a/-/man #130, Waki‘ #199, Bayhaqi, Shu‘ab #40, Aba

Suyiti, a/-Jami‘ #5136 ruled it da‘if,

HEARTFELT ADVICE TOA FRIEND

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in battle. Those are the people who are true. They are

the people who have fag —

‘Umar ibn “Abdu’l-‘Aziz said, ‘Allah does not grant a blessing to a person only to take it away, leaving patience in its place, except that the replacement was better than what was removed.’ Then

7 1 Soh £2 Gears Oe grees 3 Ls} “The patient will be paid their wages in full without

The Virtues of Patience

One of the righteous would have a piece of paper which he kept in his pocket. Every hour he would look at it and read it. Written therein were the words,

“So wait _— for the fslomaae of your Lord - you are certainly before Our eyes.”

Beautiful patience is a servant’s keeping his tribulation to himself and not telling anyone about it. Allah, Most High says,

“But beauty lies in patience.”*"

In exegesis to this, a group of the Salaf said that it referred to patience that was not accompan by any form of complaint.”

Ahnaf ibn Qays had lost his sight for forty years, yet he told no one. ‘Abdu’l-‘Aziz ibn Abi Ruwwad became blind in one eye for twenty years, then, one day, his son looked at him carefully and said, ‘Father, one of your eyes is blind!’ He replied, “Yes my son, for the past twenty years have I been content with Allah.” Imam Ahmad would never complain of any illness that afflicted him to anyone. It was mentioned to him that Mujahid would dislike moaning while ill, so he stopped doing it and never did so till the