Patience,
Perseverance and Endurance
To
succeed in establishing in his soul beautiful qualities, such as
patience, perseverance, endurance, the Muslim must absolutely resort
to various verses of the Holy Quran and explicit Hadiths on the
subject. Certainly the Holy Quran gives us clear examples that make
us think, to boost us to take this path and succeed. Without
patience, perseverance and endurance, the believer will not succeed
in opening himself spiritually to the understanding of religion - in
this case, Islam - and the essence of faith in itself.
Our
Lord, Allah (swt) tells us in the Holy Qur’an:
“Give
good tidings to the patient, those who, when disaster strikes them,
say, ‘Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.’
Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy.
And it is those who are the [rightly] guided.”
(Al-Baqara 2 : 156-158).
“O
you who believe! Persevere in patience and constancy; vie in such
perseverance; strengthen each other; and fear Allah; that you may
prosper.” (Al-Imran 3 : 201).
“We
will surely give those who were patient their reward according to the
best of what they used to do.” (An-Nahl, 16 : 97).
“Be
patient, your patience is not but from Allah.” (An-Nahl
16 : 128).
“Bear
anything that happens to you steadfastly, for this is firmness (of
purpose) in (the conduct of) affairs.” (Luqman, 31 :
18).
“And
We made from among them leaders guiding by Our command when they were
patient and [when] they were certain of Our signs.”
(Al-Sajda 32 : 25).
“The
patient will be given their reward without account.”
(Az-Zumar, 39 : 11).
These
are some blessed verses from the Holy Qur’an that God the Exalted
has sent down to humanity for all times. They show that where
patience and endurance prevail, success is a sure cure. To these two
elements forming the character of man, we must certainly add faith
and piety as a whole. It is then that the divine blessing falls. For
Allah (swt) reminds the Ummah
through the Qur’anic verses of the value of patience and endurance.
Indeed,
among the virtues that constitute the adornment of a Muslim, there is
patience and endurance. These two elements, adopted with conviction
help to combat the harm of others for the sake of Allah. Patience is
simply the constraint of the soul to accept what is repugnant to it
and to endure with impassivity, with constancy the evil that reaches
it.
In
times of trials, Muslims and especially my disciples of the Jamaat Ul
Sahih Al Islam must restrain themselves and persevere in the
accomplishment of good deeds and become models of virtues. You must
not be alarmed or irritated or angry. On the contrary, you must have
complete trust in Allah. Remember that the difficulties you are
experiencing are only trials that you must overcome for the sake of
Allah. These are tests, exams that God makes you undergo to bring out
your true value and your true faith.
Remember
that bad manners are simply evils for an event already past. You must
stay away from all evil that can separate you from God. Remember that
your mission is to get closer to God, and to bring people together in
the way of God so that they too receive the same divine blessings as
you did.
What
has happened has already passed. It’s the past. You must now build
your future on solid foundations, and strengthen your bond with
Allah. And for that, patience and endurance in difficult times is de
rigueur. Then think of a healthy and spiritual future, devoid of
anything harmful to your physical, mental, and spiritual health, by
putting you completely to the Creator because it is in this
submission that there is your salvation.
Keep
in mind that anger does not solve anything. On the contrary, the
situation degenerates, and very often the believer loses patience and
hope. So, you have to restrain yourself without reserve. All that
happens to the human being here on earth is only temporary. This is
just a test/ trial that you must pass to earn your pass for the
afterlife. To fall prey to anger and to be trapped in the evils of
this world is only an insult to the Almighty God. Do not despair.
Despair brings only anxiety and a lack of confidence in the Almighty.
Whatever the trial affecting the individual, especially the Muslim,
he must be comforted by the souvenir/ remembrance of Allah (swt) and
have the pure and pious conviction that it is HIM and HIM ONLY who
grants what He desires.
There is no better example of human patience
than in the story of Hazrat Ayub (as), prophet Job. Indeed, the life
of this prophet of Allah is simply a model for all humanity. The
trial of Hazrat Ayub (as) lasted eighteen years (18 years) through
the most atrocious diseases. Faced with any ordeal, the comfort of
the Muslim comes from his rapprochement with Allah (swt). It is to
Him that we must turn to seek help, comfort, relief, patience,
endurance, well-being. Whatever the problem, there is no alternative
but to ask the Creator for all His help. And the best way is to
sacrifice oneself by putting oneself before Him during the
Salat-ul-Tahajjud,
an hour of tranquillity, serenity, solitude, and a most blessed
rendezvous with your Creator. This is the best time to talk to your
Rab and
seek refuge with Him, while prostrating and pouring out all your pain
or worries before Him, and delivering to Him also all your joy and
your hope for your future on this earth and in the hereafter. It is a
special moment where you can devote yourself to glorifying Allah.
“Seek
help through patience and prayer.” (Al-Baqara
2: 46, 154).
According
to verses 46 and 154 of the Surah Al-Baqara of the Holy Qur’an, it
is defined that perseverance, patience and endurance are part of the
heart’s duties. These elements are considered as catalysts to slow
down the soul and to force it to bear what opposes its inclinations
or to abandon its pleasures. These three human values can be
classified into different movements.
-
To be patient while keeping away from what Allah has forbidden.
-
Endure in difficulties and hardships
-
Persevere in the practice of what Allah has made obligatory.
Our
beloved Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) said:
“Whosoever
would be chaste and modest; Allah will keep him chaste and modest and
whosoever would seek self-sufficiency, Allah will make him
self-sufficient; and whosoever would be patient, Allah will give him
patience, and no one is granted a gift better and more comprehensive
than patience.” (Bukhari, Muslim).
“Strange
are the ways of a believer for there is good in every affair of his
and this is not the case with anyone else except in the case of a
believer for if he has an occasion to feel delight, he thanks (God),
thus there is a good for him in it, and if he gets into trouble and
shows resignation (and endures it patiently), there is a good for him
in it.” (Muslim).
The
spiritual value of these three key elements that form the character
of a Muslim:
-
Perseverance: To compel the soul to apply the religious obligations that Allah has ordained, for example: the permitted and forbidden hours for the Salat, the month fixed for the Sawm, i.e., obligatory fasting, the fixed month for the Hajj, among others.
- Patience: Prevent the soul from committing what Allah has forbidden. This requires a very great effort to constrain one’s soul and hold it to commit forbidden things. Example: Being lazy and avoiding Salat, seeking excuses so as not to fast for Ramadan, to find excuses not to pay Zakat, to consume alcohol, to indulge in games of chance, among others. Therefore, to be patient means to remain faithful to one’s faith throughout one’s life for Allah’s sake despite the mountains of hardship and difficulties and to trust Him in what He has decreed for the believer.
- Endurance: To endure the difficulties with regard to what disturbs one’s soul: suffering, evil, difficulties of all sorts, sadness because of problems, a death, among others. To think at all times that life on earth is indeed the abode of adversity and trials, as well as the abode of labour, while the hereafter is the abode of the settlement of accounts.
May
Allah help each of us to become models of patience, perseverance and
endurance for His pleasure. The more patience and endurance we
experience in all situations of life, in our material and spiritual
life, the more we will reap the help, pleasure, and love of Allah.
Allah tests us and it is up to us to pass the test of faith. It is
incumbent upon us to make God, our Allah proud of us, proud of His
creatures whom He loves with infinite love. Insha-Allah,
Ameen.
----Friday Sermon of 31 August 2018 (19 Dhul-Hijjah 1439 AH) delivered by Hadhrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius.