Beautiful Patience

[FADIA BINT ISMAIL]

Patience is related to calamities since we exercise patience over things that are hard on us; whereas, Jamaal or beauty is related to things that we like. The glue that joins the two is imaan or faith in the afterlife. Once a person reaches the level where hereafter overshadows the desires and comforts of this world, he is enabled to exercise beautiful patience.

 

When A Person Is In Vigilant State

And His Faith Is Alive In His Heart,

He Understands Who Has Ordained The Situation For Him,

And That This Situation Is Ordained For A Purpose.

 

This allows the person to look at his condition not as a calamity but as a reward because “Allah never takes except to give.” This giving is in the form of qualities such as contentment, happiness, tranquility, ability to forgive etc.

 

Example

We have the story of a pious early Muslim woman who while walking on the road fell and broke her leg. People heard it snap and came rushing to her aid only to find her smiling and thanking Allah. They were confounded at this and asked her how she was able to do this while being in such agony. She replied saying that she remembered the promise of RasulAllah SAW:

 

“No Tiredness, Exhaustion, Worry, Grief, Distress Or Harm

Befalls A Believer In This World,

Not Even A Thorn That Pricks Him,

But Allah Expiates Some Of His Sins Thereby.”

 

This is beautiful patience, the ability to smile while suffering; and she was able to do it because she was focused on her hereafter, not her current situation.

 

Key Ingredient

 

The key ingredient here is Iman; it is Iman that allows one to remember the bounty of Allah and to remain focused on who is allowing the situation to happen and why; and to forget the actual calamity-thus granting him the ability to display this beautiful patience which Allah has called the greatest good fortune:

Chapter 41 Surah Fussilat

 

 

 

And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint- none but persons of the greatest good fortune. [Verse:35]

 

 

 

Bilal RA, the moad’hin of RasulAllah SAW left a legacy of patience and endurance for all believers. He was inquired by the Prophet SAW as to how he smiles while others around him cry for his suffering and torture; he said:

 

Every Time I Put

The Torture The Unbelievers Inflict On Me On One Side Of The Scale

And Put The Bounty Of Guidance On The Other,

I Forget My Pain.

By This Way, If The Eyes Are On The Prize,

The Suffering Becomes Meaningless.

 

Ayub AS’s patience is renowned in all spiritual traditions. He endured immense suffering and loss for eighteen years and when his wife encouraged him to ask Allah to alleviate his suffering he refused saying he is shy to ask Allah for short term relief after enjoying His immense bounties for many years of his life and that he would rather be patient.

 

Chapter 70 Surah Maarij

 

 

Therefore, [O Believer,]

Endure All Adversity With Goodly Patience:

Behold, Men Look Upon That [Reckoning]

As Something Far Away–but, We See It As Near!

(Verses:5,6,7)

 

Allah is consoling His prophet SAW and the believers saying that things that appear far to people are in reality very near which is the Day of Judgment when all matters will be reflected and settled in their true light.

 

Allah is telling us that this life is like a blink of an eye compared to the hereafter so it is really the afterlife that deserves our attention and not the fleeting occurrences of this world. If we remember the hereafter, we forget our calamities but if we forget the hereafter then the calamities seem massive and it is hard to be patient.

 

We Can Compare The Afterlife To The Destination Of A Traveler;

If The Traveler Is Excited About Reaching His Destination,

The Traveling Hardships Appear Insignificant.

But If He Is Dreading His Destination,

Every Moment And Experience On The Way Seems Unbearable.

 

If we have Iman in the hereafter and trust in Allah who is the orchestrator of our lives, then we will be able to demonstrate the beautiful patience that Allah expects from believers; but if we lose the faith and trust, we will lose the patience as well. This needs to apply not only in our relationship with Allah but our day to day ventures as well.

 

When We Think With Our Minds Instead Of Trusting

The One Who Ordained The Situations, The All-wise And Just Allah,

We Become Weak And Lose Control Of Ourselves;

But If We Trust In Allah,

Then He Will Grant Us The Ability

To Handle Whatever Allah Sends Our Way.

 

“Wondrous Are The Believer’s Affairs.

For Him There Is Good In All His Affairs,

And This Is So Only For The Believer.

When Something Pleasing Happens To Him,

He Is Grateful, And That Is Good For Him;

And When Something Displeasing Happens To Him,

He Is Patient, And That Is Good For Him.”