Different degrees of patience
The kinds of patience which relate to resisting whims and desires can be graded
according to how strong and effective they are. There are three degrees of patience in this
respect:
1. The motive of religion is strongest in controlling and defeating the whims and desires.
This level of control can only be achieved through consistent patience, and those who
reach this level are victorious in this life and in the hereafter. They are the ones “who
say, ‘Our Lord is Allâh’” (Fussilât 41:30). These are the ones to whom, at the moment
of death, the angels say, “Fear not!…Nor grieve! But receive the Glad Tidings of the
Garden (of Bliss), that which you were promised! We are your protectors in this life
and the Hereafter.” (Fussilât 41:30-31). They are the ones who enjoy the
companionship of Allâh, and who strive in the way of Allâh. They are the ones whom
Allâh has guided to the exclusion of others.
2. When whims and desires prevail, the religious motive is diminished. The doomed
person will surrender totally to Shaytân and his forces, who will lead him wherever they
want. His relationship with them will be either of two possibilities. Either he will become
their follower and a soldier in their army, which is the case of the weak person, or
Shaytân will become a weapon for him, and one of his soldiers, which is the case of the
strong person who rebels against Allâh. Those people are the ones whose misfortune has
overtaken them, as they preferred this world to the Hereafter. The main reason for their
sorry fate is that they ran out of patience. The major characteristic of these people is that
they lie and cheat, indulge in wishful thinking and self-admiration, delay doing good
deeds, and prefer instant gains in this world to lasting gains in the Hereafter. These are
the people to whom the Prophet (SAAS) referred when he said: “The helpless man is the
one who follows his whims and desires, and indulges in wishful thinking.”
These unfortunate people are of several types. Some of them declare war against Allâh
and His Messenger, trying to destroy what the Prophet (SAAS) brought, pushing people
away from the way of Allâh, and spreading corruption on earth. Some are interested
solely in their worldly interests. Some are two faced hypocrites who try to ingratiate
themselves with everybody and gain something from every situation. Some are
promiscuous, and devote their entire life to the pursuit of physical pleasure. Some, if they
are warned, say that they would dearly love to repent, find it too difficult and plead they
have no chance. Some say that Allâh does not need their prayers and fasting, that they
will not attain salvation by virtue of their deed, and that they will rely on the fact that
Allâh is Merciful. Some of them claim that refraining from committing wrong actions is
like undermining the forgiveness of Allâh. Some will say, “What good could my worship
do after all the wrong actions I have committed? What can help a drowning man if his
fingers are above water and the rest of his body is submerged?” Some say that they will
repent when death approaches…
So many excuses, all because their whims and desires control their reason, and they use
their reason, in turn, to find ways of fulfilling those desires. Their reason is held prisoner
by the Shaytân, and put to work to serve his evil purposes, just as Muslim prisoners-ofwar may be
abused by the kâfirûn and forced to look after pigs, make wine or carry the cross. The
man who suppresses his reason and puts it under the control of the enemy (Shayân) is like
the one who seizes a Muslim and hands him over to the kâfirûn to imprison him.
3. There is a war that is raging between the motives of reason and religion, and the
motives of whims and desires. Sometimes one prevails, sometimes the other gains the
upper hand. The pattern of victories for either side varies. This is the situation in the case
of most believers, who mix good deeds and bad deeds.
People’s ultimate fate in the Hereafter will correspond to the three situations outlined
above. Some people will enter Paradise and never enter Hell, some will enter Hell and
never enter Paradise, and some will enter Hell for some time before they are admitted to
Paradise.
Different strengths of patience
Some people cannot have patience without struggling and facing many difficulties.
Others are able to have patience easily. The first type is like a man who wrestles with a
strong man and cannot beat him with the utmost effort. The second type is like a man
who wrestles with a weak man and beats him easily. Such is the war between the soldiers
of ar-Rahmân and the soldiers of Shaytân. Whoever defeats the soldiers of Shaytân can
defeat Shaytân himself. ‘Abdullâh ibn Mas‘ûd narrated: “A man wrestled with one of the
jinn, and beat him, then asked, ‘Why are you so weak and small?’ The jinn answered, ‘I
am very big and strong compared to the rest of the jinn.’” Someone asked ‘Abdullah ibn
Mas‘ûd, “Was that man, ‘Umar?” and he replied, “Who else could it have been?”
Some of the Sahâbah said, “A believer whips the Shaytân like the way a person whips his
camel when he is travelling.”
Ibn Abi’d-Dunyâ narrated from some of the salaf that one shaytân met with another, and
asked him why he was so thin. The other shaytân replied, “Because I am a with a man
who mentions the name of Allâh when he eats, so I cannot eat with him, and he mentions
the name of Allâh when he drinks, so I cannot drink with him. When he enters his home
he mentions the name of Allâh, so I stay outside.” The first shaytân said, “But I am with a
man who does not mention the name of Allâh when he eats, so I eat with him. He does
not mention the name of Allâh when he drinks, so I drink with him. When he enters his
home he does not mention the name of Allâh, so I enter with him.”
So whoever develops the habit of patience is feared by his enemies, and whoever finds
patience difficult is in danger, as his enemy will readily dare to attack him and do him
harm.
When patience is needed
Patience is required in the following areas of life:
1. In worshipping Allâh and following His commands,
2. In abstaining from wrong actions,
3. In accepting Allâh’s decree and ruling (qadâ’ wa qadr). This is the advice given to
Luqmân when he told his son:
“O my son! establish regular prayer, enjoin what is just and forbid what is wrong;
and bear with patient constancy whate’er betide you; for this is firmness (of
purpose) in (the conduct of) affairs.” (Luqmân 31:17)
Enjoining what is just includes doing good oneself, and forbidding what is wrong
includes abstaining from wrong action oneself.
Patience in worshipping Allâh
Patience in worshipping Allâh and carrying out His instructions means that you perform
the prescribed acts of worship regularly and do so sincerely and with knowledge.
Worship that is not performed regularly is of no value. Even if worship is performed
regularly, there are two dangers. Firstly, we risk losing our sincerity, if the motive for
performing prayers is not to please Allâh and draw closer to Him. So to protect our
worship we must make sure that we are sincere. Secondly, we must be sure never to
deviate from the way of the Prophet (SAAS), so we have to ensure that our worship is
done according to the Sunnah.
Patience in abstaining from wrong action
This type of patience can be achieved through the fear of the punishment which follows
the wrong action, or through a feeling of hayâ’ (shyness or shame) before Allâh for using
His blessings in committing wrong actions. That feeling of hayâ’ before Allâh can be
strengthened through learning more about Allâh and knowing more about His names and
attributes. Hayâ’ is a characteristic of people who are noble and possess good qualities,
so the person who refrains from wrong action because of hayâ’ is better than the one who
abstains because of fear. Hayâ’ indicates that a person is mindful of Allâh and His might.
The person whose deterrent is the fear of Allâh has his thoughts focused on the
punishment. The fearful person’s main concern is himself and how to save himself from
the punishment, whereas the “shy” person’s main concern is Allâh and His Glory. Both
have attained the status of îmân, but the “shy” person has attained ihsân, a higher status
of îmân, in which he conducts himself as if he can see Allâh, and so his heart is filled
with hayâ’.
The reason why it is so important for a believer to abstain from wrong action is because
he must protect his îmân, as wrong action decreases îmân or extinguishes it. The Prophet
(SAAS) said, “When the adulterer commits adultery he is not a believer, and when the
winebibber drinks
alcohol he is not a believer and when the thief steals he is not a believer. The believer
should abstain from many permitted actions in case they may lead to that which is
forbidden.”
Patience at times of trial and adversity
Patience during difficult times may be achieved by:
1. thinking of the good reward that lies ahead. The more you believe in the rewards that
are waiting for you, the easier it becomes to have patience. If it were not for the
anticipation of the rewards, no goals or objectives pertaining to this life or the hereafter
would have been achieved. Human nature loves instant gratification, but reason and
maturity make us think of the long term outcome, which helps to strengthen our patience
in enduring whatever faces us, whether there is no choice or otherwise;
2. expecting and hoping for a time of ease. This hope in itself offers a measure of
immediate relief;
3. thinking of Allâh’s countless blessings. When we realize that we cannot enumerate the
blessings of Allâh, it becomes easier for us to exercise patience in facing the current
adversity, because the present troubles are like a raindrop compared to vast ocean of
Allâh’s blessings and favours;
4. thinking of previous blessings of Allâh. This will remind us of Allâh’s care, and
strengthen our hopes ad expectations of a time of ease to come.