Patience and Gratitude By Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah An abridgement of his original work entitled, “Uddat as-Sâbireen wa Dhâkirat ash-Shâkireen”: Chapter 1.1

Sabr is an Arabic word which comes from a root meaning to detain, refrain and stop.
There is an expression in Arabic, “so-and-so was killed sabran,” which means that he
was captured and detained until he died. In the spiritual sense, patience means to stop
ourselves from despairing and panicking, to stop our tongues from complaining, and to
stop our hands from striking our faces and tearing our clothes at times of grief and stress.
What scholars have said about patience
Some scholars have defined patience as a good human characteristic or a positive
psychological attitude, by virtue of which we refrain from doing that which is not good.
Human beings cannot live a proper, healthy life without patience.
Abû ‘Uthmân said: “the one who has patience is the one who trained himself to handle
difficulties.” ‘Amr ibn ‘Uthmân al-Makkî said: “Patience means to keep close to Allâh
and to accept calmly the trials He sends, without complaining or feeling sad.” AlKhawwas said: “Patience means to adhere to the rules of the Qur’ân and Sunnah.”
Another scholar said: “Patience means to refrain from complaining.” ‘Alî ibn Abî Tâlib
said: “Patience means to seek Allâh’s help.”
Is it better to have patience at the time of difficulty, or to be in a situation which does not
require patience?
Abû Muhammad al-Harirî said: “Patience means not seeing any difference between times
of ease and times of hardship, and being content at all times.” I (Ibn Qayyim) say: This is
too difficult, and we are not instructed to be like this. Allâh has created us in such a way
that we feel the difference between times of ease and times of hardship, and all that we
can do is refrain from panicking at times of stress. Patience does not mean feeling the
same at both easy and difficult times. That is beyond us, and is not part of our nature.
Having an easy time is better for us than having a difficult time. As the Prophet (SAAS)
said in his well known du‘â: “If You are not angry with me, then I do not care what
happens to me, but still I would rather have your blessings and your favour.” This does
not contradict the hadîth which says, “No-one has ever been given a better gift than
patience,” because that refers to after a test or trial has befallen a person. But ease is still
better.
Patience and Shakwah (complaint)
Shakwah (complaint) falls into two categories:
The first type means to complain to Allâh, and this does not contradict patience. It is
demonstrated by several of the Prophets, for example, when Ya’qûb (AS) said:
“I only complain of my distraction and anguish to Allâh.” (Yûsuf 12:86)
Earlier, Ya’qûb (AS) had said “sabrun jamîl,” which means “patience is most fitting for
me.” The Qur’ân also tells us about Ayyûb:
“And (remember) Ayyûb (Job), when he cried to his Lord, ‘Truly distress has seized
me…’ ” (Al-Anbiyâ’ 21:83)
The epitome of patience, the Prophet (SAAS), prayed to his Lord: “O Allâh, I complain
to You of my weakness and helplessness.” Mûsâ (AS) prayed to Allâh saying: “O Allâh,
all praise is due to You, and complaint is made only to You, and You are the only One
from Whom we seek help and in Whom we put our trust, and there is no power except by
Your help.” The second type of complaint involves complaining to people, either
directly, through our words, or indirectly, through the way we look and behave. This is
contradictory to patience