Patience

[Ismail Dalbani]

Bismillah Ar-RaHaman Ar-RaHeem wa AlHamdu lillahi Rabil ^alameen waSalatu wassalamu ^ala Sayyidina MuHammadin Ashrafil Mursaleen wa Habeebi Rabil ^alameen.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, in one of his hadiths taught us a matter which is very beneficial if we act in accordance with it. The Prophet, peace be upon him, praised the one who has self-restraint by saying that the strong man is not strong due to his ability to knock-down others, rather his strength lies in his ability to exercise self-restraint when he is angry.

Patience is among the obligations of the heart. It is of three kinds:

1. Patience in performing the obligations: This means forcing oneself to perform the obligations, like praying on time, fasting the month of Ramadan, attending the circles of Islamic obligatory knowledge, and other obligations, even if one feels lazy to do them.

2. Patience in avoiding what Allah made unlawful: This means restraining oneself from committing the sins. Preventing oneself from committing the unlawful, like leaving out the prayer, drinking alcohol, stealing, and other unlawful matters takes a lot of effort. One's nature leans towards laziness and easy coming pleasures, even if they are unlawful.

3. Patience with hardships and calamities: This means being patient—seeking the reward from God—with what bothers a person, such as pain, hardship, poverty, sadness, or other afflictions that befall people in this life. This world is a workplace and a place of calamities and tests, while the Hereafter is the place for judgment. For the third type of patience to take place, one must not act or talk in a way that reflects one's impatience or objection to Allah's Will.

May Allah protect us and keep us steadfast, And Allah Knows Best