As-Sabr

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim
Assalammualaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

Mari bersabar

Alhamdulillah. Moga kita sentiasa dalam kemanisan iman dan istiqamah dalam keikhlasan serta ketulusan melaksanakan amal ibadah. Subhanallah, when a person shares with me on the topic of patience, I am extremely enlightened. As cliche as it may sound, patience is virtue. As we trail this fana life, we have patience as our ration because we need patience as much as we need air.

Patience is the best present that Allah bestow to His slave, as noted by the prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him when some people from the Ansar asked him (to give them something). He gave to everyone of them, who asked him, until all that he had was finished. When everything was finished and he had spent all that was in his hand, he (pbuh) said to them:

"(Know) that if I have any wealth, I will not withhold it from you (to keep for somebody else); And (know) that he who refrains from begging others (or doing prohibited deeds), Allah (God) will make him contented and not in need of others; and he who remains patient, Allah will bestow patience upon him, and he who is satisfied with what he has, Allah will make him self-sufficient. And there is no gift better and vast (you may be given) than patience."

[HR Bukhari]

Masha Allah, tabarakallah. Allah, the creator of the universe and also the holder of hearts stated to us clearly in the Quran: “...Verily in this are signs for all who constantly persevere and give thanks” [Ibrahim 14: 5; Luqman 31:31; Saba 34: 19; ash-Shura 42: 33] There are numerous areas of patience and this is something enlightening I got from the book uddat as-sabirin wad-dhakirat ash-shakirin (The Equipment of the Patient and the Investment of the Grateful) by Imam ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah. May it be beneficial for us in our journey to Allah and to gain mahabbatillah also mardhatillah.

Every person has to exercise patience in order to face difficulties, whether he does so willingly or unwillingly. The noble person exercises patience willingly, because he realizes the benefits of patience, and he knows that he will be rewarded for his patience and will be criticized if he panics. He is aware that if he does not have patience, panicking and impatience will not help him to regain missed opportunities, and will not take away things he dislikes. Whatever is decreed and is qada’ wa qadr cannot be prevented from happening, and whatever is decreed not to happen cannot be made to happen. So an attitude of impatience and panic actually causes harm.

A wise man said: “A man with wisdom as soon as adversity appears does that which a foolish man does after a month (i.e. he resorts to patience).”

The ignoble man exercises patience only when he realizes he has no choice. After wasting a lot of time and energy and panicking and struggling, he realizes that his impatience will not help him. Then he exercises patience in the same way that a person who has been tied up to be whipped exercises patience.

The noble person practices patience in obeying Allâh, whilst the ignoble person exercises patience in obeying the Shaytân.

So ignoble people have the greatest patience in following their own whims and desires, and have the least patience in spending in the way of Shaytân and no patience when it comes to spending even a few pennies in the way of Allâh. They will endure many difficulties in order to follow their own whims and desires, but cannot bear even the least difficulties in order to please their Lord. They will endure slander for the sake of committing wrong actions, but cannot exercise patience in putting up with slander for the sake of Allâh. Such people will avoid enjoining the good and forbidding the evil for fear of what people will say about them for doing so, but they will expose their honour to slander and bear it most patiently for the sake of following their own whims and desires. Similarly, they are not prepared to practise patience in devoting themselves to Allâh, but when it comes to devoting themselves to Shaytân and their own whims and desires, they will exercise remarkable patience. Such people will never be noble in the sight of Allâh, and on the Day of Resurrection they will not be raised with the people of nobility and decency. (naudzubillahi minzalik)

Masha Allah, tabarakallah. It is not easy to be patient with our own self, let alone having the patience of a saint (nor a noble one), yet, as difficult as it is to gain patience, it is possible to possess it and practice patience. Allah will test us with tests of patience to see whether we are qualified for jannatul firdausi and worry not because this is a way for us to be purified from our past sins. Lets practice patience lillahi ta'ala! Let us meet in jannah! Allahumma yassir wa la tu'assir wa tammim bil khayr. Ameen ya Rahman, Ameen ya Rahim.

wallahua'lam
all praise be to Allah, Lord of the world