PATIENCE OR SABR IN ISLAM

PATIENCE OR SABR IN ISLAM

Patience according to dictionary means the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset is called as patience.

⦁ Definition
SABR is an Arabic word for Patience which comes from a root meaning to detain, refrain and stop. 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.

⦁ Importance
Patience is one of the best qualities a man can possess; if we take a close look at everything happening around us, we can surely conclude that patience is the solution for them all. Be it a severe downfall in business or certain unavoidable circumstances, we can handle them all with the divine tool of patience! It is said that patience is a virtue but in today’s time, patience has taken an altogether a different outlook, people mix patience with laziness. Being patient does not mean being lazy, but being calm in setting goals that would lead to success.

⦁ Qur’an
The Glorious Qur’an has given a lot of emphasis on patience and has given glad tidings to those who are patient. One who is patient earns Allah’s mercy, blessings and guidance.
“Allah surely loves those who are the Sabireen (patient).” (Qur’an.Surah Aa’le Imran 3:146)

“And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to as-Saabireen (the patient ones). Who, when afflicted with calamity, say:
“Inna lillaahi wa Inna Ilaihi Raaji’un (Verily to Allah we belong and verily, to Him we shall return).” They are those on whom are the Salawaat (i.e. who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided-ones.” (Qur’an.Surah Baqarah 2:155-157)

“And be patient, indeed Allah is with the patient ones.” (Qur’an.Surah Anfal 8:46)

“Nay, seek (Allah’s) help with patient perseverance and prayer: It is indeed hard, except to those who bring a lowly spirit, Who bear in mind the certainty that they are to meet their Lord, and that they are to return to Him. ” [Qur’an.Surah Baqarah 2:45-46] [3]

⦁ Prophet Muhammad- the best example of patience
Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم) is the best and ultimate human example of being patient. He personifies patience. Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم went to a city not far away from Makkah, known as Ta'if. He went there to preach Islam to the locals and approached the leaders of Ta'if and called them towards Islam. Not only did the leaders reject the call to Islam but they reacted in such a way that they set young children upon the Prophet Muhammad (May Allah honour Him and grant Him peace) to taunt him, stone him and chase him out of Ta'if. The Prophet Muhammad (May Allah honour Him and Grant Him peace) bled till his footwear was drenched in blood, Angel Jibreel (Peace be upon Him) came to the Prophet and said, “If you wish, then I will give the order for two angels to crush the residents of Ta'if between the two mountains in which it lies.” The Prophet replied in the negative and said, “I am hopeful that their descendants will accept Islam.” Allahu Akbar. This was the patience of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (May Allah honour Him and grant Him peace).Sahih Al Muslim 4425.

Patience and Shakwah (complaint)
Shakwah (complaint) falls into two categories: The first type means to complain to Allah, and this does not contradict patience. It is demonstrated by several of the Prophets, for example, when Ya qub (alaihi wa sallam) said:

"I only complain of my distraction and anguish to Allah." (Yusuf 12:86).

Earlier, Ya'qub (alaihi wa sallam) had said "sabrun jamil" which means "patience is most fitting for me." The Qur'an also tells us about Ayyub:

"And (remember) Ayyub (Job), when he cried to his Lord, 'Truly distress has seized me. (al-Anbiya 21:83).

The epitome of patience, the Prophet (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam), prayed to his Lord: " O Allah, I complain to You of my weakness and helplessness." Musa (alaihi wa sallam) prayed to Allah, saying: "O Allah, 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.

⦁ 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.

Ali ibn Abi Talib ® said: "Patience means to seek Allah's help."

Abu 'Uthman said: "the one who has patience is the one who has trained himself to handle difficulties."

'Amr ibn 'Uthman al-Makki said: "Patience means to keep close to Allah and to accept calmly the trials He sends, without complaining or feeling sad."

Ibn al-Qayyim said: “The best life is attained by the blessed through patience, and they rise to the highest degrees through their gratitude.”

Al-Khawwas said: "Patience means to adhere to the rules of the Qur'an and Sunnah."

Another scholar said: "Patience means to refrain from complaining."

⦁ Moral
Patience is of three types:

(i) Patience upon obedience –
To be patient when finding it hard obeying Allah’s commandments. Example: Allah wants us to wake up early for Fajr prayers and while establishing this as our daily routine we need to be extremely patient, we need not lose hope but we have to strive hard in following Allah’s command and being obedient to Him.

(ii) To be patient when a trouble befalls you. For example -
When we suffer acute losses in business, wealth or property, we have to be very patient and have trust in Him alone. Nothing happens without His will. This life is a test and Allah is with those who are patient.

(iii) To be patient when finding it hard to abstain from sins - For example:
When a person has fallen a trap to bad habit of watching movies, listening to music etc, and strives hard to refrain from it and urges himself to abandon the bad habit, Allah would Insha’Allah help him in practicing patience and he would be rewarded.

Source:Reference Link

 

⦁ Learn From Allah's Patience
By Dr. Hazem Said and Maha Ezzeddine Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: «None is more patient in the face of offense than God. People say He has a son, but He continues to protect them and provide for them» (Bukhari).
This hadith tells us about the kindness and patience of God in response to the offense of His servants. When we learn of a characteristic of God, part of our worship is to aspire to exemplify that value in our lives. Compassion and forbearance in the face of harm is essential to peace, because flaws and corruption will always exist among people. Only when we can transcend the hurt that we may receive from others and respond with compassion are we truly committed to peace. In facing offense, one should resort to patience before revenge. Patience gives us time to cool down and think through the situation before we do something that we may regret in the future. Patience is a virtue of those who have inner strength and with patience we acquire respect and the ability to control any situation we are in.
Verses and sayings that encourage forgiveness do not imply that we should not seek out justice and solutions to the harm committed by others. To the contrary, there are many teachings encouraging, even requiring, us to do so. There is a methodology for resolving problems and seeking restitution. However, there is another aspect that goes hand in hand. While we are working out the problem, we can continue to practice kindness and fulfill our duties to people even in the face of harm. When we are wronged, it does not give us license to abandon someone or attack with a similar injustice, but rather we should resort to the proper methodology for resolving conflict. Meanwhile, the compassion continues. Kindness and basic respect should transcend all social and legal systems.
In order to practice this level of benevolence, we need to invest in our own spirituality and connection with God. It may be difficult to extend kindness to those who harm us-until we remember that we are doing it for God. The individuals with whom we are conflicted belong to God as well. Among His names is the Most Merciful, and He is also The Just. So when we extend kindness to those who harm us, we are in fact reaching out to the kindness of God.
Source:Reference Link

 

⦁ RIGHTEOUSNESS OR AL-BIRR

Righteousness according to various dictionaries it means morally good or following religious or moral laws in a justifiable manner. In Arabic it is called as Al-Birr.It is very common for to hear (and even use) such words of praise: That person is a very righteous person. Or…Such and such person is not a righteous person at all. Who are actual Righteous persons (i.e. Al-Birr)? What is actual Righteousness?

⦁ Quran
Quran gives the clear definition of righteousness in detail. Allah said: “It is not Al- Birr (righteousness) that you turn your faces towards east and / or west (in prayers); but Al-Birr (righteous) is one who;
1. Believes in
a) Allah
b) The Last Day
c) The Angels
d) The Book (Qur’an)
e) The Prophets.

2. Gives his / her wealth, inspite of love for it,
a) To the kinsfolk
b) To the orphans
c) To Al-Masakeen (the poor people)
d) To the wayfarer (musafir)
e) To those who ask
f) To set the slaves free.

3. Performs As-Salat

4. Gives Zakat

5. Fulfill their covenant when they make it (meaning: to keep promises)

6. Are patient in extreme poverty & ailment and at the times of fighting (battles).

Such are the people of truth and they are Al-Muttaqun(Pious)”. Qur’an Surah Al-Baqarah, 2: 177

The first thing is to have Eeman(Belief) on Allah and 4 other things mentioned there; the second thing is to spend wealth. Spending wealth has been placed before performing Salat. In fact, performing Salat is preceded by spending wealth and succeeded by paying Zakat. It shows how much weightage Allah gives to spending in the cause of Allah.
Allah mentions in the Quran : “By no means shall you attain Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, Allah’s reward), unless you spend of that which you love; and whatever of good you spend, Allah knows it well.”Quran Surah Aal-Imran, 3:92

⦁ Hadith
It was narrated that Anas said:"When this ayath was revealed -'By no means shall you attain Al Birr (piety, righteousness (Quran 3:92)--here it means Allah's reward, i.e. Paradise), unless you spend (in Allah's cause) of that which you love'- Abu Talha said: 'Our Lord will ask us about our wealth. I adjure you, O Messenger of Allah! I am giving my land to Allah.' The Messenger of Allah said: 'Make it for your relatives, Hassan bin Thabit and Ubayy bin Ka'b.'" Sahih al-Bukhari Vol.4:2758 and Sunan an-Nasa'i Vol.4 :3602

⦁ Scholars view
Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him),
Our advice to this young man who is heading in the right direction, in-sha-Allah, is:
1. He should always ask Allah to keep him steadfast and on the right path.
2. He should read the Qur'an a great deal and ponder its meanings, because this Qur'an has a great impact on the heart, if one reads it carefully and ponders it.
3. He should strive to do acts of worship regularly, without getting bored or feeling lazy, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) sought refuge with Allah from incapability and laziness.
4. He should strive to keep company with good people and avoid keeping company with bad people.
5. He should advise himself when his nafs is influencing him and should say to himself: The distance is far and the path is long, let him advise himself to be steadfast, because Paradise is surrounded with difficult things and Hell is surrounded with whims and desires.
6. He should keep away from bad friends, even if they were his friends before, because bad friends will influence him. Hence the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The likeness of a bad companion is that of the one who works the bellows: either he will burn your clothes or you will notice a bad smell from him.” Liqa’aat al-Baab al-Maftooh, 1/153

Source:Reference Link