Eman Sakina

Patience is considered as best from deeds and has the great reward confined to it, with no limit. Allah said in Holy Quran: “O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.”

Indeed, there is great reward only for those among us who are patient with the decree of Allah. In this world, we all tend to face many difficulties, trials and sufferings but we have to be patient because Allah loves those who did Patience (Sabr) in a difficult time. Undoubtedly, patience requires immense self-control.

According to the Oxford dictionary the English definition of patience refers to accepting and tolerating problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious. However, the term patience translated to Arabic is Sabr meaning to control or constrain oneself. It is important to always be patient as Allah is with those who are patient, there are times when it may be hard and we think why Allah is doing this to me. But that is the wrong mentality to have, Allah loves those He tests, Allah is testing your faith in Him and wants you make ‘dua’ and rely on him.

“Surely, Allah is with those who are As‑Saabiroon(the patient)” Quran 8:46 There is so much virtue in patience, that it is both rewarded in this life and the Hereafter, The Messenger of Allah says, “Never a believer is stricken with a discomfort, an illness, an anxiety, a grief or mental worry or even the pricking of a thorn but Allah will expiate his sins on account of his patience”.

Patience is the foundation of the believer’s faith which has no other foundation. The one who has no patience has no faith, and if he has any, then it is only a little faith and it is very weak, and such a person worships Allah not to the full capacity.

Our worldly life is beset with challenges. The reason being the world we are living in presently is a world where everyone is free. This freedom creates competition and challenges which in turn creates problems constantly. We very well know that we cannot abolish the freedom given to man by God Himself. So, no human being has the power to abolish that situation which leads to competition and challenges.

 The solution lies in adopting the concept and teaching of sabr. It tells us that we simply have to learn the art of problem management, rather than seeking to eliminate problems, which in any case is impossible. Problems arise because of the differences in nature amongst people. Sabr is only another name for the management of these differences. Sabr is not a passive attitude. It is not cowardice. The Quran says: “Have patience, then, as had the steadfast Messengers before you.”

Keep patience, just like the prophets. Patience is a culture of prophets; a method of prophets; a way of prophets. It is a very lofty quality. It is a culture of a man of mission. All the prophets adopted the culture of patience and avoidance of confrontation.

To further explain how sabr can be a divine shield one needs to just look at nature to find an illustration of avoidance and patience.

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In nature, you can perceive a validation of the benefits of avoidance and exercising patience. Consider a mountainous stream. When it flows, it encounters many boulders in its way. What does the stream do? What is its way? It isn’t the method of the stream to seek to remove the obstacles that lie in its path. Instead, it adopts the method of avoidance of confrontation. It flows on, swirling around the boulders, instead of clashing against them. This is what the Prophet of Islam meant when he said that patience is what a believer relies on. Patience is a divine shield for the believer. Like the stream the believer moves on with his mission without clashing with others.