.:: Levels of Patience ::.
by Ibin Qayim Al Jawziyyah
Uddat As Sabiriin wa Dhakhirat Ash Shakiriin (Patience and Gratitude)
"Sabr comes from an Arabic root which means to detain, refrain and stop. There is an expression in Arabic which means "so and so was killed," "sabaran" which means he was captured and detained until he died. He further explains that in the spiritual sense, sabr means to stop ourselves from dispairing and panicing, to stop our tongues from complaining and to stop our hands from striking our faces & tearing our clothes at times of grief and stress."
Five Categories of Patience can also be divided into categories following the five categories of deeds, namely Waajib (obligatory), mandub (encouraged), mahdhur (forbidden), makruh (disliked) and mubah (permissible).
Obligatory (Waajib) patience
1. Patience in abstaining from forbidden (haraam) things and actions,
2. Patience in carrying out obligatory deeds,
3. Patience in facing adversity which is beyond one's control, such as illness, poverty, etc.
Encouraged (mandub) patience
1. Patience in abstaining from disliked (makruh) things,
2. Patience in performing acts of worship which is liked and encouraged (mustahabb)
3. Patience in refraining from taking revenge.
Forbidden (mahdhur) patience
1. Patience in abstaining from food and drink until death.
2. Patience in abstaining from eating haraam meat, carrion and blood, when the alternative is death and starvation. Tawus and Ahmad ibn Hanbal said, "Whoever has no choice but to eat carrion, haraam meat and blood, but refuses to eat it and dies as a consequence, will enter Hell."
3. Patience in refraining from begging. There is a dispute as to whether begging from people is forbidden or permissible. Imam Ahmad said that this kind of patience and abstention is allowed. He was asked, "What if a person fears that if he does not do this, he will die?" Imam Ahmad answered, "No, he will not die. Allah will send him his due provision (rizq)." Imam Ahmad did not allow begging: when Allah knows the need of a person and his sincerity in abstaining from begging, Allah will send him rizq. Other scholars, including some of Imam Ahmad's companions and Imam ash-Shafi'i said, "It is obligatory on such a person to beg, and if he did not beg, than he would be a wrongdoer, because by begging he protects himself from death."
4. Patience in enduring things that may lead to death, such as predators, snakes, fire and water.
5. Patience at times of fitnah when the Muslims are fighting Muslims. Patience in abstaining from fighting at such a time, when Muslims are killing Muslims, is mubah (permissible), indeed it is mustahabb (liked and preferred). When the Prophet (SAAS) was asked about this, he said, "Be like the better of the two sons of Adam." In other, similar reports he said, "Be like the slave of Allah who was killed, and not like the one who has killed," and "let him (the killer) carry his own wrong action and your wrong action." In another report, he said, "If the sword is too bright, put your hand on your face." Allah has told us the story of the better of the two
sons of Adam, and how he surrendered himself and did not fight back, and how Allah commended him for that. This is different to the case when Muslims are fighting kafirun: in that situation the Muslim has to defend himself, because the meaning of Jihad is to defend himself and Islam.
Disliked (makruh) patience
1. Patience in abstaining from physical appetites (food, drink, sex) to the extent of causing damage to one's health.
2. Patience in doing a makruh deed.
Permissible (mubah) patience
Patience in abstaining from mubah deeds
Allah Says: Seek help in patience and prayer; and truly it is hard save for the humble-minded. (2:45)
O you who believe! seek assistance through patience and prayer; surely Allah is with the patient. (2:153)
Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere. (2:155)
It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness- to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the Allah-fearing. ( 2:177)
If good befalls you, it grieves them, and if an evil afflicts you, they rejoice at it; and if you are patient and guard yourselves, their scheme will not injure you in any way; surely Allah comprehends what they do. (3:120)
Do you think that you will enter the garden while Allah has not yet known those who strive hard from among you, and (He has not) known the patient. (3:142)
And how many a prophet has fought with whom were many worshippers of the Lord; so they did not become weak-hearted on account of what befell them in Allah's way, nor did they weaken, nor did they abase themselves; and Allah loves the patient. (3:146)
O you who believe! be patient and excel in patience and remain steadfast, and be careful of (your duty to) Allah, that you may be successful. (3:200)
What is with you passes away and what is with Allah is enduring; and We will most certainly give to those who are patient their reward for the
best of what they did. (16:96)
And if We make man taste mercy from Us, then take it off from him, most surely he is despairing, ungrateful.But if We give him a taste of (Our) favours after adversity hath touched him, he is sure to say, "All evil has departed from me:" Behold! he falls into exultation and pride. Except those who are patient and do good, they shall have forgiveness and a great reward. (11:9-11)
And those who were given the knowledge said: Woe to you! Allah's reward is better for him who believes and does good, and none is made to
receive this except the patient. (28:80)
Surely the men who submit and the women who submit, and the believing men and the believing women, and the obeying men and the obeying women, and the truthful men and the truthful women, and the patient men and the patient women and the humble men and the humble women, and the almsgiving men and the almsgiving women, and the fasting men and the fasting women, and the men who guard their private parts and the women who guard, and the men who remember Allah much and the women who remember-- Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a mighty reward. (33:35)
Say: O my servants who believe! be careful of (your duty to) your Lord; for those who do good in this world is good, and Allah's earth is spacious; only the patient will be paid back their reward in full without measure. (39:10)
In Sahih Bukhari we have from the following hadith:
Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet passed by a woman who was weeping beside a grave. He told her to fear Allah and be patient. She said to him, "Go away, for you have not been afflicted with a calamity like mine." And she did not recognize him. Then she was informed that he was the Prophet . So she went to the house of the Prophet and there she did not find any guard. Then she said to him, "I did not recognize you." He said, "Verily, the patience is at the first stroke of a calamity." Volume 2, Book 23, Number 372
Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: Some Ansari persons asked for (something) from Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) and he gave them. They again asked him for (something) and he again gave them. And then they asked him and he gave them again till all that was with him finished. And then he said "If I had anything. I would not keep it away from you. (Remember) Whoever abstains from asking others, Allah will make him contented, and whoever tries to make himself self-sufficient, Allah will make him self-sufficient. And whoever remains patient, Allah will make him patient. Nobody can be given a blessing better and greater than patience." Volume 2, Book 24, Number 548
Narrated Anas: The Prophet decided to grant a portion of (the uncultivated land of) Bahrain to the Ansar. The Ansar said, "(We will not accept it) till you give a similar portion to our emigrant brothers (from Quraish)." He said, "(O Ansar!) You will soon see people giving preference to others, so remain patient till you meet me (on the Day of Resurrection). Volume 3, Book 40, Number 564
Narrated Salim Abu An-Nadr: The freed slave of 'Umar bin 'Ubaidullah who was 'Umar's clerk: 'Abdullah bin Abi Aufa wrote him (i.e. 'Umar) a letter that contained the following:-- "Once Allah's Apostle (during a holy battle), waited till the sun had declined and then he got up among the people and said, "O people! Do not wish to face the enemy (in a battle) and ask Allah to save you (from calamities) but if you should face the enemy, then be patient and let it be known to you that Paradise is under the shades of swords." He then said,, "O Allah! The Revealer of the (Holy) Book, the Mover of the clouds, and Defeater of Al-Ahzab (i.e. the clans of infidels), defeat them infidels and bestow victory upon us." Volume 4, Book 52, Number 210
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "The example of a believer is that of a fresh tender plant; from whatever direction the wind comes, it bends it, but when the wind becomes quiet, it becomes straight again. Similarly, a believer is afflicted with calamities (but he remains patient till Allah removes his difficulties.) And an impious wicked person is like a pine tree which keeps hard and straight till Allah cuts (breaks) it down when He wishes." (See Hadith No. 558, Vol. 9.) Volume 7, Book 70, Number 547
Narrated Anas bin Malik: Allah's Apostle sent for the Ansar and gathered them in a tent and said to them, "Be patient till you meet Allah and His Apostle, and I will be on the lake-Tank (Al-Kauthar)." Volume 9, Book 93, Number 533
We have these from Sahih Muslim:
Narrated AbuQatadah: The Messenger of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) stood up among them (his companions) to deliver his sermon, in which he told them that Jihad in the cause of Allah and belief in Allah (with all His Attributes) were the most meritorious of acts. A man stood up and said: Messenger of Allah, do you think that if I am killed in the cause of Allah, my sins will be blotted out from me? The Messenger of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: Yes, in the case where you are killed in the way of Allah, you were patient and sincere and you always fought facing the enemy, never turning your back upon him.
Then he added: What have you said (now)? (Wishing to have further assurance from him for his satisfaction), he asked (again): Do you think if I am killed in the say of Allah, all my sins will be obliterated from me? The Messenger of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) Said: Yes, if you were patient and sincere, and always fought facing the enemy, never turning your back upon him, (all your lapses shall be forgiven) except debt. Gabriel has told me this. Book 19, Number 4646
Narrated Mustawrid al-Qurashi: I heard Allah's Apostle (peace_be_upon_him) said: The Last Hour would come (when) the Romans would form a majority amongst people. Amr said to him (Mustawrid al-Qurashi): See what you are saying? He said: I say what I heard from Allah's Apostle (peace_be_upon_him) Thereupon he said: If you say that, it is a fact for they have four qualities. They have the patience to undergo a trial and immediately restore themselves to sanity after trouble and attack again after flight. They (have the quality) of being good to the destitute and the orphans, to the weak and, fifthly, the good quality in them is that they put resistance against the oppression of kings. Book 40, Number 6925
In these verses and hadiths, we find that the reward for sabr is great. We can also clearly see that patience has been commanded upon the Muslim. It is a sign of the Muslim that in adversity he is patient. To me, I see patience ad when a muslim has nothing, he says, "Alhamdulillah.", and when he is given something, he says, "Alhamdulillah.", and he shares whatever Allah has provided him. Also, the Muslim is the one who does not dispair when he is without, or when a seemingly bad event happens to him because he knows that: "Verily, along with every hardship comes ease. Verily, along with every hardship comes ease" (94:5). And he knows that there is only one hardship and two eases. The Muslim recognises the good in the hardship, so he is able to endure patiently, waiting for Allah's reward, and the promised relief.
Narrated 'Aisha: (the wife of the Prophet) Allah's Apostle said, "No calamity befalls a Muslim but that Allah expiates some of his sins because of it, even though it were the prick he receives from a thorn." Sahih Bukhari: Volume 7, Book 70, Number 544.