Training to have patience and strong will

We are in great need to develop patience, to force ourselves to be patient, to endure, and to have a strong will – especially nowadays, when there is very little patience and weak will and lack of endurance are seen everywhere.

It is the era of fast living and high-speed internet, in which we want everything by pressing a button! Let us be honest with ourselves: if the air conditioners in our homes or our cars or our Masjids break down, what would our condition be? How would be our state if an enemy attacked us? Would we have the ability and patience to resist them? Patience has become scarce, but with the advent of Ramadhaan, we can re-learn this praiseworthy trait.

We become patient over hunger and thirst as well as over performing the obligatory prayers and voluntary prayers at night. We give away money to the poor, and we bear the harm inflicted by people and deal with the ignorant. Undoubtedly, this trains us to have patience and endurance.

Our need for patience in many fields is great. In the field of seeking knowledge: knowledge requires staying awake at night, research and extensive reading – all these activities require patience.

In the field of Da‘wah and instructing people, we need patience and tolerance. Helping people to reach the truth and helping them overcome desires and forbidden pleasures are very difficult tasks that require endurance.

Luqmaan said to his son, as Allah The Almighty Says (what means): “O my son, establish prayer, enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and be patient over what befalls you. Indeed, [all] that is of the matters [requiring] determination.” [Surat Luqman:17] When calling people to Allah The Almighty, enjoining good to them and forbidding them from evil, you must be patient with them because you are clashing with their desires and habits. Quitting bad habits and forbidden acts, which someone has been used to for years, requires patience.

Fasting provides the best education to be patient, because fasting contains the three types of patience: patience with obedience to Allah The Almighty, patience with the desires that Allah The Almighty has forbidden on the fasting person, and patience with what is experienced by the fasting person of the pain of hunger, thirst and weakness of the body.

The Muslim who fasts in Ramadhaan learns to be patient with the prohibition of lawful things, because they are considered violations of fasting, and this educates us to be patient with what Allah The Almighty has forbidden for us. Allah The Almighty forbade lawful matters for us temporarily during the day and permitted them at night in order to strengthen our souls to relinquish the prohibitions throughout one's life.

When the Muslim breaks his fast, he should guard his hearing and his sight from hearing and looking at prohibitions, and his stomach from devouring usury and bribes.

It is not reasonable that a Muslim obeys Allah The Almighty by showing patience with the lawful but does not obey Him by showing patience with the prohibitions. Drawing close to Allah The Almighty by giving up what is permissible will not be complete unless prohibitions are avoided.

A Muslim who commits prohibitions, then worships Allah The Almighty by abstaining from the permissible is like the one who leaves the obligatory acts and worships Allah The Almighty by carrying out the voluntary acts.

This is the reason why – and Allah knows best – the Qur’an states the prohibition of consuming people's money unlawfully after the prohibition of food and drink for the fasting person during the day.

The prohibition of consuming people's money unlawfully is general to all times and places, unlike food and drink.

It points out that the Muslim who obeys the command of Allah The Almighty in avoiding food and drink during the day of fasting has to obey His command in avoiding devouring people's money unlawfully, which is forbidden in all cases. Patience is one of the most obvious signs of love. In other words, whoever loves Allah The Almighty will show patience through Allah, for His sake, and with Him.

Patience through Allah means seeking His help to be patient since He is the provider of patience.

Patience for the sake of Allah The Almighty requires sincerity and love.

Patience with Allah The Almighty signifies that the slave strictly adheres to the commands and rulings of Allah The Almighty, regardless of what they are.

The slave commits himself to the orders of Allah The Almighty, and this represents the hardest and most difficult kind of patience, which is the patience of the steadfast affirmers of the truth.

Anyone who ponders on tondition of the people and the sins they commit will find that the sins are committed due to desires (desire for money/sexual desire/desire for prestige), and the only remedy for that desire is patience which is attained through worship. Worship provides strength.

Allah The Almighty praises His prophets for this trait, i.e. strength in worship. Allah The Almighty Says (what means):

“Be patient over what they say and remember Our servant, Daawood (David), the possessor of strength; indeed, he was one who repeatedly turned back [to Allah.”  [Surat Sa’d: 17]

“And remember Our servants, Ibraaheem (Abraham), Is-haaq (Isaac) and Ya‘qoob (Jacob) - those of strength and [religious] vision.” [Surat Sa’d:45]

Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "They are [the people] of strength in obeying Allah and knowing Him."

Al-Kalbi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said, "They are [the people] of strength in worship and of patience over it."

Sa‘eed ibn Jubayr, may Allah have mercy upon him, said, "It is strength in work and vision in their religious duties."

So, worship is the road to patience, and strength in worship comes by seizing the seasons of goodness, sincerity, and following the Prophet's way.