الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
Alhamdulillah! It is Allah’s favor on us that we offered our Fajr payer in Jama’ah, and that we now gather here to discuss some of the teachings of our noble religion. I intend to share with you some thoughts on one of the most virtuous qualities of a true righteous believer, and that is Sabr, which means patience. Allah makes an amazing promise to believers who show patience.
إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُونَ أَجْرَهُم بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ
“Only those who persevere patiently will be paid back their reward in full without measure.” (al-Zumar, 39:10).
If we are to reap the benefits of this generous offer that Allah makes, we must ensure that we know what Sabr or patience signifies and develop a plan to cultivate it. Let us start by taking a moment to assess our understanding of patience. How would we define patience? When is it important to be patient? Similarly, let us take a moment to assess our own level of patience. Do we generally regard ourselves as patient? When are we patient and when are we impatient? Are we patient when dealing with others, including our spouses, children, and parents?
Sabr is one of the most important virtues because nearly everything that we do as Muslims requires it. To avoid sins we need sabr to remain vigilant over our limbs and faculties. The student of knowledge requires sabr to endure the rigors of study. The sick person requires sabr to not give up on his illness. The wronged person needs sabr to avoid overreacting and committing acts of injustice. Indeed, everything we do as Muslims or avoid doing because it is forbidden so by our deen requires Sabr.
The word Sabr derives from the Arabic root sabara, which means to control something. In the Qur’an, the word Sabr is generally used to mean the controlling of one’s self against one’s lower desires. Scholars have divided patience into three categories: (1) patience in obeying Allah (SWT) (sabr ‘ala at-ta’a), (2) patience in abstaining from the forbidden (sabr ‘an al-ma’siyyah), and (3) patience in the face of adversity (sabr ‘ala al-ibtila). Islam provides a powerful psychological leverage in the form of patience to deal with adversities. Sabr, therefore, has to be adopted by the believers as a way of life.
Sabr ‘ala at-ta’a is the patience and endurance required to face the possible hardships of performing the various modes of worship like praying (salah) and fasting (siyam) because of changes of climatic conditions, changes in prayer timings, lack of amenities and facilities, fasting for long hours, cutting on sleep and so on. The obligatory rituals of worship have to be carried out patiently and persistently, no matter how difficult they may apparently appear to be. Sabr ‘an al-ma’siyyah means to control oneself by refraining from anything that is unlawful (haram), despite the craving one may have for it. A constant inward struggle is required to keep oneself away from committing a sin. Sabr ‘ala al-ibtila means exercising patience in face of hardships and adversities. We have to recognize that ibtila’ or trials and tribulations are woven into our lives. Allah says,
“We will test you with a certain amount of fear and hunger and loss of wealth and life and fruits. But give good news to those who are patient; those who, when afflicted with a calamity say, ‘We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. These will be given blessings and mercy from their Lord, and it is they who are rightly guided.” (al-Baqarah, 2:155-157)
Given its importance, how can we increase in our level of Sabr? While it can be difficult at times to know the exact wisdom behind our trials and sufferings, we must remember that Allah is Just and that none of our difficulties escape his notice. We learn from a hadith that whenever a Muslim is afflicted with a hardship, sickness, sadness, worry, harm, or depression—even a thorn’s prick, Allah expiates his sins because of it. Everything we cherish; our health, our wealth, our loved ones have been given to us by way of trust or amanah from Allah. Eventually, like all things given in trust, they must be returned to their lawful owner. While it is understandable to feel sad when our loved ones die, we must recognize that their true abode was never with us.
Second, we must strive to always “keep our eyes on the prize” by focusing on that for which we are being patient. By achieving certainty of rewards for good deeds and punishments for bad deeds, we can continually revitalize our stores of patience.
Third, we should select a role model who helps us to tread the path toward overcoming our difficulties. Foremost, this could be the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), a shining example of patience. He was called a poet, a magician, and a crazy person. People threw stones at his feet until they bled. His neighbors left refuse on his doorstep and rubbed camel dung on him as he prayed. Throughout his ordeals he restrained himself, never acting out of personal enmity.
It could be the Prophet Ayub (AS) who showed us that there is no inherent contradiction between enduring a suffering patiently and calling upon Allah to release us from it. In the Qur’an, his du’a is recorded:
وَأَيُّوبَ إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُ أَنِّي مَسَّنِيَ الضُّرُّ وَأَنتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ
“And Ayub when he called out to his Lord, ´Great harm has afflicted me and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful´” (al-Anbiya’, 21:83)
Or it could be anyone else that serves as a support for us on an issue with which we struggle. Remember that even Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was advised by Allah to take a role model in his quest for patience:
فَاصْبِرْ كَمَا صَبَرَ أُولُو الْعَزْمِ مِنَ الرُّسُلِ
“Be patient (O Muhammad) like those messengers of firm resolve.” (al-Ahqaf, 46:35)
In a beautiful hadith, Prophet Muhammad counseled us, “Wonderful is the situation of the believer. All of his affairs are good (for him)! If good befalls him, he is thankful, and that is good for him. If harm afflicts him, he is patient, and that is good for him.” Let us take this hadith as our guide. Let us be thankful for our blessings and be patient with our difficulties. If we do so, we will, insha’Allah, “receive a reward in full without measure.”
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
وَصَلَّ اللهُ عَلَى خيرِ خَلقِهِ مُحمَّدٍ وعَلَى آلِه وأصْحَابِه أجْمَعِين- بِرَحْمَتِكَ يا أرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِين
