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CHAPTER
2
Patience
Son! Remember three things.
Patience in hardship, thanking Allah for his bounties and being happy in
Allah's will. For those who have faith in Allah, these are the three tests.
Those who have passed these tests, have attained exalted positions.Son! Keep your soul happy in
distress as if you have received His bounties. Be satisfied in whatever
condition Allah keeps you, whether health - sickness, hardship ease, youth
old age, strength weakness, poverty riches, because He is aware of the
result of keeping you in such a condition. He loves you more than you. He loves
you more than your parents and He is sympathetic to your condition.
Son! Don't cry when calamities
befall you. Don't start sobbing and complaining. Be satisfied with Allah's
will. Don't publicise your troubles and calamities by complaining to all and
sundry.
Hazrat Imam Zainul Abedeen (a.s.)
has said: "When calamities come, be patient like a noble man. Don't complain
to people about Allah because it is like complaining to cruel people about one
who is the most Beneficent and the most Merciful.
Son! Be happy in hardship as if at
ease, be happy in poverty as if rich and be happy in calamities as if satisfied
and pleased.
Masoomin (a.s.) has said: To be
patient in calamities and hardships is the best obedience of Allah. Better than
that, it is necessary to be patient while desisting from Haram deeds.
(Usul-e-Kafi,
2, p.90)
The Holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) has
said: Whosoever is patient in calamities, Allah gives him three hundred status,
whosoever is patient in obedience to Allah, will get six hundred status,
whosoever is patient in desisting from evil deeds, will get nine hundred status.
On the subject of good character,
religious scholars have fixed certain yardsticks:
(1)
It is very essential to be patient when you do not get desired health,
wealth, honour, family and worldly pleasures. To get immersed in these things
result in your destruction.
(2)
Patience in the obedience of
Allah: This is a very difficult
task. Man's soul is not willing to pray or obey somebody. Ego is involved in
it. Every soul has elements of evilness of
Firaun. There is a desire to rule over everybody. No sooner it gets some
support, evilness of Firaun raises its head. One starts behaving arrogantly with
his employees, servants and children and gets furious even for small mistakes.
This is a sign of pride. Son! At the time of obedience, it is essential to be
patient before, during and after doing a deed. Patience before doing a deed
purifies your Niyyat (intention), patience during doing a deed helps in the
remembrance of Allah and does not give rise to Riyakari (doing deeds to show off
to the world), patience after doing a deed means you should not take pride in
your good deed otherwise your good deed is wasted.
(3)
To desist from sins and to be patient: Human being always has the
tendency of committing sins in his heart. Lies, backbiting, gibat and accusing
others have become routine. Gradually this habit becomes second nature. When
worldly desires get mixed with it, then the army of Shaitan attacks and when one
starts getting pleasure and enjoyment in sins, then it becomes hell.
(4)
To be patient at a time when you are powerless e.g. it is necessary to be
patient and leave the matter to Allah when someone harasses you and you do not
take revenge even though you have the power to take revenge. Traditions and
experiences are unanimous that Allah is the best revenge-taker. He punishes him
in this worlds also before punishing him in the hereafter.
(5)
To be patient in such work in which beginning or end is not in our power
e.g. to be patient in not having relatives and friends, to be patient at the
loss of wealth, deterioration of health, some parts of our body not functioning,
lack of eye-sight, poverty and hunger. Though it is difficult to be patient in
these conditions but the rewards are manifold. Allah has promised blessings to
those who are patient.
Son! may Allah gives your strength
for all types of patience. Remember, some of these things give you strength to
be patient.
Look at the status of those who
are patient, and look at its rewards and sawabs. Paradise is for those who are
patient.
(Wasael
ush shia - 3, p.451)
(1)
Those who are patient get as much sawab as those who are always fasting
and praying. A patient man gets as much sawab as a martyr doing jehad with the
Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.).
To be patient in hunger gets you
the sawab of jehad (fighting in the way of Allah) and it is more than sixty
years of Ibabat.
A momin who is patient in calamity
gets sawab of one thousand martyrs.
(Usul-e-Kafi)
(2)
To look at the sawab and status attained by patient men which we have
seen and experienced.
(3)
To think that this difficult period will be over shortly. Life is going
to end. The pleasure and hardship through which it is passing is going to end
and nobody knows what is the future going to be.
(4)
You should also think that nothing is going to be achieved by crying and
complaining. Whatever the fate has decreed is bound to happen. Crying may reduce the sawab and reward.
No one can change destiny. There is nothing one can do about it.
(5)
Remember those people who have attained best of rewards and sawab by
passing through difficult trials and tribulations.
(6)
Trail is a sign of good fortune. Hardships are only for those who love
Allah. Great hardship and difficulty of momeens is a sign of nearness to Allah.
This thought increases your strength to be patient.
(7)
Remember, this hardship is from Allah and He wishes well for His slaves
He does not need anyone so that He can take advantage of him.
(8)
You should consider that remaining patient cleanses your soul and is a
good way of self purification.
(9)
The result of patience is always good in this world. When Hazrat Yusuf (a.s.)
remained patient by desisting from sinning, then Allah rewarded him with great
honour by making him Hakim' of Egypt. His brothers became his subjects.
Zulekha was thrown on the road etc. etc
Similarly, Hazrat Ayyub (a.s.) got
back his wealth, children, wife etc. second time. One who had lost everything
during his test was rewarded with rain of gold!
It is even better to remember the
tragedy and hardship of Ahle Bait (a.m.s.) The endured the maximum hardships
even though they were the master of the whole universe. This world was created
for them.
Beware! Your patience should not
be like those of ordinary people. Instead of remaining patient, they were more
concerned with their exhibition of patience. This is Riyakari. The patience of
muttaqi (pious) people should be such in which there is hope of reward in the
hereafter. Arifs (those who have knowledge about the qualities of Allah) should
be such that at the time of patience, they should enjoy their hardships because
these hardships have been given by the Beloved who is aware of its result.
Son! Also remember, patience is
not against crying and sobbing. Don't you know that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
cried at the time of the death of his son Ibrahim? When someone said that you
advice us to be patient and you yourself are crying? Then the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
said: Beware, when there is grief in the heart, tears are bound to flow. Our
patience is that we do not speak against the will of Allah.
Son! When calamity comes, recite
"Inna Lillahe Wa Inna Elaihe Rajeoon". By this, you get the right of
Allah's blessings and bounties and you are considered amongst those who are on
the straight path.
It is stated by Hazrat Jafare-Sadiq
(a.s.) that when the period of patience is over, you feel happy. Experience also
testifies to it. After every shortage there is abundance.
Patience is the best of all the
good qualities. Only its name changes according to circumstances.
The name of patience about physical and sexual hunger
is "Iffat". Restrain during hardship is called "Patience". Patience by
abstaining from sin is called "Taqwa". Patience at the loss of wealth is
called "Zabt-e-Nafs". Patience at the time of worldly loss and calamities is
called "wusat-e-Sakr." Patience during war is called "Shujaat"
(bravery). Patience while controlling anger is called "Hilm" Restsrain at
the time of someone's confidential talk is called "Razadari'. Patience
against unnecessary leisure is called "Zohad". To be satisfied with
little is called "Qanaat".
