رَبِّ ابْنِ لِى عِندَكَ بَيْتاً فِى الْجَنَّةِ
'My Lord! Build for me a home with You in Jannaah'
(At-Tahreem 66:11)


Monday, June 16, 2014

Exercising Patience - Ibnul Qayyim al-Jawziyyah


Animated wallpaper, screensaver 240x320 for cellphoneEvery person has to exercise patience in order to face difficulties, whether he does so willingly or unwillingly. The noble person exercises patience willingly, because he realizes the benefits of patience, and he knows that he will be rewarded for his patience and will be criticized if he panics. He is aware that if he does not have patience, panicking and impatience will not help him to regain missed opportunities, and will NOT  take away things he dislikes. Whatever is decreed and is qada’ wa qadr cannot be prevented from happening, and whatever is decreed not to happen cannot be made to happen. So an attitude of impatience and panic actually causes harm.

A wise man said: “A man with wisdom as soon as adversity appears does that which a foolish man does after a month (i.e. he resorts to patience). 

The ignoble man exercises patience only when he realizes he has NO choice. After wasting a lot of time and energy and panicking and struggling, he realizes that his impatience will not help him. Then he exercises patience in the same way that a person who has been tied up to be whipped exercises patience.

The noble person practices patience in obeying Allaah, whilst the ignoble person exercises patience in obeying the Shaytan. So the ignoble person has the greatest patience in following their own whims and desires, and has the least patience in obeying their Lord. They have the greatest patience in spending in the way of Shaytan and no patience when it comes to spending even a few pennies in the way of Allaah. They will endure many difficulties in order to follow their own whims and desires, but cannot bear even the least difficulties in order to please their Lord. They will endure slander for the sake of committing wrong action, but cannot exercise patience in putting up with slander for the sake of Allaah. Such people will avoid enjoining the good and forbidding the evil for fear of what people will say about them for doing so, but they will expose their honour to slander and bear it most patiently for the sake of following their own whims and desires. Similarly, they are not prepared to practice patience in devoting themselves to Allaah, but when it comes to devoting themselves to Shaytan and their own whims and desires, they will exercise remarkable patience. Such people will never be noble in the sight of Allaah, and on the Day of Resurrection they will not be raised with the people of nobility and decency."

[The Patience of Noble People and the Patience of Ignoble People: Ibnul Qayyim al-Jawziyyah]

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