99 - الصَّبُورُ

[Bint e Aisha]

 الصَّبُورُ

 

Translation

الصَّبُورُ is translated as The Most Patient and The Patiently-Enduring.

 

Definition

الصَّبُورُ is The One Who does not let haste move Him to carry out an action before its time. 

Allah ta’ala can do whatever He wants, whenever He wants but He will not be hasty in doing something before its time. 

 

What does Allah ta’ala patiently endure?

Allah ta’ala patiently endures the sins of humanity. 

It is The One Who does not punish according to the level of the sin. He does not punish right away and if He does punish in the world, it will not be according to the severity of the sin. In fact after the sin is committed, Allah ta’ala gives the person the Tawfeeq to make Tawbah. Even if the person persists in sin, Allah ta’ala is الصَّبُورُ and He keeps the door to Tawbah and Maghfirat open. He does not rush to punish sinners and gives them opportunities and chances and that is part of Allah ta’ala being الصَّبُورُ.

 

The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam said, 

“Verily, Allah accepts the repentance of His servants so long as they are not on their death bed.” [Tirmidhi]

This shows Allah ta’ala is The Most Patient. He is الصَّبُورُ

 

In the Qur’an

It is mentioned in some form 90 times in the Qur’an and not necessarily as الصَّبُورُ

 

صَبر - Patience

Linguistically صَبر means to hold fast, to restrain something and so when we make Sabr we are restraining our desires, anger etc. It is a very important concept in our Deen and very much encouraged in the Quran and Hadith. 

 

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ

O' You who believe! Seek My help with patience and prayer: surely, Allah is with those who are patient.
[Surah Baqarah:153]

 

To get help firstly, one needs to be patient and it may take time, striving (Mujaahadah) and Du’a. Secondly, Salaah is mentioned.  

 

“Allah is with those who are patient” - technically Allah ta’ala is always with us as Allah ta’ala says, 

وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ ۚ - and He is with you wherever you are. [Surah Hadeed: 4]

 

But in the verse of Surah Baqarah, it is specifically mentioned to show merit of the صَّابِرِين – the patient ones. Knowing that Allah ta’ala is with you when you remain patient helps to be more patient.

 

Types of Sabr

•    Patience in refraining from sins – to restrain one’s self from the impermissible.

•    Patience in doing good deeds – one needs patience to wake up for Fajr.

•    Patience in times of difficulty – brings great rewards.

 

قُلْ يَا عِبَادِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمْ ۚ لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا فِي هَٰذِهِ الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةٌ ۗ وَأَرْضُ اللَّهِ وَاسِعَةٌ ۗ إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُونَ أَجْرَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ

 

Say: “O My servants who have truly believed, fear your Rabb; those who will do good deeds in this world shall receive a good reward. If it has become difficult to follow the Right Way where you live, then migrate, you will find that Allah’s earth is spacious. Those who endure with patience will be rewarded without measure.” [Surah Zumar: 10]

 

Sabr & Shukr

Patience and gratitude have been mentioned together in the Qur’an and Hadith. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam said:

“Wondrous is the affair of the believer for there is good for him in every matter and this is not the case with anyone except the believer. If he is happy, then he thanks Allah and thus there is good for him, and if he is harmed, then he shows patience and thus there is good for him.” [Muslim]

 

Sabr is not a passive thing. It is a proactive and rigorous activity and it is not a one-time thing. It continues over a period of time and real Sabr is how one reacts in the beginning.

 

The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam said, “The real patience is at the first stroke of a calamity.” [Bukhari]

 

The initial reaction reveals the level of Sabr of a person i.e. how one holds one’s self, what words are said etc. It does not mean however that one cannot cry and show grief. 

 

There are three levels of Sabr;

 

•    Sabr of the Taa'ibeen 

This is the stage where people stop speaking about their difficulties and problems to others (i.e. complain to others). Now it does not mean that the wife can’t share anything with her husband or the son can't share with his father or the patient can’t tell about his problems to his doctor. No these are necessities. It is just impermissible to inform the people about one’s condition without any reason. There is nothing wrong if the wife shares her sorrows and grief with her husband and the son shares with his father. What is prohibited is that some people just keep whining and complaining about things and say that Allah ta’ala never listens to us. It is equivalent to saying Allah ta’ala has been unjust to us. 

 

•    Sabr of the Zaahideen

This is when in difficulty they show they are pleased with Allah ta’ala i.e. they are content with the situation. They do not complain.

 

•    Sabr of the Siddiqeen

This is the highest stage. They are happy in difficult situations because they know it will be a means of their attaining closeness to Allah ta’ala. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam said, “Whoever Allah wants good for him, he puts them to test…”

 

Etiquettes of Sabr

When calamity strikes one should not complain or question Allah ta’ala’s decision. Say,

إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ - We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. [Surah Baqarah: 156]

 

In a situation where there is a lack of Sabr think about your sins and that Allah ta’ala is forgiving them. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam said,

“No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that.” [Bukhari]

 

Think of the reward for patience and remember Allah ta’ala is with the patient ones. Our worship and deeds are lacking and through patience we can reach high ranks similar to the ranks of those who worship Allah ta’ala in abundance. 

 

*~~*~~*

[Bint e Aisha]

‏الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي بِنِعْمَتِهِ تَتِمُّ الصَّالِحَات

Praise is to Allah by Whose grace good deeds are completed.