The Categories of Patience.
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The Shaykh : However, it is divided into three categories: patience in obeying Allah, patience in refraining from disobeying Allah, and patience with the decrees of Allah. Patience with the decrees of Allah, whether they are painful or joyful, whether they are painful or joyful. As for patience in obeying Allah, it means that a person endures in obeying his Lord until he performs the obedience as commanded. There is no doubt that obedience requires patience, especially such arduous acts of obedience, like fasting, for example. Fasting is undoubtedly difficult for the souls, which is why the month of Ramadan is called the month of patience, the month of patience. Likewise, jihad is difficult for the souls and requires great patience. For this reason, Allah commanded steadfastness when meeting the enemy. Also included in this is Hajj, for it involves hardship, both financial and physical, especially when a person is far from Makkah. The point is that patience in obedience means restraining the soul to it until a person performs it in the manner required of him. What? In the manner required of him. And it requires, obedience requires, obedience requires suffering, psychological suffering and suffering?
The reader: Physical.
The Shaykh : Physical. Note that patience in obedience requires two types of suffering: physical suffering, because it is an action, requiring movement or speech, requiring movement, and psychological suffering, where a person forces himself to do it. Patience in refraining from disobedience is restraining the soul from committing sins. Restraining the soul from committing sins. His soul suggested to him that he commit zina, so he held back. His soul suggested to him that he delay the prayer from its time, so he held back. That he leave the congregational prayer, so he held back. This is patience in what?
The reader: In refraining from disobedience.
The Shaykh : Pay attention, his soul suggested to him that he commit zina, so he held back.
The reader: In refraining from disobedience.
The Shaykh : In refraining from disobedience. Okay, that he leave the congregation, so he held back. This is a matter of consideration now, because this falls under the category of patience in performing obedience. Okay, that he steal, so he held back?
The reader: In refraining from disobedience.
The Shaykh : In refraining from disobedience. That he drink intoxicants, so he held back.
The reader: In refraining from disobedience.
The Shaykh : Okay, this involves suffering, but it is psychological suffering, because he did not act and did not speak, but he restrained himself. And restraining oneself involves only one type of suffering, which is: psychological suffering. For this reason, the scholars said that patience in obedience is better than patience in refraining from disobedience. Patience in obedience is better than patience in refraining from disobedience. Why? Because in patience in obedience, there is... because in patience in obedience?
The reader: There is hardship.
The Shaykh : All of it involves hardship, even disobedience. That is, a young man who is patient in refraining from zina finds hardship.
The reader: Because if he commits the sin...
The Shaykh : It appears you are not with us.
The reader: Yes, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes, are you with us in body?
The reader: Because in patience in obedience there is psychological suffering and physical suffering.
The Shaykh : Correct,
The reader: Whereas in patience in refraining from disobedience, there is only psychological suffering.
The Shaykh : Do you understand? Patience in obedience involves psychological and physical suffering. You suffer from yourself until you compel it to perform the obedience, and you are exhausted in it. Patience in refraining from disobedience involves only psychological suffering, because it involves only leaving it. Just leave it and you are at ease. For this reason, patience in obedience is better than patience in refraining from disobedience. Okay, patience with the decrees. It is known that they say patience with the painful decrees of Allah. And the truth is that it should be said: the painful and the pleasant, the painful and the pleasant. Because the painful decrees, such as illness, poverty, and the death of a relative, and the like, undoubtedly require suffering, require patience. But even the pleasant ones require patience, but it is of the type of patience in obedience. It requires patience, and the truth is that it prevents oneself from arrogance and transgression. And from this perspective, it is attached to patience in?
The reader: In refraining from disobedience.
The Shaykh : In refraining from disobedience. And in being grateful for them, and from this perspective, it is attached to patience in, to patience in obedience. And this is the reason why the scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, mentioned patience with the painful decrees, qualifying them with "painful." Because patience with the pleasant ones, if it is in restraining the soul from arrogance and transgression, it is from patience in refraining from disobedience. And if it is in compelling people to gratitude, it is from patience in obedience. And therefore, we now prefer to stick to the qualification of the scholars of knowledge, and we say: patience with the decrees. He saidThe Shaykh : What?
The reader: The painful ones.
The Shaykh : The painful ones. As for the pleasant ones, there is no doubt that they require patience. Indeed, Sulayman said:[An-Naml 27:40] Which is better: patience with the painful decrees, or patience in refraining from the disobedience of Allah, or patience in obeying Allah? We say: Patience in obeying Allah is the best, then patience in refraining from the disobedience of Allah, then patience with the decrees of Allah. Note, my brothers, why did this become in the last position? Because this is patience with something that is not from your action. Restraining the soul from the prohibited is from your action. But the painful decree, the calamity that struck you, is it from your action?
The reader: No
The Shaykh : No. For this reason, patience with it is of a lower rank than patience in refraining from the disobedience of Allah and in obeying Allah. And this is in terms of the general category. Pay attention, this is in terms of the general category. But it may be, or it may happen, that a person experiences more psychological suffering in patience in refraining from disobedience than what he experiences in patience in obedience. For example: it is easy for a person to get up and pray two rak'ahs, and this is patience
The reader: In obedience.
The Shaykh : In obedience. But it is difficult for a young man with intense desire to be patient in refraining from zina or what is less than it of prohibited enjoyment. That is, this may be harder and more difficult for him. It is difficult for a poor person to refrain from taking the money of others, which is easy for him to take, more than it is difficult for a person who got up and prayed two rak'ahs. But the preference I mentioned is the preference of the general category over the general category. As for the individual over the individual, the virtue of patience in refraining from disobedience may be greater than the virtue of patience in obedience, or patience with the painful decrees may be more severe than patience in refraining from disobedience or in performing obedience. Is that clear, my brothers?
The Reader: Yes.
The Shaykh : And this type of preference poses a difficulty for many students in distinguishing between the preference of the general category, in which the general category is preferred over the general category, and the preference of the individual, in which the individual is preferred over the individual. For example: we say the Companions are better than the Tabi'un, and the Tabi'un are better than the Tabi' al-Tabi'in, as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih al-Bukhari 3651 But there are among the Tabi' al-Tabi'in those who are better than?
The reader: The Tabi'un.
The Shaykh : Than the Tabi'un, much better, because we consider the general category. We say men are better than women, in terms of?
The reader: The general category.
The Shaykh : The general category. But there are among women those who are much better than many men.
The reader: Physical.
The Shaykh : Physical. Note that patience in obedience requires two types of suffering: physical suffering, because it is an action, requiring movement or speech, requiring movement, and psychological suffering, where a person forces himself to do it. Patience in refraining from disobedience is restraining the soul from committing sins. Restraining the soul from committing sins. His soul suggested to him that he commit zina, so he held back. His soul suggested to him that he delay the prayer from its time, so he held back. That he leave the congregational prayer, so he held back. This is patience in what?
The reader: In refraining from disobedience.
The Shaykh : Pay attention, his soul suggested to him that he commit zina, so he held back.
The reader: In refraining from disobedience.
The Shaykh : In refraining from disobedience. Okay, that he leave the congregation, so he held back. This is a matter of consideration now, because this falls under the category of patience in performing obedience. Okay, that he steal, so he held back?
The reader: In refraining from disobedience.
The Shaykh : In refraining from disobedience. That he drink intoxicants, so he held back.
The reader: In refraining from disobedience.
The Shaykh : Okay, this involves suffering, but it is psychological suffering, because he did not act and did not speak, but he restrained himself. And restraining oneself involves only one type of suffering, which is: psychological suffering. For this reason, the scholars said that patience in obedience is better than patience in refraining from disobedience. Patience in obedience is better than patience in refraining from disobedience. Why? Because in patience in obedience, there is... because in patience in obedience?
The reader: There is hardship.
The Shaykh : All of it involves hardship, even disobedience. That is, a young man who is patient in refraining from zina finds hardship.
The reader: Because if he commits the sin...
The Shaykh : It appears you are not with us.
The reader: Yes, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes, are you with us in body?
The reader: Because in patience in obedience there is psychological suffering and physical suffering.
The Shaykh : Correct,
The reader: Whereas in patience in refraining from disobedience, there is only psychological suffering.
The Shaykh : Do you understand? Patience in obedience involves psychological and physical suffering. You suffer from yourself until you compel it to perform the obedience, and you are exhausted in it. Patience in refraining from disobedience involves only psychological suffering, because it involves only leaving it. Just leave it and you are at ease. For this reason, patience in obedience is better than patience in refraining from disobedience. Okay, patience with the decrees. It is known that they say patience with the painful decrees of Allah. And the truth is that it should be said: the painful and the pleasant, the painful and the pleasant. Because the painful decrees, such as illness, poverty, and the death of a relative, and the like, undoubtedly require suffering, require patience. But even the pleasant ones require patience, but it is of the type of patience in obedience. It requires patience, and the truth is that it prevents oneself from arrogance and transgression. And from this perspective, it is attached to patience in?
The reader: In refraining from disobedience.
The Shaykh : In refraining from disobedience. And in being grateful for them, and from this perspective, it is attached to patience in, to patience in obedience. And this is the reason why the scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, mentioned patience with the painful decrees, qualifying them with "painful." Because patience with the pleasant ones, if it is in restraining the soul from arrogance and transgression, it is from patience in refraining from disobedience. And if it is in compelling people to gratitude, it is from patience in obedience. And therefore, we now prefer to stick to the qualification of the scholars of knowledge, and we say: patience with the decrees. He saidThe Shaykh : What?
The reader: The painful ones.
The Shaykh : The painful ones. As for the pleasant ones, there is no doubt that they require patience. Indeed, Sulayman said:
This is from the favor of my Lord to test me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful
هذا من فضل ربي ليبلوني أأشكر أم أكفرThe reader: No
The Shaykh : No. For this reason, patience with it is of a lower rank than patience in refraining from the disobedience of Allah and in obeying Allah. And this is in terms of the general category. Pay attention, this is in terms of the general category. But it may be, or it may happen, that a person experiences more psychological suffering in patience in refraining from disobedience than what he experiences in patience in obedience. For example: it is easy for a person to get up and pray two rak'ahs, and this is patience
The reader: In obedience.
The Shaykh : In obedience. But it is difficult for a young man with intense desire to be patient in refraining from zina or what is less than it of prohibited enjoyment. That is, this may be harder and more difficult for him. It is difficult for a poor person to refrain from taking the money of others, which is easy for him to take, more than it is difficult for a person who got up and prayed two rak'ahs. But the preference I mentioned is the preference of the general category over the general category. As for the individual over the individual, the virtue of patience in refraining from disobedience may be greater than the virtue of patience in obedience, or patience with the painful decrees may be more severe than patience in refraining from disobedience or in performing obedience. Is that clear, my brothers?
The Reader: Yes.
The Shaykh : And this type of preference poses a difficulty for many students in distinguishing between the preference of the general category, in which the general category is preferred over the general category, and the preference of the individual, in which the individual is preferred over the individual. For example: we say the Companions are better than the Tabi'un, and the Tabi'un are better than the Tabi' al-Tabi'in, as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The best people are those living in my generation, and then those who will follow them, and then those who will follow the latter
خير الناس قرني ثم الذين يلونهم ثم الذين يلونهمThe reader: The Tabi'un.
The Shaykh : Than the Tabi'un, much better, because we consider the general category. We say men are better than women, in terms of?
The reader: The general category.
The Shaykh : The general category. But there are among women those who are much better than many men.