The Ranks of Patience and Its Virtue
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Question:
This questioner: (C) from Jazan, a young man, says in this question: Your Eminence! My question consists of three parts: First: What are the limits of patience in the face of trials? What are the ranks of the patient? And what is the reward for those who are patient in the face of trials? Please guide us in light of these parts, may you be rewarded.
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance. As for what follows:
For Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has made patience obligatory upon His servants when calamities strike. He said (Glorified and Exalted is He): [Al-Anfal: 46]. He said (Exalted and Majestic is He): [An-Nahl: 127]. He said (Glorified and Exalted is He): [Al-Baqarah 2:155] "Those who, when a calamity strikes them, say: 'Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed, to Him we return.'" "Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy, and it is those who are the guided." [Al-Baqarah: 155-157].
And patience is obligatory. It is restraining the tongue from wailing, restraining the hand from scratching the face, or tearing the garment, or the like of that. It is for the person to restrain his hand from what is not appropriate, and to restrain his tongue from what is not appropriate, and his heart does not become distressed like this. For this reason, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 104a.
The wailer is the one who raises her voice at the time of calamity. The one who shaves her head is the one who shaves her hair at the time of calamity. The one who tears her garment is the one who tears her clothing at the time of calamity.
And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 103a.
So the patient one is the one who restrains his limbs from what is not appropriate, restrains his tongue from what is not appropriate, and fills his heart with tranquility, seeking reward, absence of distress, and faith that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is the Wise, the All-Knowing, and that He, Exalted and Majestic is He, decrees calamities for a profound wisdom. He decrees for this person an illness, for this person a car accident, for this person death, for this person harm from so-and-so, or so-and-so, and the like of that. He has the profound wisdom. For this reason, in the authentic hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: This is the affair of the believer.
And patience is a specific obligation, such that he restrains his hand, his tongue, and all his limbs from what is not appropriate. So he does not wail, does not tear a garment, and does not slap his cheek. Rather, he seeks reward, he is patient, and he knows that it is from Allah, so he seeks reward for it, and he restrains his limbs from what is not appropriate.
And if he is pleased with this, and is tranquil with it, and is pleased with what Allah has decreed for him, that is greater, bigger, and better. Because of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Ibn Majah 4031Hasan (Darussalam).
So patience is obligatory, and contentment is a confirmed recommended practice, and distress is forbidden. Distress, wailing, tearing the garment, and slapping the cheek, all of this is forbidden. So distress is forbidden, patience is obligatory, and contentment is perfection.
And there is another high rank, which is: considering the calamity a blessing, and thanking Allah for it. So he becomes a thankful, patient, content, thankful person. He sees that the calamity is a blessing. This illness that struck him, or poverty, or a loss in merchandise, or a disaster in the body, or the like of that, he sees it as a blessing, and thanks Allah for it, because of what follows from it: the expiation of sins, the removal of errors, and the greatness of rewards. So he considers it a blessing, he is patient, he is content, he seeks reward, and he considers it a blessing for which he thanks Allah. This is the high rank. Allah is the One to be sought for help. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.
This questioner: (C) from Jazan, a young man, says in this question: Your Eminence! My question consists of three parts: First: What are the limits of patience in the face of trials? What are the ranks of the patient? And what is the reward for those who are patient in the face of trials? Please guide us in light of these parts, may you be rewarded.
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance. As for what follows:
For Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has made patience obligatory upon His servants when calamities strike. He said (Glorified and Exalted is He):
and be patient. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.
وَاصْبِرُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَAnd be patient, [O Muhammad], and your patience is not but through Allah
وَاصْبِرْ وَمَا صَبْرُكَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهAnd We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient,
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الأَمْوَالِ وَالأَنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ And patience is obligatory. It is restraining the tongue from wailing, restraining the hand from scratching the face, or tearing the garment, or the like of that. It is for the person to restrain his hand from what is not appropriate, and to restrain his tongue from what is not appropriate, and his heart does not become distressed like this. For this reason, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
I have no concern with one with whom the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has no concern, Verily the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has no concern with that woman who wails loudly, shaves her hair and tears (her garment in grief).
أنا بريء من الصالقة والحالقة والشاقةThe wailer is the one who raises her voice at the time of calamity. The one who shaves her head is the one who shaves her hair at the time of calamity. The one who tears her garment is the one who tears her clothing at the time of calamity.
And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
He is not one of us (one among the Ummah of Islam) who beat the cheeks or tore the front opening of the shirt or uttered the slogans of (the days of) Jahiliya (ignorance).
ليس منا من ضرب الخدود، أو شق الجيوب، أو دعا بدعوى الجاهليةSo the patient one is the one who restrains his limbs from what is not appropriate, restrains his tongue from what is not appropriate, and fills his heart with tranquility, seeking reward, absence of distress, and faith that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is the Wise, the All-Knowing, and that He, Exalted and Majestic is He, decrees calamities for a profound wisdom. He decrees for this person an illness, for this person a car accident, for this person death, for this person harm from so-and-so, or so-and-so, and the like of that. He has the profound wisdom. For this reason, in the authentic hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Wondrous is the affair of the believer, for all his affairs are good for him, and that is not for anyone except the believer. If adversity strikes him, he is patient, and it is good for him. And if prosperity strikes him, he is thankful, and it is good for him.
عجبًا لأمر المؤمن إن أمره كله له خير، وليس ذلك لأحد إلا للمؤمن، إن أصابته ضراء صبر؛ فكان خيرًا له، وإن أصابته سراء شكر؛ فكان خيرًا لهAnd patience is a specific obligation, such that he restrains his hand, his tongue, and all his limbs from what is not appropriate. So he does not wail, does not tear a garment, and does not slap his cheek. Rather, he seeks reward, he is patient, and he knows that it is from Allah, so he seeks reward for it, and he restrains his limbs from what is not appropriate.
And if he is pleased with this, and is tranquil with it, and is pleased with what Allah has decreed for him, that is greater, bigger, and better. Because of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
The greatest reward comes with the greatest trial. When Allah loves a people He tests them. Whoever accepts that wins His pleasure but whoever is discontent with that earns His wrath.
إن عظم الجزاء مع عظم البلاء، وإن الله إذا أحب قومًا ابتلاهم، فمن رضي؛ فله الرضا، ومن سخط؛ فله السخطSo patience is obligatory, and contentment is a confirmed recommended practice, and distress is forbidden. Distress, wailing, tearing the garment, and slapping the cheek, all of this is forbidden. So distress is forbidden, patience is obligatory, and contentment is perfection.
And there is another high rank, which is: considering the calamity a blessing, and thanking Allah for it. So he becomes a thankful, patient, content, thankful person. He sees that the calamity is a blessing. This illness that struck him, or poverty, or a loss in merchandise, or a disaster in the body, or the like of that, he sees it as a blessing, and thanks Allah for it, because of what follows from it: the expiation of sins, the removal of errors, and the greatness of rewards. So he considers it a blessing, he is patient, he is content, he seeks reward, and he considers it a blessing for which he thanks Allah. This is the high rank. Allah is the One to be sought for help. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.