AS-SABR (PATIENCE) The Meaning of Patience The word sabr (in the Arabic language) is from sabara - to be patient and to persevere, and it indicates to holding back and restraining oneself. (In the Sharî’ah sense) it implies: restraining the soul from being agitated; restraining the tongue from complaining and restraining the hands from slapping the cheeks, tearing the clothes and doing other similar actions. This has been mentioned by Ibn al-Qayyim (d.750H). And know that sabr (patient perseverance) is of three kinds: [i] sabr whilst (fulfilling) the orders of Allâh, [ii] sabr whilst (abandoning and keeping away) from the prohibitions of Allâh, and [iii] sabr with the Decree of Allâh with respect to afflictions and difficulties. Guidance for the Hearts Allâh - the Most High - says: “And whosoever believes in Allâh, He guides his heart aright. And Allâh has full knowledge over everything.” Sûrah at-Taghâbun 64:11 And this âyah begins with: “No affliction occurs, except by the permission of Allâh.” About this Ibn ’Abbâs said: “By the command of Allâh - meaning: by His Will and His Power.” So the meaning of this âyah is: No affliction occurs except by His Mashiyyah (Will), His Irâdâh (Desire) and His Hikmah (Wisdom) - as Allâh says: “No affliction occurs upon the earth, nor in yourselves, except that it is written before We bring it into existence. Indeed, this is easy for Allâh.” Sûrah al-Hadîd 57:22 And Allâh says: “Give glad-tidings to those who have sabr. Those who - when afflicted with a affliction - say: Indeed, we belong to Allâh and to Him shall we return. They are those on whom are the blessings from their Lord and His mercy. They are the ones who are guided.” [ Sûrah al- Baqarah 2:155-157] And Allâh’s saying: “And whosoever believes in Allâh, He guides his heart aright.” means: “Whosoever - when afflicted with a affliction - knows it is by the Decree of Allâh and His Power, and thus patiently submits to it, then Allâh rewards such a person by guiding their heart aright. So this is the root cause of all happiness, and the foundation of excellence in this world and in the Hereafter. And Allâh promises such a person (a reward) for what He has taken from them.” And Allâh’s saying: “And AIlâh has full knowledge over everything.” is a reminder that such a affliction is by His Knowledge which necessitates His Wisdom, which obligates sabr and being contented with His Decree. Abû Dhibyân said: We were with ’Alqamah and this âyah was recited to him: “And whosoever believes in Allâh, He guides his heart aright.” So he said: “It is the man who - when afflicted with an affliction - knows it is from Allâh, so he is pleased with it and submits to it.” In the above narration is a proof that actions are a part of îmân (faith). Sa’îd ibn Jubayr (d.104H) said about: “And whosoever believes in Allâh, He guides his heart aright.” He said: “That (at the time of a affliction) a person says: Indeed, to Allâh we belong and to Him shall we return.” In the above âyah is an explanation that having sabr is the cause for the heart’s guidance; this being the reward for the sâbir (the one having patience). Complaining against the Decree of Allâh The Prophet sallallâhu ’alaybi wa sallam said: “Two characteristics of the people are from disbelief: attack on one’s genealogy and bewailing the deceased.” Related by Muslim(no.67) and Ahmad (2/377), from Abû Hurayrah radiallâhu ’anhu Meaning: that these two characteristics are actions of kufr (disbelief), since these are actions of jâhiliyyah (pre-Islâmic ignorance) which continue to remain in people. And no one will remain safe from them, except for the one to whom Allâh grants safety, and the one to whom Allâh grants knowledge and îmân (faith). However - it should be known - that whosoever has within him a branch of kufr (disbelief), then it does not cause the person to become a kâfir (disbeliever) with absolute kufr; just as a person who has within him a branch of îmân (faith), is not called a mu‘min (believer) with absolute îmân . Indeed , there is a difference between the word kufr having the definite article attached to it (i.e. al-kufr) and the word kufr without the definite article - as occurs in the saying of the Prophet: “There is nothing between a servant and between al-kufr and ash-shirk, except abandoning the Prayer.” [Related by Muslim (no.82), Abû Dâwûd (no.4679) and at-Tirmidhî (no.2621), from Jâbir ibn ’Abdullâh radiallâhu ’anhu] The saying of the Prophet sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam: “Attack on one’s geneology,” means: finding faults and defects. Entering into this also is a person’s false denial of another man’s genealogy by saying: “This is not the son of such and such,” and the person knew that this denial was false. And his saying: “And bewailing the dead.” means: raising the voice in lamentation and wailing and in enumerating the virtues of the deceased. All of this is a form of complaining against the Decree of Allâh and is against having sabr - such as the saying of the one bewailing: “He was my close friend,” or “he was my aid and supporter.” So in the above hadîth is a proof for the obligation of having sabr, and a proof that there is a type of kufr (disbelief) which does not cause its doer to become a kâfir. Tender Hearts and Compassionate Tears The Prophet sallâllâhu ’alayhi wa sallam said: “He is not one of us who strikes the cheeks, tears the clothes and calls with the call of jâhiliyyah (pre-Islâmic ignorance).” [Related by al-Bukhârî (no.1294) and Muslim (no.103), from Ibn Mas’ûd radiallâhu ’anhu.] This is one of those textual threats related in the Revelation. It is related from Sufyân ath-Thawrî and Imâm Ahmad that they disliked explaining the meaning of such threats, so that people would have fear of committing such actions and would remain far away from them. This narration is a proof that the actions mentioned are against complete îmân (faith). Al-Hâfidh Ibn Hajar (d.852H) whilst explaining the saying “Whosoever strikes the cheeks,” said: “The cheeks have been particularised since that is the most common place of striking. However, striking any other part of the face is just the same. The saying of the Prophet: “Tearing the clothes,” implies: tearing open the clothes from the chest. This was the practice of the people of jâhiliyyah (pre-Islâmic ignorance) as an expression of grieving for the deceased. Ibn Taymiyyah (d.728H) said about: “And calls with the call of jâhiliyyah.”: “It means to wail over the deceased.” Ibn al-Qayyim - rahimahullâh - said: “Included in calling with the call of jâhiliyyah is calling to tribalism, partisanship and party-spirit; being zealous and bigoted towards one’s madhhab (school of thought), party, or Shaykh; giving precedence to one over the other and calling to this; and forming alliances and enmity based upon this. All of this is from the calls of jâhiliyyah.” Abû Umâmah relates the the Messenger of Allâh sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam cursed the woman who strikes her face, tears her clothes and wails over the deceased. [Sahîh: Related by Ibn Mâjah (no.1584) and also Ibn Hibbân (no.737)] So this is a proof that these matters are from the major sins. Also, whosoever laments lightly-without being impatient with Allâh’s Decree, nor complaining against it, and says only that which is true - then such lamenting is acceptable. Just like the lamenting of Abû Bakr and Fâtimah radiallâhu ’anhumâ when the Messenger of Allâh sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam died. There is a text also from Imâm Ahmad concerning this. However, this is not a proof for the prohibition of crying, since there occurs in an authentic narration: That when the Messenger of Allâh sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam came to know about the death of his son Ibrâhîm, he said: “The eyes shed tears, the heart grieves, but we do not say except that which pleases our Lord. O Ibrâhîm! It is because of you that we are grieving.” [Related by al-Bukhârî (no.1303) and Muslim (no.2315), from Anas and Asmâ bint Yazîd radiallâhu ’anhumâ.] In the two Sahîhs Usâmah bin Zayd relates: That the Messenger of Allâh sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam went to one of his daughters, who had with her a young child that was dying. So she raised the child and placed the child in his lap, who was gasping for air. On seeing this, tears rolled down the Prophet sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam’s eyes. So Sa’d said: O Messenger of Allâh! What is this? So he replied: “This is mercy which Allâh puts into the hearts of His servants. And Allâh is merciful to those of His servants that show mercy to others.” [Related by al-Bukhârî (no.1283) and Muslim (no.923).] Trials Faced by the Believers The Messenger of Allâh sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam said: “Whenever Allâh intends to do good to a servant, He hastens to punish him in this world. And whenever Allâh intends evil for a servant, He postpones the punishment until the Day of Judgement.” [Sahîh: Related by at-Tirmidhî (no.2398) and al-Hâkim in al-Mustadrak (1/340), from Anas radiallâhu ’anhu. It was authenticated by Shaykh al-Albânî in as-Sahîhah (no.1220).] His saying: “Whenever Allâh intends to do good to a servant, He hastens to punish him in this world.” means: that he is punished by being inflicted with afflictions and difficulties due to the sins he has committed, due to which he is cleansed from them all, and in the Hereafter he has no sins to account for. The saying of the Prophet: “Whenever Allâh intends evil for a servant, He postpones the punishment until the Day of Judgement.” means: such a person’s punishment is delayed until the Hereafter, where he will receive severe punishment. Al-’Azîzî (d.1070H) said: “Such a person is not punished in this world, so that in the Hereafter he can be punished for his sins in a way that he fully deserved.” In the above hadîth is a lesson and a reminder that one must have good expectations in Allâh and a good opinion about Him with regard to what He has decreed for a person, as Allâh - the Most High - says: “It is possible that you hate a thing and it is good for you, and love a thing and it is evil for you. Allâh knows and you do not know.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah 2:216] Rewards are Proportional to Afflictions The Prophet sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam said: “Reward is directly proportional to the affliction. If Allâh loves a people, He inflicts them with a calamity. Whoever accepts it, Allâh is pleased with them, and whoever resents it, Allâh is displeased with them.” [Hasan: Related by at-Tirmidhî (no.2398) and Ibn Majâh (no.4021), from Anas radiallâhu ’anhu. It was authenticated by al-Albânî in as-Sahîhah (no.146).] Likewise, the Prophet sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam said: “Whenever Allâh loves a people, He sends affliction upon them. So whoever is patient, is one of the patient-ones, and whoever resents it, is one of the resenters.” [Sahîh: Related by Ahmad (5/427), from Mahmûd ibn Lubayd radiallâhu ’anhu. It was authenticated by al-Mundharî in at-Targhîb wat-Tarhîb (4/283), ] The meaning of the first hadîth is: the greater the affliction, the greater the reward. And it is said: Indeed, afflictions bring about a reward as well as expiating sins. This was the preferred saying of Ibn al-Qayyim that the one afflicted with a calamity is not only rewarded for it, but his sins are expiated as well. However, if this affliction was the cause of him doing certain righteous actions - such as having sabr, contentment with the Decree of Allâh, repenting to Allâh or asking for His forgiveness - then the person will be rewarded for such actions as well. Because of this it is said that the meaning of the hadîth is: Indeed, the reward is proportional to the affliction, providing there is sabr and expectation of reward. Similarly, in the hadîth of Sa’d: The Prophet sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam was asked: Who from mankind suffers the greatest afflictions? He replied: “The Prophets, then those most like them, then those most like them. A person is afflicted with calamities in comparisons to his Dîn, so if he is firm in his Dîn, then his afflictions are strong and if he is weak in his Dîn, then his afflictions are lighter. A person is afflicted with calamities until he is left walking upon the face of this earth without any sins.” [Sahîh: Related by Ahmad (l/172), at-Tirmidhî (no.2398) and Ibn Mâjah (no.4023). It was authenticated by al-Albânî in as-Sahîhah (no.143).]
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 10:23:35 +0000
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