Allah the Almighty describes His closest allies and beloved ones with a quality. Do you know what it is? Allah praises those who have this attribute in the best way. Do you know what it is? Allah promises those who have this virtue with the greatest reward. Do you know what it is?
You will recognise this trait when you know that those who have it, unlike others, will be given their reward in full without account.
It is patience, which is half of faith. Faith is two parts: one-half is patience and the other is gratitude. Since most people claim to love Allah, He wants to test them and assess their sincerity. So He imposed on them acts of obedience, forbade them from committing vices and predestined for them certain types of trial.
The result was that some people succeeded, others failed. Those successful were patient, obeying their Lord and avoiding disobedience. When they did disobey Allah, they immediately returned to Him and repented. Therefore, they tasted the sweetness of contentment and Allah showered them with tranquillity and reassurance.
When you socialise with such people, you observe that they are happy. Why should it not be so when Allah praised those who were patient in the best way, promised them the greatest reward and, unlike others, will reward them without account?
Those who are impatient are overwhelmed with worries and sorrows. Why should it not be so when the Prophet said in the Hadeeth (narration): “Verily, the greatness of the reward is tied to the greatness of the trial: When Allah loves a people, He puts them to trial. Whoever accepts it, will enjoy the pleasure of Allah; and whoever is displeased with it, will incur the displeasure of Allah.”
To which type do you belong?
The stage of adolescence can be called the stage of patience because during this stage the youth experience physical, mental and emotional changes. The youth either control these changes and are guided in the right direction to correctly utilise them and turn them into talents and resources which boost improvement, a spirit of achievement and other constructive purposes, causing this stage to pass peacefully.
If they are neglected, they turn into stormy winds which blow contrary to what the ships desire.
Adolescents experience a state of rapid and successive physical, mental and emotional changes. When the adolescent interacts with the external environment -- friends and peers in particular -- they are mostly inclined to imitation and following their friends’ stance to avoid being ‘the odd-one-out’. If their friends and companions move in the wrong direction, the adolescent is required to be patient in order not to fall into their misguided ways along with them.
Adolescents are in dire need of worship and religiousness in their lives. Many psychological studies indicate that male and female adolescents in different countries have this innate direction and inclination. Consequently, we observe that often many adolescents hasten to perform acts of worship and obedience. However, sometimes they do not continue doing so, mostly due to external influences which surround the youth such as bad friends or a family which neither helps nor cultivates nor encourages piety.
An adolescent must be patient, give precedence to the hereafter over this worldly pleasure and seek the reward of Allah who says (what means): {But what is with Allah is better and more lasting.} [Quran 42: 36]
Patience with obedience
It is the highest degree of patience when one is patient regarding obeying Allah in terms of observing His obligations regularly and performing them in the most perfect way. When the Athaan (call for prayer) is made, you are in the Masjid to perform the obligatory prayer. When you are with your family, you are the dutiful and obedient son who obeys his parents’ orders and seek their happiness.
The most important reason that motivates the youth to be patient in obeying his Lord is to determine his goal in life in advance. There should be no lesser goal than entering the Paradise of Allah. The least thing that a Muslim should hope for is to enter Paradise. That is because if one does not enter Paradise, this means that he will inevitably enter Hell. (We seek refuge with Allah from this).
One will not obtain this unless he is patient with regard to obeying Allah. That is because one cannot attain what Allah has unless He is satisfied. Therefore, when you see a young man performing acts of worship regularly and perfectly, you should know that he is seeking a goal and trying to achieve it. This means that when one determines his goal, this helps him correctly utilise his potential for patience in obeying Allah.
When we talk about patience regarding obedience, we should not forget the story of Ibraaheem (Abraham), may Allah exalt his mention, the intimate friend of Allah, who offered himself for the fire and his son for sacrifice.
It is a unique form of patience, unparalleled throughout human history. When a kind father, who was deprived of having children for many years, offers his son to be slaughtered while keeping patience with the commands of Allah, this is a unique form of patience. Reflect on the situation of the dutiful son and obedient youth, Ismaa‘eel (Ishmael), may Allah exalt his mention, who was brought up on obedience to Allah. He said, as Allah says (what means) through his words: {O my (dear) father, perform whatever you are commanded; you will soon find me, in case Allah (so) decides, among the patient.}[Quran 37: 102]
Patience on avoiding disobedience:
Sins and acts of disobedience are harmful. Undoubtedly, their damaging effect on one’s heart is like the effect of poison on the body and this has different degrees. Any evil or ailment afflicting a person in the two worlds is due to sins and acts of disobedience.
What was the reason behind the banishment of our first parents from Paradise, the abode of pleasure, bliss and happiness, to the abode of pain, sadness and disasters? What was the reason behind taking Satan away from the kingdom of heaven, expelling him from the mercy of Allah, cursing him and deforming him outwardly and inwardly? What was the reason behind drowning all the inhabitants of earth until the water reached the mountain tops? What was the reason behind sending the barren wind to the people of ‘Aad, which turned them into lifeless corpses, as if they were hollow trunks of palm trees? That wind also destroyed everything it passed by, including homes, farms, plants and animals. It made them an example for all nations until the Day of Judgment.
What was the reason behind sending the Shriek against the people of Thamood until their hearts were cut within their chests and they died? What was the reason behind lifting the villages of the people of Loote, may Allah exalt his mention, up to the heavens until the angels heard the barking of their dogs and then it was turned upside down and all the people died?
Then they were rained upon with stones of hard clay. They were punished in ways different from all other nations and those who follow their example will have the same punishment, which is not far from the wrongdoers. [Al-Jawaab Al-Kaafi by Ibn Al-Qayyim]
Was not disobedience the reason behind all this? Man should realise the loss he incurs and the wrong he does when he disobeys Allah. The fact is that we are in dire need for patience, with acts of disobedience and sins.
Just as disobedience is the reason behind all forms of misery and wretchedness, patience with disobedience is the reason behind all forms of success and superiority. It is the patience of those who love Allah and know His might and majesty. It is the patience of those young people beset by desires and evil objects that are beautified for them and the call, “Come! Everything is ready for you,” gets louder in their ears but they raise the slogan {I seek the refuge of Allah. Indeed, He is my Master, who has made good my residence. Indeed, wrongdoers will not succeed.} Such people have rightly venerated Allah and recognised His favours upon them and they are too bashful to let Allah watch them disobeying Him.
If they fall into the trap of disobediences that sullies them, they soon purify themselves with tears of repentance and regret. They are the pious people. In the Quran, Allah mentioned that it is one of the characteristics of the pious people that they might commit immorality. Nevertheless, the difference between the pious and the wretched is that when the former commits an act of disobedience, he immediately asks for forgiveness, repents and returns to his Lord with hope and fear. Allah says (what means): {And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous. Who spend [in the cause of Allah] during ease and hardship and who restrain anger and who pardon the people - and Allah loves the doers of good; And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allah? - and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know.} [Quran 3: 133-135]
We need to consider the reality of life and not speak from lofty towers. This is because reality forces us to say that there are many evil things and desires and the youth easily find seduction everywhere.
Hence, the Messenger of Allah told us that there will be days of patience and knew about the desires and seductive means that would follow, and therefore he promised the patient a double reward. Once, the Messenger of Allah said to his Companions : “‘After you there will come the days of patience (ie days which require patience). During those (days) the reward for the one who adheres to the Commands of Allah will be equivalent to the reward of fifty of you.’ They said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, the reward of fifty of them?’ He said: ‘Nay, it is the reward of fifty of you.’”
Does not this great reward eagerly urge us to be patient with this perishable life to attain the pleasure of the immortal life?
You should know that if you prefer desires, comfort, play and entertainment, they quickly end. Nevertheless, the consequences will be great, unrelenting pain whose suffering and torture are harder, more difficult and continuous than the suffering of keeping patience with the prohibitions of Allah as well as obedience to Him and contradicting one’s personal desires for His sake. [Al-Fawaa’id by Ibn Al-Qayyim]
The rewards of those who are patient
To those young people who are patient with obeying their Lords; to those young people who were called to disobedience and they responded, “We fear Allah”, your reward is great. Allah says (what means): {Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account.”} [Quran 39: 10]
Being loved by Allah: What would you do if you knew that Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, loves you? What would you do if you knew that the Prophet, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, loves you? What would you do if you knew that Allah, the King of the Universe, loves you? Have you not heard before the verse in which Allah says (what means): {And Allah loves the patient} [Quran 3: 146]?
O you who are patient with obedience, Allah loves you. He loves a person who wakes up from his deep sleep, removes the bedcovers, stands up with his limbs shivering from the cold, performs ablution correctly and responds to the call of Allah for prayer. Allah loves someone who severs his (unlawful) relationship with a girl and seeks a way of satisfying Him.
Words cannot describe the great scene that will be granted to the person who was patient out of love for Allah. You put your foot in a garden the vastness of which is like the heavens and earth and forget all forms of misery, trial, fatigue and tiredness you experienced in this worldly life.
The angels are receiving you from everywhere because you are the guest of The Most Merciful. Allah says (what means): {Gardens of perpetual residence; they will enter them with whoever were righteous among their fathers, their spouses and their descendants. And the angels will enter upon them from every gate, [saying], “Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured. And excellent is the final home.”} [Quran 13: 23-24]
Patience is better for the patient: In a Hadeeth (narration), the Messenger of Allah said: “Strange is the matter of the believer as all his matters are good, and this is only for the believer. If a good thing befell him, he would be grateful (to Allah) and this would be good for him; and if an evil thing befell him, he would be patient and this would be good for him.”
Allah says (what means): {But if you are patient - it is better for those who are patient.} [Quran 16: 126]
There are several means through which a Muslim can achieve this noble value and great act of worship. The following are the most important means:
• Reflect on the great reward of patience. One has to reflect on the good reward for those who are patient in the two worlds.
• Seek help from Allah who says (what means): {Is He [not best] who responds to the desperate one when he calls upon Him and removes evil and makes you inheritors of the earth?} [Quran 27: 62]
Allah is able to grant you this noble quality and make it one of your characteristics. So you should constantly ask Him to grant you this.
• It is something beautiful that the young man reviews the biographies of those who are guiding beacons in patience. There are also youth who live among us now steadfast on obedience and far away from disobedience. When you constantly reflect on them, your soul yearns to join them and become among those who are patient.
So, you should not say their way is difficult, because the Helper is Able. Rather, you should ask The One Who gave them, seek from Him because He is your Lord and theirs. It could happen that a poor man finds a treasure and an unimportant person obtains a great virtue. [Al-Mud-hish by Ibn Al-Jawzi]
Allah says (what means) through the words of Ya’qoob, may Allah exalt his mention: {So patience is most fitting. And Allah is The One sought for help against that which you describe.} [Quran 12: 18]
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