The secrets of patience

The meaning of Sabr
In the Arabic language, sabr means 'to hold fast' 'cease,' or 'choke'.
For example, in Bedouin Arabic, to say "one has been killed by sabr,"
means one was choked to death. Allaah the Most High Says (what means):
"And keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their
Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His countenance…" [Quran
18: 28]. Sabr in this verse means to 'hold to.'
Thus sabr means to hold one's self from anxiety (jaza') and anger
(tasakhkhut), to hold one'stongue from complaint, and to hold one's
body from disgraceful movements.
It is of three types: Patience in obeying Allaah the Most High
(namely, perseverance), patience in avoiding Allaah's disobedience
(namely, resolve), and patience inAllaah's tests. The first two of
these are related to voluntary acts, over which we as humans have
control. The last pertains to what happens to us (by Allaah's Decree)
wherein we have no choice.
The patience of the Prophet Yousuf
I have heard Ibn Taymiyyah say: [The Prophet] Yousuf's patience in
resisting the temptation of the minister's wifewas higher than his
patience regarding his brothers' throwing him into the well and
separating him from his father, for the latterhappened to him without
his choice. In such cases, a servant ofAllaah has no option but
patience. But his perseverance in avoiding the seduction (of the
minister's wife) involved his choice and pleasure (resulting from his
volitional obedience to Allaah), and struggling against his self. This
is especially true because there were factors complicating the
situation which made it all the harder for him. Not only was he young
and full ofpowerful natural desire, he also was unmarried (thus
lacking an appropriate way of satisfying those native urges). He was
furthermore a stranger in the land with no relatives or friends to be
ashamed before (had he fornicated). Moreover, he was a slave, and in
servitude one's moral restraint (wazi') is not as itis in freedom.
Further, the woman (seeking to seduce him) was beautiful, of high
status, andhis owner, and she tempted him when her husband was out. On
top of all this, she threatened him with imprisonment and humiliation
if he were not to oblige her. Yet despite all these factors, he was
patient out of his own choice, preferring what is with Allaah. How
much better it is compared to his patience in the well, wherein he had
no choice?"
He [&Ibn Taymiyyah&&] also used to say: "Patience through the
performance of righteous acts is better and higher in status than
patience in avoiding sins, for the benefit that comes from the
performance of a righteous deed is dearer to the Lawgiver (Allaah the
Most High) than the benefit that comes from abjuring sin. Likewise,
the ill that arises from the absence of righteous obedience is more
hateful to Allaah the Most High than the ill that arises from the
presence of disobedience."
He has a treatise in this matter in which he has supported this
opinion in 20 different ways, but this is not the occasion to mention
them. Our purpose here is to discuss patience, its reality, its levels
and ranks. Allaah the Most High alone gives success.
Various ranks of patience
Patience is also of three sorts: Patience by Allaah (billaah),
patience for Allaah (lillaah), and patience with Allaah (ma'allaah).
The first, patience by Allaah, consists in seeking Allaah's help and
seeing Allaah as the source of patience. For the patience of a servant
is not in his own power but is his Lord's gift, as He the Most High
Says (what means), "And be patient [O Muhammad], and your patience is
not but through Allaah. And do not grieveover them and do not be in
distress over what they conspire." [Quran 16:127].That is to say, if
Allah does not give you patience, you shall not be patient.
The second, patience for Allaah, means that the motivation of your
patience must he the love ofAllaah, the will to seek His pleasure, and
nearness to Him——not the desire to exhibit your self-control, to seek
the praise of people, or for any other reasons.
The third, patience with Allah, is comprised of the servant's effort
to keep with Allaah's religious decrees and requirements, in terms of
persevering with them, living with them, establishing them, going with
them whereverthey take one, and stopping wherever they stop. One's
patience with Allaah is to attach the "self" (nafs) to the things
Allaah the Most High commands and loves. This is the hardest and most
demanding type of patience. It is the patience of the Siddiqoon (those
of the highest degree of truthfulness and faithfulness.)
The sage Al-Junayd said: "Thejourney from this world to the Hereafter
is easy and light for a believer when compared with renouncing people
(for their rejection of faith) in front of Allaah, which is hard. The
journeyfrom the self to Allaah is harder still.
Yet to be patient with Allaah is the hardest of all. He was asked
about patience. So he said: "It is to swallow bitterness without
frowning."
It has also been said that [patience] is "the endurance of the self in
attacking adversities." And also "withstanding a calamity with a good
attitude [patience] is like enjoying peace and felicity."
The elite [worshippers of Allaah] say: "[Patience] is to stand firm on
the commandments of the Book and the Sunnah."
It has been said that the ranks of sabr are five: Saabir, mustabir,
mutasabbir, saboor, and sabbaar.The first, saabir, is the most
general. Mustabir is of the one who has earned patience and is filled
with it. Mutasabbir is of onewho forces one's "self" to it [against
all odds]. Saboor is of one whose patience is great in comparison to
others. And, finally, sabbaar, is of one who hasa great amount of
patience— greater than any of the [people meant by these four] earlier
[descriptions].
Regarding the words of Allaah, the Most High (which mean): "O you who
have believed, persevereand endure and remain stationedand fear Allaah
that you may be successful." [Quran 3:200] —it hasbeen said that this
verse proceeds from the easier [and lesser] command to the harder and
nobler. This means that sabr is less than musaabara, and musaabara is
less than muraabatah.
The word 'muraabatah' comes from rabt which means a tie or hold.
Someone is called al-muraabit because he ties his horse and waits for
the enemy's assault. Hence, this term has been used for anyone who
ties and holds his "self" in discipline and waits for Allaah's
commandments.
The Prophet Muhammad has said: "Shall I not inform you of that by
which Allaah erases sins and raises ranks? Perfecting ablution
(wudhou'), even when itis difficult, walking frequently to the
mosques, and waiting for a prayer after another [has finished]: That
is ribaat! That is ribaat!" (Muslim, Maalik, At-Tirmithi) He also
said: "Waiting patiently for a single day in the path of Allaah is
better than this world and all that is in it." (Al-Bukhaari, Ahmad)
Source: Translation from Madaarij- as-Saalikeen by Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim