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

Remembering Often the Ender of Pleasures

You're sitting comfortably on the sofa watching your favorite
television show with your favorite person. Your laughter abruptly
stops and you're spellbound as your eyes hold an image you've never
seen before. And before you can say anything, your eyes are forever
closed as your soul is torn away from your body.
Are you ready to meet your Lord?
The angel of death can come knocking on your door as an uninvited
guest at any time and without a moment's notice.
You can't turn off the lights and pretend not to be home, for evenif
you do, he'll find a way in.
You'll be hauled back to the One who Created you, ready or not.
Whether you're an ambitious youth with dreams and hopes about the
future, or a wise elder with fond memories of the past, death is
inevitable and its arrival is unknown to you.
So it only makes sense that every breath of ours should be spent inthe
worship of the One who has granted these breaths because none of us
know which breath will be our last.
You may ask, how can I constantly be in a state of worship? Simple
answer, though difficult to follow at times: Live life in accordance
with the Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad .
It's all about the intentions, and the sincerity of those intentions.
The Prophet has said: "Deeds result only from the intentions ofthe
actor. And an individual is rewarded only according to that which he
intends." [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
Take the simple act of eating for example.
If done with the intention of nourishing our bodies in order toworship
our Lord, it becomes an act of worship itself. Imagine that, something
as enjoyable as eating can gather up good deeds for you.
Of course you would want to keep the eating in check though! Take a
sip of water with the name of Allaah while sitting, in small amounts,
and then thank Him Almighty after, and the number of good deeds keeps
adding up.
Just the same, the routines of ourdaily grind can all become acts of
worship when we do them to refine our intentions and by emulating the
example of our beloved Prophet .
When working to constantly be conscious of Allaah, The Most High,
having that Taqwa (piety) and simply being aware that He The Most High
is watching over us at every moment will help us keep ourselves from
doing anything that would bring the displeasure of Allaah Almighty.
Knowing that death can come to us at the precise moment you decided to
look just once more atthe sister across the room will help us keep our
gaze lowered.
Remembering death does something else too. It forces us to realize the
reality of this world. It too will come to an end one day.
Life in this world is temporary and merely a means for us to fulfill
the reason why we were created in the first place: To worship the One
true God, Allaah alone. Realizing this truth, enables us to live as a
traveler as the Prophet taught us.
And if we were to die unexpectedly, what about those kids from high
school that you once fought with over somethingyou can't even remember
now and severed ties with them? Or that cousin that you haven't talked
to in ages because they didn't come to your wedding!
The Prophet Muhammad has said: "When the believers cross [the traverse
over] Hellfire, they will be stopped at a small arched bridge,
Qantarah, before enteringthe Garden, and will be given retribution for
injustices betweenthem until they become purified. Then they will be
permitted to enter Jannah or Paradise. So, by the One in Whose Hands
is my soul, they will know their way to their homes in Jannah, better
than they know their ways to their homes in this world." [Al-Bukhaari]
Thus, Al-Qantarah is a small bridge after the Siraat (the Traverse)
that the believers will have to cross before entering Jannah
(Paradise). Allaah, the All-Mighty, will ask the believers to settle
their issues here, right in front of the gates of the Paradise. And
your good deeds will continue to go to the person you've wronged till
they forgive you, and if you run out of good deeds, their bad deeds
will go over to you.
Now, is that fight really worth it?
My dearest readers; do yourself a favor today. Save yourself while
you're still a traveler in this worldand reconcile with the folks you
know you need to.
Send your apologies. Free yourself of this burden and save yourself
before it's too late.
Let us all prepare to meet our Lord, before the Angel of Death comes to meet us.

The Glory of Faith

Haaroon Ar-Rasheed once stood looking at the sky when hesaw a cloud
passing by. He addressed it saying, "Rain wherever you wish, for your
fruit will certainly come to me anyway." This means that the cloud
would have rained either on an Islamic land or on a non-Islamic one.
In the first case, Muslims would have benefitted from this rainwater
in agricultureand in drinking; in the second case, Muslims would have
also benefitted from this rainwater in the form of Jizyah (a tax) that
would be paid to them by non-Muslims. This example shows the state of
glory, which the Muslims reached in the past when they applied their
religion and worked for it. Nowadays, Muslims are certainly required
to pursue the means of glory.
Glory here refers to power, victory, high standing and invincibility.
It is a word which denotes that a person cannot be overcome or
humiliated. Ibn Al-Jawzi said,
Some of the scholars of Tafseer (Quranic exegesis) said, "In the
Quran, glory is used in three different senses.
It is used to signify might, as in the verse (which means):
• {"By the might of Pharaoh, indeed it is we who are predominant."}
[Quran 26:44]
• {By Your might, I will surely mislead them all} [Quran 38:82]
It is also used to signify honor, asin the verse (which means): {Do
they seek with them honor [through power]? But indeed, honor belongs
to Allaah entirely.} [Quran 4:139]
Finally, it is used to signify dispraised pride as in the verse (which means):
• {And when it is said to him, "Fear Allah ," pride in the sin takes
hold of him.} [Quran 2:206]
• {But those who disbelieve are inpride and dissension.} [Quran 38:2]
From the above, it is noticed that there is praised glory and
dispraised glory. Praised glory is that which pertains to Allaah The
Almighty, to His Messenger and to the believers. This is real and
permanent glory since it is from and with the support of Allaah The
Almighty who cannot be defeated or resisted. Allaah The Almighty Says
(what means): {And to Allaah belongs [all] Honor and to His Messenger,
and to the believers, but the hypocrites do not know.} [Quran 63:8].
On the other hand, the glory of the disbelievers is, in fact,
humiliation and disgrace. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {And
they have taken besides Allaah [false] deities that they would be for
them [a source of] honor. No! Those "gods" will deny their worship of
them and will be against them opponents [on the Day of Judgment].}
[Quran19:81-82].
Many people pursued the wrong way to glory, victory and enablement.
Some of them pursued it through money and forgot that money is only a
Fitnah (trial) and a loss if one does not give the right that Allaah
The Almighty has to it. Moreover, this money might be a means of
humiliation. Al-Hasan said, "By Allaah, Allaah The Almighty humiliates
whoever glorifies money." Indeed, we have seen a many examples of that
in life.
Other people seek glory through their positions and prestige. This may
enable them to achieve temporary glory. However, if this is not
established on justice and good reputation, then it certainlywill not
last. Indeed, many a leader and president were enjoying glory and then
became captives in prisons, and their glory turned into humiliation.
What is even more dangerous is when a person seeks glory through the
disbelievers, i.e. by allying himself with them, even if this is
against the Muslims' interests. This is no more than anillusion. In
fact, it is an instant humiliation, and the first people to turn
against such people would be his 'allies' from the disbelievers.
Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {Give tidings to the hypocrites
that there is forthem a painful punishment - Those who take
disbelievers as allies instead of the believers. Do they seek with
them honor [through power]? But indeed, honor belongs to Allaah
entirely.} [Quran 4:138-139] Consequently, throwing one's self in the
arms of the disbelievers is the shortest way to dishonor and
humiliation because these disbelievers wouldnot accept from us
anything less than disbelief. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means):
{Andnever will the Jews or the Christians approve of you until you
follow their religion.} [Quran 2:120].
Other people still seek glory through their ancestors and tribes, even
if they were misguided. In a Hadeeth on the authority of Abu Rayhaanah
the Prophet said: "If a person attributes himself to nine of his
disbelieving forefathers, seeking through them glory and pride, hewill
be their tenth in Hell."
Hence, the unquestionable truth is that a person who seeks glory must
demand it from Allaah The Almighty through obeying Him and avoiding
disobedience. 'Umaribn Al-Khattaab summarized this wonderful meaning
in a few words; He said, "We were the most humiliated people, but
Allaah The Almighty has honored us with Islam. If we demand honor
through any means other than Islam, Allaah The Almighty will humiliate
us."
Ibraaheem ibn Shaybaan said, "Honor lies in modesty, glory lies in
piety, and freedom lies in contentment." When a Muslim lives in
obedience to Allaah The Almighty, he lives in honor and dignity. He
may be afflicted, but nevertheless he has a strong sense of honor.
This appeared clearly in the life of the righteous predecessors even
in the darkest moments and in the severest and hardest situations.
Situations Which Indicate the Glory of the Righteous Predecessors
When Bilaal was tortured in Makkah in its hot desert and a great heavy
boulder was put on his chest, not to make him abandon his faith but
only to stop blaspheming his peoples false gods or to keep silent, the
honor of faith showed in his words when he repeated, "AllaahThe One,
Allaah The One." This remained as an eternal anthem which the
generations have chanted throughout history. In addition, the words of
Bilaal poured despair into the souls of those who tortured him. So,
whowas honorable in this scene? Wasit this weak, tortured slave or
thearrogant disbelievers?
The story of 'Abdullaah ibn Huthaafah As-Sahmi when he was taken
captive by the Romansis another example. The king of the Romans tried
to entice 'Abdullaah to abandon his religion, but he refused. The king
offered him half of his money buthe refused. Then, he imprisoned him,
tortured him and did not give him any food or water except some pig
meat and wine. After three days, they brought him out and found that
he had eaten nothing of it. When he wasasked why had he not eaten any
of it, he replied, "By Allaah, AllaahThe Exalted made it lawful for
mebecause I was under duress, but Iwould never let you gloat over
Islam." Then, the king asked him to kiss his head in return for
releasing him but Ibn Huthaafah said that he would only do soif all
the Muslim captives were released. The king accepted and Ibn Huthaafah
kissed his head.
He then returned to the Commander of the Believers 'Umar ibn
Al-Khattaab with all the Muslim captives. 'Umar stood up and kissed
the head of 'Abdullaah ibn Huthaafah, and said, "It is a duty upon
every Muslim to kiss the head of Ibn Huthaafah."
Also, Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah was prosecuted and imprisoned. When
he was thrown in prison, he recited the words of Allaah The Almighty
(which mean): {And a wall will be placed between them with a door, its
interior containing mercy, but on the outside of it is torment.}
[Quran 57:13]. This is the glory of faith and the pride ofIslam which
make a person the most honorable one through the obedience of Allaah
The Almighty.Even if all people on earth stood against such a person,
he would still derive his honor and glory from Allaah The Almighty who
can never be defeated. Allaah TheAlmighty Says (what means): {Whoever
desires honor [throughpower] - then to Allaah belongs all honor.}
[Quran 35:10].
The state of humiliation which prevails in many aspects of our lives
nowadays is the result of religious innovations, sins and remoteness
from the Sharee'ah of Allaah The Almighty. This is supported by the
Hadeeth of the Prophet where he said: "Humiliation and disgrace are
thefate of whoever disobeys my order." A major reason behind this
humiliation is the state of disagreement and disunity that the Muslims
experience. Our enemies take advantage of us one by one; they strike
one of us today and another tomorrow while Muslims take no action, as
if what happens to our brothers does not concern us. History testifies
that we were never like this in the past. When a Muslim woman, who was
taken as a captive by the Romans in 'Amooriyyah, screamed for help
uttering her famous scream, "WaIslaamaah" (Oh My Islam!), Al- Mu'tasim
answered her call with full concern, "Labbayki [at your disposal]" and
prepared an army which heavily defeated 'Amooriyyah and rescued the
Muslim woman from the hands of the disbelievers. We should
askourselves here: what tie was there between Al-Mu'tasim and that
woman except the tie of faith?

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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The lion, rats, snake and the honey comb - a beautiful story

I heard the following story from a pious brother. Hopefully, this
story will be beneficial for everyone, Inshallah.
Once a man saw in his dream, that a lion was chasing him. The man ran
to a tree, climbed onto it and sat on a branch.He looked down and saw
that the lion was still there waiting for him. The man then looked to
his side wherethe branch he was sitting on was attached to the tree
and saw that two rats were circling around and eating the branch. One
rat was black and the other one was white. The branch will fall on the
ground very soon. The man then looked below again with fear and
discoveredthat a big black snake had come and settled directly under
him. The snake opened its mouth right under the man so that he will
fall into it. The man then looked up to see if there was anything that
he could hold on to. He saw another branch with a honeycomb. Drops of
honey were falling from it. The man wanted to taste one of the drops.
So, he put his tongue out and tasted one of the falling drops of
honey. The honey was amazing in taste. So, he wanted to taste another
drop and then another and as a result, he got lost into the sweetness
of the honey. He forgot about the two rats eating his branch away, the
lion on the ground and the snake that is sitting right under him.
Suddenly when the branch broke he remembered all the dangers woke up
from his sleep.
Since this was an uniquedream, the man went to a pious scholar of
Islam to know its meaning. The scholar said "The lion you saw is your
death. It always chases you and goes where ever you go. The two rats,
one black and one white, are the night and the day. Black one is the
night and the white one is the day. They circle around, coming one
after another, to eat your time as they take you closer to death. The
big black snake with a dark mouth is your grave. It's there, just
waiting for you to fall into it. The honeycomb is this world and the
sweet drops of honey are the luxuries of this world. We like to taste
a little of the luxuries of this world and it's very sweet. Then we
want to taste little more and then more. Meanwhile, we get lost into
it and we forget about our time, we forget about our death and we
forgetabout our grave."
May Allah wake us up from the sleep and save us before it's too late. Ameen.

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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During a battle in the way of Allah (swt), sayyedina Ali, found
himself face to face with a kafir who attacked him violently. They
were both brave and powerful men, but the kafir was no match for
sayyedina Ali, who soon was sitting astride his chest, ready to finish
him off.
"I invite you to bear witness that there is no god except Allah, and
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah," saidAli. "Accept Islam, and your
life will be spared."
"Never!" panted the kafir.
Sayyidina Ali lifted his sword and was just about to plunge it into
his enemy, when the kafir spat defiantly in hisface.
Much to the kafir's surprise, sayyidina Ali immediately jumped away
from his enemy and lowered his sword.
"Go away!" said sayyidina Ali, "I cannot kill you now."
"Why did you do that?" asked the kafir. "You could have killed me easily."
"I was fighting you purely in the way of Allah," replied Ali, "but
when you spat in my face, your insult made me angry and if I had
killed you in anger, it would have taken me to the Hell Fire - so I
had nochoice but to let you go. To kill someone in angeror out of
desire for revenge is not bravery, but the act of a coward."
On hearing this, the kafirwas so impressed by sayyidina Ali's
sincerity and self-control that he embraced Islam on the spot: "I bear
witness thatthere is no god but Allah," he said, "and I bear witness
that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah"
May Allah give us sincerity and clean our hearts.