The Power of Patience

The Power of Patience

1991 4 April 5-7 The Power of Patience (993) In the period between the Prophet Moses and Jesus, the Israelites had to fight a war. At that time their army was far less in number than that of their enemy. Their resources were also very limited in comparison. These deficiencies made the Israelites fear for the outcome of the war, for they felt that they did not have sufficient power to vanquish their enemies. (2:249).

According to the Bible, Jonathan (Yuntan) the son of Saul, and leader of the Israelites, said to his armour-bearer, ‘Come, and let us go over into the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the Lord will work for us, for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few.’ (I Samuel, 14:6)

The same idea is expressed in the Qur’an:

‘But those of them who believed that they would meet God (on Judgement day) replied: ‘How often has a small group prevailed against a large group by God’s command; God is with the steadfast. (2:249)

The words ‘small’ and ‘large’ in this verse do not refer just to quantity. They also refer to quality. The words ‘small’ and ‘large’ are used in Arabic in the qualitative sense.

This verse of the Qur’an is a statement to the effect that just being fewer in number, or in possession of inferior resources, is not a sure sign of impending defeat for any group about to go into battle with an enemy which is greater in number and stronger in resources. The way of this world has been so designed by its Creator that a weak group can dominate a powerful group, a minority can conquer a majority.

The secret of such a victory – according to this verse – lies in patience. This shows that patience is a state neither of passivity nor of cowardice. It is rather a positive quality. It takes courage to be patient. But patience is so superior a mental state that those who prove to be patient are entitled thereby to the special succour of their Maker. This succour is manifested in many ways, one of the most surprising being in the victory of the weak over the strong.

The present world is a world of trial. Here one group is always in competition with another, and sometimes the one dominates and sometimes the other.

Whenever one group is weakened in confrontation with another group and comes to harm in the process, there are always two kinds of reaction by this weaker group, one being patience, the other being impatience.

An impatient reaction occurs when a man falls a prey to feelings of defeat and depression. He loses all hope, thinking that there is now no future for him. He holds the victors responsible for all his misfortunes, and falls to lamenting and protesting. This is a sure path to destruction. If others managed to harm him only partially, he now sets out to make his destruction complete by treading this downward path of his own volition.

A patient reaction, on the other hand, leads the injured party to make attempts at restoration. Instead of complaining, he actively begins to think out new strategies. Rather than let himself fall a prey to hopelessness, he ponders over the possibilities of hope. Instead of lamenting over what is lost, he tries to exploit whatever opportunities are still open to him.

Those who opt for this patient approach, even after being harmed, are individuals who are capable of rising above their circumstances. They are capable of elevating themselves to a plane where their potential is awakened and where all their latent powers may be discovered.

Where the impatient person sees loss as loss per se, the patient man sees loss as a challenge thrown down to him by fate. His greatest desire is then to forge ahead and face up to the circumstances. Those who are willing to accept a loss – even welcome it – are the people who will always make progress. They are of such a calibre that they can always convert their failure into a far greater success than before.

Whenever one group is unjust to another, and this latter group attempts, in retaliation, to harm the former, both groups become equally blameworthy when judged by accepted moral standards. Both such groups are then left to tend for themselves, for God will not come to the rescue of either one.

On the contrary, when a group, even in the face of great injustice and cruelty on the part of some other group, remains patient and refrains from retaliation God comes to its assistance. By giving His succour to the oppressed group he then enables it to dominate its oppressors.

It is by remaining patient that the oppressed group receives this divine blessing. Patience is not a state of inertia. It is rather a state in which the most positive kind of action becomes possible. It means, in fact, the conversion of negative feelings, such as hatred and vengefulness, into compassion and understanding.

God loves the quality of patience. One who remains patient ultimately develops an indomitable personality. He is favoured by all the laws of nature; through special, divine succour, he becomes an unconquerable force.

Patience enables a man to rise above reactionary psychology. It teaches him to be the well-wisher of his oppressor, even in the face of his wrongdoing. It produces the mentality of returning good for evil. A patient man never curses the wrongdoer; he rather prays to God for His guidance.

Patience, finally makes it possible for a man to ignore provocation, to waste no precious energy in over-hasty action, and to give proper attention to the planning of future strategy. To a very great extent, too, it has a strengthening effect upon his character, in that it arouses his latent capabilities and inculcates a sense of self-discipline. Patience, in short, raises a man from the level of the ordinary to that of the truly exceptional.