THE IMPORTANCE OF PATIENCE IN ISLAM

a culture of a man of mission. All the prophets adopted the culture of patience and avoidance of confrontation. Without patience, without avoidance, one cannot gain any valuable achievement. This is a law of nature, and “there is no altering the creation of God.” (30: 30). One of the teachings of the Prophet talks about a believer (a person of deep faith in God) relying on patience. He makes patience or sabr his divine shield. To further explain how sabr can be a divine shield one needs to just look at nature to find an illustration of avoidance and patience. In nature, you can perceive a validation of the benefits of avoidance and exercising patience. Consider a mountainous stream. When it flows, it encounters many boulders in its way. What does the stream do? What is its way? It isn’t the method of the stream to seek to remove the obstacles that lie in its path. Instead, it adopts the method of avoidance of confrontation. It flows on, swirling around the boulders, instead of clashing against them. This is what the Prophet of Islam meant when he said that patience is what a believer relies on. Patience is a divine shield for the believer. Like the stream the believer moves on with his mission without clashing with others. There is another illustration given to us in nature—the rose plant. On every branch of it you will find both flowers as well as thorns. Although they live side by side, the flowers never try to eliminate the thorns or vice versa. They live in total compatibility together. So, the rose plant has adopted what may be called the principle of peaceful coexistence. We need to adopt this same principle in our lives, too. Otherwise, there is no gain, no success, and no achievement. The only other option is destruction. So, when achievement in the world depends on patience, one cannot underestimate its importance in every aspect of life— personal, social, national and international. A verse in the Quran says: As-sulh khair, meaning, “reconciliation is best” (4: 128). It means if there is some controversy between two parties, one must adopt a conciliatory course of action, rather than a confrontational course of action. This is as-sulh khair. The same principle is applicable to the other aspect of our life—our spiritual life. The Quran says: “That [Paradise] is the recompense for those who purify themselves.” (20: 76). Only those people will find entry This positive response of forgiveness in the face of provocation is a main source of cultivating a positive personality.