By Shahul Hameed
October 17,
2014
One of the
marvellous qualities of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was
his infinite patience.
God was
with Muhammad (peace be upon him), as He is always with those who patiently
persevere: “God is certainly with those
who patiently persevere.” (Qur’an, 2:153)
The
Qur’anic word used for patience is ‘Sabr’
and there is no English equivalent for it.
We can
convey the idea of Sabr only by
phrases such as endurance against afflictions, patience with delay,
perseverance against hardships, steadfastness in the face of setbacks, courage
against hostilities, self-restraint against provocations, will power against
temptations, and equanimity or calmness of mind as regards fortunes and
misfortunes.
The Prophet
was a perfect model to his followers. His life was the shining example of a man
of extraordinary endurance: His father died before his birth; his mother died
when he was only 6 years old; and his grandfather who took up his guardianship
also died soon. Then it was his uncle Abu Talib who protected him.
And when
God appointed him His last Prophet, he was faced with the most brutal
persecution and hostility from his own people. But these harsh experiences of
life did not make him a cynic; on the contrary, they perfected his faith in
God, making him all the more strongly committed to his God-given mission.
During the
13 years of his life in Makkah as the messenger of God, he faced all forms of
abuse, boycott, expulsion and threats of physical violence. Yet he never budged
an inch away from his mission. Rather he was gentle, considerate and
sympathetic even to his enemies.
During the
early days of his preaching, the people of Makkah had approached him through
his uncle Abu Talib and made very tempting offers to him, such as the
leadership of the City of Makkah, the most beautiful girl in marriage, and
wealth of immense proportions.
The Prophet
(peace be upon him) spurned all these offers and said: “I swear by the name of
God, O Uncle, that if they place the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left
hand in return for giving up this matter (calling people to Islam), I will
never desist until either God makes it triumph or I perish defending it.”
This
steadfastness and constancy against temptations was unusual in an Arab of those
days.
And imagine
the day when the Prophet (peace be upon him) had to leave his home, his city,
and his people and immigrate to another place! The Hijrah, as the emigration of
the Prophet from Makkah to Madinah is known, was a great sacrifice and a
painful decision for the Prophet at the time when he undertook it. But his
personal comforts, likes, and dislikes had no value in the face of the immense
task before him.
One
remembers the time when he and his companion Abu Bakr were almost overcome by
their pursuers in the Cave of Thawr. When Abu Bakr in dismay told the Prophet
(peace be upon him) that they were only two persons against the enemy, he told
him with unflinching faith in the Almighty not to grieve, as God was with them.
God in the Qur’an admonishes the Muslims: “If you will not aid him [Prophet
Muhammad], God certainly aided him when those who disbelieved expelled him, he
being the second of the two, when they were both in the cave, when he said to
his companion: Grieve not, surely God is with us. So God sent down His
tranquillity upon him, strengthened him with hosts that you did not see, and
made lowest the word of those who disbelieved; and the word of God, that is the
highest; and God is Mighty, Wise.” (Qur’an, 9:40)
He taught
his followers: “When you ask for anything, ask it from God, and if you seek
help, seek the help of God. Know that if the people were to unite to do you
some benefit, they could benefit you only with what God had recorded for you,
and that if they were to unite to do you some injury, they could injure you
only with what God had recorded for you. The pens are withdrawn and the pages
are dry.” (At-Tirmidhi, 1515)
The source
of the Prophet’s courageous determination in the face of all the traumatic
experiences he suffered was his strong faith in God and his dependence on Him.
The Prophet’s conviction that God was with him when he was struggling with
adverse circumstances, is evident from this teaching: “Strange are the ways of
a believer for there is good in every affair of his, and this is not the case
with anyone else except in the case of a believer; for if he has an occasion to
feel delight, he thanks (God); thus there is a good for him in it, and if he
gets into trouble and shows resignation (and endures it patiently), there is a
good for him in it.” (Muslim, 2999)
The Prophet
was always considerate and understanding, even toward those who were ignorant
and arrogant towards him. Indeed his gentleness and patience with them earned
their love and respect, as God says in the Qur’an: “Thus it is due to mercy from God that you deal with them gently, and
had you been rough and hard-hearted, they would certainly have dispersed from
around you.” (Qur’an, 3:159)
An incident
at the Prophet’s mosque in Madinah demonstrates how lenient and kind the
Prophet was to ignorant people. Abu Hurairah reports: “A Bedouin urinated in
the mosque and some people rushed to beat him. The Prophet said, ‘Leave him
alone and pour a bucket of water over it. You have been sent to make things
easy and not to make them difficult’ (Al-Bukhari, 6025)
Once a man
approached the Prophet seeking advice, and the Prophet said: “Do not get
angry.” The man asked for advice several times and the Prophet replied every
time, “Do not get angry.” (Al-Bukhari, 48)
The
questioner was probably one disposed to a quick temper, and so the Prophet
(peace be upon him) was stressing the need to control his anger. The Prophet
also said: “He who is deprived of forbearance and gentleness is, in fact,
deprived of all good.” (Muslim, 638)
We may
remember the day of Makkah Victory: The Prophet re-entered the city after 10
long years of living in Madinah. Practically there was no opposition to him.
The whole of Makkah lay at his feet as he marched in. His enemies stood in
surrender awaiting his verdict, and he could very well have cried “havoc” or
“let slip the dogs of war” as the triumphant commanders of those days used to
do.
Instead, in
a historic break from the old tradition, the Prophet gave amnesty to all his
former enemies. He told them: “You may go. You are a free people.”
(Authenticated by Al-Albani)
Unfaltering
loyalty to the cause of God is the virtue of prophets. Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him) was a brilliant example of a man committed to his divinely
appointed mission. So it is no wonder that he stood firm against all opposition
and finally succeeded in winning over the hearts and minds of millions.
For those
who practice Sabr in Islam, there is
always the unfailing promise and prospect of a never-ending world of felicity.
Original Headline: The Prophet’s inexhaustible patience
Source: The Arab News
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-spiritualism/for-those-practice-patience-islam,/d/123053
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