THE VIRTUES OF PATIENCE IN ISLAM

The word “Patience” and its various derivatives has been used in the Glorious Qur’an 103 times.

Patience (Sabr) was described by Nasir al-Din al-Tusi as “Sabr means restraining the self from agitation when confronted with undesirables.” Khawaja Abdallah al-Ansari describes patience (Sabr) as “Sabr means restraining the self from complaint about hidden anguish.”

Imam Ali (a.s.) defined faith (Imaan) saying, “the structure of faith is supported by four pillars: Patience, Conviction (Yaqeen), Justice (Adl) and struggle (Jihad). About (Sabr)Imam Ali (a.s.) said, “the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.s.) said, “Sabr is of three kinds: Sabr at the time of affliction, Sabr regarding obedience, and Sabr regarding disobedience (of Allah).” And the third one is superior to the first two kinds.

Imam Ali (a.s.) said, “Sabr is of two types: Sabr on what you dislike and Sabr on what you like” (Mizan al-Hikma #10099)

When a person reaches higher degree of gnosis (Ma’rifah), he will not feel anguish and hardships of life, but be happy in anticipation of the rewards in Hereafter. Imam Ali ar-Riza (a.s.) narrated the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.)’s advice to Abu Dharr, “If you can act for the pleasure (Riza) of Allah with firm conviction, then do so. And if this is not possible for you then practice sabr on unpleasant matters as it will bring plenty of blessings.” (Bihar al-Anwar v 82 #21)

When a person renunciates forbidden pleasures and faces misfortunes and calamities with patience out of obedience to Allah, his soul develops luminous faculty and raises him to higher spiritual stations. It strengthens his will power. Sabr regarding sins is the source of the self’s taqwa (fear of Allah). Sabr regarding obedience (ta’at) is the source of intimacy with Allah and His Love. And Sabr in misfortunes is the source of Riza with divine destiny and decrees.

There are four levels of Sabr: Sabr fi Allah (Sabr in Allah):It means steadfastness to get rid of evil habits (lying, greed, slander) and ugly traits (hypocrisy, envy, egoism) and abstinence from objects of love and attraction (avoiding haram music, giving up sleep for night prayers, eating moderately). This is the stage of “Wayfarers” (ahl al-suluk)

Sabr maa’ Allah (Sabr with Allah): An ardent wayfarer in the path of Allah during his sincere ibadat and endeavors reaches the state of self-lessness such that he from time to time witnesses’ intimacy with Allah. The light of His Attributes and Names illuminates his heart and vision. He must be patient and safeguard himself from the minor traces of self-love, pride etc. to witness higher stages. Sabr an- Allah (Sabr from Allah): It pertains to the lovers of Allah who after experiencing His intense love must return to their physical world and bear separation from Him. This is the hardest. Imam Ali (a.s.)’s Dua’ Kumayl refers, “O my God, my Master and my Lord! Even if I can endure Thy Chastisement, how shall I bear Thy separation?”

Sabr bi Allah (Sabr for Allah): It is the state of perfection experienced when one achieves the station of existing only with Allah (baqa’ bi Allah) and molds himself with the norms of Allah (taqalluq bi akhlaq Allah). It is for those blessed with stability and steadfastness and is attained after Sabr with Allah.

Reward for Sabr: Imam Ja’ffar as-Sadiq (a.s.) said, “Whoever of the believers that bears patiently with a tribulation that befalls him, has the reward of a thousand martyrs. When the believer enters his grave, salat is on the right hand, zakat on his left, virtue faces him, with Sabr taking him under its shelter. When the two angels encharged with questioning enter upon him, Sabr says to salat, zakat and virtue, ‘Take care of your companion, and if you fail to assist him, I will take care of him myself.’ (Al-Kafi v 2 #17)

Advice of Imam Khomeini in ‘Forty Hadith: “With courage and fortitude, stand against adversities and calamities. Be happy with Allah and don’t complain in front of creatures about His decrees and ordainments. During the time of hardships, turn your heart’s attention towards the Absolute Perfection (Allah) and you will witness its effects in this world and your heart will become the realm of the manifestation of Allah’s sovereignty and every thing related to this world will become worthless in your eyes. Sabr, forbearance and restraint bring fair, plentiful rewards and have sublime and beautiful forms in the world of Barzakh (Purgatory). If you have faith in Allah and you believe that all the affairs lie in His Mighty hands, you will not complain before Him of the hardships of life. Rather, you will accept them willingly, fulfill your duties and thank Him gratefully for His Bounties.” 

                Source: Merits of soul: Patience (Sabr) al-islam.org

THE NOBLE MESSENGER (S.A.W.A.S.) DOES NOT SPEAK OUT OF HIS OWN DESIRE

Wahey literally means inspiration, revelation, suggestion, to point out a thing to someone, to put a thing into the mind of someone secretly; letter, writing: something revealed or written, or the idea inspired or revealed; saying; commandment; to dispatch a messenger to someone; to speak to someone secretly; to urge; voice. In Islamic terminology, Wahey means communication of idea, command and information from Allah to a chosen human being, conveyed either directly or through supernatural agencies like angels.

According to the Glorious Qur’an, there are three basic methods of revelation as explained in Surah as-Shura Ayah 51, “It is not possible for a man that he should receive the message of Allah except either by inspiration or from behind a  curtain, or Allah sends angels and the angels bring the message of Allah, whatever Allah wishes. Verily, Allah is High, Omniscient.”

Inspiration are of two types; True Dreams and Prophetic Inspirations.

True Dreams: Before the formal proclamation of prophethood (Be‘that), the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) used to receive Divine Messages through this medium. In the first dream, he (s.a.w.a.s.) saw that Umayyads were climbing his pulpit like monkeys. He was so grieved by this dream that he did not smile from then to his last breath. The sorrow was based on his sure knowledge that Umayyads would destroy his religion, as they did. The dreams of prophets and the Pure Imams are never a false dream; whatever he dreams is a message or command from Allah.

Prophetic Inspirations may be accompanied by clear words or may be in the form of a thought without a word. Surah al-Najm Ayahs 3 and 4, “He (i.e. the Prophet) does not speak of his own desire, it is nothing, but a revelation revealed.”

By the authority of these Ayahs, even the traditions of the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) are treated as revelation.

Revelations from behind the curtain: Such revelations are also of many kinds:

The first is like hearing some low murmuring sounds and knowing the interpretation.

The second is like hearing high-pitched sounds and knowing the interpretation.

The third is the hearing the sound from a material object; One example is prophet Musa seeing the bush burning yet remaining unconsumed by the fire followed by his appointment as a prophet. The other example is on the night of Ascension (Mai’raj), he (s.a.w.a.s.) arrived at a sublime place where neither any prophet nor angel had ever reached. He saw a curtain of light, and then heard a voice from it.

The fourth is the hearing of a voice of an angel without seeing him. This type is not reserved for prophets, but other chosen people may be honored by this angelical conversation. They are called “al-Muhaddath”.

Revelation through angels: This is the last mode of revelation. Normally Gabriel came either in his usual image or like a man. These messages were mostly oral.

Suyyuti in Tafsir of Dure Manthur narrates, “One day, the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) ordered that all doors except Imam Ali (a.s.) around the Mosque which would open inside the Mosque, be closed. Hazrat Hamza complained to the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) about it. The Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) said, “O People! Neither I closed the doors nor opened it. Neither I exited you nor stationed him (Ali). (What transpired was the command of Allah). Then he recited the Ayahs 1 to 4.

                Sources: The Glorious Qur’an and Qur’an and Hadith by Allama Sayyid Saeed Akhtar                                       Rizvi

THE NOBLE MESSENGER (S.A.W.A.S.)'S ADVICE TO ABU DHARR (R.A.)

Abu Dharr was one of the thrusted companions of the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.). It is a very long narration but restricted to accommodate within one page. It is extracted from” Ain-al-Hayat” compiled by Sheikh Jaleel al-Tabrasi. References are given from Sheikh Mufeed (r.a.) to Abu al-Aswad. (Shiavault.com)

He (s.a.w.a.s.) said:” O Abu Dharr! Worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you weren’t seeing Him, surely, He sees you. The first of worship of Allah is (Ma’rifa) gnosis, then belief in me (s.a.w.a.s), bearer of glad tidings, a warner to all humanity and the love of my Pure Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). Allah has made my Ahlul Bayt in my nation like the ship of Nuh (Noah), whoever rides it is saved and whoever desires other than it is drowned. There are two blessings seriously taken for granted (misused) by mankind, health and spare time. Take advantage of five things before five things seize you; Your youth before your old age, your health before your sickness, your wealth before your poverty, your spare time before your being busy, and your life before your death. Be greedier, in terms of your time (life span) more than that of your gold and silver. He who seeks knowledge to deceive others will not even smell the fragrance of Paradise. When you are asked about some knowledge you know not, say, “I do not know”, you will be saved of its consequences. The people of Paradise will ask the people of Hell, “What has made you enter the Hell-Fire?” They will say, “We used to bid others to do good while we ourselves did not do it.” The Pious are the masters and the learned are the leaders. Surely Allah, when He wills good for His servant, He puts his sins before his two eyes. Don’t look at the smallness of the sin but look at the one you disobeyed. Surely a man’s sustenance is prohibited (from reaching him) because of a sin he did. Leave that which have nothing to do with you. Do not speak of that which does not concern you and guard your tongue like you guard your money. When Allah wants a good for a servant, He gives him the understanding in religion and makes him to see his own faults. The harvest of the Hereafter is the good deeds, and the harvest of the life of this world is wealth and children. Let there be for you in everything a pious intention, even when it comes to sleeping and eating. Lower your voice during a funeral, during fighting and during the recitation of the Qur’an. Two rak’at prayer with pondering is better than standing all night in the prayer with a neglectful heart. Some supplication with good deeds is enough just as some salt is enough with food. The one who supplicates without deed is like one who tries to shoot his arrow without a string on his bow. He who remembers Allah among the careless is like a warrior among the fleeing. A pious gathering is better than being alone and being alone is better than an evil gathering and speaking good is better than silence and silence is better than speaking evil. Surely Allah is with the tongue of every speaker. So, let every man fear Allah and know what he is saying. It is enough for a man as a lie to say everything he hears. A good word of advice is sadaqa and every step you take towards salat is also sadaqa. Whoever does not care from where he earns his money, Allah does not care from where He will enter him into Hell. Whoever obeys Allah has remembered Him even if his prayers, fasting and recitation of Qur’an is little. The King of religion is Piety and its crown is obedience. If the son of Adam ignores his sustenance just like he runs away from death, it will reach him just like death will reach him. Allah does not look at your appearance or your financial status or your words, but He looks at your heart and deeds. Whoever defends his Muslim brother from backbiting, he would deserve that Allah emancipates him from Hellfire. Whoever have two faces and two tongues in this life, he will also have two tongues in the Hellfire. Beware of abandoning your brother; deeds are not accepted while you are abandoning your brother. Whoever carries his own belongings will be free of arrogance.

THE DEBATE BETWEEN IMAM JA'FFAR AS-SADIQ (A.S.) AND IMAM ABU HANIFA

Imam Abu Hanifa was known for interpreting Islamic laws by his personal analogical deductions. He also attended the classes, consisting of about 4,000 students, conducted by the Infallible Imam Ja’ffar as-Sadiq (a.s.) in Madinah. He had said, “If it was not for those two years (I spent with Imam Jaffar as-Sadiq, Nauman (Abu Hanifa) would have perished.” He was encouraged by the Muslim king Mansur al-Dawaniqi, an Abbasside king, to confront his teacher; Imam Jaffar as-Sadiq (a.s.), in exchange for material benefits. Mansur al-Dawaniqi arranged a debate between the teacher and his student. It is an irony that the Umayyads and Abbasids kings were enemies of the Progeny of the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) except the Bani Umayyad’s Umar bin Abdul Aziz who respected the Household of the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.). The history is the evidence that Imam Ali (a.s.) was apparently martyred by a Kharijite and Imam Husayn and his family were mercilessly slaughtered by the so-called Muslims (Yazid bin Muawiya’s army) and the rest of nine Imams were poisoned by the Umayyad and Abbasside kings! Surah al-Shu’ara Ayah 23, “(Muhammad), say, “I do not ask you for any compensation for my preaching to you except (your) love of (my near) relatives.” What a great reward and compensation the Muslims had given to the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) by murdering his Pure Ahlul Bayt (a.s.)!

Following are some of the questions and answers exchanged:

Imam Sadiq (a.s.): Do you know why there is cataract in the eyes, bitterness in the ears, coolness in the nose and wetness in the lips. Also, a phrase that starts with infidelity and ends with faith?

Abu Hanifa: I Do not know please explain.

Imam Sadiq (a.s.): My father told me that my grandfather the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.s.) said: out of merit of Allah and generosity, He made cataracts for humans in his eyes so that it would catch the dirt, and He made bitterness in the ears as a veil from bugs. And He made coolness in the nose so that one can inhale. And He made the lips wet so that it would feel pleasure in tasting food. And the phrase that starts with infidelity is when a servant says, “There is no God” and the phrase that ends with faith is when a servant says “But Allah”

Then Imam Sadiq (a.s.) advised Imam Abu Hanifa not to use his own analogical deductions in religion. He said, “My father told me that my grandfather the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.s.) said: The first one to use his analogical deduction in religion was Iblees when Allah told him to prostrate to Adam, Iblees said, “I am better than Adam, You created me from fire, and created him from clay.

Imam Sadiq (a.s.) Which is the greater sin in the eyes of Allah; murder or adultery?

Abu Hanifa: Murder

Imam Sadiq (a.s.) Then why did Allah accepted 2 witnesses for murder and 4 witnesses for adultery?

Imam Sadiq (a.s.) which is better; praying or fasting?

Abu Hanifa: Prayer is better.

Imam Sadiq (a.s.) Then according to your analogical deductions, after the menstrual cycle, a woman should pray for what she has missed of prayers, and don’t fast what she has missed of days. But Allah obligated fasting the missing days and not praying.

Imam Sadiq (a.s.): Which is dirtier, urine or semen?

Abu Hanifa: Urine

Imam Sadiq (a.s.): Then according to your analogical deductions, one should shower (ghusl) after urination, and not after ejecting semen. And Allah obligated the shower (ghusl) after ejecting semen and not urine.  

                Source: al-islam.org/fourteen luminaries of Islam by Allama Ahmad Ahmadi Birjandi

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