Whenever reference is made to the word, ‘faith’ or ‘belief’, it is natural to ask, what are the elements that constitute faith in one’s world, in one’s belief?
Love? Yes. But not only love. Prayer? Yes. But something is precedent to that in Islamic weltanschauung. She just whispered to herself saying ‘courage’. Yes! Courage has been described by someone as the greatest virtue in the world. But I say Yes and No. I say yes because every believer needs courage to outstay the forces of unbelief that constantly buffet our world every passing day. But I equally say “No” because courage is nothing in the absence of patience; courage is a virtue only when foregrounded in patience.
In other words, whereas courage is an important element that humans must possess for them to be successful on earth, for them to be able to do the seemingly impossible, it is the ability to stay on the path of courage, the ability to be patient in times of adversity that probably holds the ace of earthly success and achievements. Such is the lesson that these times teach.
But exactly what do I mean by these times? These are times ambitions and hopes are realized; and dashed. These are times one plus one has become for some people one million and for others minus zero. These are times frustration which result from failed goals and pursuits are weighing heavily on people’s thoughts and lives. These are times of despair for some; for those who have competed continuously for the prize, the only prize in the academy and polity yet, the ‘cup’ has been given to someone else. These are times when that compatriot of mine feels as if he is alone, down there in the abyss of life with no helper or rescuer or comforter in sight. These are times when, once again, Shaytan ministers into her heart that the game is up, that it is finished, that there can be no light at the end of the tunnel again, and forever. These are times when the most important quality life demands of a Muslim is the temerity and courage to be patient with He in whose hands lies the key of the heavens and earth.
The last time I looked it up, I discovered that reference to patience, in various linguistic formulations and permutations occurs in not less than a hundred and two times in the last testament, the Glorious Quran. Sister, the last time I checked, I can confirm this to you that one of the attributes of the Almighty is Al-Sabur. And here the challenge becomes doubled for me and you. If indeed He refers to Himself as al-Sabur, the ever-patient, the ever-forbearing, of what implication is that then for the faithful subject, for he who turns his face to the Qiblah at dusk and dawn and says “He is the Greatest?” Is it not the case that without this quality then, the Islamicity of the Muslim becomes questionable? Is it not the case then that the architectonics of Islamic history is circumscribed by tribulations that are outstayed and outflanked by faith and patience? Is it not the case indeed that patience is precedent to prayers; that it is she who is patient that could pray, that should pray. It is the prayer of the patient that enjoys the possibility of acceptability (Quran 2: 153).
Thus, patience in Islamic weltanschauung is like a horse that never gets tired, an army that can never be defeated and a strong fortress that can never be breached. History teaches us that in the unceasing war between the monastery of the faithful and the cathedral of the faithless, it is the patient that wears the crown. This is because victory comes with patience, relief comes with distress and ease comes with hardship. Patience with the Almighty, life has taught me, does one other thing, it frees you from servitude to man and redirects your soul to worship and faith in Him, the Almighty.
Reference to patience can be appropriated in at least two different locales of our lives – patience in and while doing that which He prescribes and patience in avoiding that which He forbids. Patience then becomes the compass with which we can navigate the multifarious and multifaceted dark recesses of life. The believer who knows that delay is not denial camps his tent with that authority that grants the sun the permission to rise at dawn and set at dusk.
Among other subjects in the Quranic epistemology, the patient are those who enjoy the love of the Almighty; they enjoy that uncommon privilege simply because they know that there can be no end to a journey of patience with the Almighty.
Indeed, patience is required not only in times of sadness but equally in time of happiness; it is required in moments of pain and at the juncture of pleasure. The believer who enters the mosque to observe his prayers must exercise patience in order to achieve perfection. The husband who goes to his wife must be patient with her to achieve maximum satisfaction.
To be patient in times of sadness is to recognize that the condition or situation of pain never endures; to be patient when happy moments come your way is to affirm the ephemerality of earthly pleasures. Yes. Pleasure and pain are fleeting moments in human life and lexicon; they come like a dream and pass like a mirage. Someone once said to me- “are you happy now?” I responded Quranically with the Ayat that reads: “In order that you do not despair over what has eluded you and you may not be extremely joyous over what He has given to you. And the Almighty does not like the self-deluded and boastful (Quran 60: 23).
Thus, unto you, my brother! If it’s true – and indeed I know that you know that this is true – that no leaves drop from a tree either in the town or in the wild except that He is fully apprised of it, it then means He is well aware of your present situation and circumstance. Unto you my sister! If indeed you know and believe that He desires none of these earthly prizes upon which we sometimes hinge our happiness, then your lack of same presently does not mean your lack of same eternally.
In fact, it is in His Sunnah that He withholds one thing simply because He desires to grant something greater and grander in return. Thus, you must be prepared at all times not to copy from the answer ‘scripts’ of your ‘class mates”. After all this world is an examination hall (Quran 64: 2). The questions she is ‘answering’, the questions of life and living, of faith and fortune, are completely dissimilar to the ones you are answering. Your sister and mine must therefore be prepared not to attempt to travel on the other’s lane, the lane of life. He must avoid the temptation to want to travel using the other’s vehicle.
The word ‘vehicle’ becomes a metaphor- a metaphor for the track we have been programmed to tread; the track every soul found on earth would tread, a distinct path. If indeed the finger prints of identical twins are dissimilar, it means we must constantly acknowledge that we are travelling on our tracks and paths not on someone else’s. If it appears fuzzy and foggy, it is because your perception is sickly and wobbly. The Almighty does not author and authorize confusion.
