KHUTAB II - 3. Forbearance

3. Forbearance

  (13 June ‏3003)

Brothers & Sisters in Islam,

Allah says in the Qur’ān,

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنْفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ

الصَّابِرِين. الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ . أُولَئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ

صَلَوَاتٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ (البقرة : ١٥٥-١٥٧)

 “And certainly, We shall test you with something of

 fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give

 glad tidings to the patients (al-s.ābirīn). Who, when

 afflicted with calamity, say: ‘Truly! To Allah we

belong and truly, to Him we shall return.’  They

 are those on whom are blessing and mercy

 from their Lord, and it is they who are

 the guided ones.” (Q. 2:155-157)

Allah will not test us in all of these in one time.  He will test us according to our condition. A person who has no farm will not be tested with loss of fruits. A person who loves people may be tested with the loss of one or more of his loved ones. One day we shall lose our loved one: our father, mother, brother, sister, spouse, son or daughter. When we hear or see someone dies, returning to his/her Creator, we say   إنَّا للهِ وَ إِنَّا ِإلَيْهِ رَاجِعُوْن (innā lillāh wa innā ilayhi rāji‘ūn), meaning, “Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.” Allah’s blessing and mercy on them include His forgiveness, and honour in this world as well as in the Hereafter.

These guided and patient people would never complain of what befalls on them, and would never say, “Oh God! Why does this happen to me? Why me? I have always been a good person.” Such expressions are an indication of protest, complaint, and ignorance of His wisdom and free will and determination. We cannot question what Allah is planning for this universe, let alone for this planet earth and ourselves. He said, لَا يُسْأَلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْأَلُونَ (الأنبياء : ٢٣)  “He cannot be questioned as to what He does, while they will be questioned.” (Q. 21:23).

Those who are patients (al-s.ābirīn) when tested with calamity would say, “Truly, to Allah we belong,” an acknowledgment that they are servants to Him, “and to Him we shall return”, an acknowledging that they themselves will perish, and return to Him, and therefore, they would return the whole matters to Him.

Allah’s qad.ā’ (divine decree) cannot be reasoned and analyzed, as the wisdom behind it is hidden and incomprehensible.  However, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) gives us good news that no matter what happens, it is always good for the Muslims.  If it is good, he will thank Allah, and Allah will reward him.  If it is bad, he will be patient, and Allah will reward him.

This is one kind of patience, namely, in going through Allah’s test with disaster or with blessing. Another kind of patience is in obeying Allah in what He orders and in what He prohibits. It has to be in balance, and neglecting one of them is sin, wrongdoing, and disobedience.

Brothers and sisters in Islam,

Allah says in the Qur’ān,

  وَلَا تَمُدَّنَّ عَيْنَيْكَ إِلَى مَا مَتَّعْنَا بِهِ أَزْوَاجًا مِنْهُمْ زَهْرَةَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا

 لِنَفْتِنَهُمْ فِيهِ وَرِزْقُ رَبِّكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى. وَأْمُرْ أَهْلَكَ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَاصْطَبِرْ عَلَيْهَا

 لَا نَسْأَلُكَ رِزْقًا نَحْنُ نَرْزُقُكَ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلتَّقْوَى (طه : ١٣١-١٣٢)

    And strain not your eyes in longing for the thing We

 have given for enjoyment to various groups of them the

 splendour of the life of this world, that  We my test them

 thereby. But the provision (good reward in the Hereafter)

 of your Lord is better and more lasting. And enjoin the

 prayer (al-salāh) on your family, and be patient in

offering them [i.e., the prayers]. We ask not of you

 provision. We provide for you. And the good

end [i.e., Paradise] is for the pious

 (muttaqīn)” (Q. 20:131-132).

The above verses mention two kinds of good things:

(a)           of this life, and they are but a test for all people, disregarding whether they are good or bad, and will pass away;

(b)          only for devoted servant of Allah, and this provision is better and will last through eternity. It also mentions about sustenance where pious people should not worry about, because Allah provides it for every creature. However, the good end will be for the pious people only.

The verse also warns us against wishing for what other people have. Allah tests people according to their levels, physically and spiritually. Allah tests you with what you have and what you are. If you have much money and are rich, Allah will test you with richness, not with poverty, and vice versa.  Otherwise, you will fail in the test. Imagine, a law student mistakenly is taking a test in medicine, economy or psychology. He will definitely fail.  There is no guarantee that he will pass the test in law, let alone in other subjects.

Then Allah told us to pay more attention to our family, especially with their prayer, ordering them to perform it and to be patient with it.  The expression “We ask not of you provision” has two meanings:

(a) We (Allah) do not ask you to give Us provision in return;

(b)          We do not ask you to be distracted by seeking provision to yourself and your family from performing your prayers. Instead, Allah says, “We provide for you”.

In other verses Allah mentions again that He does not ask provision from His ‘abd (servant, slave). He says,

  وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ.  مَا أُرِيدُ مِنْهُمْ مِنْ رِزْقٍ وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ يُطْعِمُونِ.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الرَّزَّاقُ ذُو الْقُوَّةِ الْمَتِينُ . (الذاريات :  ٥٦-٥٨)

“And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they

 should worship Me (Alone). I seek not any provision from them (i.e., provision for themselves or for My creatures) nor did I ask they should

feed Me (i.e., feed themselves or My creatures); Verily, Allah is the All-Provider, Owner of Power, the Most Strong” (al-Dhāriyāt 51: 56-58).

Conclusion:

(1)      There are three kinds of people in their reaction to Allah’s test:

(a)       those who are impatient, and they are those who fail  in the test,

(b)      those who are patient, and they are those who pass the test,

(c) those who are not only patient, but also content with any of          Allah’s divine decrees and tests, and this is the highest level of those who pass the test, namely, pass with distinction.KHUTAB II

(2)      Allah refers to Himself with I (أَنَا), We (نَحْنُ) or He(هُوَ)  throughout the Qur’ān.