“For those who do good in this world will have a good reward—and God’s earth is spacious. Truly, those who persevere patiently will be requited without measure.”
Al-Zumar 39:10
To build up one’s life on the basis of faith involves a tremendous trial. Only those succeed in this trial for whom faith is the greatest wealth, for the sake of which they are prepared to forego everything else. A life of faith is a life of patience. Those who are prepared to become believers at the price of patience will be the ones who will be blessed with the superior grace of God.
The literal meaning of sabr, the Arabic word for patience, is ‘to stop’. A purposeful person does not take any step as an emotionally driven reaction. When faced with any situation, he stops and thinks about what response he should make that is in accordance with his principles and purpose in life, distinguishing this clearly from responses that militate against his principles and purpose. In this way, he exercises sabr or patience.
Patience is connected with every aspect of our lives. Suppose you feel overwhelmed by a certain desire. You choose not to set about fulfilling the desire as soon as it emerges. You control the desire think about it and then do what wisdom demands of you in that situation. This is exercising patience.
Suppose someone has caused you trouble. You feel overwhelmed by the desire for revenge. But you stop yourself and then do what your faith wants you to do. This is exercising patience. In other words, impatience is reflected in a hasty response to a situation, while a considered, well-thought-out response is what patience is about.
