The Nineteenth Ḥadīth:
عَونُ اللهِ تعالى وحِفْظُهُ ونصره وتأييده
عن أبي العَبَّاس عَبْدِ الله بِن عَبَّاسٍ رَضي اللهُ عنهما قال: كُنْتُ خَلْفَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلّم يوما، فقال: {يا غُلامُ، إِنِّي أُعَلِّمُكَ كلِماتٍ: احْفَظِ اللهَ يَحْفَظْكَ، احْفَظِ اللهَ تَجِدْهُ تُجَاهَك، إذا سأَلْتَ فاسْأَلِ اللهَ، وإذا اسْتَعَنْتَ فاسْتَعِنْ باللهِ، واعْلَمْ أَنَّ الأُمَةَ لو اجْتَمَعَتْ على أَنْ يَنْفَعُوكَ بِشَيءٍ لَمْ يَنْفَعُوكَ إلَّا بِشَيْءٍ قد كَتَبَهُ اللهُ لَكَ، وإن اجْتَمَعُوا على أن يَضُرُّوكَ بشيءٍ لَمْ يَضُروك إلّا بِشَيءٍ قد كَتَبَهُ اللهُ عَلَيْكَ، رُفِعَتْ الأقلامُ وجَفَّتِ الصُّحُفُ.} رواه الترمذي وقال: حديث حسن صحيح.
وفي رواية غير الترمذي: {احفَظِ اللهَ تَجِدْهُ أَمَامَكَ، تَعَرَّفْ إلى اللهِ في الرخاءِ يَعْرِفْكَ في الشِّدةِ، واعْلَمْ أنَّ ما أَخْطأَكَ لم يَكُنْ لِيُصِيبَكَ، وما أَصَابَكَ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُخْطِئَكَ، واعْلَمْ أنَّ النَّصْرَ مع الصَّبر، وأنَّ الفَرَجَ مع الكَرْبِ، وأنَّ مع العُسْرِ يُسْراً.}
Allah the Exalted’s Help, Protection, Assistance and Support
It is on the authority of Abū al-ʿAbbāṣ ʿAbdullah ibn ʿAbbās, may Allah be pleased with both of them, who said, ‘I was behind the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, one day and he said, {Boy, I will teach you some words. Be mindful of Allah and He will be mindful of you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him in front of you. When you ask, ask Allah. When you seek help, seek help from Allah. If all of creation came together to benefit you with something, they would only benefit you with something that Allah had already written for you. If they came together to harm you with something, they would only harm you with something that Allah had already written against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.} At-Tirmidhī has related it and said that it is a good, authentic ḥadīth.
In a narration other than that of at-Tirmidhī: {Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him in front of you. Get to know Allah in times of ease and He will know you in times of adversity. Know that whatever misses you was never going to hit, and whatever hits you was never going to miss. Know that help is with patience, deliverance is with distress and that with difficulty there is ease.}
At-Tirmidhī has collected this ḥadīth in the Description of the Hour, the Softening of Hearts and Carefulness from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace (in the chapter entitled: {Rather, O Ḥanẓalah, an hour and an hour}), no.2016, and Aḥmad has collected it in his Musnad: 1/307. The aforementioned wording has been related by ʿAbd ibn Ḥumayd in his Musnad, as the commentators of The Forty have mentioned.
The Importance of the Ḥadīth:
Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī says in his book Jāmiʿ al-ʿUlūm wa al-Ḥikam, ‘This ḥadīth comprises great advice and comprehensive principles that are some of the most important matters of the religion, such that one of the scholars said, “I reflected on this ḥadīth and it astonished me. I was almost confused. Alas for my ignorance of this ḥadīth and my paltry understanding of its meanings.”’
(...)
Victory is with Patience: The life of man is various battles. He is exposed therein to many enemies, of all kinds, and his victory in these battles is connected to the extent of his patience and is the consequence of it. Patience is the way to the victory that is sought. It is the effective weapon that subdues the enemy in his various forms, whether he is hidden or in the open. This is why Allah, Mighty and Majestic is He, has made it the subject of the exam for His slaves in this life, to distinguish the filthy from the pure, so that the truthful and certain is known from the doubtful hypocrite: “We will test you until We know the true fighters among you and those who are steadfast and test what is reported of you.” [Muḥammad 47:31] “You will be tested in your wealth and in yourselves and you will hear many abusive words from those given the Book before you and from those who are idolaters. But if you are steadfast and have taqwā, that is the most resolute of matters.” [Āl ʿImrān 3:186] i.e. the matters that every sane person should be resolute in and be accustomed to, because of the perfection of virtue and honour that they contain.
Allah the Exalted has said in describing the righteous, the people of taqwā and the truthful, “…and are steadfast in poverty and illness and in battle.” [al-Baqarah 2:177]
Patience, as it has been defined, is to keep the ego in check, i.e. to control it, according to what is required by the intellect and the Revealed Law. Likewise, one keeps it in check and prevents it from that which the intellect and the Revealed Law prevent it from. If we were to review Allah’s verses, Mighty and Majestic is He, and the ḥadīths of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, we would find that the word patience (ṣabr) appears in many places, and in each place it bears the abovementioned definition, aiming at one end and realising one result, which is victory and triumph. These places include:
A. Patience with doing acts of obedience and leaving disobedience:
Doing what Allah the Exalted has commanded and leaving what He has prohibited is a discomfort. There is no doubt that it is a type of weight on the human soul, and therefore a person must strive to overcome his real enemy, which is embodied in the nafs,[1] one’s passions and Shayṭān: “The nafs commands to evil acts” [Yūsuf 12:53], “…and do not follow your own passions” [Ṣād 38:26], “Shayṭān is your enemy.” [Fāṭir 35:6] These hidden enemies places temptations in front of a person, and embellish for him the love of worldly appetites. They entice him to turn away from obedience and incline towards disobedience. They are tireless in what they do, never leaving him alone and never subsiding. Thus, a person must strive to subdue them, push his nafs to be obedient, and make his passions follow what Allah’s legislation has brought, Mighty and Majestic is He. All of this involves patience, endurance, struggle and sacrifice. Allah the Exalted has said, “Follow what has been revealed to you and be steadfast until Allah’s judgment comes.” [Yūnus 10:109]
He has also said, “He is Lord of the heavens and the earth and everything in between them, so worship Him and persevere in His worship.” [Maryam 19:65]
He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has said, {The mujāhid is the one who does jihād against his nafs for the sake of Allah}, as related by at-Tirmidhī and Ibn Ḥibbān.
There is no doubt that whoever is able to confine his nafs to what pleases Allah the Exalted, and thus obeys Him and avoids disobeying Him, has overcome his hidden enemy and subdued his nafs, his Shayṭān and his passions. This is a victory that no other victory comes close to, because with it the person controls himself and becomes free from the captivity of desires, passions and the whisperings of Shayṭān. When that battle with the internal enemy has ended with him being vanquished and subdued, the truth shines forth in the believer’s heart and illuminates it, and thus he follows Allah’s path, Mighty and Majestic is He: “As for those who do jihād in Our Way, We will guide them to Our Paths.” [al-ʿAnkabūt 29:69] The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, spoke the truth when he said, {Patience is radiant light}, as related by Muslim.[2]
B. Patience with Calamities:
In this life, man is exposed to catastrophes that beset his person, his property, his family and his dependents, or his safety and serenity, and there is no doubt that this has a severe impact on a person, allowing despair to overcome him: “When evil touches him, he despairs.” [al-Isrāʾ 17:83] Restlessness (halʿ) and anxiety (jazʿ) take over: “Truly man was created restless, anxious when bad things happen.” [al-Maʿārij 70:19-20]
Halʿ is more intense than jazʿ, and jazʿ is intense fear.
A person in this state is defeated. He cannot carve a path to victory in this life. This is why Allah, Mighty and Majestic is He, urges the believers to be resolute, to hold their ground in the face of these calamities, which are real, no doubt, and to rise above weakness and lassitude and carve their path to victory and prosperity, arming themselves with patience, which is the foundation of exaltedness and the secret of success. “We will test you with a certain amount of fear and hunger and loss of wealth and life and fruits. But give good news to the steadfast, those who, when disaster strikes them, say, ‘We belong to Allah and to Him we will return.’ Those are the people who will have blessings and mercy from their Lord; they are the ones who are guided.” [al-Baqarah 2:155-157]
There is no doubt that these people are guided to the path of might, honour and glory, especially those who hold their ground as soon as a catastrophe strikes: {Patience is only at the first blow}, which is agreed upon. They therefore come out of it victorious, facing life with absolute courage and boldness, so that they can turn the trial that has befallen them into something good that they can benefit from, in this life and the Hereafter. Thus, their state in times of trial is no different from their state in times of ease. {How astonishing is the affair of the believer! His entire affair is good, and this is only for the believer. When something good happens to him, he is grateful, and that is good for him. When something bad happens to him, he is patient, and that is good for him.} Related by Muslim.
[Translated from p.131-132 and 140-142 (Damascus: Dār Ibn Kathīr, 1428/2007) ]
In a narration other than that of at-Tirmidhī: {Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him in front of you. Get to know Allah in times of ease and He will know you in times of adversity. Know that whatever misses you was never going to hit, and whatever hits you was never going to miss. Know that help is with patience, deliverance is with distress and that with difficulty there is ease.}
At-Tirmidhī has collected this ḥadīth in the Description of the Hour, the Softening of Hearts and Carefulness from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace (in the chapter entitled: {Rather, O Ḥanẓalah, an hour and an hour}), no.2016, and Aḥmad has collected it in his Musnad: 1/307. The aforementioned wording has been related by ʿAbd ibn Ḥumayd in his Musnad, as the commentators of The Forty have mentioned.
The Importance of the Ḥadīth:
Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī says in his book Jāmiʿ al-ʿUlūm wa al-Ḥikam, ‘This ḥadīth comprises great advice and comprehensive principles that are some of the most important matters of the religion, such that one of the scholars said, “I reflected on this ḥadīth and it astonished me. I was almost confused. Alas for my ignorance of this ḥadīth and my paltry understanding of its meanings.”’
(...)
Victory is with Patience: The life of man is various battles. He is exposed therein to many enemies, of all kinds, and his victory in these battles is connected to the extent of his patience and is the consequence of it. Patience is the way to the victory that is sought. It is the effective weapon that subdues the enemy in his various forms, whether he is hidden or in the open. This is why Allah, Mighty and Majestic is He, has made it the subject of the exam for His slaves in this life, to distinguish the filthy from the pure, so that the truthful and certain is known from the doubtful hypocrite: “We will test you until We know the true fighters among you and those who are steadfast and test what is reported of you.” [Muḥammad 47:31] “You will be tested in your wealth and in yourselves and you will hear many abusive words from those given the Book before you and from those who are idolaters. But if you are steadfast and have taqwā, that is the most resolute of matters.” [Āl ʿImrān 3:186] i.e. the matters that every sane person should be resolute in and be accustomed to, because of the perfection of virtue and honour that they contain.
Allah the Exalted has said in describing the righteous, the people of taqwā and the truthful, “…and are steadfast in poverty and illness and in battle.” [al-Baqarah 2:177]
Patience, as it has been defined, is to keep the ego in check, i.e. to control it, according to what is required by the intellect and the Revealed Law. Likewise, one keeps it in check and prevents it from that which the intellect and the Revealed Law prevent it from. If we were to review Allah’s verses, Mighty and Majestic is He, and the ḥadīths of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, we would find that the word patience (ṣabr) appears in many places, and in each place it bears the abovementioned definition, aiming at one end and realising one result, which is victory and triumph. These places include:
A. Patience with doing acts of obedience and leaving disobedience:
Doing what Allah the Exalted has commanded and leaving what He has prohibited is a discomfort. There is no doubt that it is a type of weight on the human soul, and therefore a person must strive to overcome his real enemy, which is embodied in the nafs,[1] one’s passions and Shayṭān: “The nafs commands to evil acts” [Yūsuf 12:53], “…and do not follow your own passions” [Ṣād 38:26], “Shayṭān is your enemy.” [Fāṭir 35:6] These hidden enemies places temptations in front of a person, and embellish for him the love of worldly appetites. They entice him to turn away from obedience and incline towards disobedience. They are tireless in what they do, never leaving him alone and never subsiding. Thus, a person must strive to subdue them, push his nafs to be obedient, and make his passions follow what Allah’s legislation has brought, Mighty and Majestic is He. All of this involves patience, endurance, struggle and sacrifice. Allah the Exalted has said, “Follow what has been revealed to you and be steadfast until Allah’s judgment comes.” [Yūnus 10:109]
He has also said, “He is Lord of the heavens and the earth and everything in between them, so worship Him and persevere in His worship.” [Maryam 19:65]
He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has said, {The mujāhid is the one who does jihād against his nafs for the sake of Allah}, as related by at-Tirmidhī and Ibn Ḥibbān.
There is no doubt that whoever is able to confine his nafs to what pleases Allah the Exalted, and thus obeys Him and avoids disobeying Him, has overcome his hidden enemy and subdued his nafs, his Shayṭān and his passions. This is a victory that no other victory comes close to, because with it the person controls himself and becomes free from the captivity of desires, passions and the whisperings of Shayṭān. When that battle with the internal enemy has ended with him being vanquished and subdued, the truth shines forth in the believer’s heart and illuminates it, and thus he follows Allah’s path, Mighty and Majestic is He: “As for those who do jihād in Our Way, We will guide them to Our Paths.” [al-ʿAnkabūt 29:69] The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, spoke the truth when he said, {Patience is radiant light}, as related by Muslim.[2]
B. Patience with Calamities:
In this life, man is exposed to catastrophes that beset his person, his property, his family and his dependents, or his safety and serenity, and there is no doubt that this has a severe impact on a person, allowing despair to overcome him: “When evil touches him, he despairs.” [al-Isrāʾ 17:83] Restlessness (halʿ) and anxiety (jazʿ) take over: “Truly man was created restless, anxious when bad things happen.” [al-Maʿārij 70:19-20]
Halʿ is more intense than jazʿ, and jazʿ is intense fear.
A person in this state is defeated. He cannot carve a path to victory in this life. This is why Allah, Mighty and Majestic is He, urges the believers to be resolute, to hold their ground in the face of these calamities, which are real, no doubt, and to rise above weakness and lassitude and carve their path to victory and prosperity, arming themselves with patience, which is the foundation of exaltedness and the secret of success. “We will test you with a certain amount of fear and hunger and loss of wealth and life and fruits. But give good news to the steadfast, those who, when disaster strikes them, say, ‘We belong to Allah and to Him we will return.’ Those are the people who will have blessings and mercy from their Lord; they are the ones who are guided.” [al-Baqarah 2:155-157]
There is no doubt that these people are guided to the path of might, honour and glory, especially those who hold their ground as soon as a catastrophe strikes: {Patience is only at the first blow}, which is agreed upon. They therefore come out of it victorious, facing life with absolute courage and boldness, so that they can turn the trial that has befallen them into something good that they can benefit from, in this life and the Hereafter. Thus, their state in times of trial is no different from their state in times of ease. {How astonishing is the affair of the believer! His entire affair is good, and this is only for the believer. When something good happens to him, he is grateful, and that is good for him. When something bad happens to him, he is patient, and that is good for him.} Related by Muslim.
[Translated from p.131-132 and 140-142 (Damascus: Dār Ibn Kathīr, 1428/2007) ]
[1] (tn): i.e. the self, or ego
[2] (tn): Please see the 23rd ḥadīth in this book.
You can read more of the commentary here.
1 comment:
SubhanAllah, truly, patience and victory is what we muslims need the most right now.
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