Importance of Patience - Dr Ahsan Hanif

The Arrogance That Blocks the Truth

Rather, the Qur'an is full of honor, and it is full of lessons, and it is full of manifest and clear meanings.

But rather, the reason they disbelieve is because of the arrogance that they have within their own hearts. The reason why they rejected Allah, and the Qur'an, and the Prophet ﷺ, was because of the arrogance of their hearts.

Just as Iblis when he refused to prostrate to Adam ﷺ, he did so out of arrogance. Not because he rejected the existence of Allah — he knew Allah existed. Not because he rejected that there would be an afterlife or a resurrection, because he was well aware of the ability and the power of Allah. Not because he rejected that there is something as paradise or hellfire, but he had seen both of them. Not because he didn't believe in angels and the concept of the heavens — he was a member of that company. But he rejected because of the arrogance that he had within his heart.

And that's why Allah in Surah As-Saad, at the end of Surah As-Saad, the story that Allah finishes with is the story of Adam and Iblis. And some of the scholars said that it is the first time in the Qur'an that this story was mentioned. Surah As-Saad was the first time that Allah mentioned this story within the Qur'an. And that's why Allah at the end calls it:

Say to them, inform them of the great news. That great event, that great story that took place when Iblis, despite knowing Allah and the power of Allah, still refused to prostrate to Adam and to obey the commandment of Allah because of the arrogance of his heart.

And so likewise, those people of Quraysh attested to the truthfulness and the integrity of the Prophet ﷺ. They knew that what he would say was truthful, that he is a man of honesty. They knew him from the moment that he was born. They knew his parents and his grandparents. They knew his family. They knew how he grew up. They knew everything about him. And they themselves used to attest to his truthfulness.

So it's not because of that that they disbelieve. But rather it is because of the arrogance that was in their hearts. The pride and the haughtiness that they had. They didn't think that someone could just come and take all of their gods and place them into one. They couldn't come to terms with this concept that they should shun their idols — that they seek assistance from — and that they should worship Allah alone.

And that's why Allah says in the opening passage:

Does he think that Allah chose him to give him revelation rather than us? Because from that arrogance also stemmed jealousy. Why him? We are the leaders of Quraysh. We are the noble men of Quraysh. We are richer, wealthier, more powerful, more noble. We have more leadership. We have more traits than him. If Allah was surely going to choose a prophet and a messenger, He would have chosen one of us. Why did He choose him? What does he have that makes him qualified for this?

And that's why Allah says elsewhere in the Qur'an:

Allah has more knowledge — is more knowing — of where He should place His messengership and His prophethood. Because Allah doesn't use those standards that they were using: of wealth and power and nobility and family. But rather Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala looked within the heart of the Prophet ﷺ and found that his heart was the purest and noblest of hearts ﷺ.

And so they rejected because of that arrogance within their heart. Even though many of them came to attest to even the truthfulness of the Qur'an. And logically they attested to the truthfulness of Islam. And they knew the character of the Prophet ﷺ. But their arrogance was a barrier between them and accepting Islam.

The Fate of Nations Who Rejected Their Prophets

And so Allah says:

And how many of the past nations did We destroy before them? Those nations — the Quraysh think that they are the greatest of nations, that they are the most powerful of tribes. But there came before them nations who are far better in many other respects.

There came the people of Nuh who were known to be the noblest of people. And despite their nobility, when they rejected Nuh ﷺ and his prophethood and his message, Allah destroyed them. You have the story of Ibrahim ﷺ and his father who was the closest of relations to him. But when his father disbelieved, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala punished him.

You have the people of 'Ad who were stronger militarily. They were able to go and conquer lands and build fortresses. And they were so impressed with their own might that they would say, as Allah relates in the Qur'an:

Who possibly is stronger than us? But still Allah destroyed them.

You have the people of Thamud who were known for their technology and their advancement in equipment — to the extent that they could go to a mountain and build houses and residences and abodes into the side of a mountain, which thousands of years later we still see around us today. But that didn't save them when they rejected Salih ﷺ. Allah still destroyed them.

You have the people of Lut who were the indigenous population — they were the people of their land. And Lut ﷺ was a foreigner who came to them seeking asylum and refuge. But when they rejected him, that status of being the people of that land didn't save them from the punishment of Allah.

You have the people of Madyan and Shu'aib who were known for their commerce and their business, and they were strong in terms of their economy — rich, powerful, wealthy. But yet that didn't save them when they rejected Shu'aib ﷺ.

You have Pharaoh who was one of the greatest tyrants ever to live, and who would use his wealth and his kingdom and his army to oppress and suppress a whole generation of people. Yet still that didn't save him when he rejected Musa ﷺ.

How many of those nations that came before you, O Quraysh, did We already destroy? They called out to Allah at the time of their punishment but it didn't avail them. It was too late. When the punishment of Allah struck, then they wanted to believe. But it was too late for them.

The Statement of Lā Ilāha Illallāh

And so Allah says:

Those people of Quraysh were amazed.

They were amazed that a person would come from amongst them to warn them.

And they said that rather this man, he is a liar and a sorcerer and a magician.

It is mentioned in the Sahih of Ibn Hibban and the Musnad of Imam Ahmad — a narration that some of the scholars authenticated — that the people of Quraysh once came to Abu Talib. And Abu Talib was an elderly man towards the end of his life. And they said to him: O Abu Talib, we are the leaders of Quraysh alongside you. But your nephew — what he says about our gods, the way he insults our practices, the way he has divided our families and our children and our spouses — this we cannot stand for. So why don't you just ask him to remain quiet? We will leave him alone, he can do as he pleases. Just ask him not to preach it to anyone else.

So Abu Talib — an elderly man who for the majority of his life had been the guardian and the protector after Allah of our Prophet ﷺ — called in his nephew, the Prophet ﷺ, and said: O my nephew, these people that are gathered here today are the leaders and noblemen of your tribe. And they have a complaint against you because of what you say and what you preach and what the people have now believed in who follow you. So all that they ask is that you remain quiet — do as you please, but don't tell anyone else.

And so the Prophet ﷺ replied and said: O my uncle, all that I want from them is a single statement. A single statement which, if they make it, not only will all of the Arabs fall under their leadership, but all of the non-Arabs will become under their leadership as well.

Abu Jahl, who was one of those noblemen of Quraysh that was present, said: O Muhammad, if it's that simple — we can rule the world just through a single statement — then tell us what it is and we will believe. Inform us what it is; I will say ten things if you like, if you will give me this type of power.

And so the Prophet ﷺ said to him: Say لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ — Lā ilāha illallāh.

Abu Jahl, when he heard this, stood up along with the other noblemen of Quraysh and they left. They left and they said: أَجَعَلَ الْآلِهَةَ إِلَٰهًا وَاحِدًا — has he taken all of our gods and idols and made them into a single god? إِنَّ هَذَا لَشَيْءٌ عُجَابٌ — verily, this is something strange and peculiar.

Even the non-Arabs — even the Arabs of Quraysh, the non-Muslims of that time — they knew the importance of that statement of Lā ilāha illallāh. And they knew what it denoted. They knew what it meant. They knew that if they said that word, they couldn't worship their idols. And they couldn't make du'a to them. And they couldn't place their trust upon them. And they couldn't rely upon them. And they couldn't sacrifice for them. They knew that all of these meanings were inherent in a single statement.

And in this regard, sometimes they were more knowledgeable than many of the Muslims we have in the world today — who say Lā ilāha illallāh but they will still worship a grave. Who will say Lā ilāha illallāh but they will still make du'a to other than Allah. Who will say Lā ilāha illallāh and they will sacrifice to a saint. Who will say Lā ilāha illallāh but at the same time they will hope and ask and rely and fear someone other than Allah. They understood this.

But rather the elite from amongst them left and they said: be patient upon your gods.

The First Lesson of Patience

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is saying: if this is the way that Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab and Umayyah and those leaders of Quraysh — if this was their level of steadfastness and patience upon their shirk and their disbelief and their rejection of the Qur'an and the Prophet ﷺ — then what about me and you as believers in Allah?

What about me and you when we know that what we have is from Allah and it is the truth, and we believe in the truthfulness of the Qur'an and the Prophet ﷺ, and we have full iman that Allah will reward the good doers with Jannah? Don't we have more right that we should be patient upon what we believe in? If this is the level that they were willing to go to — to be patient upon their disbelief — don't we as Muslims have more right? Are we more deserving and more worthy of being patient upon what we consider to be the truth?

And so Allah is telling us that this is the first lesson of patience: know why you are being patient and remind yourself of that patience. So when those difficulties and challenges and trials come to you, then you have things in perspective. You understand what you are being patient upon.

The Example of Prophet Dawud: Patience Through Worship

And then Allah says to our Prophet ﷺ and his companions and the Muslims: be patient as to that which they say, that which they do, their actions when they try to harm you, their words when they try to hurt you — be patient upon that which they do.

And from that which helps a person to attain patience is by remembering the examples of those who were patient before them. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in this surah mentions a number of prophets, and all of those prophets exhibited patience in one way or form or another. Allah is showing us that if these are the most beloved of creation to Allah — if the prophets and messengers of Allah, including our own Prophet ﷺ, are the most beloved and noble of people to Allah, yet they were tried and tested and they had to be patient sometimes for many many years — then what about the rest of the Muslims? Don't they think that they also need to show patience and learn patience and exhibit patience?

So Allah tells us the story of Dawud ﷺ and from those things that will help us to attain patience. He says: And remember our slave Dawud who had strength — strength in what? Strength in his patience, in the remembrance and worship of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That is what Dawud ﷺ is known for. He was known for his worship of Allah to the extent that our Prophet ﷺ told us:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1131; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1159)

The best of prayer is the prayer of Dawud. The best of fasting is the fasting of Dawud. Dawud ﷺ, if he prayed during the night, he would sleep for the first half, then he would pray for a third, and then he would rest for the remaining sixth. And if he fasted, he would fast one day and he would break his fast one day. And there is no better form of prayer or fasting than the fasting and prayer of Dawud ﷺ.

And because of how much he would worship Allah, Allah says about him in the Qur'an:

Work, O family of Dawud, in gratitude — and very few of My slaves are grateful.

Allah is showing us that when we have these two components — patience along with the worship of Allah, patience and your heart is connected to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — that there is the formula by which you are able to attain the highest of levels in this life and the next.

Allah says to us in Surah al-Baqarah, highlighting and emphasizing this exact point:

O you who believe, seek the assistance of Allah through prayer and patience.

And indeed it is difficult except for those who attain khushu'. So Allah is telling our Prophet ﷺ and us by extension that one of the ways that you achieve patience is by remembering the examples of those who came before us and following their examples — and one of those examples was the Prophet Dawud ﷺ and the amount that he would worship Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Example of Prophet Sulayman: Patience Through Sacrifice

From amongst the forms of patience that Allah tells us we need to be aware of is the patience of sacrificing that which you love for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That is a form of patience — in fact, it is one of the greatest forms of patience: to fight your desires and your whims and your wants, and to sacrifice it all and remain patient for the sake of Allah.

So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions after Dawud ﷺ the story of his son Sulayman:

And remember the story of Dawud's son Sulayman. He was a blessed servant. Indeed he was someone who would often repent and return to Allah. And over and over again Allah says about these prophets in this surah إِنَّهُ أَوَّابٌ — he was someone who would make tawbah to Allah often. Even though the prophets of Allah were forgiven for their sins, and Jannah is guaranteed for them, and they will have the highest levels in Jannah — yet still they were people of tawbah, still they were people who would return and repent to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

So Allah says concerning Sulayman ﷺ:

It is said in the books of tafsir that Sulayman ﷺ, as Allah mentions in the story, one afternoon saw horses. And he had a love of horses. And those horses were so many in number and they were so beautiful that he became preoccupied just gazing upon them, until they delayed him from his time of worshipping Allah. The time that he was meant to worship Allah, it delayed him. Until that time elapsed, it passed by. And then he remembered that he had to pray. And so he became upset that one of those things that he loved from the dunya would distract him from his worship and love of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

So he said: indeed I have allowed my love of these fine horses to preoccupy me from the remembrance of my Lord until the sunset. Bring those horses back to me. And then he began to sacrifice them and to chop them and distribute the meat to the poor. Why? Because those same things had diverted him from the remembrance of Allah. So he used them as an act and a means of making tawbah and coming back and closer to Allah.

As Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says to us:

You will never attain piety until you spend from that which you love, that which you crave, that which you desire.

To be patient upon these things is the way that the Prophet ﷺ told his companions to remain patient. As in the famous hadith on the authority of Khabbab ibn al-Aratt رضي الله عنه, when they came to the Prophet ﷺ and said:

Will you not make du'a for us? Will you not seek Allah's assistance for us?

So the Prophet ﷺ reminded them of the patience of those who came before them, and the lengths to which they would remain patient, and how Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will give victory to those who remain patient.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6099; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2804 — on the authority of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari رضي الله عنه)

Second Khutbah: Allah's Own Patience and Our Obligation

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — throughout Surah As-Saad, and there are many more examples which there is not time to go into in much more detail — tells us about patience and the exhibiting of patience. But towards the end of the surah He mentions the story of our father Adam ﷺ with Iblis, and how when Iblis was ordered to prostrate along with the angels to Adam ﷺ, he refused to obey that commandment. Instead he said: I am better than him — O Allah, You created me from fire and You created him from clay. That arrogance, that pride and that haughtiness, it prevented him from worshipping Allah.

So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Himself displays patience — and Allah is the most patient. He is patient with us because every single day and every single night, in open and in secret, alone and in groups, we disobey Him and we sin and we err and we leave His commandments and we fall into His prohibitions, and we do this on a daily basis. Yet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala doesn't punish us immediately. He doesn't take revenge and exact retribution from us at the same time that we sin. But rather Allah shows us patience and gives us time — perhaps we will remember, perhaps we will reflect and ponder, perchance we will seek His forgiveness.

And so Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is as the Prophet ﷺ mentioned in the hadith of al-Bukhari and Muslim on the authority of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari رضي الله عنه: there is no one more patient upon harm that He hears than our Lord and Creator subhanahu wa ta'ala. No one shows more patience than Allah. People make shirk with Him, they ascribe children to Him and partners, yet still He forgives them or He pardons them and He provides for them. Yet still Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives them a chance — perhaps they will make tawbah from their shirk. So when some of them do, He forgives them. And even those that don't, He will give them their sustenance and provision in this world.

So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says that He Himself shows patience — so what about us in our patience with the decree of Allah, in our patience of being firm on the commandments of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, our patience in refraining from the prohibitions of Allah and what He has made haram? This is the patience that Allah wants us to display.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala revealed this surah to the Meccans and to the companions at the time when they were in Mecca, when they were undergoing much difficulty and problems and hardship, to show them that one of the ways that they come out of these challenges is by exhibiting patience.

Closing Du'a

So I urge you, my dear brothers and sisters in Islam, today when you go home to pick up the Qur'an and look at the tafsir of this surah — Surah As-Saad — and the examples that Allah mentions within this surah and how they relate to patience and the way that we need to apply those lessons in our lives and teach them to our children.

Ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala by His most beautiful names and His lofty attributes that He makes us from the patient, because indeed Allah is with the patient, and that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala rewards us for the patience, for Allah does not diminish from the reward of the patient. Ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that He blesses us and our families and He safeguards us from every evil and harm, and that Allah protects us from Shaitan and his whisperings and his armies, and that Allah keeps us firm and steadfast upon this religion, and when we die we die upon the statement of Lā ilāha illallāh.

لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ