6. BEAUTIFUL PATIENCE, PARDON, AND AVOIDANCE
The shaykh and imam,the combiner of knowledge and action, and the complete scholar, Shaykh al-Islam and the Mufti of mankind, TaqI al-Dln Ibn Allah support him and increase him from His mighty grace, was asked about “beautiful patience” (sabr al-jamil),“beautiful pardon” (safh al- jamil) and “beautiful avoidance (hajr al-jamil) ” He was also asked about the categories of God-consciousness (taqwa) and the patience (sabr) practiced by the people.
His answer, Allah have mercy on him, was as follows: All praise be to Allah.
Allah commanded His Prophet to practice beautiful patience (sabr), pardon (safb),and avoidance (hajr). Beautiful avoidance means avoid- ance without harm (adah), beautiful pardon is pardon without rebuke (‘itab), and beautiful patience means patience without complaining (shakwa). Ya(qub falayhis-salam) said:
“I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah.” (Yusuf (12): 86)
And
“So patience is most fitting. And Allah is the one sought for help against that which you describe.” (Yusuf (12): 18)
As we can see, complaining to Allah does not contradict beauti- ful patience. It is narrated that Musa falayhis-salam) would say: “O Allah, to You belongs all praise and to You I complain. You are the one who is sought for help and deliverance and upon You I place my trust.’’
One of the Prophets supplications was: ‘O Allah. To you I complain about my lack of strength, the scarcity of my means, and my insignificance to the people. You are the Lord of the oppressed and you are my Lord. O Allah, to whom will you leave me? Will it be a person distant who receives me harshly or an enemy to whom You have given power over me? As long as You are not angry with me, I do not care, but Your pardon for me is vaster. I seek refuge with the light of Your Face, by which all darkness is illuminated and the affairs of the world and the afterlife are rectified, lest Your displeasure or anger should befall me. To the seeking of Your acceptance I shall keep returning until You are pleased.
‘Umar Ibn al-Khattab (radiyAllahu {anhu) used to read in the Morning Prayer (fajr):
“I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah.”(Yusuf (12): 86)
In doing so he would cry so much that the people in the last row heard his sobbing. Complaining to the creation should not be like this. When Imam Ahmad was sick on his deathbed it was read to him that Tawus had disliked the moaning of the sick and had said: “It is complaining.” After this, Imam Ahmad did not moan once until he died. This is because when one complains he is giving the message that he wants others to help him by either stopping whatever is hurting him or by doing something to help him. The servant has been commanded by his Lord to ask Him alone, not His creation. Allah, Most High, says:
“So when you have finished (your duties), then stand up (for worship). And to your Lord direct (your) longing.”(al-Sharh (94): 7-8)
The Prophet told Ibn ‘Abbas (radhiyAllahu ‘anhuma): ‘When you ask, ask Allah, and when you seek help, seek help from Allah.’
Every human being has two duties: obedience to Allah by following His commands and leaving the forbidden and having patience with the pre-destined afflictions. The first is God-consciousness and the second is patience. Allah, Most High, says:
“O you who have believed, do not take as intimates those other than yourselves, for they will not spare you (any) ruin.” (Al- Imran (3): 118)
And
“And if you are patient and fear Allah, their plot will not harm you at all. Indeed, Allah is encompassing of what they do (Al- Imran (3) :120)
And
“Yes, if you remain patient and conscious of Allah and the enemy comes upon you (attacking) in rage, your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand angels having marks [of distinction].” (Al- Imran (3): 125)
And
“You will surely be tested in your possessions and in yourselves. And you will surely hear from those who were given the Scripture before you and from those who associate others with Allah much abuse. But if you are patient and fear Allah indeed, that is of the matters [worthy] of determination.” (Al-lmran (3) 186)
Yusuf (‘alayhis-salam) said:
“I am Yusuf, and this is my brother. Allah has certainly favoured us. Indeed, he who fears Allah and is patient, then indeed, Allah does not allow to be lost the reward of those who do good.” (Yusuf (12): 90)
By Shaykhu’l-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah
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