Patience and Contentment

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

"Indeed amazing are the affairs of a believer! They are all for his benefit. If he is granted ease then he is thankful, and this is good for him. And if he is afflicted with a hardship, he perseveres, and this is good for him." (Saheeh Muslim)

The Final Mile

O one bound in fetters of steel, Trust me, I know how you feel. When that door slams shut at night, The reality begins to bite. You alone with your thoughts. Hopes and fears of all sorts. What will arrive tomorrow? Some good news or just more sorrow? Know, my friend, that every ocean has a shore. And every hardship has a door. Every desert has springs. And every caged bird has wings. So hold your head high and smile. For perhaps you are on the final mile.

Patience and Contentment 17 Mar 2012 Hits:55

How Najma Taught Us How To Live

[Science lecturer Najma Yasmin Gani from South London passed away at the age of 34 on 10 March 2012 after a six-year battle with leukaemia (blood cancer). Babar Ahmad writes about the correspondence he exchanged with her from prison during the final months of her life.] The first letter I received from Najma was in October 2010. Enclosed with the letter was some money and words of encouragement for me. At the end of her letter were a couple of lines requesting that I pray for her, since she was in the final stages of acute myeloid leukaemia. I wrote back to...

Patience and Contentment 17 Mar 2012 Hits:116

No Matter What, We’re Still Believers

Yahya ibn Mu’adh was once asked, ‘When does a slave reach the ranks of Ridha (being pleased with Allah)?’ He said: “When he acts upon 4 principles with which he deals with his Lord: That he says: ‘(O Allah), if You give me, I shall accept and if You prevent me, then I shall be content. If You were to leave me, I shall still worship You, and were to call me I shall indeed answer.” [Hilyat al-Awliya'] Being pleased with Allah `azza wa jall no matter what happens is from the greatest signs that a believer is a sincere and strong believer. It...

Patience and Contentment 18 Dec 2011 Hits:84

The Straight Path

Allah (Almighty) says in Surah al-Faatihah (1:6-7): “Guide us to the Straight Path. The Path of those whom You have blessed…” Every day, at least 17 times, every Muslim invokes Allah to guide him or her to the Straight Path. What is the Straight Path? Allah tells us in the next verse that it is the Path of those whom He has blessed. Who are the ones whom Allah has blessed? The scholars of tafseer said that the answer to this question lies in Surah An-Nisa (4:69): “And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) shall be with those WHOM...

Patience and Contentment 18 Dec 2011 Hits:80

The Dark Cloud

Allah Almighty said in the Quran (2:260): “And when Ibrahim (alayhis salaam) said: ‘My Lord! Show me how you give life to the dead.’ He said: ‘Do you not believe (that I can do that)?' He replied: ‘Certainly, but just to bring satisfaction to my heart…’” The rest of the verse describes how Allah Almighty showed him a sign and brought peace to his heart something that Ibrahim ('alayhis-salaam) already believed in. Sometimes you will feel like asking Allah ('azza wa jall) to show you a sign, just to reassure you that you are on the Truth and that Allah is on your side. If,...

Patience and Contentment 06 Dec 2011 Hits:125

The Happiest of All People

The happiest people to have ever lived on the face of the Earth were the Prophets. This is in spite of the fact that they suffered more than anyone else. For, they had to endure severe persecution in delivering the message that Allaah had entrusted them with. Beyond that, they were subjected to the same difficulties that all other human beings suffer from, such as illness, poverty, hunger, and thirst... and more often to a greater degree than usual. Once, Muhammad (sallallaahu `alayhi wa-sallam) suffered from a bad fever so much so that his forehead was drenched with sweat and he was...

Patience and Contentment 21 Nov 2011 Hits:139

Hold on to Your Hijab...

Ever get the timing all wrong and express your feelings, only to receive a really negative reception? How about when it seems to get worse and worse, whether you stay quiet or try to speak? Basically, shaytaan has set up a big fairground, with his army of shayaateen running the rides, between you and that person. Be it your husband, friend, relative, or employer, nothing can get through to them without going through the fairground of fitnah and that rotten devil's interference. These are times when, although you desperately want to communicate and try to garner understanding and positivity, you will not...

Patience and Contentment 17 Sep 2011 Hits:125

Trust after Betrayal

A reader asked for my take on how to you rebuild trust after repeated betrayals, so here it is - my own personal view. When you have someone in your life that hurts you, commits indiscretions, or outright sins, and you come to a stage where you cannot trust them, don't. Not trusting someone doesn't mean you cannot live with them, enjoy time with them, love them. It simply means that you know certain of their weaknesses and cannot rely on them to overcome them. It does not mean that you don't encourage them or support them to overcome...

Patience and Contentment 17 Sep 2011 Hits:119

Ya Allah!

YA ALLAH! When Adam ate the forbidden fruit, he cried, “Ya Allah!” So Allah forgave him and erased his sin. When Abraham was thrown into the fire, he cried, “Ya Allah!” So Allah saved him and made the fire cool. When ordered to sacrifice his son, he cried, “Ya Allah!” So Allah replaced his son with a mountain goat. When Hagar had nothing to feed her baby, she cried, “Ya Allah!” So Allah burst forth for her the Spring of Zamzam. When Joseph was thrown into the well, he cried “Ya Allah!” So Allah reassured him of His Help and Victory. When Jacob became blind at the grief of...

Patience and Contentment 23 Jun 2011 Hits:149

The Way Out

My friends when things become unbearable, turn to Allah. Ibn al-Jawzi said: “Something was causing me a great deal of grief and distress, and I started to think long and hard about how to get out of this situation by any means, but I could not find any way out. Then I came across this verse:“… And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out [ of every difficulty].” (Surah Talaq, 65:2)I realized that Taqwa (piety, fearing Allah) is the way out of every kind of grief and distress. As...

Patience and Contentment 26 Mar 2011 Hits:222

The Causes of Envy (Hasad)

Hasad is a desire that a blessing or a cause of happiness departs from its possessor and becomes transferred to oneself. Hasad is cancerous in its effect and leads to hatred, animosity, ill-feelings and often further disobedience towards Allah. It is condemned in many ahaadeeth. Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (sallallahu alaihe wassallam) said, ‘Envy eats away good deeds like fire eats away wood.’ (Abu Daud and al-Tirmidhi). Some of the causes of hasad are as follows:1) Enmity and hatred: This is the one of the severest cases of envy because when a person has hatred and enmity in his...

Patience and Contentment 26 Mar 2011 Hits:554

Strive, EVEN When Tested

I was reading some quotes by Helen Keller and this one particular quote caught my attention. "A happy life consists not in the absence, but in the mastery of hardships." (The Simplest Way to be Happy 1933) Awoman born in 1880 and died in 1968, who became deaf and blind from the age of 19 months, at the age of 53 years she said the above. A woman who did not let her disabilities prevent her from gaining a BA, becoming a lecturer, a political activist, becoming an opponent of war and a proponent of workers rights, women's suffragette movement and...

Patience and Contentment 08 Jan 2011 Hits:336

Maybe There Is Good In It For You!

Allah, the Almighty says,which means, "And it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know." (AI-Baqarah, 2:216)In this Qur'anic Verse, there are several judgments, meanings and benefits for the servant - if the servant knows that misfortune can produce a desirable thing, and that the desirable thing can produce a misfortune, he would not feel secure against the harm that can come from delight, and he would not lose hope of delight to come from harm, for...

Patience and Contentment 08 Jan 2011 Hits:313

When Times Get Hard... Pray

Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Whenever the matter became serious the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray.” (Collected by Abu Dawud (1319) and others.) Benefits that derived from this narration Muhammad Abdur Rauf Al-Manawee (may Allah have mercy on him) commented on this narration. He wrote that, ”Whenever the matter became serious,” means, (The Prophet, peace be upon him, did such) if the Prophet was attacked by surprise, on the verge of being subdued or due to an important matter which caused him to be worried or feel sad. “He (peace and blessings be upon him) would...

Patience and Contentment 08 Jan 2011 Hits:338

Depression

If one takes a just and unbiased look at the current condition of mankind in general and the Muslims in particular, in an era where technology is at its most advanced and civilization is at its most developed in economic, medical, military and informational terms, they will find that all this worldly knowledge, information and development is inherently deficient and inept because it cannot produce people who realises the reason for his creation. There is no doubt that this is a fact, otherwise, how can one explain the spread of ignorance and illiteracy in the era of knowledge and technology?...

Patience and Contentment 07 Jan 2011 Hits:254

10 Tips On How To Fight Depression & Sadness

.. Feeling down in the dumps, depressed, having the blues? These are just some of the terms used to describe a feeling of hopelessness and despair that can hit even the most optimistic of us at some point in our lives. While clinical depression requires proper professional treatment, the occasional feeling of sadness due to factors ranging from marital issues, economic difficulty to harassment and discrimination can be helped through some simple spiritual practices. Here are a couple that can help:1. Look at those below youThe Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whenever you see someone better...

Patience and Contentment 06 Jan 2011 Hits:862

Be Like The Bee

As people are content with the world, so should you be content with Allaah. As they are delighted by the world, so should you be delighted with Allaah. As they are intimate with their loved ones, so should you seek intimacy with Allaah. As they desire to know their kings and their leaders, and to draw near to them in order for honor and status to be conferred on them, so should you come to know Allaah and seek His love, this will lead to the utmost honor and distinction. Said one of the zuhhåd (pious): "I can never imagine...

Patience and Contentment 23 Oct 2010 Hits:376

How Islaam Deals With Sadness and Worry

The average human being in the developed world battles sadness and worry on a daily basis. While the majority of the world's population confront extreme poverty, famine, conflict and despair those of us privileged to lead relatively easy lives must tackle fear, stress, and anxiety. Why are those of us blessed with riches beyond compare immersed in loneliness and desperation? We are living in a time of confusion, we try as we might, yet gathering material possessions can do nothing to mend broken hearts, and shattered souls. Now, more than at any other time in human kind's history, stress, anxiety, and...

Patience and Contentment 09 Sep 2010 Hits:981

4 Years in Prison

I have now spent nearly an eighth of my life in prison. Life in prison is a journey into the unknown. Unlike other journeys it is one of those things that you can never plan ahead for. You don’t plan to have a car accident. You don’t plan to get cancer. You don’t plan to die. And you don’t plan to go to prison. Prison is just one of the many tests that you must pass in order to succeed in life.The Prophet (saw) said, “There is some magic in words.” Tyrants use the magic in words to control people’s...

Patience and Contentment 09 Sep 2010 Hits:418

The Center of the Human Being

The actual physical heart in our breast beats at about 100,000 times a day, pumping two gallons of blood per minute, 100 gallons per hour, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year for an entire life time! The vascular system that sends this life-giving blood is over 60,000 miles long: it is more than two times the circumference of the earth. Furthermore, it is interesting to note that the heart starts beating before the brain is formed; the heart begins to beat without any central nervous system. The dominant theory was that the central nervous...

Patience and Contentment 22 Aug 2010 Hits:341

As Long As You Are Not Angry With Me Then I Do Not Care

As long as You are not angry with me then I do not care, For me is the model of Musab bin Umayr, The best dressed man in the city, But that was for him a state of pity. Until there came to him the Message, All did he leave of his privilege, For the sake of Allah and His Beloved. As long as You are not angry with me then I do not care, For I think of Bilal when his chest was bare, On the burning sand did they make him lie, Until he thought he was going to die. They crushed him with rocks in the blazing sun, And...

Patience and Contentment 19 Aug 2010 Hits:370

Overcoming Tests From Allah

By virtue of being created as human beings, we will be tested. We will be thrown into countless trials, into situations that may arise unpleasant and awkward, and into times of difficulty when it seems as though there is little reason to hope. Tests will come at us from every direction; events will test the very core of our character and the strength of our beliefs. And these are the tests we cannot afford to fail. And Allah, Glory be to Him, has not left us empty-handed. Building our knowledge and our characters as Muslims is the only way to overcome the...

Patience and Contentment 19 Aug 2010 Hits:436

An Example of Patience Even While Imprisoned

...First of all, it is clear that the prison system here is inept. They call this place a 'correctional facility', but I see very little correction of anyone going on around me. Most of the prisoners I've had the chance to speak to are repeat offenders, meaning they were previously jailed here, released, committed more crimes (often the same one), and were brought back. Some have been brought back so many times that they consider this home, and they consider release to be a temporary visit to some strange place. I can't deny that some are beyond hope, but the...

Patience and Contentment 19 Aug 2010 Hits:341

Patience is Half of Faith

Patience is half of faith; for this is a quality composed of patience and gratitude (Shukr). As one of the Pious Predecessors (Salaf) has said, Faith is in two halves: One half patience, the other half is gratitude. Allah, the Most High, said, "Indeed in that there are signs for each one who is patiently persevering and truly grateful" [Noble Quran 14:5] Patience in relation to faith is like the head in relation to the body. It is of three types: Patience concerning the obligations (Fardh) laid down by Allah, that one should not neglect them. Patience in abstaining from actions forbidden by Him, that one...

Patience and Contentment 19 Aug 2010 Hits:1161

Why Suicide? IS it the Solution?

Every breath of a human, every moment of his or hers life in all religious traditions, their teachings, their guidance, their viewpoints, their perspectives is worth more than a priceless gem. These breaths the human being takes in order to survive in life and the moments of life itself are like the pearls of a necklace. Just as a pearl will embellish the appearance of that neck that wears the necklace of pearls, in the same way the life of a individual is enhanced by that person who looks after the moments of his life. No treasure trove of any Ruler,...

Patience and Contentment 14 Aug 2010 Hits:308

A Soul’s Burden

Trials and tribulations are a part of life. We do not like them; we do not like to go through them; but eventually we accept them. Even if we pray, fast, pay our Zakat (Obligatory Annual Charity) and undertake all of the different forms of worship, we still get tested. Sadness sometimes fills our hearts. We could be the best of practicing Muslims, yet poor and unable to put food on our table. We could be rich yet lonely, or young yet unhealthy.It is in these instances that shaytaan starts toying with our head. We look at what others have,...

Patience and Contentment 14 Aug 2010 Hits:596

Facing Hardships: Learn From The Life of a Butterfly

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.The man continued to watch...

Patience and Contentment 21 Jun 2010 Hits:1030

The Worry Is One

Al-Hakeem reports in al-Mustadrak that the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, "Allah will suffice he, who makes his worry in life one; and he, who is branched by worries, Allah will not care in whichever valley of life he perishes." The meaning of this is that one should concentrate one's worries from beginning to end on obeying Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala) and preparing oneself for his meeting, for this is the greatest of all worries, and the greatest of all matters. For this very reason Messengers were sent, and Divine Books were revealed, and the trade of Paradise and Hell was...

Patience and Contentment 17 Jan 2010 Hits:583

Why Women Cry

A little boy asked his mother, "Why are you crying?" "Because I need to" she said. "I don't understand," he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will." Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?" "All women cry for no reason," his dad answered carelessly. The little boy, still wondering why women cry, finally asked the old wise Shaykh (his Islamic Teacher). "He surely knows the answer", he thought. "Ya Shaykh! Why do women cry so easily?" The wise teacher replied, "When Allah made the woman she had to be made so...

Patience and Contentment 02 Jan 2010 Hits:688

Truly Amazing Patience

Who was he? He was a famous Taabi'ee (Successors of the Sahabah), a scholar of Hadeeth (Prophetic Narration) who was born in the penultimate year (22AH) of the caliphate of Umar (radhiallahu `anhu) and died 94AH. His father was az-Zubair ibn A’wwam, one of the ten Promised with Paradise. His mother was Asma daughter of Abu Bakr, and therefore his aunt was Aa’ishah, the mother of the Believers from whom he benefited immensely. He also learnt from Ali bin Abi Talib, Abdur-Rahman bin Awf, Zaid bin Thabit, Abu Ayub Al-Ansari and many other sahaabah until he became one of the...

Patience and Contentment 02 Jan 2010 Hits:584

Trials & Tests

Allaah has foreordained the fate of all creatures, written down their impacts and deeds, portioned out between them their livelihood and wealth and created death and life that He may test them which of them is best in deed. Indeed, belief in Allaah's decree and preordainment is one of the pillars of faith. Nothing happens in this universe except by His will. This life is full of misfortune and sorrow. It is destined to be a place of hardships and trouble. Trials and tribulations are as inevitable in this life as cold and heat. Allaah says, {And certainly We shall test...

Patience and Contentment 02 Jan 2010 Hits:589

Beautiful Verses and Narrations Pertaining to Patience

In the spiritual sense, sabr (patience) means to stop ourselves from despairing and panicking, to stop our tongues from complaining and to stop our hands from striking our faces & tearing our clothes at times of grief and stress. What follows are some amazing, life-changing verses from the Qur'aan and some blessed statements of the Prophet, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon his noble soul. If contemplated over sincerely, these verses and narrations will make a mountain of trials and tests feel as insignificant and small as a prick of a thorn. Verses from the Qur'aan Pertaining to Patience Allah says,{Seek...

Patience and Contentment 01 Jan 2010 Hits:882

Away from Home

Have you ever longed for that one special dish or dessert, but could not find the exact ingredient to make it quite right? Have you ever wished that you could call up your dearest friend and invite her over for tea and conversation, but knew that was impossible? Have you ever had a new baby and wished deeply in your heart that your own mother could be there to share this wonderful experience with you and to provide you with support, comfort, and advise? Have you ever felt such deep sorrow and pain that you cried until the tears would no...

Patience and Contentment 01 Jan 2010 Hits:496

An Example of a Mother's Patience

In Surat al-'Asr, Allah says, {Verily, man is in loss, except those who believe and do good deeds and encourage one another towards truth and encourage one another towards patience}.(104:2-3) Patience is a sign of the Muslim character. I know a lady who taught me a great deal. She probably does not even know how much she affected me, for it was not anything she said. It was purely her actions. This lady had a daughter who was about 11 or 12 years old. She had been sick for a few years. The young girl had been taken to the hospital...

Patience and Contentment 01 Jan 2010 Hits:612

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