Patience, Hope & Struggle

Our articles reflect our own limited words, and limited thoughts. But as Tariq reported: Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “Verily, the best speech is the book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.” (Sahiḥ al-Bukhārī 5747) So, in honour of this Hadith, and in honour of this blessed month of the Qur’an in which this article was written, this article reflects on passages of the Qur’an and what they tell us about patience, hope, and struggle. My hope is that the verses will have as strong an impact on your heart as they have had on our hearts. May Allah rectify our affairs. Trial And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient, Who, when disaster strikes them, say, ‘Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return?’ Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided. (Qur’an, 2:155-157) Do the people think that they will be left to say, "We believe" and they will not be tried? (Qur’an, 29:2) And We will surely test you until We make evident those who strive among you [for the cause of Allah] and the patient, and We will test your affairs. (Qur’an, 47:31) Struggle I swear by this city, Makkah - And you, [O Muhammad], are free of restriction in this city - And [by] the father and that which was born [of him], We have certainly created man into hardship. Does he think that never will anyone overcome him? He says, ‘I have spent wealth in abundance.’ Does he think that no one has seen him? Have We not made for him two eyes? And a tongue and two lips? And have shown him the two ways? But he has not broken through the difficult pass. And what can make you know what is [breaking through] the difficult pass? It is the freeing of a slave Or feeding on a day of severe hunger An orphan of near relationship Or a needy person in misery And then being among those who believed and advised one another to patience and advised one another to compassion. Those are the companions of the right. But they who disbelieved in Our signs - those are the companions of the left. Over them will be fire closed in. (Qur’an, 90) Despair Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you to immorality, while Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing. (Qur’an, 2:268) Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.’ (Qur’an, 39:53) And if We give man a taste of mercy from Us and then We withdraw it from him, indeed, he is despairing and ungrateful. But if We give him a taste of favor after hardship has touched him, he will surely say, ‘Bad times have left me.’ Indeed, he is exultant and boastful - Except those who show patience and do righteous virtuous deeds, those: theirs will be forgiveness and a great reward (Paradise).” (Qur’an, 11:9-11) The Wise Advice Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night, prostrating and standing [in prayer], fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, [like one who does not]? Say, ‘Are those who know equal to those who do not know?’ Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding. (Qur’an, 39:9) Said Moses to his people: ‘Pray for help from Allah, and (wait) in patience and constancy: for the earth is Allah's, to give as a heritage to such of His servants as He pleaseth; and the end is (best) for the righteous. (Qur’an, 7:128) Say, "O My servants who have believed, fear your Lord. For those who do good in this world is good, and the earth of Allah is spacious. Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account." (Qur’an, 39:10) And seek help through patience and prayer, and indeed, it is difficult except for the humbly submissive [to Allah]. (Qur’an, 2:45) O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient. (Qur’an, 2:153) A Beautiful Patience [Jacob] said, ‘Rather, your souls have enticed you to something, so patience is most fitting. Allah will bring them to me all together. Indeed, it is He who is the Knowing, the Wise.’ And he turned away from them and said, ‘Oh, my sorrow over Joseph,’ and his eyes became white from grief, for he was [of that] a suppressor. They said, ‘By Allah, you will not cease remembering Joseph until you become fatally ill or become of those who perish. He said, ‘I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah, and I know from Allah that O my sons, go and find out about Joseph and his brother and despair not of relief from Allah. Indeed, no one despairs of relief from Allah except the disbelieving people.’ So, when they entered upon Joseph, they said, ‘O 'Azeez, adversity has touched us and our family, and we have come with goods poor in quality, but give us full measure and be charitable to us. Indeed, Allah rewards the charitable.’ He said, ‘Do you know what you did with Joseph and his brother when you were ignorant?’ They said, ‘Are you indeed Joseph?’ He said ‘I am Joseph, and this is my brother. Allah has certainly favored 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.’ They said, ‘By Allah, certainly has Allah preferred you over us, and indeed, we have been sinners.’ He said, "No blame will there be upon you today. Allah will forgive you; and He is the most merciful of the merciful." (Qur’an, 12:83-92) Hope He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself And mentions the name of his Lord and prays. But you prefer the worldly life, While the Hereafter is better and more enduring. (Qur’an, 87:14-17) And when you look there [in Paradise], you will see pleasure and great dominion. Upon the inhabitants will be green garments of fine silk and brocade. And they will be adorned with bracelets of silver, and their Lord will give them a purifying drink. [And it will be said], ‘Indeed, this is for you a reward, and your effort has been appreciated.’ (Qur’an, 76:20-22) ‘Salamun 'Alaikum (peace be upon you) for that you persevered in patience! Excellent indeed is the final home!’ (Qur’an, 13:24) Is the reward for good [anything] but good? (Qur’an, 55:60) Du’a’ Our Lord pour upon us patience and plant firmly our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people. (From 2:250) Our Lord pour upon us patience and let us die as Muslims [in submission to You]. (From 7:126) Further Reading: The Qur’an is ripe with mention and stories of hope, despair, struggle, and perseverance. And it is also full of wisdom and is a guide for those looking for guidance. I would encourage all those who are struggling to do this: Download a Qur’an app, and read one verse with translation every day - either before bed, or after Fajr salah. It is my hope that this practice will bring you closer to the verses of Allah (SWT) and help guide you with hope through your times of struggle. References: Qur’an Apps My preferred app is “Quran for Android” by quran.com: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.quran.labs.androidquran The Apple equivalent is called “Quran - by Quran.com - قرآن”: https://www.apple.com/ca/search/quran?src=globalnav Qur’an on the Web The translations presented here largely rely on Sahih International, as presented on https://quran.com. For those looking to listen to recitation, http://tanzil.net is an amazing resource. Tafsir The commentary that was referenced while drafting this article is an English Translation of the Urdu work by Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi in Tafhim al-Quran, translated into by Zafar Ishaq Ansari and titled “Towards Understand the Qur’an”, as published by The Islamic Foundation. It has also been digitized, and is available here: https://www.islamicstudies.info/tafheem.php Other Islamic Resources From children’s books to hadith, tafsir, and translations and summaries of great Islamic works, Kube publishing makes free and publicly available a great and large resource of books here: https://issuu.com/kube_publishing. Read on and share with others. You can also order physical versions of books via their website: http://www.kubepublishing.com/ The prices are in British pounds but can be paid for in Canadian dollars. Shipping costs will make it ideal to order a larger collection at once - so talk to your friends, and order together.