Page 15 - The Importance of Patience in the Qur’an

The Qur'anic Definition Of Patience 13

In addition, they do not forget that Allah is the Friend, Guardian, and
Helper of the faithful. Thus, although it may not seem so at first
glance, all events are arranged to somehow benefit the believers. For
this reason, patience is not a moral characteristic that makes life
difficult for the faithful; rather, it is a form of worship that they accept
wholeheartedly and with joy. Here is one point of difference between
true patience and the view of patience as commonly understood in
society.
Many people do not know the true meaning of patience, how
truly patient people are required to behave, or how important this is
in Allah's sight. They regard patience more as holding up one's head
when faced with difficulties and problems, either overcoming or
enduring them. Thus, they consider patience as the ability to
withstand something, up to a certain point, and that an occasional

loss of patience is quite normal. Moreover, according to this non-
Qur'anic understanding, it is utterly futile to show patience in a
matter from which no concrete benefit can be derived. And so when
faced with such a situation, they give way to frustration and believe
that being patient is useless.
The Qur'anic concept of true patience is quite different from this
understanding of endurance. In the first place, people experience
patience as the instruction of Allah and so can neither exhaust nor
lose it. They carry out this form of worship joyfully and fervently
and expect no concrete benefit in exchange for it, because they are
patient solely to earn Allah's approval. What matters for them is the
knowledge that they will earn His approval with their superior
morality. For them, such a reward is enough.
Furthermore, the patience recommended by the Qur'an is not a
moral characteristic employed only in times of hardship. True