Page 25 - The Importance of Patience in the Qur’an

The Patience Of The Faithful 23

build their moral values not upon the Qur'an's conception of
morality but upon their own primitive understanding and benefits.
In contrast, the faithful live out the Qur'an's morality, which is based
on a fundamental faith solely to earn Allah's approval. Thus nothing
in this world can cause them to lose their patience, which is one
facet of their noble character. In contrast to other people, the faithful
maintain their outstanding patience even in times of difficulty and
hardship.
The Qur'an draws attention to this superior morality, as follows:
It is not devoutness to turn your faces to the East or to the West.
Rather, those with true devoutness are those who believe in
Allah and the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, and the Prophets;
who, despite their love for it, give away their wealth to their
relatives, orphans, the very poor, travellers, beggars, and to free
slaves; and who establish prayer and pay alms; those who
honour their contracts when they make them, and are steadfast
in poverty and illness and in battle. Those are the people who
are true. They are the people who guard against evil. (Surat al-
Baqara, 177)

As this verse shows, Allah states that patience during hard times
is a condition of true virtue. The faithful conform to this teaching
and exhibit patience whenever they are confronted with hardship.

Their patience opens the way to superior morality

Since the faithful regard patience as a form of worship, their
patience gives them several other fine characteristics, as follows:

The steadfast, the truthful, the obedient, the givers, and those
who seek forgiveness before dawn. (Surah Al 'Imran, 17)