Page 54 - The Importance of Patience in the Qur’an

52 THE IMPORTANCE OF PATIENCE IN THE QUR'AN

patience and devotion, for he continued to announce Allah's existence
and invite people to embrace the true faith until the end of his life.
Even though no member of his tribe responded to his call, Prophet
Ibrahim (as) never abandoned his mission and thereby showed great
patience. He obeyed Allah's instructions in this matter and, while
showing great effort and determination, continued to summon
people to the faith. We can see his sincerity in the following verse:
Remember when he said to his father: "Father, why do you
worship that which can neither hear nor see and is of no use to
you at all? Father, knowledge that never reached you has come to
me, so follow me and I will guide you to the right path. Father,
do not worship Satan. Satan was disobedient to the All-
Merciful. Father, I am afraid that a punishment from the All-
Merciful will afflict you, and turn you into a comrade of Satan."
He said: "Do you forsake my gods, Ibrahim? If you do not stop, I
will stone you. Keep away from me for a good long time." (Surah
Maryam, 42-46)

Another Prophet who made a patient and determined effort to
explain Allah's religion to his people was Prophet Nuh (as). He
approached his people in many different ways, but could not make
them believe. Even though his people rejected him and put a great
deal of pressure on him to make him stop preaching Allah's religion,
all of their efforts failed, for he remained patient and put all of his
trust in Allah. The Qur'an proclaims his outstanding patience while
communicating Allah's religion, as follows:
Before them, the people of Nuh denied the truth. They denied
Our servant, saying: "He is madman," and he was driven away
with jeers. (Surat al-Qamar, 9)
He said: "My Lord, I have called my people night and day, but