The Patience of Noble People and the Patience of Ignoble People
Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah
Patience and Gratitude - an abridged translation of `Uddat as-Sabirin wa
Dhakhirat ash-Shakirin
Every person has to exercise patience in order to face difficulties,
whether he does so willingly or unwillingly. The noble person exercises
patience willingly, because he realizes the benefits of patience, and he
knows that he will be rewarded for his patience and will be criticized
if he panics. He is aware that if he does not have patience, panicking
and impatience will not help him to regain missed opportunities, and
will not take away things he dislikes. Whatever is decreed and is qada'
wa qadr cannot be prevented from happening, and whatever is decreed not
to happen cannot be made to happen. So an attitude of impatience and
panic actually causes harm.
A wise man said: "A man with wisdom as soon as adversity appears does
that which a foolish man does after a month (i.e. he resorts to
patience)".
The ignoble man exercises patience only when he realizes he has no
choice. After wasting a lot of time and energy and panicking and
struggling, he realizes that his impatience will not help him. Then he
exercises patience in the same way that a person who has been tied up to
be whipped exercises patience.
The noble person practices patience in obeying Allah, whilst the ignoble
person exercises patience in obeying the Shaytan. So ignoble person have
the greatest patience in following their own whims and desires, and have
the least patience in obeying their Lord. They have the greatest
patience in spending in the way of Shaytan and no patience when it comes
to spending even a few pennies in the way of Allah. They will endure
many difficulties in order to follow their own whims and desires, but
cannot bear even the least difficulties in order to please their Lord.
They will endure slander for the sake of committing wrong action, but
cannot exercise patience in putting up with slander for the sake of
Allah. Such people will avoid enjoining the good and forbidding the evil
for fear of what people will say about them for doing so, but they will
expose their honour to slander and bear it most patiently for the sake
of following their own whims and desires. Similarly, they are not
prepared to practise patience in devoting themselves to Allah, but when
it comes to devoting themselves to Shaytan and their own whims and
desires, they will exercise remarkable patience. Such people will never
be noble in the sight of Allah, and on the Day of Resurrection they will
not be raised with the people of nobility and decency.