Living Simply: The Slings and Arrows of Not-So-Outrageous Fortune
Part Ten: The Slings and Arrows of Not-So-Outrageous Fortune by Shaykh Farid Dingle
In order to get through life with ease, the early Muslims (salaf) focused on certain key ways of living that would make it spiritually and practically easier and more fruitful. They coined a term for the variegated rules that they lived by, a term that summarized the system of living for the Hereafter. They called it zuhd: detachment from this world. For the purpose of this article series, we have found the best match in terms of meaning to be asceticism. Other terms to describe zuhd are indifference towards worldly matters or simple or minimal living. This is the tenth article from a series of articles by SeekersGuidance scholar, Shaykh Farid Dingle. The course is due for release soon.
Introduction to Asceticism (Part One)
Listening More, Talking Less (Part Two)
Entertaining Ourselves to Death (Part Three)
Being Extremely Moderate (Part Four)
Evaluation of the Self (Part Five)
Wronging Others in Word and Deed (Part Six)
Active Minimalism (Part Eight)
The Joy of the Believer (Part Nine)
As a corollary of not hankering after the pleasure of this life, being patient with its “slings and arrows” is central to the theme of asceticism (zuhd). In this chapter, Imam Waki documents some of the sayings of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the early Muslims regarding the need, proper use, and benefit of patience.
Our Master Ali (Allah be pleased with him) said, “Patience is to faith (iman) what the head is to the body.”
This paramount role of patience in Islam cannot be overemphasized. Patience means having the humility to accept what Allah sends one, the perseverance to fulfill one’s religious obligations, and the grit to avoid the forbidden and sinful. Practically applying faith without patience would be hard to imagine indeed. For this reason, Imam Waki dedicated a whole chapter of his work on asceticism to patience.
The idea that faith shared a fraternal relationship with patience was ambient among the early Muslims. Abdullah ibn Masud said, “Patience is half of faith. Certainty is the whole of faith.” In keeping with this theme, Mujahid said, “We used to deem patience the best part of our life.”
Waki tells us that they used to say that patience only counted when the calamity first hit, and that it was needed in every kind of affliction and every battle. They used to say,
“Whoever is content will have contentment [from Allah], and whoever is bitter will have bitterness.”
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by a woman who was crying and gave her some words of admonition to which she paid no heed. Later she was told who it was that had spoken to her, so she came to him. He told her, “Patience only counts when the calamity first hits.” Mujahid also said the same thing.
This means that the test of feeling and expressing contentment with Allah’s destiny is judged at the very moment that it happens.
To react in a negative way that demonstrates rejection of the decree is sinful. One may of course be sad, shocked or worried, but one may not oppose Allah’s just rule. Obviously if one fails that test but then learns to accept what happened later on, there is still a reward for patience in general. But nevertheless, one has still missed the mark when the trial first befell one.
This doesn’t mean that people weren’t sad. Rather, they were sad for the loss, for example, of their loved ones, and they felt emotional and physical pain. Sadness, in fact, was very visible in them when someone would die—but not in a negative or depressing way. Their sadness was a product of the deep remorse they felt when looking at their own lives through the lens of death. Al-Amash said that people were so shaken by the remembrance of death that they used to attend a funeral and people would be so sad that they didn’t even know whom to give condolences to.
Without patience, life is unbearable. Without patience, one cannot keep on the straight and narrow path. Hasan al-Basri said, “By Allah, you’d better have a lot of patience, otherwise you’ll be destroyed!”
Patience is even more important than outward works of the limbs. Allah Most High says, “And seek support in patience and prayer!” (Qur’an, 2:45) and tells the believers to say, “Our Lord, pour on us patience and make our feet firm.” (Qur’an, 2:250).
In both cases, He mentions patience before other outward deeds, such as prayer or fighting in jihad. Patience is also given this superlative status in a hadith wherein the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Prayer is light (nur), charity is proof, and patience is a brilliant light (diya).”
That said, it should not be imagined that one should hope for difficulties in order to prove one’s patience. Rather, the example given to us by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is to ask for well-being: Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) visited one of the Muslims in order to inquire about his health because he had become very weak.
He asked him, “Did you supplicate for anything or ask Allah for anything in particular?” “Yes,” the man said, “I used to say, ‘O Allah, whatever you are going to punish me with in the next life, then hasten it for me in this life.’” Thereafter he said,
“Glory be to Allah! You couldn’t possibly take it [the burden of His Punishment] upon yourself! Why did you not say, ‘O Allah, grant us good in this life and good in the next life, and save us from the torment of the Fire?’”
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made this supplication for him and he became well.
In view of the example set for us by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), one of the early Muslims used to say, “I’d prefer to be well and thank Allah than be tried and have to be patient.” So we ask Allah for all the good and ease in this life, while knowing that Allah will send us whatever is best for us.
“Say: ‘Nothing will afflict us except that which Allah has prescribed for our benefit. He is our guardian.’ And upon Him alone let the believers rely.” (Qur’an, 9:51)
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