Khutbah: Sabr (The Virtue of Patience)
By Mufti Menk | 2026-01-11T22:16:25.546485+00:00 | Topic: Iman
Khutbah: Sabr (The Virtue of Patience)
By Mufti Menk
Opening
"[Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings]"
All praise is indeed due to Allah. Complete blessings and salutations upon the masterpiece Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). We ask Allah to bless him and to bless every single one of us. And we ask Allah to grant us every form of goodness, subhanAllah.
And we ask Allah to make us from amongst those who can bear patience. Honored ulama, beloved brothers and sisters, and dearest listeners.
Introduction to Sabr
Sabr is a word that I'm sure we've all heard many times. We need to know what it means and we need to know what the Qur'an says about sabr. And we need to know what is required of us as muslimin when it comes to the term sabr. Some translate it as patience.
But let me inform you, patience is only a part of sabr. Patience is only a very small part of sabr. And it's amazing and surprising how many people do not realize the extent of this word.
It includes forbearance. It includes endurance. It includes steadfastness. It includes perseverance. And it includes restraint. All these terms together make the one word sabr in the Arabic language.
Allah's Purpose for Testing Us
Allah created us. He brought us into existence and he put us onto this earth in order to test us. The reason why we are here at this moment is to pass the test that Allah has decided to put us through by the mere fact that he created us.
And we need to be conscious of this at every moment of our lives. Every minute is a test from Allah. We need to pass it and we need to protect ourselves from failure.
And Allah warns us and he reminds us and he continues to remind us. He asks us to seek assistance through bearing sabr. Which means being patient, practicing restraint, being forbearance, persevering and so on.
Quranic Verses on Seeking Help Through Sabr
So let us listen to what Allah says. He says in surah al-Baqarah:
"Seek assistance through sabr, through bearing patience, through restraining yourselves and through prayer. Subhanallah."
Seek assistance to achieve whatever you want, to pass the test of Allah. Seek assistance to do that by bearing sabr and by engaging in salah.
And Allah says:
"Indeed it is very difficult to do this. Except for those who are pious, those who are humble, those who will adopt the laws of Allah wholeheartedly."
For them it will be simple to engage in sabr. Also Allah tells us:
"O you who believe, seek assistance. You need help? Seek help through bearing patience, bearing sabr and through salah. And Allah says, He is definitely with those who bear patience."
"O you who believe, bear patience and endure and observe the limits of Allah in order that you may succeed."
We ask Allah to grant us success.
The Three Types of Sabr
Let us take a look at the types of patience we have. There are three major types of sabr that we as muslimin are taught.
The first is the endurance required in order to fulfill the commands of Allah. The second is the restraint required in order to abstain from the prohibitions of Allah. And the third is the acceptance of the decree of the almighty when calamity comes in our direction.
So these are the three types of patience. A lot of people think that only the third one is known as sabr. That when something happens they say, bear sabr my dear brother, bear sabr my dear sister.
No, the reality is in order to read salah, you need a lot of sabr. You need to really endure the cold water, possibly the time, or you need to give up your sleep. In order to abstain from backbiting, you need to restrain yourself.
That is also known as sabr. So this is known as sabr, that is also known as sabr. And in order to accept the decree of Allah almighty, that is also known as sabr.
Belief in Divine Decree
When you can be happy with whatever Allah has decreed. Islam is the only religion, the only religion, and this is a gift for all of us. Islam is the only religion that makes it necessary as a condition of belief.
If you would like to be a Muslim, that you need to declare that I bear witness and I believe firmly that good and bad fate is from the almighty. His decree is final and I am always happy with it and I will not compete with it. If we don't believe that, we are not mu'mineen.
Haven't we said, walqadri khairihi wa sharrihi minallahi ta'ala. We believe that good and bad fate comes from the almighty. So Islam helps us to live because this whole life is a test.
Allah promises us that He will test us. And already in advance, we have declared that we will never compete with the decree of the almighty. We believe that He is in command.
We will play our role and the rest we will leave in the hands of the almighty. Whatever He then decides to do, we will surrender to it. May Allah never make us from those who question His decree and who question His power and His independence and the fact that He is in supreme control.
Sabr in Worship - Quranic Examples
And Allah speaks about how important it is for us to understand that sabr also includes to persevere as well as to endure when it comes to engaging in acts of worship. Listen to what He says in surah Maryam:
"Indeed, He is the Rabb. He is the Lord of the skies and the earth. And whatever is between the two. So worship Him and endure and persevere and continue and bear sabr when you are worshipping Him. Have you ever heard of anyone equal to Allah in any way?"
That's a question that Allah is asking. Do you know of anyone who is equal to Allah in any way? No. The highest is the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). That is the highest anyone could ever get to. But he is not Allah. Nor is he equivalent to Allah.
He is on the next level. May Allah grant us acceptance and understanding. So Allah tells us thereafter in surah Taha about salah itself.
That you need to be a person who is enduring if you would like to fulfill your salah:
"Command and instruct your family members to involve or to engage or to fulfill the salah. Command your family members to fulfill the salah and bear patience."
Endure it. Make sure that you will also fulfill it and they will also fulfill it. May Allah help us to endure when it comes to salah.
To stand in salah for one hour is not easy. If shaitan wants to tamper with our minds, it's very simple. He will make us feel lazy.
We will complain about this and about that. But subhanallah, if you are a person with sabr, you will be able to stand in the obedience of Allah. Because the reward of it is far greater than the little pain that we might go through.
And in fact it is not actually pain, it is gain. May Allah grant us gain. So Allah tells us in surah al-Ra'd:
"Those who bear sabr for the sake of Allah. And make sure that they establish salah. And they spend from what Allah has given them in private and openly. And they follow a bad deed with a good deed. Or they give preference to a good deed than a bad deed. If they prefer the good deeds and they leave their bad deeds. Allah says for them, there is a good ending. There is a beautiful place that we have kept for them. And that is jannah."
Subhanallah. So this is just a movement through the two interpretations or the two paths. Out of three of sabr.
Accepting Allah's Decree - The Third Type of Sabr
But this evening I would like to dwell more on the third part of the meaning of the term sabr. And that is to accept the decree of Allah when it comes in our direction. When something happens to you, you need to say alhamdulillah.
When it is positive, you say alhamdulillah. Praise be to Allah. When it is negative, you say alhamdulillah.
Praise be to Allah. If you are a true believer, nothing can ever be negative in your life. It is impossible for any negativity to come to your life if you are a true believer.
Everything that might seem negative because of your human brain is in fact an opportunity for you to get closer to your creator. But you don't realize that. May Allah never ever make us from those who don't realize the opportunities for us to gain closeness to him, subhanAllah.
When you suffer a loss, it is actually a way to your creator. Some people have never raised their hands to ask Allah a word or anything because their lives are smooth. So Allah wants to give them a chance to raise their hands.
So He inflicts them with what is an armed robbery, may Allah protect us, as a blessing. Because if that armed robbery made them then raise their hands to say, Ya Allah, protect me, for the first time in their lives, it was a bargain. It was a bargain.
Because if Allah loves a person and that person does not want to turn to him quickly in a rush, and Allah wants them to turn quickly, Allah will make them, for example, go through a health difficulty. How many people have we seen, after they almost died, they then became better Muslims. Allahu Akbar.
Was that not a chance from Allah? Was that not a blessing in disguise? We might have looked at it as a close shave to death, but little did we realize that that was the door through which Allah wanted that person to get closeness. This is known as sabr. May Allah really grant that to us.
And may He make us from those who can turn to Him before any calamity that is very difficult for us to bear comes in our direction. And may Allah protect us, inshaAllah, from all forms of adversity.
Allah's Promise to Test Everyone
Listen to what Allah says in surah al-Ankabut:
"Do the people think that it's enough for them? They are going to be left when they just say, look, we are believers, and they are not going to be tested by us?"
Allah says, we will definitely test every single one of you to see whether you are truthful or false. And we will test you in many different ways. Look at what Allah says after promising to test every single one of us.
Remember when you go to school, in order to get to the next level, you need to go through a test. And the lower the level, the easier the test. The higher the level, the more difficult the test.
A person who is in grade 1 only learns 1 plus 1. Whereas a person in high school will then go into algebra and so on. And they will go into formula and what have you. May Allah protect us.
When they get to matric, it's a more difficult test. But it is only through that test that you qualify for the new level. Allahu Akbar.
We understand that in the dunya. If you want to go to varsity, to university, you have to have a matric certificate. You have to have set that particular test and exam.
Then only will you qualify to get closer, to get higher. Allahu Akbar. Allah says, I will test every one of you.
And as I test you, you will then go higher and higher. And He says very clearly:
(Sahih al-Bukhari 5645)
"It is only when Allah loves you, that He will test you with more tests."
Subhanallah.
Imagine when you want a bigger certificate. You have got 10 degrees, 12 degrees, university degrees. Do you think they will come to you just like that? No, you need to work for them.
Subhanallah. You need to work very hard. And you need to spend sleepless nights.
And you need to endure and persevere. That is when you will have that certificate. The same applies to the certificate of closeness with Allah.
He says, I will test you with a small test. Then He tells us:
The bigger the test, the bigger the reward.
Allahu Akbar. So when there's a huge test, it is because Allah loves you even more. If you only perceive it that way, may Allah grant us understanding. So Allah says:
Do you think you are going to enter paradise without Allah testing you to see who struggles in our way and in our path and who is patient really and who is not. [Quran 3:142]
Allahu Akbar. So many questions Allah is asking us. Do you think you are going to be left? Allah says, do you think you are going to be left without us testing you to see who struggles in our way and in our path and who is patient really and who is not. May Allah protect us all. Do you think you can get into university without a matric certificate? I don't think that's possible.
May Allah grant us understanding. So, do you think you will enter into jannah without being tested? Only the mercy of Allah can do that for you. Allahu Akbar, we ask Allah's mercy.
Really we are weak, we are man and we want the mercy of Allah. Allah says in surah Muhammad:
Allah says, we will definitely test every single one of you until we know who struggles, who is patient and until we test everything of yours. We will test everything. [Quran 47:31]
We will give you money to test you. We will take it away to test you. We will give you children to test you.
We will take them away to test you. We will give you happiness to test you. We will give you sadness to test you.
We will have your feet amputated to test you. Allahu Akbar. May Allah not test us with tests that we will fail.
Tests that are too big for us. May Allah really grant us ease with these tests. So Allah promises He's going to test us.
The Five Areas of Testing
Let's go and look at what is it that He will test us with. He tells us in the Quran. He makes us ready for it.
He prepares us for it. Subhanallah. He says here in surah al-Baqarah:
We will test you. Allah makes mention of five things in surah al-Baqarah in this verse. Allah says, we will test you with fear. Thereafter, He will test you with hunger. Then Allah says, after that I will test you with your wealth. Then Allah tells us that He will test us even with loss of life. And Allah then tells us that He will test us with reduced or lack of or destruction in produce and crops. [Quran 2:155]
We will test you with fear. You will be scared sometime. You might have an enemy in your direction.
You might have some form of fear of becoming sick or ill. Some form of fear of a big disease. Some form of fear of loss.
Any form of fear. Allah says, we will test you with it to see if you rely on us or if you rely on everything besides us. And to see whether you are going to complain about us to us or even to others.
Because an ignorant person complains about Allah to his creatures. To say, you know what Allah did to me, I don't understand. Allahu Akbar.
We don't want to do that. Al-Jahilu. Al-Jahilu yashkullaha ilan nas.
This is the height of ignorance. The ignorant person who complains about Allah to the creation. Allahu Akbar.
To say, look what happened to me. Hey, I can't tolerate this. What are you trying to say? You are trying to say that you are not happy with Allah being in command and in control.
Allahu Akbar. May Allah never ever make us from amongst those. So Allah says, the first thing is fear.
Thereafter, He will test you with hunger. Hunger in many ways. Either through drought or through lack of food or through possibly the inability to purchase the food or the inability to eat it because of sickness.
May Allah protect us. So many people cannot eat so many different types of food as a test from Allah to see. Are you going to really understand the plan of Allah? Are you a true mu'min? Allah made it a condition for you to say, I believe and I am happy with the decision of the creator.
The Response of True Believers
If that is the case, why then do we complain? May Allah protect us. Then Allah says, after that I will test you with your wealth. With lack of wealth.
I will decrease that wealth. I will take it away from you. I will cause loss in your life in order to test you, to give you an opportunity to come closer to me.
To give you an opportunity to pass an exam. Allah says, He is with those who bear patience. We read that verse moments ago.
Which means if Allah did not test you and give you the opportunity to be patient, where were you going to get that level from? Hence, patience is an act of worship which will make you arrive closer to Allah. Had it not been for calamity in your direction, you would never have been given the opportunity to engage in a huge act of worship known as patience. Hence, patience is a gift from Allah.
And so are at times the test that Allah puts in our direction. May Allah not test us with test that are too big for us. We have to repeat that.
So Allah says, I will test you with your wealth. Your factory will burn down. Just to see what do you do.
Do you become depressed or do you thank Allah? The friends of Allah, the ones who have a strong iman, the ones who believe firmly in Allah. When their factory burns down, they still say alhamdulillah. All praise is due to Allah.
On every condition I thank Allah. He is the one who gave it to me in the first place, I thank him for it. He decided to take it away, I thank him for it.
I will now get up and start working again instead of becoming depressed. Because depression mostly is a sign of weakness of faith in Allah. When Allah has decided something and we are upset with it or we cannot digest it.
In that particular instance we will probably depress ourselves. If we are to follow the true rules of Islam and the regulations, it will lead us to be happy at all times.
(Source Name)
Amazing are the affairs of a believer. They are all good for him. [Hadith - Sahih Muslim 2999]
If goodness comes in his direction, he thanks Allah and that is better for him.
And if hardship comes in his direction, he bears patience and sabr, so that was even better for him.
Allahu Akbar. That is the affair of a true believer.
Glad Tidings for the Patient
After Allah says He will test us, He says:
Give good news, give glad tidings to those who bear sabr, to those who are patient. [Quran 2:155]
Those who when calamity comes in that direction, they say, indeed we belong to Allah and unto Him is the return of every single one of us. [Quran 2:156]
Whatever Allah has taken away was His in the first place. He gave it to us in the first place. We are happy with His decision. We belong to Allah.
Not only this item went back to Allah, we will also all be returning to Him very very soon. That is Allah's plan. And He taught us to say these words.
Most of us are guilty when we hear of a death, we suddenly say (إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ - inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un) as though we just paying lip service to it without realizing the deeper meaning of it. We are telling Allah, I thank You for whatever Your decree is, O My Creator. And I'm acknowledging that not only the person You've taken away belongs to You, every one of us belongs to You, and we are all going to expire one day.
Every creature of Allah has an expiry date. It will all disappear into the rahmah and the mercy of Allah. May Allah help us inshallah in every way.
Those who have lost loved ones, do not despair. It is not Allah who is punishing you by taking away your loved ones. It is a test of Allah.
And you are going to be going there very very soon, including myself. May Allah make that day easy for us. So Allah then tells us, that those who bear patience at times of difficulty, and at times of hardship, and those who bear patience when the enemy is attacking them, and they fight back with endurance, and with perseverance, and with patience.
Allah says, they are the ones who are truthful, and they are the ones who are really God conscious. May Allah make us from the truthful and the God conscious. And then Allah tells us, that when a person has patience together with God consciousness, together with piety, together with taqwa.
So it is sabr and taqwa. Taqwa interprets as the consciousness of Allah. If a person has both these, they arrive on a different level.
The Example of Badr
Allah helps them firstly in the dunya, and then in the akhirah. Listen to what Allah says, about the day of Badr. The battle of Badr, the Muslimin were 313.
The kuffar were 1000 strong. And Allah told the believers, that if you are going to bear patience, as well as having the consciousness of Allah together with that, we will send down 5000 of the top angels, right now to help you. And that's exactly what happened, subhanallah.
If you go to Badr today, you will find a mount, which has a different color of sand. And that is known as Jabalul Malaika. The mount where the angels came down.
It is clear to see it, because the color of the sand is totally different. Amazing. And that is the mount where these angels that Allah spoke about, in Surah Al-Imran, came down.
Listen to what he says:
If you are to bear patience, and if you are to be conscious of Allah. Patience together with piety. Allah says, and if they were to rush, if they were to come to you now, if they were to rush towards you, we would send down 5,000 of the top ranking angels at the moment to assist you. [Quran 3:125]
Allahu Akbar. May Allah really grant us protection as well in the same way.
May Allah make us from those who have sabr, together with good deeds, not from amongst those who claim to have sabr, but together with that they have bad deeds, because then we will be losing the plot. May Allah protect us.
Enemies and Patience
Allah tells us, that you will definitely be tested. He says, when goodness comes in your direction, your enemies will become angry. And when bad and evil befalls you, your enemies will become happy.
But Allah says, but if you are patient, and if you bear consciousness of Allah, that is better for you.
Listen to what He says in Surah Al-Imran:
When goodness comes in your direction, it hurts them. [Quran 3:120[
You see, when a person has an enemy, what happens when a person has an enemy, is that, when something good happens to them, the enemy becomes upset.
And when something bad happens to them, the enemy starts rubbing his hands and saying, yes, yes, you see. May Allah protect us. Allah says, if you are to bear patience, and you are to be conscious of Allah, their plot and plan against you will not harm you in any way.
May Allah protect us. So you require patience in order to be protected from the plot of the evil doers. Then Allah tells us that definitely you will be tested in every way.
There will be non-Muslims who will laugh at you. The people of the book who were given the book before you, they may laugh at you and joke about you and make your life difficult. Allah says, if you bear patience, it is the best thing you could do.
Listen to what Allah says again in the same surah:
You will be tested in your wealth and in yourselves in every single way, by the loss of life, possibly by your health, possibly by so many other things within you. Allah says, we will test you in every way. And on top of that, a lot of harmful statements and a lot of harm will get to you from those who were given the book in the past and those who associate partners with Allah.
He says, they will try to harm you, and they will scoff, laugh at you, they will say things against you. Allah says:
But if you are going to bear patience, and if you are going to be conscious of Allah, that is the best thing you could do. It is the best of affairs, the most recommended.
Patience in Worship
Let's get to the last item mentioned in this particular verse. Allah says, I will test you with reduced or lack of or destruction in produce and crops. When you have produce, Allah says, I might destroy it.
Your business, I might cut it in order to test you, in order to give you a chance to get closer to Allah. Allah says, He is with those who bear patience. Allah has really prepared a huge reward for those who bear patience.
Why then do we find ourselves looking at it as a disaster rather than an opportunity to gain closeness to Allah.
After He says that, He says:
Give good news, give glad tidings to those who bear sabr, to those who are patient.
Those who when calamity comes in that direction, they say, indeed we belong to Allah and unto Him is the return of every single one of us.
Whatever Allah has taken away was His in the first place.
Allah is With Those Who Are Patient
Allah says:
Bear patience, for indeed Allah is with those who bear patience.
That is a level which is higher than an ordinary level. If you bear patience, Allah says, I am with you, subhanAllah. May Allah constantly assist us in every single way.
And Allah then says, Look, those who bear patience, they have a very great reward. The reward in Surah Hud, Allah says:
Bear patience, for Allah will never ever waste the reward of those who do good.
So patience is being termed being good and doing good.
And Allah says, I won't waste your reward, subhanAllah. And at the same time Allah tells us in Surah Yusuf:
Those who have taqwa and who bear sabr, those who are conscious of Allah and who bear patience, Allah will never ever waste their reward, the reward of those who do good.
This verse is in Surah Yusuf.
The Example of Yusuf (Joseph)
Remember, Yusuf or Joseph may peace be upon him, what happened to him, he was tested one test after the other. He was put into the well. He was taken out by certain people.
He was sold as a slave. He was then jailed and one after the other. Then when the goodness came in his direction, it also came one after the other.
He was made one of the leaders. He was made in charge. And his brothers came back and the family was reunited.
At times some narration say almost 40 years later. Allahu Akbar. Look at the test of Allah.
One test, second test, third test, fourth test, all in a row. Nowadays with us we are so weak. When we have three tests in a row, we quickly rush to the ulama and say, I think someone did some black magic on me.
May Allah protect us. That's the weakness of iman. If that's what we think, then really we have lost the plot, to be honest with you.
Those are tests. If Allah could test the best with even bigger tests, who are we? May Allah help us inshaAllah. May He make us from those who can endure.
May He make us realize that when you are going through difficulty, it is actually a bigger examination for a higher certificate, for closeness to Allah.
The Example of Banu Israel
Look at what Allah says. In the dunya, Banu Israel, the people of Musa a.s., the people of Moses, may
peace be upon him, they were very patient at the hands of Firaun and Pharaoh.
When Pharaoh harmed them and attacked them and began to kill them and persecute them, they were very patient. Allah says, because of their patience, listen to what we gave them in this world. Allah says in surah al-a'raf:
And the good word of your Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel because of what they had patiently endured. And We destroyed [all] that Pharaoh and his people were producing and what they had been building.
It all was given and handed over to them after the destruction of Pharaoh. Because of their patience, Allah says. Because they were forbearant, because they were patient, because they took the persecution that came in their direction, Allah says, they were from amongst those who were patient and they were from amongst those who were conscious of Allah.
For that reason, Allah says, we made them the heirs, which means we handed over to them the kingdom of Pharaoh. All of it from the east to the west was given to Banu Israel. May Allah grant us understanding.
Look what He did for them in the dunya. And this is why, do not despair when people are trying to steal something from you. People are oppressing you.
People are trying to harm you. People are denying you your rights. Try and do whatever you can within reasonable capacity.
But if it is not in your capacity to do anything about it, or if you have already done whatever you could and now there is no more you could do, bear patience for the sake of Allah and realize that that is a gift. A Muslim is always in a win-win situation, no matter what happens, subhanAllah. Because that is how we will get closer to Allah.
The Reward of Patience on the Day of Qiyamah
Not only that, but in the dunya, there will come a day, inshaAllah, before you die, you will see that the things and the matters will open up and clear. And those who have oppressed you will be made clear and open, and they will be disgraced. May Allah grant us all victory over the oppressors.
And may Allah never make us from those who have oppressed even a single fly. May Allah really protect us.
Because anyone who has harmed anyone else, wallahi it is one of the most dangerous crimes we could ever commit, is to oppress others.
May Allah protect us. Allah then tells us on the day of Qiyamah, when you have borne patience, and this address is to everyone, let me single out a few, in order to connect you to what I'm saying. Those who might have been diagnosed with cancer, for example, and they are patient, this applies to them as well.
Those who might have their legs and feet amputated, they are patient. Those who have health diseases and problems. Those who might have a sugar problem.
Those who have arthritis. Those who are finding it difficult. Those who have lost their motor vehicles.
Those who have had armed robberies. Those who have been shot at. Those who are paralyzed.
Those who might have their factories burnt down. Those who might have had their houses burnt. Those who might be having marital problems.
Those who might have been divorced without any reason, or without any form of justice. Those who were left on the streets. Those who have been thrown on one side.
Those whose wealth has been usurped. Those who have suffered in any way. Those really, whom Allah has tested in all these ways.
Allah says, this is a way you will earn your paradise. If you bear patience and you surrender to the decree of Allah and you say, alhamdulillah, praise be to Allah, ala kulli hal, on every condition. Allah says, if that is what you did, and if you are from amongst those who does not compete with Allah's decision, you are happy at the decree of Allah, you make yourself digest what Allah's decision is in your regard.
Allah says on the day of Qiyamah, He will call out:
I have granted these VIPs a reward on this day of Qiyamah. I have given them a reward for their patience. And definitely they are the winners today, Allahu Akbar.
So if you have a little medical problem, don't worry, just continue, carry on. That little pain, every time it's there, it is an elevation of your status. Thank Allah, say, Ya Allah, cure me, but I'm not competing with your decision.
I would like cure, Ya Allah. I would like you to help me. Yes, it is our duty to seek assistance.
There's nothing wrong with that. But it is really wrong for us to start fighting with the Creator. Why did you take my son away? Why are you doing this to me? Those type of questions, in that case, we will not be from amongst those who pass the exam, rather we will come out with a certificate that has all Fs on there.
Fail, fail, fail, may Allah protect us. We don't want that to happen. And Allah says, I gave you a chance to write the exam.
Why did you come with a certificate that has failure in it? I even sent you a book. Imagine we, when we have to study for matric, for example, or when we have to study for any examination, we suffer studying morning and evening up to late at night. We will even, subhanallah, we will spend hours without sleep in order to study a book so that we can pass a test to get to the next level.
Why don't we study the book of Allah to pass the test to get into paradise. Allahu Akbar. May Allah grant us intellect.
May He grant us a sound mind, inshallah. So Allah then tells us that that will be on the day of Qiyamah. But hang on, there is more waiting for them in paradise.
The Rewards in Paradise
Those who are patient. And this is why we say, when calamity comes in your direction, seize the opportunity to get close to Allah. And never ever seize that opportunity to go straight into the hands of shaitan.
Allah says that on the day of Qiyamah, listen to what He says in surah al-dahr, in jannah now, we spoke about the day of Qiyamah, let's get to heaven, to jannah:
We have rewarded them because of their patience with jannah. Look at them, sitting back, relaxing on their recliners.
Allahu Akbar. Sitting back on their recliners, sitting because of the patience they were bearing in the dunya. And patience really is a gift of Allah granted to those who are given even a bigger gift, known as calamity coming in your direction.
Or should I say, hardship coming in your direction. That is a huge gift and opportunity if you look at it that way. Because without that hardship, where were you going to be able to engage in sabr if it didn't come in your direction.
If your life is easy and smooth and nothing going wrong, you need to be worried. Really you need to be worried and concerned. Where are my opportunities to engage in a huge act of worship, known as sabr.
If it's not for these tests and hardships, how will I be able to engage in that? May Allah grant us understanding. Let's continue with jannah. Allah says, on that day, the caller will call, or Allah may call:
Peace be upon you because of the patience you were bearing in the dunya, subhanAllah. Peace be upon you, what a good place you have. What a good end place for you, this heaven, this jannah that I have prepared for you. [Quran 13:24]
Allah says, subhanallah, at the end of surah al-Furqan:
Those who were patient, they will have a special ghurfa, a special place in heaven. Those who were tested by Allah, and they were patient, they had sabr, they have a special place in jannah. Everyone passing will be greeting them, will be congratulating them, and they will be greeted with salam and peace at every moment, subhanAllah.
Look at that. And then we take a look at calamity in this world and we become depressed. Allahu Akbar.
It is a test from Allah, an opportunity to earn your paradise. May Allah grant us paradise, inshaAllah, with the small tests, because we are weak. Allahu Akbar.
We might be speaking about the big tests, but because of our weakness, we make a dua to Allah to grant us paradise through His mercy, inshaAllah.
Who Can Achieve Jannah?
So Allah then tells us in surah Fussilat, now we've heard about the heaven. Now we've heard about jannah.
Now let us hear who will get there. Allahu Akbar. What type of patience is required? Allah says in surah Fussilat:
Who will be able to receive or achieve jannah? Besides those who are patient. And who will be able to receive or achieve it? Besides those who have good fortune. Those who are very fortunate. They are the ones who will be given the opportunity to engage in sabr.
Allahu Akbar. Let us take a look at what this means. If you are fortunate, you are given an opportunity to engage in sabr.
Because through that engaging in sabr, you will then be able to get jannah. How will you be able to engage in sabr if no hardship came in your life? This is why the most hardships ever were in the life of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). They beat him, they swore him, they mocked at him, they employed sanctions against him for many years. They began to eat leaves of trees because they were hungry, subhanallah.
The companions of Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم). He was made to bleed in Ta'if. And they prepared armies and went to attack him. They spread rumor about him.
They tried to do this and that. Difficulties that are unimagined. Because his status is the highest.
Allahu Akbar. So, if Allah has tested you with big tests, you must know that He has tested others with even bigger tests. Subhanallah.
Sabr is a Gift from Allah
So Allah then tells us that sabr is from Allah. It is Allah who gives you that opportunity to engage in sabr. Look at what He says in surah an-Nahl:
Bear patience. For indeed that quality of sabr will only come to you from Allah, from no one else. It is a gift from Allah.
Otherwise others, they will definitely be tested. Everybody will be tested. But we have two groups of people.
Those who consider the test as a punishment and they get depressed and their life comes to an end. Someone dies and you die with them. Something happens, something goes missing and you go missing with them.
Which means you are so depressed that your life has come to a standstill. Allah says, if you want to choose that path, you will lose here and you will lose there as well. But Allah says, the other path is to choose our path.
To acknowledge that definitely we are in control. It is a gift from us. Patience is a gift.
And realize it and recognize it. Now sometimes as human beings it becomes a little bit difficult. The reason is, we have a heart, we have a brain, we have a mind, we have feelings.
And sometimes a person is taken away who is very close to us. It's a little bit difficult. So Allah subhanallah has taught us what to do to enhance and increase.
To enhance and increase our sabr. Allah tells us, you must read the stories of the prophets that we have mentioned in the Qur'an.
And this instruction was also to Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). If you want to ease your problems, go and read the seerah of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Read his life.
Your problems will seem like nothing. Allahu Akbar. You want to ease your difficulties, Allah tells Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم), go and read about the difficulties of Ayyub a.s.
The Example of Ayyub (Job)
When Allah in surah Saad, He says, Ayyub a.s. May Allah's peace be upon him.
The prophet, he was tested so much, so much, that Allah had to declare that we tested him and we found him to be patient. Allahu Akbar. Imagine the creator himself is declaring somebody patient.
This is unheard of, subhanallah. Allah says it in the Qur'an:
What a great worshipper is Ayyub.
We tested him in every way you can think of. And we found him to be the most patient or very very patient.
Allahu Akbar. نِعْمَ الْعَبْدُ What a great worshipper. Allahu Akbar.
Look at that. Ayyub a.s., I think it's our duty to go out and read his story. Because we don't have the time to go into his story now.
Look at how Allah gave him and took away from him. And then gave him again, subhanallah. Subhanallah.
He passed the test. Allah says, we found him to be patient. May Allah really grant us goodness through his mercy.
And not test us with tests that will be too difficult for us to pass. Ameen. So Allah tells Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم):
Bear patience regarding what they say.
That brings us to another angle. When people talk about us, we need to bear patience. Sometimes it will stress us.
But realize that those rumors they are spreading about you are a gift. They will then enhance yourself. And wallahi it is tried and tested.
You listen very carefully. When you have people attacking you and harming you and spreading rumor about you, Allah will open definitely different doors for you. You might not realize why are these doors being opened for me.
But because people are trying to close other doors and the doors are in the hands of Allah. When someone wants to spread rumor about you in order to destroy you or to reduce you, Allah will increase you. And He will elevate you, subhanAllah.
So don't worry, Allah tells that to Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). They are spreading rumor about you, we will give you even greater elevation. When they actually start making these cartoons against Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) to divert people away from Islam, that very action of theirs will draw people closer to Islam. It's tried and tested, subhanAllah.
The more they try to bend the hijab, the more our Muslim women are becoming conscious of the hijab. The more they are trying to close the masajid and to block people from building masajid, the more the masajid are full, subhanAllah. Look at this masjid, capacity crowd.
Walillahil hamdu wal minna. We thank Allah for this. Wallahi it is a miracle.
And I'm sure it is mainly here in Woodlands and Mitchell's Plain that you will find a masjid. May Allah grant us protection. Where taraweeh is one and a half hours, and the lecture is another one hour, and everybody is sitting put, subhanAllah, as alert as they were the moment they got up from their sleep.
Allahu Akbar. May Allah accept it from us, really. Really it requires patience.
It is connected to our topic, subhanAllah. Endure, and Allah will prepare heaven for you, jannah for you, wallahi. May He call us on that day, the same way we've heard tonight, inshaAllah.
Stories of Previous Prophets
So Allah says, Isbir ala maa yaquluna. Just bear patience regarding what they are saying. We know what they are saying.
Their words are a test for them. They have failed their test by speaking bad about you. But that same item that they are engaged in, will be a means of your elevation.
So don't worry:
And go and remember, go and see, go and look at the story of Dawood. David, may peace be upon him. He was definitely one who turned to us often.
So we all need to turn often, inshaAllah, to Allah. And Allah tells us in surah Al-Ahqaf, the command and instruction is to Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم), the lesson is for all of us.
I was saying, we need to read the stories of the previous prophets. Allah says:
Bear patience in the same way that the other top ranking prophets were bearing patience. Bear patience like that.
How would you know it? By going to read about it, by finding out about it. And this is why Allah, after mentioning the stories of the prophets, He says:
These are the stories of the past that we are telling you. Neither you knew them nor did your people know these stories before we told you. So bear patience in a similar way. For definitely as you can see in all the stories in the past, the good ending is for those who are conscious of Allah.
The same applies to all of us.
We want a good ending, we need to learn from the stories of the previous prophets. May Allah grant us lesson. Then Allah speaks about the patience of those before us.
The Example of Ismail
Take a look at Ismail a.s. When his father Ibrahim a.s. told him about the instruction to slaughter him, what did he say? Allah makes mention of this in surah As-Saffat. He says:
O my father, do as you have been instructed. You will find me from amongst those full of sabr.
Allahu Akbar. The son is telling the father, look, you've been ordered to do this to me, go ahead. If that's what Allah wants, you will find me enduring.
You will find me full of sabr. Allahu Akbar. Look at what Allah is saying.
And there are many other examples of the patience of the previous nations and the prophets of the past. We ask Allah to grant us lesson. And this is why Allah says in surah Ibrahim regarding what the prophets told their people:
We will definitely be patient regarding what harm you are trying to inflict upon us.
So the messengers told the people who wanted to harm them that we will be patient because we want a reward from Allah. And Allah has recorded that statement for us in surah Ibrahim for us to learn the reward of patience and of sabr.
Rights of Retaliation vs. Patience
Then Allah continues. And Allah says, look, when you are punished, or when someone does evil to you, when someone harms you in one way or another, you have the right to retaliate. You have the right to revenge.
And you may do so. And if you do do that, you are not to blame. Allah says it in the Qur'an in surah Ash-Shura:
A person who wants to seek revenge after he has been oppressed, he is not to be blamed for seeking retaliation or revenge.
Because that is his right. But after that Allah says:
The most recommended of items is for you to bear patience and to forgive. That is better for you.
Now not all of us are living on that level of recommendation. May Allah help us to forgive. And remember one thing, if you don't forgive, you hold baggage with you.
The Consequences of Holding Grudges
When you hold enmity, when you hold hatred, when you have ill feeling, when you really hate people and so on, what would happen is you would then suffer because you won't be able to sleep and you will think that everybody hates you and everybody is trying to harm you and everybody has done black magic on you and all filthy dirty thoughts will come to your mind and then you will start suffering pressure and depression and what have you and then you won't even come out of your house. May Allah protect us all. That is why learn to release and release it tonight for the pleasure of Allah.
Those Called to Spread Islam
So Allah then says that those who are involved in the calling towards Allah, they are the ones who have patience. Which means when Allah chooses someone to spread the deen, Allah chooses those who have a lot of forbearance and patience and restraint. Listen to what Allah says.
You see the call towards Allah, it belongs to Allah. He chooses whom He wants to call. He says if you want to be from amongst them, the first thing you need to do is be patient.
You need to beautify yourself with patience. Allah says:
In surah as-Sajdah, Allah speaks about Banu Israel and says, from amongst them we kept imams, we kept leaders who were calling towards us because they were patient, because of their patience or when they were patient, we then decided to choose them to call towards us.
And from this verse we learn that if you want to be chosen by Allah to call people towards Allah, the first thing you will have to bear is bad mouthing against you.
Allahu Akbar. Because that's the first thing that happened against Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and all the other prophets. They called him mad.
They called him a person who's after power. They called him a person who's after wealth. They called him a person who's after women.
They called him a person who's after glory and so on. All these rumors you will have to bear patience in their regard. Ignore them and carry on.
Allah will open the doors for you.
Final Dua
And the last thing we want to mention here is the dua. There are many places in the Quran where dua for sabr is mentioned.
I'd like to mention the one in surah al-A'raf. Allah says:
O Allah, pour upon us sabr. Pour it upon us. We need it most and give us death in the condition of Islam and iman.
We ask Allah to grant us death in the condition of Islam and iman. This ending is meant to promote dua.
To promote calling to Allah when it comes to sabr. Because Allah is the owner of sabr. We ask Allah to grant us sabr.
To make us from those who can really be from amongst those whom sabr is poured upon. And we make dua in that regard.
May Allah accept this from us and grant us all the virtue of sabr. Ameen.