I should be patient upon the harm that I may receive from people, I should endure being wronged by others, follow the steps of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam (may Allah exalt his mention) and say to anyone who does evil to me, transgresses, or harms, or abuses, or insults me, ‘I am fasting.’ ‘I am fasting.’ With my fasting, I have cut off Satan’s share from me and narrowed his paths and ways.
‘I am fasting’ is a phrase which the fasting person reminds himself of, and reminds others of, and it is with this phrase that he keeps his fasting and worship of his Lord free from behaving ignorantly towards others, or attacking or wronging them.
‘I am fasting.’ My fasting is an impregnable dam against my soul’s evil inclinations, fortunes, and misguidance. Since I abstain from the lawful things that I used to indulge in, such as food, drink and the like, for the purpose of getting closer to Allah Almighty, then how is the case with what is unlawful in principle? Of course, I will be the farthest from it, simply because I am fasting.
Because I am fasting, I am indeed tranquil, stable, good-humoured, pure, active, smiling, and not frowning to anyone. The effect of my fasting is visible on my bodily organs and way of speech.
I am fasting; and the smell of my mouth is more pleasant in the sight of Allah Almighty than that of musk.
Because I am fasting, I do not respond to evil, just to please my Lord, the Almighty, as I am fasting for His sake, in confirmation of the statement (of Allah Almighty in the Qudsi Hadith) which reads: “He leaves his food, drink and lusts for My Sake. Fasting is for Me; for it, I give reward, and the good deed is multiplied to ten times the like of it.” [Al-Bukhari]
There is no act of worship but that its reward is multiplied ten times (or more) except for fasting, because it is part of patience. Allah Almighty said in the following Qudsi Hadith: “All deeds of mankind are for him except for fasting, which is for Me, and I will give its reward.”
Allah, The Almighty, promises the patient ones that He is with them and combines things for them which He never combines for others, Saying (what means): {Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided.} [Qur’an 2:157]
Abu Sa‘eed Al-Khudri may Allah be pleased with him narrated that the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “No one has ever been given any favour better and greater than patience.” [Al-Bukhari] Al-Hasan may Allah have mercy upon him said: “Patience is one of the treasures of good that Allah only gives to a servant who is honoured in His sight.”
Patience is of three kinds:
1- Keeping patient in performing acts of worship; a servant is in need of showing patience in performing acts of worship because the soul, by nature, dislikes obligatory acts of worship.
2- Keeping patient in abstaining from committing sins; a person is in dire need for this since the soul is a persistent enjoiner of evil.
3- Keeping patient at times of calamities; these are so many, like the death of beloved ones, loss of wealth, loss of health, and so on. The highest rank is to keep patient with people’s harm, especially during the month of Ramadan; Allah Says (what means):
l {But if you are patient and fear Allah—indeed, that is of the matters [worthy] of determination.} [Qur’an 3:186]
l {And We already Know that your breast is constrained by what they say.} [Qur’an 15:97]
Sufficient in this respect is the statement of the best of all creation sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ): “No fatigue, disease, sorrow, sadness, hurt, or distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick that he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for it.” [Al-Bukhari]
You are, O Muslim, upon good in whichever state you are, especially if you feel that you are imitating your Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, when he kept patient upon all the harm, abuses and insults that he received. He kept patient even when they dragged him, turned him out, detained him (in the defile of Abu Talib) and expelled him, in compliance with the statements of Allah Almighty Says (which means):
l {so patience is most fitting.} [Qur’an 12:18]
l {So be patient over what they say.} [Qur’an 20:130]
On that method were the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and the Taabi‘is (the generation that followed them) may Allah have mercy upon them especially in the month of fasting and Thikr (remembrance of Allah Almighty). A man came to Zayn Al-‘Aabideen ibn ‘Ali may Allah have mercy upon him and said: “O Zayn Al-‘Aabideen!” He said: “Yes.” He said: “Is your beard purer or the tail of my dog?” He said: “If my beard enters Paradise, it will be purer; and if it enters the Fire, then your dog’s tail will be purer.”
Consider, dear brothers and sisters, to what extent the companions endured harm and kept patient with others.
Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/
