Chapter II: Patience and Gratefulness
goes away from him. (13) Our Prophet said: Not to complain of your wants and sufferings and not to tell anybody of your dangers appertain to the glorification of God and spiritual knowledge. (14) A certain pious man said that he had lost a purse on the way owing to the action of a pick-pocket. He said, O God:
Give him similar reward. Perchance he has got greater need of the purse than mine.' (15) Another pious man said: Once during my journey, I saw Abu Huzaifa fallen on the ground wounded in the battle field of Mawla Salem and asked him: Shall I give you water? He said: Take me near the foes and put water on my shield as I am fasting. If I live up to sun set I will break my fast therewith. Such was the patience of those who sought the next world. (16) It has been reported from Ramisah Omme Salim that she said: One of my sons died during the absence of his father. I kept him covered with one sheet of cloth in a corner of the house.
A little after my husband came. I presented before him food.
He ate it and asked me: How is my son? I said that he is a little better by the will of God than he was before. I lay with my husband in that night being well dressed. Then I said: Will you not be astonished at my neighbour? He asked me: What has become of him? I told him: I lent him a good thing. When I demanded it of him, he threatened me and began to weep out of sorrow. He said: What he did is manifestly wrong. I said:
This is your son. I took him as a loan from God but He took him close to Him. He recited: We are for God and to Him we shall return. Next morning he went to the Prophet and gave him this news. He said: O God, make their last night good. (19) At the time when Ibrahim, son of the Prophet died, the Prophet began to shed tears. He was asked; Why do you weep when you have prohibited us from it? He said: It is through affection. He who is kind gets kindness from God. This weeping did not out me from the state of contentment.
From what has been discussed above, it has been clear to you that in all circumstances and actions of life, patience is absolutely necessary. If one keeps patience, still hundreds of empty thoughts may arise in his mind and keep him forgetful of God.
Thus he is not free from the whisperings of the devil and mind is.
not free from thoughts-thoughts of past and future causing loss of valuable time. The weapon of a man is his Qalb or heart and his life is his valuable asset. When a moment is lost without remembrance of God, it is spent uselessly.
72 PATIENCE AND GRATEFULNESS Vol-IV