Perseverance is the key to any growth, be it physical, mental or spiritual. From the very first moment human life endeavours to live. The first cry expands its lung, then it announces the hunger for food. Humans learn to walk with perseverance; after thousands of falls they learn to walk. Life continues with rise after every fall, it has to face all obstacles in the journey of life. When life stops this endeavour, it ends.
The Almighty has bestowed us with the body, mind and soul, the inherent qualities to grow in faith. The struggle for faith is invisible and abstract. One has to nurture the quality with purposeful effort. The Prophet ﷺ would spend time in isolation in the Hira cave, to find his Lord. His endeavour had exceeded all struggles of his followers. He made things easy for all of us. Nevertheless, each individual needs to strive for his own faith, the struggle against evil inclination of soul and dark whispering of Satan.
In the Qur’ān this struggle is denoted with mainly three words, “jihad”, “S’aee” and “sabr”. Although jihad is the most popular and often misunderstood term, it has been cited nine times in the Qur’ān, whereas sabr has been cited more than 90 times. These words have different connotations, contexts and inner meanings. I think these describe the continuous struggle of life within oneself as well as with others, at least from the point of view. In the Qur’ān, Allah mentions that struggle for the truth is to win, and the effort for any other being, power or principle is wrong and futile.
“Unto Him [alone] is due all prayer aiming at the Ultimate Truth, since those [other beings or powers] whom men invoke instead of Allah cannot respond to them in any way – [so that he who invokes them is] but like one who stretches his open hands towards water, [hoping] that it will reach his mouth, while it never reaches him. Hence, the prayer of those who deny the truth amounts to no more than losing oneself in grievous error.” (13:14)
NO TIME TO WAIT
Human life is limited in this world, and nobody knows when the appointed time of death is. Faith in the oneness of Allah demands continuous purposeful effort to do good as per prophetic guidance. One who truly believes in the nature of fire, will not certainly jump on it rather would strive to avoid it. In the same way, one who believes in Allah and the afterlife, should strive for it. Allah has promised reward for the endeavour, irrespective of its outcome. It is the s’aee or purposeful effort.
“But as for those who care for the [good of the] life to come, and strive for it as it ought to be striven for, and are [true] believers withal – they are the ones whose striving finds favour [with Allah]!” (17:19)
“And yet, whoever does [the least] of righteous deeds and is a believer withal, his endeavour shall not be disowned: for, behold, We shall record it in his favour.” (21:95)
A believer believes in Allah and the hereafter, continuously strives to achieve the purpose, to reach the goal of ultimate destination. Belief is followed by actions, which is being recorded and will be rewarded accordingly. Man will be given the “book of deeds”, as a result of his actions in this world. The successful will be glad for their worldly efforts. (88:9)
Allah created mankind for the purpose to be successful following His guidance. However the path to Paradise is not easy. It needs struggle but Allah’s promise is true and Allah’s help is very near. Mankind is free to accept the truth or the false, whichever way he chooses, his effort is made in that direction. Therefore, man is responsible for his deeds. While man heads towards opposite direction, his effort makes him drowned where he finds no helpers, such efforts are in vain and unsuccessful.
“Whereas for those who strive against Our messages, seeking to defeat their purpose, there is grievous suffering in store as an outcome of [their] vileness.” (34:5)
Therefore the outcome depends on the intention and input. Allah has imposed on all creation the law of cause and effect – so that in the life to come man will only harvest “what his own hands have wrought” in this world. (42:30) This is the ultimate truth. For a successful outcome, endeavour should be directed towards Allah, with faith in hereafter following His guidance through the Messenger ﷺ. To summarise: Each person will only have what he/she endeavoured towards. (53:39)
ENDEAVOUR
Jihad means the effort or struggle necessary to put the will of Allah into practice. Jihad is of three types: jihad against one’s soul (jihad against nafs), jihad against the whispering of Satan and jihad against an open enemy. The majority scholars opined that a different word qital is used for the third type of jihad. “Jihad of pen” is a popular term coined in the early 19th century. The prophet ﷺ said, “The best jihad is to speak the word of truth in front of a tyrannical leader.
On way back from Badr, the Prophet ﷺ mentioned: “We are returning from lesser jihad i.e. battle to a greater jihad i.e. reform of the society and persons. The individual reform will make a better society. Along with struggle for self-development, the believers have the responsibility to spread the truth in the form of knowledge and attitudes to others. This responsibility is the prophetic responsibility that had been endorsed to the believers after the last Prophet ﷺ. That is the responsibility of the vicegerents of Allah. The Prophet ﷺ said, “A single endeavour (of fighting) in Allah’s Cause in the forenoon or in the afternoon is better than the world and whatever is in it.”
PRAYER WITH PATIENCE
In the Qur’ān, the endeavour is also mentioned with the word of sabr, which means perseverance or patient endurance. Social development and reform is an active effort that involves sufferings. For this journey of the faithful, determination is the key along with self-development through prayers. Luqman advised his sons, as depicted in the Qur’ān: “O my dear son! Be constant in prayer, and enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong, and bear in patience whatever (ill) may befall thee: this, behold, is something to set one’s heart upon!” (31:18)
Remembrance of Allah is the key to happiness, verily in the remembrance of Allah does heart find comfort. Glorification of the Creator, the Provider and the Sustainer strengthen the determination and steadfastness for the one who perseveres.
“Hence, bear with patience whatever they [who deny the truth] may say, and extol thy Sustainer’s limitless glory and praise Him before the rising of the sun and before its setting; and extol His glory, too, during some of the hours of the night as well as during the hours of the day, so that thou might attain to happiness.”
MINDFULNESS
The struggle of the believers needs mindfulness of Allah, the Arabic word is Taqwa. The Mindfulness of Allah or being conscious of Him is the quality of a believer that constantly reminds them of the presence of Allah in every sphere of life. Men are weak and prone to mistakes and errors. Mindfulness helps the perseverance to do good and avoid sins. The readiness, steadfastness and perseverance are needed in this path because there is adversity.
“O you who have attained to faith! Be patient in adversity, and vie in patience with one another, and be ever ready [to do what is right], and remain conscious of God, so that you might attain to a happy state!” (3:200)
TRUST IN HIM
Believers need firm belief and full trust in Allah, the Arabic word in the Quran in Tawakkul. This means there is guarantee of Allah’s help. The one who trusts Allah, is always led to Allah. We learn from the messengers of Allah. Musa reassured his people against tyranny of Pharaoh “seek Allah’s help and be patient” (7:128). During the journey to Madina, when the two were hiding in the cave, the prophet ﷺ consoled Abu Bakr “Grieve not: verily, God is with us.” (9:40) Thereby, Allah bestowed with His gift of inner peace, and made them successful. Allah promised reward for those who patiently endure and put their trust in their Lord. (29:59)
REPEL EVIL WITH GOOD
Patience is required for forgiveness, which is an attribute of the believers who strives and call others towards the path of Allah. They are to change the world, change the worst with the best by the best possible way. The lesson from the Messenger ﷺ is to forgive and show mercy with kind words and compassion. Allah commands in the Qur’ān:
“Say [O Prophet]: “No reward do I ask of you for this [message] other than [that you should) love your fellow-men.” (42:23)
It requires great patience to love the hurtful and harsh companion. It is extremely difficult to endure arrogance but with patience. In Surah Shura, Allah declares the reward for those “who attain to faith and in their Sustainer place their trust; and who shun the more heinous sins and abominations; and who, whenever they are moved to anger, readily forgive; and who respond to [the call of] their Sustainer and are constant in prayer; and whose rule [in all matters of common concern] is consultation among themselves; and who spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance; and who, whenever tyranny afflicts them, defend themselves.”
In addition to firm faith and constant prayer, utmost importance is given for fellow-feelings, forgiveness and fair judgment for others, taking into account their opinion while acting together for the forgiveness and reward of the Sustainer. Abdullah ibn Amr reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The merciful will be shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Be merciful to those on earth and the One in the heavens will have mercy upon you.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhī 1924) Allah declares in the Qur’ān about the mercy of the prophet ﷺ (3:128).
Charity is an act of the believers, who patiently endure. When Abu Bakr decided to stop giving charity to one of the slanderers (a relative) of Aisha, Allah revealed a Qur’ānic injunction against the decision, “Let them pardon and forbear.” (24:22) Allah declares the reward for the believers who are steadfast in prayer, donates secretly and privately and respond to evil with good. (13:22)
TEST & TRIAL
Allah mentions a few times in the Qur’ān about the calamity that would befall on the believers. Those will be successful, who will be steadfast and will patiently endure to do good and enjoin others to perseverance and compassion. (90:17) Human beings will be tested with calamity, and Allah declares in the Qur’ān, which was revealed in the early Makkan period:
“We shall try you all, so that We might mark out those of you who strive hard [in Our cause] and are patient in adversity.” (47:31)
Do you think that you could enter Paradise unless Allah takes cognizance of your having striven hard [in His cause], and takes cognizance of your having been patient in adversity? (3:142)
EFFORT, NOT EFFECT
The endeavour will be rewarded, based on the intention, not on the result. Believers need to be patient for the results of their deeds, because the promise of Allah certainly is true (30:60), and Allah never discounts the reward of the good doers. Allah says to the Prophet ﷺ, “Thy duty is no more than to deliver the message; and the reckoning is Ours.”(13:40)
Allah emphasises steadfastness and ordained not to hasten for the punishment of unbelievers. Men may not observe the result of their actions in their own lifetime, but they will be rewarded for the intentions and actions.
“Remain, then, [O believer,) patient in adversity, just as all of the Apostles, endowed with firmness of heart, bore themselves with patience. And do not ask for a speedy doom of those [who still deny the truth].” (46:35)
Striving for self-development and social reform needs purposeful endeavour, steadfastness, patience and perseverance. Foundation of faith is stronger with act of prayer, charity, compassionate perseverance to call others towards faith and forgiveness. The road to Paradise is straightforward with prophetic guidance, on the other hand the path is arduous and rocky which needs perseverance. Allah promised ultimate success for the believers who strive for it. Enduring peace and happiness is waiting in the afterlife, which is everlasting and best of everything than a human can ever imagine.
[The writer is Consultant Neurologist, MD (Neurology), MRCP (UK), MPH (Melbourne), Fellow in Epilepsy and EEG (Malaysia); [email protected]]