Welcome to the University of Sufism's Ramadan reading of Rosina Fawzia al-Rawiyy's book,
The Call of Allah,
A companion to the holy month of Ramadan.
Today I will be sharing day five about patience,
Sabur.
Aisha,
Mother of the believers,
Narrated that the Prophet,
Alayhi wasalam,
Said,
There are amongst the people some who are not loved by Allah,
And those are the quarrelsome ones.
Ramadan is also called the month of patience and leniency.
Patience is a form of fasting.
Patience is a state of darkness,
A forbearing weight during which the believers know that a light is growing inside the apparent darkness they have been given because Allah is the all-merciful,
The wise.
The divine name al-Sabur helps us achieve inner growth and tend and strengthen our inner values.
The word sabur does not only mean patience.
It also includes qualities such as tolerance,
Forbearance,
A peacemaking spirit,
Steadfastness,
Self-control,
The ability to persevere and wait without yielding to one's instinctive reaction or negative thoughts.
Indeed,
Sabur leads you to the essential,
To your beauty,
And to the one who created beauty.
Allah is beauty and he loves beauty,
The Prophet Muhammad,
Alayhi wasalam,
Said.
Nothing prolongs life more than patience,
And patience beautifies,
For patience is pure and purifies all things.
By exercising patience and repeating the divine name al-Sabur,
The always hurried and impatient comes to experience a sense of space and clarity,
A silent peace which enables us to reach the depths of our being and to enter the space where we trust in Allah,
In his mercy and his wisdom.
Patience,
Sabur,
Helps us not get stuck in that which is readily apparent.
It takes us to a deeper level where we get a taste of the divine blessing that we might not have acknowledged in the moment.
Does Allah not tell us,
And it may well be that you love a thing while it is bad for you,
And God knows whereas you do not.
Quran 2,
Verse 216.
Patience also widens our understanding.
Life keeps changing and nothing ever remains the same,
Be it good or bad.
Thus seasons come and go,
Streetscapes keep transforming and so do our feelings,
Our states and our situations,
Our views and our understanding,
Our relationships and our friendships.
But it may well be that God will bring about mutual affection between you,
O believers,
And some of those whom you now face as enemies.
Quran 60,
7.
It is not easy for the ego,
The nafs,
To know that everything which comes is bound to go,
To experience transience and the absence of permanence.
Indeed the nafs longs for stability and security,
Constancy.
It loves planning and anticipating and believes that this will secure it protection and a better future.
Yet the soul knows all that lives on earth or in the heavens is bound to pass away.
Quran 55,
26.
And it also knows but forever will abide thy sustainer's self full of majesty and glory.
Quran 55,
27.
Our beloved prophet,
Alayhi wasalam,
Always advised us to base our inner attitude on a balanced middle path.
To have patience in God is faithfulness.
He gives us patience and helps us remain true to ourselves through the mountains and the valleys of life,
In the deep wells of loneliness,
And in the changing winds of doubts and fears.
And unto everyone who is conscious of God,
He always grants a way out of unhappiness and provides for him in a manner beyond all expectation and for everyone who places their trust in God.
God alone is enough.
Verily God always attains to his purpose and indeed unto everything God has appointed its term and measure.
Quran 65,
2 through 3.
Once we begin to understand and feel that Allah only ever wants what's best for us,
We can muster a confident hopeful patience which leads us to gratefulness.
Then the bitter and the sweet,
The heavy and the light,
Separation and union all turn into states that I can hold out lovingly to him in the knowledge that Allah loves me.
Patience is the daughter of gentleness.
The gentler the heart,
The greater the patience.
God's patience manifests through the guidance he offers us time and time again,
Despite our constant disobedience.
Al-Amin,
Alayhi wa salam,
Said,
He who remains patient,
Allah will bestow patience upon him.
Nobody is ever granted a better or more far-reaching gift than patience.
Patiently and creatively help bring the energy of this love to this earth.
Then we can restore the harmony which has been disrupted by our materialism and our greed.
O Allah,
Oftentimes have I been very angry and impatient.
Please grant me patience and help me master my anger for your sake.
Amin.
Fasting forces us to face our weaknesses,
To fight the seductive voices of temptation and our addiction to this world.
The Ramadan asceticism helps us weaken the hold of our ego,
Thus strengthening our willpower as well as the aim of our existence and the path of our soul.
Have patience,
Sabur,
And seek aid in steadfast patience and prayer,
And this indeed is a hard thing for all but the humble in spirit.
Quran 2 45.
Practice,
Suggested for today.
Ya Sabur.
Stay today with the divine name Ya Sabur.
Whenever you tense up,
Become impatient or irritated,
Whenever things do not go the way you would like them to,
Repeat Ya Sabur.
Clad yourself with a mantle of beauty woven from patience and confidence.
May this name take you out of the exile of the nafs and lead you to the home of your soul.
Thank you for joining us for today.
