Friday Focus | Perseverance, Patience & Prosperity

It is ordained that perseverance in patience and constancy leads to prosperity—material and spiritual:

”O ye who believe! Persevere in patience and constancy; vie in such perseverance; strengthen each other; and fear Allah, that ye may prosper” (Al Imran: 200)

   

Patience in Quranic idiom is ‘Sabr’ and it implies a much wider meaning than is commonly understood. The full meaning covers a wide range, it could mean— patience, perseverance, constancy, and self-restraint. ‘Sabr’ is however not to be taken as a passive state, it could also mean refusal to be cowed down in the face of adverse circumstances. And, ‘Sabr’ may not to be taken to be restrictive influence, limited to personal sphere. The virtues assigned to ‘Sabr’ are not be restricted for ourselves only, these virtues are to be exercised in relation to others. An example needs to be set, so that others imbibe the virtues assigned to ‘Sabr’. Others may vie with us, as we are to vie with them, so as to strengthen each other and bind our mutual relations closer, in our common service to Allah (SwT).

‘Sabr’ has a positive outfall; it may dawn sooner or later. The positive outfall is prosperity. In Quranic idiom, prosperity is ‘Falah. ‘Falah’ has to be understood in wider sense than is otherwise presumed. It may not denote prosperity (Falah) in our mundane affairs only, but is implied in spiritual progress as well. Material &/or spiritual, in both cases it implies happiness and attainment of out wishes, purified by love of Allah (SwT)—the love that is all abiding, the love that pays for ‘Sabr’ and that holds promise of ‘Falah’ here and hereafter!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

twelve − 5 =