GRATITUDE AND PATIENCE:

Gratitude and patience can help people feel more positive about themselves and their position in life. I believe we are on this planet to learn and develop our souls. If everything in our life is perfect and there is no struggle, there will be no happiness; there will only be boredom and discontent. Gratitude and patience better meet life's challenges because they mean we are alive, learning, growing, and developing ourselves. Complaining is static. Nothing changes. Gratitude and patience are dynamic; they allow us to take control of our lives and learn to love ourselves for who we are.

 Since patience and gratitude are described as the wings of faith — the means of salvation- it is pertinent to establish the relationship between these two concepts to complete our faith. It also addresses common misconceptions, such as the belief that we are only to be patient with hardships and only to be grateful for blessings. This is not always the case. Both patience and gratitude are essential in the face of adversity and grace. Patience can sometimes be passive, resigned, or even bitter. Patience can sometimes be based on fear, doubt, or uncertainty. Patience can sometimes be a way of coping, surviving, or escaping. But gratitude is always active, positive, and joyful. Gratitude is always based on love, trust, and confidence. Gratitude is always a way of living, thriving, and growing.

Patience can sometimes be based on fear, doubt, or uncertainty. Patience can sometimes be a way of coping, surviving, or escaping. But gratitude is always active, positive, and joyful. Gratitude induces people to engage in decisions and behaviors that benefit them long-term.  It tends to make decisions more forward-looking and takes patience. “Feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. So, take some time to be thankful. It can impact your happiness and enhance it.  Some scholars have defined patience as an excellent human characteristic or a positive psychological attitude by which we refrain from doing what is not good. Human beings cannot live a proper, healthy life without patience. Some scholars have defined patience as an excellent human characteristic or a positive psychological attitude by which we refrain from doing what is not good. Human beings cannot live a proper, healthy life without patience.

It is apparent how blessed so many of us genuinely are right now! Unfortunately, humans tend to fall into the habit of not acknowledging everything we have to be thankful for and taking them for granted. However, since the spread of the virus, many of us have reflected on the privileges and blessings in our lives, such as access to abundant food, water, and supplies regularly. We also have become very attuned to the blessing of being healthy and having a body that carries out our daily tasks. Even in quarantine, many of us have a spouse, child, or other family members with us. If we were to sit and write down all our blessings, we would never reach an end. Many of these blessings were always there, but it took a virus to put our lives on pause and appreciate them. Although times are not easy and there is a lot of uncertainty in the world, know that there are still so many blessings to be grateful for!

Allah (Almighty) says in the Qur’an that if we constantly thank Him for all the blessings, He has bestowed upon us, He will continue to give us more! It’s easy in the hustle and bustle of every day that we often forget to thank Allah (Almighty) for everything we have. From waking up in the morning with the ability to walk and talk to the moment we lay back down to sleep, having accomplished so much. There are many things that this virus has made us acutely aware of, such as being able to go out and enjoy nature, being with friends, grocery shopping with ease, no fear or uncertainty with our jobs, and so on. We need to use this time to reflect and create an attitude of gratitude that abundantly thanks Allah (Almighty) from now on.

Now is the time to remember those things and remind yourself to thank Allah (Almighty). The best part is not only being it an act of worship, but the more you thank Him, the more He will give you, too. It inspires lasting joy and allows us to listen more deeply to how our prayer joins God’s prayer for us in every area of our lives. 

I like the concept of gratitude; Allah (Almighty) talks about patience in many places in the Qur’an. You have to believe that Allah (Almighty) controls everything honestly. He has decreed that a microscopic virus flips the world and awakens us from living each day without much thought or worry. We have been pushed from our regular routines, and things have been canceled and shut down, allowing people everywhere to reflect. Some fear where their “Rizq’ (sustenance) will come from, while others fear for their life and the lives of their loved ones. These fears are usual and a part of being human, but we must also be patient and understand that this life is a test and that hardship comes easily.

Patience can sometimes be based on fear, doubt, or uncertainty. Patience can sometimes be a way of coping, surviving, or escaping. But gratitude is always active, positive, and joyful. Gratitude is always based on love, trust, and confidence. Gratitude is always a way of living, thriving, and growing. In contemporary times, we see examples of people who are blessed with many gifts from Allah but move through life in such a hurry that they seldom find time to be grateful or remember that Allah is the source of their blessings. They lack the patience to show gratitude and thus miss seeing Allah's " signs " in the blessings around them.

We also see people who are faced with difficulty cannot see beyond their hardship to any of the good they still have. They lack the thankfulness needed to support their patience and fail to see the “signs” of what is happening to them. It may be that, for our” man” to be truly complete, we must practice being patient during times of hardship and ease and being thankful when given blessings and challenges. In the face of difficulty, it is incumbent upon us to show patience with what Allah had decreed upon us and thankfulness merely by the fact that we remembered to thank Allah. It took patience on our part to say “Alhamdulillah,” and undoubtedly, saying “Alhamdulillah” and feeling it helped us to persevere with patience in the face of disease. Understanding these virtues and cultivating them in our hearts is an ongoing struggle, but it helps ensure that all of our affairs, good and bad, are ultimately good for us. Patience can sometimes be passive, resigned, or even bitter. Patience can sometimes be based on fear, doubt, or uncertainty. Patience can sometimes be a way of coping, surviving, or escaping. But gratitude is always active, positive, and joyful. Gratitude is always based on love, trust, and confidence. Gratitude is always a way of living, thriving, and growing.

Sabr and Shukr:

Sabr means patience in Arabic, and Shukr means thankfulness and gratitude in Arabic. Sabr (Patience) is the ability to endure pain and difficulty with self-control, forbearance, calmness, and stability, considering that the current life is fleeting and the true life is the life of the hereafter. Shukr and Sabr, the terms for gratitude and perseverance, often come hand in hand with one another. We advised showing Shukr in the times of good and Sabr in the bad. Sabr, or patience, is not just about waiting for things to improve. It's about having the strength to keep going, even when everything seems to fall apart. Shukr, or gratitude, is not just about saying 'thank you.' It's about recognizing and appreciating the blessings in our lives, even amid chaos.

The circumstances arising may be displeasing, causing anxiety and difficulty to one. When confronted with such conditions, a man should consider that Allah (Almighty) has placed some benefit that is not ordinarily discernible in this untoward condition. Such conditions are subject to Allah’s wisdom and are for the betterment of the one involved in the displeasing condition. He should not complain nor display impatience. If the displeasing occurrence is a command of the Shariah, he should adhere to it firmly and not permit frustration and worry to overtake him. If the calamity has befallen him, he must bear it firmly and not be overwhelmed by hopelessness. This is the meaning of “Sabr.”

 Shukr is a characteristic that simplifies the praying of Sabr. A man who has adopted Shukr will take calamity and hardship in his stride. Since he realizes the tremendous bounties of Allah on him, hence his gratitude, he will understand that the hardship has been imposed on him by his Benefactor, Allah (Almighty), in his interests. His mind is thus conditioned to accept all difficulties without complaint. To gain reward, he will bear the hardships without being overwhelmed by frustration. On the contrary, he will derive pleasure from the realization that the hardship has been imposed on him by his Benefactor, Allah (Almighty). Shukr (gratitude) reflects on the animals” bestowed on him by Allah (Almighty). Such reflection strengthens the bond of love between man and his Benefactor. He cannot, therefore, become despondent and break down in the face of difficulties, which he realizes are trials from the side of his Creator and benefactor, who has always showered him with His numerous blessings and Bounties. Thus, Sabr, based on the attitude of Shukr, becomes a simple matter for the one overcome by calamities and hardships.

The conditions and circumstances that occur to a man, whether voluntary or involuntary, are of two types: pleasing or displeasing. If the circumstances occurring to man are pleasing, he should consider these as favors from Allah Almighty and offer his heartfelt appreciation and gratitude. He should consider such bounties more than what he deserved, and verbally, he should recite the praises of Allah Almighty. Furthermore, he must not employ such bounties of Allah Almighty in sinful avenues, e.g., spending wealth in un-Islamic customs, using one’s strength, influence, and knowledge in ways the Shariah deprecates. This is the meaning of Shukr.

On the other hand, the circumstances arising may be displeasing, causing anxiety and difficulty. When confronted with such conditions, a man should consider that Allah Almighty has ordinarily placed some undiscernible benefit in this untoward condition. Such conditions are subject to Allah’s wisdom and are for the betterment of the one involved in the displeasing condition. The attitude of the Mu’min in such circumstances should be one of resignation. He should not complain nor display impatience. If the displeasing occurrence is a command of the Shariah, he should adhere to it firmly and not permit frustration and worry to overtake him. If the calamity has befallen him, he must bear it firmly and not be overwhelmed by hopelessness. This is the meaning of Sabr.

‘Shukr” is a quality and characteristic humanity has yet to master. It is often overlooked in the lives of many and is rarely given its due importance. This lack of having Shukr is recurrent in history and will continue till the end of time, and has brought many nations to their dreaded end. You are probably wondering by now what exactly Shukr has been defined by scholars of Islam as: mentioning Allah’s blessings upon the enslaved person’s tongue, the enslaved person’s recognition of these blessings in his heart, and obedience of the limbs due to these blessings. Therefore, Shukr stems from the acknowledgment of Allah’s blessings upon you, which is then shown in gratitude and appreciation through actions of the heart, tongue, and body, and sincere worship of Allah.

‘Shukr’ helps us focus our minds on Allah, which has unfortunately become so difficult today, with the hustle and bustle of life and the various distractions and attractions in this world. It helps to correct our perceptions and serves as a reminder that everything we have in life comes from Allah and will inevitably return to Allah. Our health, wealth, youth, time, and lives are all gifts granted to us by Allah Almighty, and we must constantly remember Him and thank Him for the uncountable blessings showered upon us. “And (remember) when our Lord proclaimed: ‘If we give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allah (Almighty). It will give us more of Allah's Blessing; however, if we are thankless, Allah's punishment is severe. How Merciful is (Allah Almighty) From this verse, we learn that showing Shukr will increase us in even more blessings. So even when we thank and praise Allah for His many blessings, He continues to increase us in them, which is from our Lord's vast bounty. Looking back into Islamic history, we see the examples and stories of the legends that came before us, our Prophets (PBUM), and pious predecessors, and we can derive numerous lessons from their lives – including those of Shukr and Sabr.