On the authority of Abi al-Abbas Abdillah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) who said: “One day I was riding (In the narration found in the musnad of Ahmad, it makes clear that he was riding behind the Prophet [peace be upon him] on the same animal) behind the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and he said to me, “O young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice]. Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find him in front of you. If you ask, ask of Allah. If you seek help, seek help from Allah.Know that if the nation were to gather to benefit you with something, they would not be able to benefit you except with what Allah has already recorded for you. If they were to gather to harm you with something, they would not be able to harm you except with what Allah has already recorded against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried”.
Recorded by at-Tirmidhi who said: “It is a hasan sahih hadith”.
In a narration other than that of at-Tirmidhee, it states:
“Be mindful of Allah, you will find him in front of you. Know Allah during times of prosperity, He will know you in times of adversity. Know that what has passed you by was never to befall you. And [know that] what has befallen you was never to have passed you by. And know that victory accompanies perseverance, relief accompanies affliction and ease accompanies hardship”
Brief Commentary:
- The prophet (peace be upon him) said, “No one is given a gift that is better or more encompassing than patience” (Reported in Bukhari and Muslim)
- Perseverance/Patience is of three levels:
- Patience
- Content
- Thankfulness
- It is more virtuous to be content than be patient, and what is more virtuous than both is to be thankful to Allah
- Being content is not simply staying quiet and not complaining. The difference between someone who is content, and someone who is patient is that if given a chance to overturn what has happened, the patient would like that to happen, but the content person would be happy with whatever Allah decrees
- Someone suffering from terminal illness could be a reason that the whole family come closer to Allah, so we should always look at the positive side of things and be patient for all good comes from Allah
- Allah says in {Al-Nahl:97], {And whoever does righteous whether male or female, and he is a believer, then we will give him a goodly life, and we will reward them their reward for the best that they used to do}. The goodly life in this verse is the blessing of being content with Allah’s will
- Patience is not just sitting down doing nothing, as Allah talks about patience in times of war in [Al-Anfal:45], so patience also includes actions
- The prophet (peace be upon him) is nurturing ibn Abbas that whenever you face a hardship, know that ease is round the corner, and think of who put you in this hardship, and who is able to take you out of it
- When a calamity befalls you, it is either a punishment, or a test. The way to know what it is, is to look at yourself; if you are a sinner who always commits sins without repenting, then it is a punishment. If you are someone who adheres to the obligations and abstains from the prohibitions then it is a test
- You should not look at whether you are being punished or tested, as your response to a calamity should always be the same, which is to be patient
- Benefits of a trial/test:
- Washes away your sins
- Source of great reward
- Reminds you of your sins
- Makes you turn to Allah with a broken heart
- Manifests your need for Allah so that it becomes more apparent to you
- Ibn Rajab said about this, “If a slave knows this and realises it in his heart, he will conclude that Allah’s blessings on His slaves when He tests them are greater than His blessings over them when they are at ease”
Benefits and Action points to take from this part of the hadith:
- Patience is of different levels, so we should try to attain the highest one, which is to be thankful to Allah for what happened, which goes further than not wanting Allah to change what happened
- Being patient does not mean to sit down and do nothing, rather it means to accept Allah’s will and carry on your life while trying to rectify your mistakes
- Your response to a calamity should always be to be patient
- Ways to be relieved of distress:
- Having fear of Allah
- Making lots of Du’aa
- Repenting to Allah
- Being totally reliant upon Allah
- Thinking good of Allah
Hadith Commentary 