This is a post taken from our very own Abdulrahman Alhadithi's blog, check it out at http://alhadithi.wordpress.com

In theory, every one talks about patience and how much of a virtue it is, but the question is, how many people actually implement this beautiful concept?

One of the marvelous qualities of the beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him) was his infinite patience. God was with Muhammad, as He is always with those who patiently persevere:

(God is certainly with those who patiently persevere.) (Al-Baqarah 2:153)

The Qur’anic word used for patience is sabr, and there is no English equivalent for it. We can only convey the idea of sabr by phrases such as, patience with delay, endurance against afflictions, perseverance against hardships, steadfastness in the face of setbacks, self-restraint against provocations, courage against hostilities and will power against temptations.

Every one out there would face times when every thing seems to go wrong for them. Facing difficulties leaves one feeling very lonely, it also leads you into thinking that everyone else’s life is going smoothly.
This is yet another area where you see the beauty of Islam: it teaches us that there will always be good and bad times and it also teaches us how to react in each case:
1.    To be thankful/grateful during the good times and
2.    To be patient (and strong) in during the difficult times.

The beauty in the Islamic approach to difficulties is it teaches you to change your perception of the problem i.e. seeing the glass half full as opposed to half empty. The way Islam does this is by wiping out this (evil) feeling of loneliness by teaching you that God is always with you. This leads you to change your perception of the scenario from being “Oh God, I have a big problem” to being “Oh Problem, I have Almighty God” which gives you confidence, thus putting you in a position of strength.

To be able to remain patient when facing problems, one always tries to understand a) why they’re facing that particular problem, b) if there is a solution to that problem and c) what that solution would be.

Islam answers  all three questions:

a)
The problem is a test from God

The Prophet (PBUH) said the following:
-    God keeps testing the person whom he loves, until that person has no more sins to be forgiven for. (Narrated by Imam Bukhari)
-    Strange are the ways of a believer, for there is good in every affair of his; for if he has an occasion to feel delight, he thanks (God); thus there is good in it in it. And if faces troubles and hardship, he endures it patiently; there is good in it for him. (Narrated by Imam Muslim). The reward you get from going through good and difficult times makes you a winner in either case.

Umar (may God be pleased with him) once said “If people were aware of what God had hidden for them in every test which they go through, they would pray for more such tests”

b)
God, the Almighty, also teaches us that there’s a solution to every problem and that with difficulty comes relief

God, the Almighty says in the Holy Quran, Chapter 95 (The Relief) “So, verily, with the difficulty, there is relief. Verily, with the difficulty, there is relief”.

If you read the verses above in Arabic, you’d realise that both verses refer to the same difficulty. This, however, is not the case with ‘relief’, implying that the “relief” mentioned in the first verse is not the same as that mentioned in the second, even though both verses are referring to one problem. Hence for every difficulty, there are (at least) two sources of relief. When this verse was revealed to the Prophet PHUH, he smiled and said “Spread the glad tidings, one difficulty cannot beat (the minimum of) two sources of relief” i.e. the difficulty is outnumbered by the sources of relief. Some Scholars say that the sources of relief are as follows:
1.    The solution(s) to the problem being faced
2.    The reward for being patient and persevering.

c)

Trusting God, relying on Him and being patient
The source of the Prophet’s courageous determination in the face of all the traumatic experiences he suffered was his strong faith in God and his dependence on Him. The Prophet’s conviction that God was with him when he was struggling with adverse circumstances, is evident from this verse, in The HolY Qur’an, in which Allah says “…he [The Prophet Muhammad] being the second of the two, when they were both in the cave, when he said to his companion: Grieve not, surely God is with us. So God sent down His tranquility upon them, strengthened them with hosts that you did not see…” (At-Tawbah 9:40)

Using this approach truly puts your mind at ease, because it teaches you to rely on Allah (as He as the solutions to every problem), thus freeing your mind from your own difficulties, allowing you to carry on with your life knowing that the solution will come.

Another beautiful concept to remember is Du’a (supplication). God orders Muslims
to ask him for whatever they may want/need and promises them to a) answer their requests and b) reward them for the supplication. So one must look at problems from this angle: if everything in life goes exactly how you want it to go, you’ll never need to ask God for anything, hence you’ll be missing out on the huge rewards which you get from using the tool of supplication which God provides you with, to help you through times of difficulties.