Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Patience
Shaykh Salman al-`Awdah
Moral Code of the Daa`iya
Translated by Muhammad Buneef
Patience is the associate of 'yaqeen', or certainty: "And we made of them Imams to guide by Our command when they are patient, and they were certain of Our communications." (Surat al-Sajdah:24) This is why Sufyaan said, "Through patience and certainty the imaamah [leading position] is reached in religion." The one who does not hold steadfast is more apt to abandon his religion once anything comes his way, or abandon his methodology and wisdom once he becomes subject to any provocation. This is why Allah ta`ala said to His Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, "Therefore be patient; surely the promise of Allah is true, and let not those who have no certainty hold you in light estimation." (Surat al-Rum:60) And, "... bear patiently what they say, and avoid them with a befitting avoidance." (Surat al-Muzammil:10). Very often the misguided people stand before the duaat and say, "What you're calling to is a fantasy which cannot be realized. You're calling to something that has run it's course, that the people have forgotten. You have to compromise, reconsider your opinions and your judgements!!" Under pressure of actual reality, and in front of real and delusive obstacles, at any given time some of the duaat may submit and become influenced. Then he may reconsider his understanding of Islam and what his opponents are saying!! If only he had independently examined the situation, striving to find the truth wherever it is, the situation would be easier for him! Instead, he has the spirit of one who is defeated, who feels that he came out of the battle a broken prisoner. He is looking to the presumptions of the people for an excuse which will enable him to avoid the fight against falsehood, against the corrupted reality.
For example: Al- Ribaa', or usury. It has spread, taken root, settled down, and it supports the entire world's economics - including the Islamic world . It has reached nearly everyone's pocket, so it became entitled to the Prophecy of the Prophet when he sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said, "There will come a time among people when a person who does not eat ribaa' will get it's dust." [Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Nisaa'ee and Ibn Majah, Mundiry declared it weak from it's deficiency between al-Hasn and Abi Hurairah.] Even though there is a weakness in this hadeeth, the soundness of the meaning of his saying ~ is witnessed in the hadeeth narrated by Bukhari, "There will come a time among people, when a person won't care about what he eats, whether it is haraam or halaal." That haraam, has settled in the nufuws [pi. of nafs] of many, as well as in their pockets, their establishments, and their wealth. Stead of (the daa'iya) making an attempt to forbid people from this, to look for the shariyya's proper alternatives for increase and develop wealth, the ones who have no certainty in religion come to him (the daa`iya) and try to tempt to reconsider some of the areas of what is clear ribaa'. This becomes the people's reality in a limited period of time, attempting to fix some of the shariyya rulings that have been firmly established through the centuries!
This causes the nufuws of the duaat to loose patience, which in turn causes him to loose hope! A poet once said, "I indulge in hope, waiting in anticipation. How distressful a livelihood would be without the ampleness ode." If only the daai'ya would listen to that sincere advisor who said to his friend, "If you're not capable of accomplishing something, then leave it and move on to what you are capable of." You are not required to achieve victory for the Islamic reality, for it's realization depends upon the decree of Allah. You are required to do your utmost in His path only! And the Prophets and Messengers were addressed to do so, "...We have not sent you as a watcher over them, you are only to deliver..." (Shuuraa:48) and they [the Prophets] said, "Our Lord knows that we are surely messengers to you. And we are required not but to deliver clearly." (Ya Seen: 17) And some of the people may come to the daai'ya saying, "You're doing tremendous work, persisting day and night. But the end result is little and the people are abandoning you. Yet you see the reasons that devastation and destruction overwhelm the majority of them." This begins to ruin in an hour what the daai'ya builds in a year! As the Poet said, "What day will the building be completed, if while you are building it, another is demolishing it?"
Such talk may influence many who are not used to steep roads. Here lies the role of patience. Being hasty in picking the fruit of dawa is not conformable to patience which must be a characteristic of the daai`ya. The daai'ya may be in a certain place, a school or institute, he is forbidding the forbidden, spreading the dawa and speaking to many people, but he won't notice the change himself because it is coming gradually. Just as the father does not notice the growth of his child whom he sees every morning and evening! He is growing gradually! How many duaat deserted a certain place thinking that he'd had no influence, but after he left, his absence became noticeable, and his influence then appeared, as was said, "My people will remember me if their eagerness (diligence) becomes serious. For in the dark night will the full moon be missed." So the daa'iya should not rush the results and the fruits of the dawa but he should strive and depend upon Allah ta`ala, and realize that according to the logical settled experience from the historical aspect, and the realistic aspect, that any truthful effort expended in the nation will have a fruit. Because it hasn't happened that when a person gave dawa nobody at all responded to him, or when he advised, nobody at all took his advice, or when a scholar sat down teaching, nobody at all came to learn. Every daa'iya will find a respondent. For things have not yet reached what the Prophet warned us of concerning submissiveness to greed (stinginess), pursuit of desires, influence of the dunya, and admiration of one's opinion. This has not yet happened to the entire nation. It may be so on an individual level or in a specific region, but there remain many who respond and accept the dawa, or listen to the advice of the advisor, provided that he speaks with knowledge and wisdom.
Even in the non-Islamic nations today such as America, Europe and others, we see that those who carry the banner of dawa to Allah ta`ala find some non-Muslims who respond to them. Various centers have given us statistics of the weekly Muslim converts, dozens of men and women. This realistic and historical truth, one which proves that every effort has a fruit, is also a shariyya truth: "Whoever does good deeds and he is a believer, there shall be no denying his effort..." (Surat alAnbiya:94) and "That Allah may reward the truthful for their truth, and punish the hypocrites if He wills, or turn mercifully towards them..." (Surat al-Ahzaab:64) The Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said, "...he who calls to guidance, receives the same reward as those who followed him, without diminishing anything from their rewards." [Muslim, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, all from the hadeeth of Abu Hurairah] and "He who established a good sunnah in Islam, he will have the reward of each who apply it after him until the Day of Judgment…" [Muslim, Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud]
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The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa'sallam said:
"The Muslim is a unique Ummah among the whole of mankind:
Their Land is ONE, their War is ONE, their Peace is ONE,
Their Honour is ONE and their Trust is ONE."
[Ahmad]
