The coachman quoted, 'And also, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, '... and that with hardship comes ease.' This statement is taken from His sayings,
سَيَجْعَلُ اللّٰهُ بَعْدَ عُسْرٍ يُّسْرًا
'... Allah will appoint after difficulty, ease.' [QS. At-Talaq (65):7]
Anas ibn Malik said, ‘The Prophet (ﷺ) was sitting in front of a hole in the ground and remarked, 'If hardship were to enter this burrow, ease would follow it in and remove it.' Then Allah revealed,
فَاِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًاۙ اِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًاۗ
'For truly with hardship comes ease; truly with hardship comes ease. [QS. Ash-Sharh (94):5-6]
These verses was explained when Abu ‘Ubaydah was besieged, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab wrote to him, saying, ‘No matter what hardship a person faces, Allah will send relief afterwards, for one hardship cannot overcome two eases, and He says,
يٰٓاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوا اصْبِرُوْا وَصَابِرُوْا وَرَابِطُوْاۗ وَاتَّقُوا اللّٰهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُوْنَ ࣖ
'O you who have believed, persevere and endure and remain stationed and fear Allah that you may be successful.' [QS. Ali-'Imran (3):200]
Many poems are written this vein; one of them said,
Patience is the key to relief door.
Ease follows every hardship
Time does not stagnate
One event follows another.
Then the passenger then confirmed, 'Thus, is it Sabr (Patience) as the Key to Relief Door?' The coachman replied, 'Yes, it is! The Prophet (ﷺ) said, '... and that victory comes with patience.' One of the Salaf said, ‘All of us, dislike death and the pain of injury, however, we attain varying degrees through patience.’ All this pertains to fighting, not only the external enemy, but the same applies to fighting the internal enemy: fighting the lower self and base desires. Indeed, fighting these is one of the greatest forms of Jihad. The Prophet (ﷺ) said,
الْمُجَاهِدُ مَنْ جَاهَدَ نَفْسَهُ
'The Mujahid is one who strives against his own soul.' [Jami at-Tirmidhi; Tirmidhi said it was hasan sahih and it was ruledas sahih by ibn Hibban, Al-Hakim, Al-Albani, and Al-Arna'ut]
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr replied to a person who asked about Jihad, by saying, ‘Start with your self and strive against it. Start with your self and start a campaign against it!’
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr replied to a person who asked about Jihad, by saying, ‘Start with your self and strive against it. Start with your self and start a campaign against it!’
This Jihad, also requires patience, whoever, steadfastly strives against his self, his desires and his shaytan, will achieve victory. Whoever, on the other hand, despairs and gives up patience, will be overcome, defeated and imprisoned. He will become subjugated and mean, imprisoned by his shaytan and his desires. It is said,
If a person does not defeat his desires
They will render the noble, ignoble
Know that your self is like an animal, if it knows that you are firm and resolute, it will not waver, but if it knows that you are lazy and irresolute, it will take advantage and hanker after its wants and pursue its lusts.
Therefore, his (ﷺ) saying, 'and that victory comes with patience,' subsumes patience and steadfastness in striving against both the external and internal enemy. The Salaf would view this latter patience: patiently striving against the self and desires to be better than patience in the face of tribulation.
Maymun ibn Mihran said, ‘Patience is of two categories: patience when encountering calamity which is good, and patience in avoiding sins which is better.’ Sa'ld ibn Jubayr said, ‘Patience is of two types: the best form is patience in avoiding what Allah has proscribed and doing those acts of worship that He has made obligatory, and patience when facing calamity.’
وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ فِي الصَّبْرِ عَلَى مَا تَكْرَهُ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا وَأَنَّ النَّصْرَ مَعَ الصَّبْرِ وَأَنَّ الْفَرَجَ مَعَ الْكَرْبِ وَأَنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
'Know that there is much good in being patient with what you detest, victory will come with patience, relief will come with affliction, and ‘with hardship will come with ease.' [Musnad Aḥmad; Sahih (authentic) according to Ahmad Shakir]
Ibn‘Abbas has an additional sentence before this phrase, “If you are able to work deeds for the sake of Allah, being content and in a state of certainty, do so. If you are unable, know that great good lies in bearingwith patience what you dislike.'
The meaning of certainty here, is to actualise faith in the decree. When you have consolidated the topic of certainty, attaining certainty in the heart of the decree and ordainment necessitates the heart being at rest and peace with it. One of theSalaf said, ‘Faith in the decree, removes worry and distress.’
The Prophet (ﷺ) said,
الْمُؤْمِنُ الْقَوِيُّ خَيْرٌ وَأَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِ الضَّعِيفِ وَفِي كُلٍّ خَيْرٌ احْرِصْ عَلَى مَا يَنْفَعُكَ وَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللَّهِ وَلاَ تَعْجِزْ وَإِنْ أَصَابَكَ شَىْءٌ فَلاَ تَقُلْ لَوْ أَنِّي فَعَلْتُ كَانَ كَذَا وَكَذَا . وَلَكِنْ قُلْ قَدَرُ اللَّهِ وَمَا شَاءَ فَعَلَ فَإِنَّ لَوْ تَفْتَحُ عَمَلَ الشَّيْطَانِ
'A strong believer is better and is more lovable to Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in everyone, (but) cherish that which gives you benefit (in the Hereafter) and seek help from Allah and do not lose heart, and if anything (in the form of trouble) comes to you, don't say: If I had not done that, it would not have happened so and so, but say: Allah did that what He had ordained to do and your (saying) 'if' opens the (gate) for the Shaytan. [Sahih Muslim]
