The Key to Relief Door (3)

'Al-Hasan said, ‘The state of ridaa is rare, but sabr is the recourse of the believer,' the coachman continued, then extended, 'Sulayman al-Khawas said, ‘The station of sabr is below that of ridaa. Ridaa is that a person, before the onset of tribulation, is content whether it is present or not. Sabr is that a person, after the onset of tribulation, bears it steadfastly.

Ridaa is the opposite of displeasure and malcontent. Ibn Mas'ud, radiyallahu 'anhu, said, ‘Ridaa is that you not please the people at the expense of the displeasure of Allah; that you not praise anyone for the provision Allah has granted you; and that you not blame anyone for that which Allah has not given you. The grant of provision is not dictated by the avarice of a person and neither is it withheld because of the aversion of another. By Allah’s justice and knowledge did He place relief and joy in certainty and contentment, and worry and distress in doubt and displeasure.’

Jurjani said that it referred to the joy of the heart at the occurrence of the decree. Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned that it is the tranquillityof the heart in the face of the vicissitudes of the decree and the firm knowledge that it has that Allah would only that which is good for it.

Sabr is to refrain and withhold. Raghib said, ‘It is to withhold the soul as determined by the Legal Law and the intellect.’ Ibn Hibban said, ‘It is obligatory upon the intelligent, in the beginning, to adhere firmly to sabr at the onset of difficulty and when he becomes firm in this he should then move on to the level of contentment (ridaa). If one has not been nourished with sabrhe should adhere firmly to inculcating sabrin himself (tasabbur) for that is the first stages of ridaa.

If a man was to have sabr, truly would he be noble; for sabr is the fount of all good and the foundation of all obedience. The stages leading to it, are concern (ihtimam), awakening (tayakkuz), examination and circumspection (tathabbut), and tasabbur; after it comes ridaa and that is the peak of the spiritual stations. Sabr is displayed in three matters: sabr from sin; Sabr upon obedience; and sabr in the face of adversity and calamity.’

The difference between Sabr and Ridaa, is that patience is to restrain the soul and to prevent it from displeasure while sensing discomfort or pain. Ridaa necessitates that the heart readily accept what it is facing and, even if it was to feel some pain at what it is facing, the sense of contentment will lessen it, perhaps even removeit altogether. This is because the heart has felt the soothing breath of certainty and cognisance. This is whya largegroup of the Salaf would say, ‘The person who is content does not desire a state other than the one he is in whereas the patient does.’

Sabr is to be shown at the onset of calamity, ridaa is shown after the onset of calamity. This is because a servant could well resolve to be content at the decree before it occurs, but the resolve dissipate when he actually faces it. Whoever is content after the decree has befallen is one who is truly content.

Therefore, in summary, patience is obligatory and must be present. Beyond patience there is displeasure and malcontent, and whoever is displeased at the decree of Allah, his lot will be displeasure. Moreover, the pain he will face and the malice of his enemies, will be far greater than his despair.'

The passenger responded, 'There is a story, I don't know if it's related to what you've said, but, would you like to hear it?' 'Yes, of course, tell me!' answered the coachman. Then the passenger told the story,

A drone is a male honey bee. Unlike the female worker bee, drones do not have stingers. They gather neither nectar nor pollen and are unable to feed without assistance from worker bees. A drone's only role is to mate with an unfertilized queen.

So, it happenned that a drone observed a snail, labouring his tedious journey with tardy pace, 'I marvel,' said the drone, 'How you have patience to drag on at that slow rate, whilst I can pass swiftly through the air, and go miles to your inches.'

'It is very true,' answered the snail, 'You certainly do make a thousand times the speed that I can; but remember, that your swift journey leaves no mark or memorial behind, to show that you ever had existence; while I, though slow, leave behind me a shining record of my path.'

The coachman asked, 'What's the moral?' The passenger commented, 'Few take care to live well, but many to live long; though it is in everybody’s power to do the former, but in no man’s command to do the latter.'

The coachman smiled and said, 'Look, our destination is in sight. We'll be there in a minute!' The passenger then also smiled, nodded. And the cart moved slowly towards its destination, accompanied by the chanting of the two men,

Rain and tears are the same
But in the sun, you've got to play the game
When you cry, in winter time, 
You can pretend, 'It's nothing but the rain!' 

How many times I've seen?
Tears coming from your blue eyes

'Give me an answer of love!'
'I need an answer of love!' 

Rain and tears in the sun
But in your heart, you feel the rainbow waves *)

Before leaving, the Moon said, "Whoever inculcates patience in himself, Allah will grant him patience. Allah has not granted anyone a gift better and more expansive than patience. Glory be to Allah As-Sabur, the One Who is most patient and enduring. He does not act in a hastily manner, but rather waits until the proper time. He does not punish the disobedient and unbelievers, he allows time for them to repent or an opportunity to take the right path. And Allah knows best."

Citations & References:
- Imam ‘Abdu’l-Rahman Ibn Nasir al-Sa'di, 8 Steps to Happiness, Dar as-Sunnah
- Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali, The Three That Follow to the Grave, Dar As-Sunnah
- James Northcote, RA, One Hundred Fables, Originals and Selected, J. Johnson
*) "Rain And Tears" written by Evangelos Papathanassiou & Gerard Bergman

[Part 1]

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