By Warda Krimi

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu brothers and sisters.

In Surat Yusuf we see a gifted young man thrown in prison for years under a false accusation. Imagine how he must have felt, confined within those dark, dirty stone walls for years, suffering loneliness and hunger!

It may be hard to believe it, but Allah (swt) was actually with this man at every step, delivering him from sin and death and in the end setting him in high estate.

A few weeks ago our sister Towheed Fatma wrote a wonderful article about prayer and patience. Today we’d like to expand on that topic by talking about how studying Salah and Quran teach us to be patient.

The Quran teaches patience by 1). commanding it; 2). modeling it; and 3). instilling it in us through study and recitation.

1). The Quran clearly teaches us that patience is an important virtue that will be rewarded.

And those who observe patience in order to seek the pleasure of their Lord and establish Salah and spend secretly and openly from what We have given to them, and repel evil with good. Those are the ones for whom there is the ultimate abode, The eternal gardens they enter, and those as well who are righteous from their fathers, spouses, and progeny. The angels will enter onto them from every gate Saying, “Peace on you for the patience you observed. So, how excellent is the ultimate abode.”                ~Quran, Al-Rad 13:22-24

2). The Quran provides us with many examples of patient slaves of Allah (swt)— those who withstood terrible conditions for long periods but who remained faithful and obedient to Allah (swt)— including Yusuf, Maryam, Yakoub, and Ayoub. Whenever you feel your life is too hard, just read their stories!

The ultimate patience is that of Allah (swt). He leads us gently and compassionately and forgives us when we fail. He doesn’t condemn us when we make mistakes from ignorance as long as we’re sincere in our striving and prayers. Even when we become frustrated with our own failures Allah (swt) surrounds and embraces us with his love and encourages us to keep going.

3). The actual practice of reading and understanding the Quran is an excellent exercise in patience, and this is how we can experience real growth. The more we do it, the easier it gets, and then our task becomes to avoid complacence. Those of us whose mother tongue is not Arabic have a double blessing because we must develop more patience just to learn the language!

Patience is nothing without its companions intention and striving, and all of them are nothing without our sincere prayer that Allah (swt) show us the good road and keep us on it.

Marvelous treasures are waiting for you on this beautiful road. The more you learn Quran, the better you understand Salat, and the better you understand salat, the better you can pray with your whole being— body, heart, and mind.

May Allah (swt) richly bless your study, your understanding, and your deen, bringing you an abundance of patience!