Sunni · Compare this tradition with another
Patience always triumphs!
no name given ·
Jamiatul Ulama KZN – Council of Muslim Theologians (Suedafrika) ·
2026-10-21
· Durban
· Source
Patience · main message
Hope · carrying
Repentance
Wahre Geduld ist kein passives Ertragen, sondern ein aktiver, schmerzhafter Kampf, der durch Gottvertrauen das menschliche Leid in göttlichen Sieg und Erleichterung verwandelt.
Wahre Geduld ist wie das Betreten von Glasscherben und das Ersticken deiner Schreie. Während du sitzt und die Stücke von deiner Haut entfernst, brennen Tränen in deinen Augen vor Schmerz, und du lächelst und sagst kein Wort.
Der Text thematisiert die islamische Tugend der Geduld (Sabr) als zentralen Mechanismus, um tiefes menschliches Leid zu ertragen. Er nutzt das Beispiel des Propheten Muhammad, der den Tod seines Sohnes Ibrahim mit stiller Hingabe an Gott annahm, um die Überlegenheit der inneren Ausdauer gegenüber dem physischen Schmerz zu illustrieren. Geduld wird dabei nicht als passives Abwarten, sondern als aktiver, schmerzhafter Kampf gegen die eigenen Emotionen und die Umstände beschrieben. Metaphern wie das Greifen eines Fisches oder das Gehen auf Glasscherben verdeutlichen die Anstrengung, die mit dieser Hingabe verbunden ist. Der Text verknüpft diese innere Haltung mit Koranversen, die Geduld als Weg zu göttlicher Unterstützung und endgültigem Sieg versprechen. Es wird betont, dass Leid und Prüfung im Leben unvermeidbar sind, aber durch Geduld und Gebet in Erleichterung umgewandelt werden können. Die Kernaussage ist, dass wahre Stärke und Glück darin bestehen, Widrigkeiten mit Gottvertrauen und Selbstbeherrschung zu meistern, statt in Verzweiflung zu verfallen.
- What, according to this text, is the root of the evil?
-
Illness, death, and transience as the fundamental problem
- Where does the evil reside?
-
in the heart, the will, or the soul of the individual
- What helps against it?
-
prayer, worship, meditation, repeated practice; inner transformation, repentance, a change of mind
- What is human being according to this text?
-
willed by God, with a task and a responsibility
- Where is history heading?
-
the message stands outside of history
- What does the text base its claim on?
-
on the holy scripture of its own tradition; on the founder or prophet of the tradition
- To whom does the text's call for devotion apply?
-
to one's own fellow believers
- Where is the text's criticism directed?
-
at one's own community and at oneself
Related texts from other traditions
by similarity of the analysis, one text per tradition
What the text calls for
- Geduld üben (inward)
- sich in Reue an Allah wenden (ritual)
- um Erleichterung bitten (ritual)
Passages cited
Koran 3:200 · Koran 41:35 · Koran 103:2-3 · Koran 6:46 · Koran 94:5-6 · Hadith-Muslim
Measured
- Basic stance
- 1 from -2 to 2
- Insistence
- 3 of 3
- Reach
- 1 of 5
- Concreteness
- 2 of 3
- Boundary
- 1 of 3
- Time
- past 2, present 3, future 2
Analysed with qwen/qwen3.8-27b, version v3.
The same standards apply to every tradition, see Values.
Show the full text
The sweetness of Sabr (Patience) outlives grief. Patience is a cup every person has to drink from. There are some types of grief that weigh on the heart, that if they were to be felt by a mountain, that mountain would crumble to the ground…
When The Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (peace be upon him) lost his beloved son Ibrahim, he held his small body in his arms and said “ The eyes send their tears and the heart is saddened, but we do not say anything except that which pleases our Lord. Indeed, O Ibrahim, we are bereaved by your departure from us.” Then he turned his face towards the mountain before him and said, “O mountain! If you were as sorrowful as I am, you would certainly crumble into pieces! But we say what Allah has ordered us: (we are the servants of Allah and we will return to Him; we thank Allah, the Creator of the Universe).” (Ibn-i Sa’d, Tabaqat v.1, p.131-144)
The human heart is just a small, fragile piece of flesh – but with Sabr (patience), it is able to carry the kind of pain that would cause a mountain to disintegrate. Allah Ta’ala says;
“ Oh you who believe! Persevere in patience and constancy. Vie in such perseverance, strengthen each other, and be pious, that you may prosper.” (Qur’an 3:200)
Patience only comes with great struggle and difficulty. It is like trying to grasp and hold onto a strong and fast-swimming fish with your bare hands. You may succeed for a moment or two, but if you are not vigilant, it will escape from grip just as quickly as it came. Really how desperate is our need for patience?!
Patience doesn’t mean to just ‘wait out’ the pain. It doesn’t mean burying your head in the sand until the storm has ended and you can be sure safely re-emerge into life. And patience isn’t peaceful…at least not at first.
True patience is like stepping onto shards of glass and muffling your screams. As you sit and remove the pieces from your skin, tears stinging at your eyes from the pain, you smile and do not say a word.
Patience is like being lit on fire from within, a fire that feels as though it will consume you. And yet you keep walking forward calmly, extending your hand to take cool water from those who offer them in order to quell the flame.
Patience is like treading water in violent seas after your boat has capsized – you are exhausted, but if you stop trying for a moment, you will drown.
Patience is indeed a pillar of great virtue. Allah Ta’ala says; “No one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint, none but persons of the greatest good fortune.” (Qur’an 41:35)
“Verily man is in loss, except such as have faith, and do righteous deeds, and join together in the mutual enjoining of truth, and of patience and constancy.” ( Qur’an 103:2-3)
Patience and success are like twin brothers, for victory comes with patience, relief comes with distress and ease comes with hardship. Its relationship to victory is like that of the head to the body.
In the Qur’aan, Allah Ta’ala has guaranteed those who are patient that He will give them reward without measure. He tells them that He is with them by guiding and supporting them and granting them a clear victory. Allah Ta’ala says;
“Surely, Allaah is with those who are As‑Saabiroon (the patient)” (Qur’an al-Anfaal 6:46)
During times of deep trial, despair and sadness, patience is a fort. Relief and comfort can be found in adhering to Deen. We will most definitely be tried and tested in life, and these trials should be borne with “patience, perseverance and prayer.” Indeed, people before us have suffered and had their faith tested; so too will we be tried and tested in this life but we should not lose hope or feel despondent. Allah Ta’ala says;
“Verily, with every difficulty there is relief” (Qur’an 94:5-6)
When our focus ceases to be solely on ourselves, our pride and our ego, then patience is easier to manifest. No matter what types of adverse conditions prevail, a person who exercises patience will not be at loss. The Messenger of Allah Ta’ala (peace be upon him) said;
“How wonderful is the affairs of the believer, for his affairs are all good, and this applies to no one but the believer. If something good happens to him, he is thankful for it and that is good for him. If something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience and that is good for him. “ (Hadith-Muslim)
So next time you are struck with arrow of grief or caught-up in a storm of difficulties, remember to exercise patience, turn to Allah Ta’ala in repentance and pray to Him for relief… for at the end of every dark tunnel there are rays of light!
By Ibn Abdullah
eislam.co.za