Patience and the Human Self

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وَقِيلَ الْصَّبْرُ شَجَاعَةُ الْنَّفْسِ

It has been said that patience is the courage of the soul.

وَمِنْ هَا هُنَا أَخْذُ الْقَائِلَ قَوْلِهِ الشَجَاعَةِ صَبْرُ سَاعَةٍ

And from here the speaker adopted the saying: "Bravery is patience for an hour."

وَقِيلَ الصَّبْرُ ثَبَاتُ القَلْبِ عِنْدَ مَوَارِدِ الاِضْطِرَابِ

And it was said that patience is the steadiness of the heart in moments of disturbance.

وَالصَّبْرِ وَالْجُزْعِ ضِدَّانِ

Patience and agitation are opposites.

وَلِهَذَا يُقَابِلُ أَحَدُهُمَا بِالْآخَرِ

And for this reason, one of them corresponds with the other.

قَالَ تَعَالَى عَنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ

God, the Exalted, said concerning the people of the Fire.

سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْنَا أَجْزَعَنَا أَمْ صَبْرِنَا

It makes no difference to us whether we panic or remain patient.

مَا لَنَا مِنْ مَحِيصٍ

There is no refuge for us.

وَالْجُزْعُ قَرِينُ الْعَجْزِ وَشَقِيقِهِ

And despair is the companion and the brother of weakness.

وَالصَّبْرُ قَرِينُ الْكَيِّسِ وَمَادَّتُهُ

Patience is the companion of the prudent and his very substance.

فَلَوْ سُئِلَ الْجُزْعُ مِنْ أَبِيكِ لَقَالَ الْعَجْزَ

So if impatience were asked by your father, it would say helplessness.

وَلَوْ سُئِلَ الْكَيْسُ مِنْ أَبِيكِ لَقَالَ الصَّبْرَ

And if the prudent one were asked by your father, he would say patience.

وَالنَّفْسُ مَطِيَّةُ الْعَبْدِ الَّتِي يَسِيرُ عَلَيْهَا إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ أَوِ النَّارِ

And the soul is the servant's mount on which he rides to Paradise or Hell.

وَالصَّبْرُ لَهَا بِمَنْزِلَةٍ الْخِطَامِ وَالزِّمَامِ لِلْمَطِيَّةِ

And patience for it is like the bit and the rein for the mount.

فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِلْمَطِيَّهِ خِطَامٌ وَلَا زِمَامٌ شَرِدَتْ فِي كُلِّ مَذْهَبٍ

If the mount had neither a bridle nor a rein, it ran off in every direction.

وَحِفْظٍ مِنْ خُطَبٍ الحجاج اِقْدَعُوا هَذِهِ النُّفُوسُ

And it protects these souls from the speeches of the crowds.

فَإِنَّهَا طَلْعَةٌ إِلَى كُلِّ سُوْءٍ

For it is a step toward every evil.

فَرَحِمَ اللَّهُ امْرَأً جَعَلَ لِنَفْسِهِ خِطَامًا وَزِمَامًا

May God have mercy on the man who made for his self a bridle and a rein.

فاقادها بِخِطَامِهَا إِلَى طَاعَةِ اللَّهِ

So he led it by its bridle to the obedience of God.

وَصَرْفُهَا بِزِمَامِهَا عَنْ مَعَاصِيِ اللَّهِ

And he turned it away with its rein from disobediences of God.

فَإِنَّ الصَّبْرَ عَنْ مَحَارِمِ اللَّهِ أَيْسَرُ مِنَ الصَّبْرِ عَلَى عَذَابِهِ

Indeed, patience from forbidden things of God is easier than patience upon His punishment.

قُلْتُ وَالنَّفْسُ فِيهَا قُوَّتَانِ قُوَّةُ الإِقْدَامِ وَقُوَّةُ الإِحْجَامِ

I said, and the soul, in it are two powers: the power of taking action and the power of refraining.

فَحَقِيقَةُ الصَّبْرِ أَنْ يَجْعَلَ قُوَّةَ الإِقْدَامِ مَصْرُوفَةً إِلَى مَا يُنْفِعُهُ

The reality of patience is to direct the power of taking action toward what benefits him.

وَقُوَّةَ الإِحْجَامِ إِمْسَاكًا عَمَّا يَضُرُّهُ

And the power of refraining is holding back from what harms him.

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ تَكُونُ قُوَّةُ صَبْرِهِ عَلَى فِعْلٍ مَا يَنْتَفِعُ بِهِ

And among the people are those whose strong patience is directed toward doing what benefits them.

وَثَبَاتُهُ عَلَيْهِ أَقْوَى مِنْ صَبْرِهِ عَمَّا يَضُرُّهُ

And his steadfastness in it is stronger than his patience regarding what harms him.

فَيَصْبِرُ عَلَى مِشْقَةِ الطَّاعَةِ

So he endures the hardship of obedience.

وَلَا صَبْرُ لَهُ عَنْ داعي هواه إِلَى اِرْتِكَابٍ مَا نُهِىَ عَنْهُ

And he has no patience to resist the urging of his desire to commit what he was forbidden to do.

وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ تَكُونُ قُوَّةُ صَبْرِهِ عَنْ الْمُخَالَفَاتِ أَقْوَى

And among them are those whose patience in refraining from transgressions is stronger.

مَنْ صَبَرَ عَلَى مِشْقَةِ الطَّاعَاتِ

Whoever endures the hardship of acts of worship.

وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَا صَبْرَ لَهُ عَلَى هَذَا وَلَا ذَاكَ

And among them are some who have no patience for either this or that.

وَأَفْضَلُ النَّاسِ أَصْبَرُهُمْ عَلَى النَّوْعَيْنِ

The best of people are those among them who are most patient regarding the two kinds.

فَكَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ يَصْبِرُ عَلَى مُكَابَدَةِ قِيَامِ اللَّيْلِ فِي الْحَرِّ وَالْبَرْدِ

Many people endure the hardship of standing in prayer at night in heat and cold.

وَعَلَى مَشَقَّةِ الصِّيَامِ

And on the hardship of fasting.

وَلَا يَصْبِرُ عَنِ نَظْرَةٍ مُحَرَّمَةٍ

and he cannot refrain from a forbidden glance.

وَكَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ يَصْبِرُ عَنْ النَّظَرِ

Many people refrain from looking.

وَعَنْ الاِلْتِفاتِ إِلَى الصُّوَرِ

And concerning turning toward images.

وَلَا صَبْرٌ لَهُ عَلَى الْأَمْرِ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَالنَّهْيِ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ

And he has no patience for enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong.

وَجِهَادُ الْكَافِرِينَ وَالْمُنَافِقِينَ

and fighting the disbelievers and the hypocrites

بَلْ هُوَ أَضْعَفُ شَيْءٍ عَنْ هَذَا وَ أَعْجَزُهُ

Rather, he is less inclined toward this and even more incapable of it.

وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا صَبْرَ لَهُ عَلَى وَاحِدٍ مِنَ الأَمَرَّيْنِ

Most of them have no patience for either of the two matters.

وَأَقَلُّهُمْ أَصْبَرُهُمْ فِي الْمَوْضِعَيْنِ

And the fewest among them are the most patient in both cases.

وَقِيلَ الصَّبْرُ ثَبَاتٌ بَاعِثٌ الْعَقْلِ وَالْدِّينِ فِي مُقَابَلَةِ بَاعِثِ الْهَوَى وَالشَّهْوَةُ

It is said that patience is the steadiness that serves as the driving force of reason and religion in opposing the impulses of desire and lust.

وَمَعْنَى هَذَا أَنَّ الطَّبْعَ يَتَقَاضَى مَا يَحِبُّ

And the meaning of this is that the natural disposition takes what it loves.

وَبَاعِثٌ العقل وَالْدَيِّنُ يَمْنَعُ مِنْهُ

And the prompting of reason and religion prevents him from it.

وَالْحَرْبُ قَائِمَةٌ بَيْنَهُمَا

And the war between the two of them continues.

وَهُوَ سِجَالٌ وَمُحَرِّكُ هَذِهِ الْحَرْبِ قَلْبُ الْعَبْدِ

And it is a contention, and the heart of the servant is what stirs up this war.

وَالصَّبْرُ وَالشَّجَاعَةُ وَالثَّبَاتُ

And patience, courage, and steadfastness.