Patience and Gratitude
Volume 4: Things That Save
Faith is a whole composed of two main parts: one is patience (ṣabr), the other gratitude (shukr). Patience and gratitude are not merely moral virtues; they are also manifestations of God's names aṣ-Ṣabūr (The Most Patient) and ash-Shakūr (The Most Appreciative). Patience is the struggle to uphold the commands of religion against the soul's desires; gratitude is the awareness of recognizing the true owner of a blessing and using that blessing in a manner pleasing to Him. Man's spiritual journey is shaped by knowledge (maʿrifa) of these two concepts. Not knowing the reality of patience and gratitude means being heedless of the essence of faith and of the attributes of the All-Merciful.
Summary
Faith is a whole composed of two main parts: one is patience, the other gratitude.
Sections
1. The Reality of Patience and the Mechanism of Inner Struggle
Patience, according to the source text, is one army's steadfastness against another army. The human soul is the battlefield of two fundamental powers:
- Advocate of Carnal Desire (Hevā-i Nefis Teşvikçisi): A power nourished by animal instincts, lust, and anger that directs man only toward momentary pleasures and the soul's desires.
- Advocate of Religion (Din Teşvikçisi): A power God granted to man through his nobility, supported by angels, acting by the light of reason and guidance.
Patience is the advocate of religion's steadfastness against the army of lust and the soul, and its victory over it. In this process the heart stands at a point of choice between the help of angels (the recording angels on the right and left) or the whisperings of devils.
2. Patience and Gratitude as Half of Faith
The division of faith into patience and gratitude is explained from two different perspectives:
| Perspective | Role of Patience | Role of Gratitude | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Practical Dimension | Acting according to the requirements of certainty (yaqīn), overcoming obstacles. | Performing acts of worship while recognizing their benefit. | | State Dimension | The stance shown toward harmful and unpleasant situations. | The joy and acknowledgment shown toward beneficial and blessed situations. |
3. The Types and Degrees of Patience
The text classifies patience under different names according to the matter at hand and the response shown:
- Chastity (ʿiffa): Patience against the lust of the stomach and the sexual organ.
- Forbearance (ḥilm): Swallowing anger and showing gentleness.
- Asceticism (zuhd): Withdrawing from worldly ambitions and the hardships of old age.
- Valor (shajāʿa): Heroism shown in battle and at moments of difficulty.
- Discretion (ketūmiyya): Patience in keeping a secret.
Patience is also divided into physical (bearing illness and fatigue) and spiritual (resistance to the soul's desires). Spiritual patience is described as "beautiful patience" (ṣabr jamīl), the touchstone of the sharīʿa.
4. The Lesser Resurrection: The Reality of Death
The text defines death as the "lesser resurrection," treating the human body like a universe simulation. Every terror that will occur in the great resurrection takes place on an individual level at the moment of death:
- The body's shaking is the earth's shaking.
- The scattering of bones is the mountains being shattered.
- The heart's darkening is the sun's eclipse.
- The loss of senses is the stars going out.
5. The Three Pillars of Gratitude: Knowledge, State, and Action
Gratitude is not merely saying "al-ḥamdulillāh" with the tongue; it is a three-stage process: 1. Knowledge (ʿilm): Knowing that the true and sole owner of a blessing is Allah, and that means (people, causes) are only "treasurers" appointed by Him. 2. State (ḥāl): Rejoicing not in the blessing itself but in the care and love of the Bestower of blessings (al-Munʿim). 3. Action (ʿamal): Using the organs, wealth, and means God has given in deeds He loves, and keeping them away from acts of disobedience to Him.
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Key concepts
- Maʿrifa (Knowledge)
- Fundamental and essential knowledge firmly established in the heart.
- States
- Inner dispositions born of maʿrifa.
- Actions
- Deeds that are the fruit of states.
- Advocate of Religion
- Power supported by angels, directing toward the truth through guidance and reason.
- Advocate of Carnal Desire
- Power supported by devils, directing toward transient pleasures through lust and anger.