Allah's attributes Series: #1 The Most Patient

This Ramadan and beyond one of the tasks I've set for myself is to increase in my love for Allah. And the only way that's going to happen is by getting to know our creators personality. This mini series will feature my internal reflections about each attribute of our creator.



I was thinking to myself the other day, how much do I really love Allah?  How legitimate is my claim? It's a no brainer when we're asked as a Muslim who do you love the most to just blurt out Allah, ofcourse it's the correct answer but it is a very bold claim to make in my opinion. Love takes time. Love takes effort. Love needs understanding and reflection.
In order for us to love something or someone we need to know about them, the more we get to know the deeper in love we fall. And what better way is there to get to know Allah than to look at the way Allah describes himself through his 99 different names. Today I'm going to discuss an attribute that I think is very rarely discussed, and that is the final 99th name of Allah. 

The next time you’re frustrated at yourself falling off track, 
For that dip in iman,
For those sins on your back,
                                 Just remember one of the beautiful names of Allah SWT-

AS SABUR -The most PATIENT

Lets try to imagine the patience of Allah for a second..subhanallah we can’t. 

 As humans if somebody does something wrong a few times we get so frustrated and angry (I’m talking about myself first and foremost here). But not our creator. He stays patient with, and even showers his mercy on those who deny his very existence. Just let that sink in. Wow. As humans we have only experienced human patience.  We should never try to compare human patience to Allah's patience. Allah’s patience is nothing like human patience. Nothing Allah does is like us. He calls himself the MOST patient. His patience is so great that is cannot be imagined or comprehended by our limited understand as human beings. Allah is reminding us by this attribute not to be disheartened, or despair, because he WILL be patient with us.

Let your heart be assured with that. How beautiful is that when you think about it. No matter   how many times we fall of track Allah will be patient with us.

Allah created us and says in the Holy Quran 

                                         “Should he not know what he created?”
This line gives me so much strength. Allah knows and Allah understands our struggles. We don't have to explain them to him. He knows. 

He is reminding us that he knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows it’s in human nature to fall of the track sometimes. In fact it is Allah who make us this way in the first place as a means to test us. I read the other day that the Prophet Muhammad pbuh said..
“Verily, the hearts of the children of Adam, all of them, are between the two fingers of the Most Merciful as one heart. He directs them wherever he wills".
This made me think. If our hearts are in Allah's control, it is he who allows our hearts to be turned towards him and away from him. It's quite a frightening thought really....

But that brings me on to the next point. We need to get off our backsides, stop feeling sorry for ourselves and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Just because we know that Allah is the most patient and the turner of the hearts does not mean that we think we can take advantage of that. It doesn’t mean we should just sit there with low iman letting it consume us waiting for inspiration to come flying our way. We need to strive! This is the true jihad my friends- with ourselves. We need to continuously FIGHT with that cheeky little bugger called our nafs, our ego, that just loves to give into every single desire. Be that anger, lust, greed, laziness. We can’t let it win. We need to face the facts people. We’re going to lose sometimes but the true test lies in fighting against it, no matter how many times we fall down, getting ourselves up again and carrying on.  We need to strive to keep ourselves at an acceptable level of iman  by, at least carrying out our fard duties such as praying our daily prayers and Allah WILL be patient with us. We need to have that intention and determination in our hearts that yes I’m lacking in faith at the moment but I going to strive to get it back. That's when we're most deserving of Allah's patience.

Let me finish with this final thought. Just because you're lacking in iman at the moment does not mean that you're a terrible Muslim or that Allah hates you. Do not let these thoughts cross your mind! This is one of shaiytans tricks. When you’re down and sinning he makes you feel like you’re worthless and that Allah probably hates you. He’ll come up to you like “just give up man you’ll never be a good muslim you might as well carrying on sinning”. NO. Just no. Just because you’re not at the level of faith you want to be at at doesn’t mean you should turn your back on Islam even for a second. Perfection doesn’t exist. By our very definition ‘Insaan’ Allah made us imperfect. He doesn’t expect us to be perfect. All he wants from us is to keep turning back to him no matter what.

 And know that he will be there waiting with open arms because he is AS SABUR- the most patient. 


RS.