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FACTORS INSPIRING PATIENCE AND PERSERVANCE
It is natural for sensible and mild-tempered people to meditate deeply on the factors that inspired
those early Muslims that miraculous constancy and perseverance. It is n ormal to wonder how those
people managed to tolerate unspeakable persecutions, and stand fast in the face of tyrannical
tortures. With respect to these questions, we deem it wise just to touch on those underlying
reasons:
1. Unshakable Belief in Allâh. The first and foremost factor is no doubt, unshakable Belief in
Allâh Alone coupled with a wonderful degree of perception of His Attributes. A man with this
Belief deeply averred in his heart will look at those foreseen difficulties as triflings and can
under no circumstance compare with the sweetness of Belief:
·
“Then, as for the foam, it passes away as scum upon the banks, while that which is for
the good of mankind remains in the earth.” [13:17]
Other sub-factors that branch out from that Belief and assist in strengthening it and
promoting long amity are:
2. Wholeheartedly-loved leadership. Muhammad (Peace be upon him) the great leader of the
Muslim community, and mankind at large, was an exemplary man in his perfect manners
and noble attributes; no one could measure up to his endowments of nobility, honesty,
trustworthiness and abstinence; unanimously and uncontestedly acknowledged even by his
enemies. Abu Jahl himself, the great enemy of Islam, used repeatedly to say: “O
Muhammad (Peace be upon him), we are in no position to belie you, we rather disbelieve
what you have brought us (Islam).” It is narrated that three people of Quraish each
separately and secretly listened to some verses of the Noble Qur’ân. Later, this secret was
uncovered and one of them asked Abu Jahl (one of the three) what he thought of what he
heard from Muhammad (Peace be upon him). He answered: We contested the honour of
leadership and generosity with Banu ‘Abd Munaf and shared equal privileges competitively.
They then began to boast saying that a Prophet rose among them whom Revelation came
down upon from heavens. I swear we will never believe in him.
·
So Allâh said:
“… It is not you that they deny, but it is the Verses (the Qur’ân) of Allâh that the
Zâlimûn
(polytheists and wrong-doers) deny.” [6:33]
One day, the disbelievers of Quraish leveled to him a cynical remark three times. He
remained silent but for the third one he remarked, “O Quraish! Slaughter is in store for
you.” They were taken aback and ulterior fear filled their hearts to such an extent that the
most hostile among them began to make up for their insult by the best friendly terms they
could afford. When they slung the entrails of a camel on him while prostrating himself in
prayer, he invoked Allâh’s wrath on them, and they immediately were caught in an
inexpressible state of worry and were almost convinced that they would be destroyed. Ubai
bin Khalaf used always to threaten he would kill Muhammad (Peace be upon him). One day
the Prophet (Peace be upon him) retorted that he would kill him by Allâh’s Will. When Ubai
received a scratch in his neck, on the day of Uhud, he, under the sense of horror,
remembered the Prophet’s words and remarked, “I am convinced he would be able to kill
me even if he spat on me.
” Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh said to Omaiyah bin Khalaf in Makkah, “I heard
the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) one day say that the Muslims would surely kill
you.” Omaiyah was extremely panicked and swore he would never step out of Makkah. Even
when Abu Jahl obliged him to march with them to fight the Prophet (Peace be upon him) on
the day of Badr, he bought the best and swift camels in Makkah in order that they hasten
his escape. Even his wife warned him against going out reminding him of Sa‘d’s words, his
reply was “By Allâh, I have no intention of going out with Quraish, I will disengage from
them after a short distance.”
That was the clear sense of horror and terror haunting his enemies wherever they were. His
friends and companions, on the other hand, held him dearest to them, and he occupied the
innermost cells of their hearts. They were always ready to defend him and secure his well-
being even at the risk of their lives. One day, Abu Bakr bin Abi Quhafa was severely beaten
by ‘Utbah bin Rabi‘a, a terrible polytheist. His whole body was almost bleeding and he was
on the verge of death, yet when his people took him back home extremely indignant at his
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