Patience, Impatience and to Acknowledge (the Reality of) Death

مِثْلَهُ.

Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ‘Amr ibn ‘Uthman from abu Jamilah, from Jabir from abu Ja‘far (a.s.), a similar Hadith

إِنَّ الصَّبْرَ وَ الْبَلَاءَ يَسْتَبِقَانِ‌ إِلَى الْمُؤْمِنِ فَيَأْتِيهِ الْبَلَاءُ وَ هُوَ صَبُورٌ[1] وَ إِنَّ الْجَزَعَ وَ الْبَلَاءَ يَسْتَبِقَانِ إِلَى الْكَافِرِ فَيَأْتِيهِ الْبَلَاءُ وَ هُوَ جَزُوعٌ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that patience and misfortune race toward a believing person but misfortune finds him exercising patience. Outcry and impatience race toward an unbeliever person and misfortune finds him in outcry and impatience.”

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ ضَرْبُ الْمُسْلِمِ يَدَهُ عَلَى فَخِذِهِ عِنْدَ الْمُصِيبَةِ إِحْبَاطٌ لِأَجْرِهِ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah has said, ‘If a Muslim strikes his hand against his thigh due to suffering and sorrow, it causes his deeds to become void and fruitless.’”

مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ يُصَابُ بِمُصِيبَةٍ فَيَسْتَرْجِعُ عِنْدَ ذِكْرِهِ الْمُصِيبَةَ وَ يَصْبِرُ حِينَ تَفْجَأُهُ إِلَّا غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ وَ كُلَّمَا ذَكَرَ مُصِيبَتَهُ فَاسْتَرْجَعَ عِنْدَ ذِكْرِ الْمُصِيبَةِ غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ كُلَّ ذَنْبٍ اكْتَسَبَ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُمَا[3].

5. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from ‘Abd Allah ibn Sinan from Ma’ruf ibn Kharrabuz who has said the following: “Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said, ‘Whoever of the servants (of Allah) after suffering a misfortune, upon recalling any of his suffering and sorrow, acknowledges it and exercise

مَنْ ذَكَرَ مُصِيبَتَهُ وَ لَوْ بَعْدَ حِينٍ فَقَالَ‌ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَ إِنَّا إِلَيْهِ راجِعُونَ‌ وَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعالَمِينَ* اللَّهُمَّ آجِرْنِي عَلَى مُصِيبَتِي وَ أَخْلِفْ عَلَيَّ أَفْضَلَ مِنْهَا كَانَ لَهُ مِنَ الْأَجْرِ مِثْلُ مَا كَانَ عِنْدَ أَوَّلِ صَدْمَةٍ[5].

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that if one recalls his suffering a misfortune even after a long time and says, ‘To Allah we belong and to Him we return, all praise belongs to Allah Lord of the worlds; O Lord, grant me favors for my suffering a misfortune and replace my losses with something better,’ his reward for th

يَا إِسْحَاقُ لَا تَعُدَّنَّ مُصِيبَةً أُعْطِيتَ عَلَيْهَا الصَّبْرَ وَ اسْتَوْجَبْتَ عَلَيْهَا مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ الثَّوَابَ إِنَّمَا الْمُصِيبَةُ الَّتِي يُحْرَمُ صَاحِبُهَا أَجْرَهَا وَ ثَوَابَهَا إِذَا لَمْ يَصْبِرْ عِنْدَ نُزُولِهَا.

“Abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that, O Ishaq, do not count a misfortune in which you were granted patience, thus you deserved reward from Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious. A misfortune is that in which due to acting impatiently, one is deprived of rewards for that suffering.”

لَا يَنْبَغِي الصِّيَاحُ عَلَى الْمَيِّتِ وَ لَا شَقُّ الثِّيَابِ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that it is not advisable to cry loudly for a deceased or teardown one’s clothes.”

قَالَ: ضَرْبُ الرَّجُلِ يَدَهُ عَلَى فَخِذِهِ عِنْدَ الْمُصِيبَةِ إِحْبَاطٌ لِأَجْرِهِ.

“Abu al-Hassan the first (a.s.) said, ‘A man’s striking his hand on his thigh, when suffering a misfortune, causes suspension of his rewards for his suffering.’”

كُنَّا عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ فَشَكَا إِلَيْهِ مُصِيبَةً أُصِيبَ بِهَا فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع أَمَا إِنَّكَ إِنْ تَصْبِرْ تُؤْجَرْ وَ إِلَّا تَصْبِرْ يَمْضِ عَلَيْكَ قَدَرُ اللَّهِ الَّذِي قَدَّرَ عَلَيْكَ وَ أَنْتَ مَأْزُورٌ[2].

“We were in the presence of abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), when a man came and complained before him about a misfortune that he had suffered. Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), said, ‘If you exercise patience, you will be rewarded and if you do not exercise patience, Allah’s system of working of things will apply to you without change and

أَتَيْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع أَعُودُ ابْناً لَهُ فَوَجَدْتُهُ عَلَى الْبَابِ فَإِذَا هُوَ مُهْتَمٌّ حَزِينٌ فَقُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ كَيْفَ الصَّبِيُّ فَقَالَ وَ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لِمَا بِهِ‌[3] ثُمَّ دَخَلَ فَمَكَثَ سَاعَةً ثُمَّ خَرَجَ إِلَيْنَا وَ قَدْ أَسْفَرَ وَجْهُهُ‌[4] وَ ذَهَبَ التَّغَيُّرُ وَ الْحُزْنُ قَالَ فَطَمِعْتُ أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدْ صَلَحَ الصَّبِيُّ فَقُلْتُ كَيْفَ الصَّبِيُّ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ فَقَالَ

“Once I visited abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), to also visit his son who was ill. I met him at the door and he was sorrowful and depressed. I asked, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service of your cause, how is your child?’ He replied, ‘By Allah, he is about to die.’ He then went inside the house and after a while came back to us,

لَا يَصْلُحُ الصِّيَاحُ عَلَى الْمَيِّتِ وَ لَا يَنْبَغِي وَ لَكِنَّ النَّاسَ لَا يَعْرِفُونَهُ وَ الصَّبْرُ خَيْرٌ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that howling for a deceased is not proper, and it should not happen but people do not know. Exercising patience is better.”

كُنْتُ جَالِساً عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فَصَرَخَتْ صَارِخَةٌ مِنَ الدَّارِ فَقَامَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع ثُمَّ جَلَسَ فَاسْتَرْجَعَ وَ عَادَ فِي حَدِيثِهِ حَتَّى فَرَغَ مِنْهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّا لَنُحِبُّ أَنْ نُعَافَى فِي أَنْفُسِنَا وَ أَوْلَادِنَا وَ أَمْوَالِنَا فَإِذَا وَقَعَ الْقَضَاءُ فَلَيْسَ لَنَا أَنْ نُحِبَّ مَا لَمْ يُحِبَّ اللَّهُ لَنَا.

13. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Hammad ibn ‘Isa from Al-Husayn ibn al-Mukhtar from ‘Ala’ ibn Kamil who has said the following: “Once, I was sitting with abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), when someone inside the house began to cry loudly. Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), stood up and then sat down saying, ‘To Allah we

كَانَ قَوْمٌ أَتَوْا أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع فَوَافَقُوا صَبِيّاً لَهُ مَرِيضاً فَرَأَوْا مِنْهُ اهْتِمَاماً وَ غَمّاً وَ جَعَلَ لَا يَقِرُّ[1] قَالَ فَقَالُوا وَ اللَّهِ لَئِنْ أَصَابَهُ شَيْ‌ءٌ إِنَّا لَنَتَخَوَّفُ أَنْ نَرَى مِنْهُ مَا نَكْرَهُ قَالَ فَمَا لَبِثُوا أَنْ سَمِعُوا الصِّيَاحَ عَلَيْهِ فَإِذَا هُوَ قَدْ خَرَجَ عَلَيْهِمْ مُنْبَسِطَ الْوَجْهِ فِي غَيْرِ الْحَالِ الَّتِي كَانَ عَلَيْهَا فَقَالُوا لَهُ جَعَلَنَ

“Once a group of people came to visit abu Ja’far (a.s.), to find out how one of his children suffering from illness was doing. They found him deeply concerned, grieved and restless. The narrator has said that they said, ‘By Allah, if something happens to him (the child), we are afraid we will see something from him (th