When is it most difficult to show patience?

The ability to show patience characterises a person as being very strong in spirit and morally stable. In a state of anger or a nervous breakdown, he is able to restrain himself and control his emotions.

Those who find themselves in a difficult life situation need to soften their hearts and gain strength to endure hardships. If a person can show patience, it will be much easier for him to go through these trials.

Usually, when difficulties arise, a person begins to get indignant, cry or scream but the manifestation of patience does not only consist in restraining indignation and lamentation. Each person must steadfastly face any problems and disasters, resort to the help of the Almighty and realize that everything happens according to His will.

All people want to be happy and want problems and disasters to bypass them. But almost every person perceives the concept of “happiness” in their own way.

The most difficult situation in which to show patience is for someone who is always doing well and has no problems in life. As we know from the history of mankind, people have had to face various difficulties and trials throughout the centuries, and in most cases, mankind has overcome them with dignity.

In such difficult periods, those who had the opportunity did not leave others without help. The most recent example of such mutual assistance is the recent period of the pandemic, which made many people around the world worry.

Unfortunately, people’s memory is too short, and we are already beginning to forget about those difficulties. However, the older generation, our grandparents, had to go through much more difficult trials in order to stay alive. They did not even dream of a good life in abundance, because their only task was to survive.

Undoubtedly, those who have endured such difficult trials will find it much easier to show patience in problems and difficulties that the modern generation considers as being almost disasters.

Even a temporary shutdown of the internet, electricity, water, gas, etc. may become a big problem for a modern person and for some - a terrible catastrophe. But in the lives of previous generations, many of these benefits of civilization did not exist at all!

Do we remember that our ancestors had an unbearable life, but they were patient and did not complain about those conditions? What lessons can we learn from this?

Islam commands those who are experiencing difficulties to be patient. And in order to make it easier to be patient and endure trials, they should look at those who have suffered worse calamities than they have and reflect on their situation. If a person soberly assesses his situation and looks at those who are in a worse situation than he is, it will become much easier for him to be patient. But if he looks at those who are in a better situation and thinks about how bad he is and how good others are, then it will be much more difficult for him to be patient.

No matter what situation a person finds himself in, he should not be indignant and say that his life is hard, because there were and are people who can only dream of a life like his. In any case, there will always be someone who is worse off. No matter what difficulties a person may face, today few people are deprived of food, many have a place to live and something to wear but people do not stop complaining about their lives, thereby showing ingratitude.

Some people have a “talent” to look for and find problems even where there are none. Many create difficulties for themselves and others out of nowhere and, supposedly solving these “global” problems, they push the rest, no matter how important it is, into the background. And all this is accompanied by endless whining.

If those who have problems think about it, they will realize that many of their so-called problems are not problems at all and that they are insignificant, meaningless and not worth our attention. Then these people will feel much better.

But many, instead of being patient and thanking the Almighty Creator for His mercies and blessings with which He bestowed them, turn all their attention to the unsightly sides of life. This is what prevents people from being happy.

Nurmukhammad Izudinov

Theologian