Twenty Reasons for Observing Patience Over Wrongdoing Ibn Taymiyyah
(Sheikh al-Islam)
Translated and introduced by Abuz Zubair
Introduction
Aside from his unsurpassed efforts in reviving the Islamic orthodoxy in
the 7th/8th century, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya is equally admired for
his generous treatment of his friends and particularly his foes. His
laudatory accounts of patience, perseverance, compassion and forgiveness
were recorded by his students, such as Ibn Kathir and Ibn `Abd
al-Hadi in great detail. He was subjected, on numerous occasions, to
horrendous treatment by some of his contemporary judges who were his
staunch theological rivals, belonging to the Ash'arite heretical
sect. He was extradited to Cairo, where he was forced to undergo an
unfair trial and subsequent imprisonment for years, and thereafter
dispatched to Alexandria without any guards in the hope that he may be
killed on his way by bandits. Later, God willed that the de facto ruler
of Egypt, responsible for Ibn Taymiyya's persecution, was removed.
The new ruler admired Ibn Taymiyya greatly and despised the judges who
were close to his predecessor. He thus suggested to Ibn Taymiyya that
the judges who persecuted him be executed. Instead of exacting revenge,
Ibn Taymiyya bravely and publicly spoke in their defence, which resulted
in the preservation of their lives. On this occasion, his chief
adversary, Ibn Makhluf, remarked: "We haven't seen the like of
Ibn Taymiyya. We incited people against him, yet we failed to overpower
him. He overpowered us, yet he forgave us and furthermore argued in our
defence".
It is this strong, selfless, compassionate and forgiving personality
that is Ibn Taymiyya which makes us wonder what precisely went through
his mind the moment he forgave his opponents of such gross misconduct
towards him. It is with the desire to find out the secret behind Ibn
Taymiyya's personification of patience that I decided to translate
Ibn Taymiyya's own words on the topic. The reader should, therefore,
realise that these are the words of one who spent nearly his entire life
suffering at the hands of his adversaries, and demonstrated to us how to
practically forgive and forget, and to rise above the animal instinct of
revenge and retribution.
The treatise is called Qa'idatun fil-Sabr, `A principle
governing patience', which is found in Jami' al-Masa'il,
edited by Muhammad `Uzayr Shams, and published by Dar `Aalam
al-Fawa'id, vol. I page 164
Ibn Taymiyya says:
God has prepared for his believing servants good in every stage. Thus,
the servants are constantly enjoying God's blessings, whether they
experience that which they like or which they dislike. Fate and divine
decree that He has planned for them are like business deals from which
they earn profits, and ways through which they can reach Him. It is
confirmed in an authentic report on the authority of their leader and
guide; the one – when people are called on the Day of Resurrection
by their leaders – his people will be called by him, may God's
peace and blessings be on him; that he said: "Strange is the affair
of a believer. Everything about him is strange! Whatever God decides for
him is always good for him. If he is granted ease he shows gratitude,
and so it is good for him. If he afflicted by hardship he shows
patience, and so it is good for him"[1]
This report applies to all of God's decrees for His believing
servants, and indicates that it is always good for him, if he observes
patience over what he dislikes, and shows gratitude for what he likes.
In fact, this reality is part and parcel of faith. It is, as the
predecessors said: "Faith is in two halves; One half is patience,
and the other half is gratitude", as God has said: "In this are
signs for anyone who strives to observe patience and shows
gratitude"[2]
If one were to consider the religion in its entirety, he would notice
that it all goes back to patience and gratitude. This is because
patience is of three types:
The first type is to observe patience over obedience to God up until its
performance. For one is not able to perform what he is ordered to do
except after observing patience and perseverance, and by struggling
against the hidden and the apparent enemy. It is in proportion to this
observance of patience that one can perform his duties and recommended
actions.
The second type is to observe patience over not performing a forbidden
act. For the soul, its motives, the devil's ploy of beautifying sins
and bad company, all of these call and compel one to commit sins. It is
only in accordance with the strength of one's patience that one can
abstain from the sins. Some of the predecessors have said:
"Righteous deeds are performed by both, the righteous and the
wicked. However, none is able to abstain from sins except a true
servant."
The third type is to observe patience over what afflicts one without
choice. This patience is divided further into two subtypes:
The first subtype: It is when the creation is given no choice, such as
diseases and other such heavenly afflictions. It is easy to observe
patience over such calamities, because the servant witnesses the decree
of God, and that people have no role to play in such cases. Hence, he
resorts to patience, willingly or unwillingly. However, if God ever
inspires one's heart to think of the hidden advantages in a
calamity, and how it is filled with God's bounties and gracefulness,
one moves on from observing patience to showing gratitude over the
calamity and his happiness with it. Such calamity, in his case, turns
into a bounty, where his heart and tongue cannot cease to utter:
"Lord! Help me to remember You, thank You and worship You in the
best of manners"[3] This experience often strengthens and weakens in
accordance with the strength or weakness in one's love of God.
Moreover, one often experiences this in reality, as a poet once said
addressing his beloved who mistreated him:
Even if it pains me that you mistreated me
I am still glad that you remembered me
The second subtype: It is when the afflictions that befall his wealth,
honour or self are the result of the actions of his fellow man. This is
the type over which it is very difficult to observe patience, because
the soul is aware of the one who caused harm; it hates being
overpowered, and therefore, seeks revenge. None is able to observe
patience here except the Prophets and the truthful believers.
Our Prophet – peace and blessings of God be upon him – whenever
he was harmed he said: "May God be merciful with Moses, who was
harmed much more than this, yet he observed patience"[4] He also
informed us of one of the prophets, that when he was beaten by his
people, he said: "O Lord! Forgive my people for they do not
know"[5] It is also reported from the Prophet – may God's
peace and blessings be on him – that he received similar treatment
from his people, and he gave a like response. This reaction combined
three noble actions: i) to forgive the wrong doers, ii) to seek
forgiveness for them, and iii) to excuse them due to their ignorance.
The ultimate result of this type of patience is victory, guidance,
happiness, tranquillity and strength in God's cause, as well as an
increased love of God and people for the one who observes such patience
and an increase in divine knowledge. Hence, God has said: "We made
from amongst them leaders, guided by our orders, when they observed
patience. They surely believed in our signs with certainty."[ 6] For
this reason, leadership in religion is attained by observing patience
and maintaining certain faith. When such patience is coupled with the
strength of one's certainty and faith, the servant is elevated to
the ranks of happiness by God's bounty. "This is the bounty of
God, He gives to whoever He wills. God is the owner of great
bounty"[7] For this reason God has said: "Repel the evil deed
with one which is better, then lo! He, between whom and you there was
enmity (will become) as though he was a bosom friend. But none is
granted it save those who are steadfast, and none is granted it save the
owner of great fortune."[8]
There are several things that help one to observe this type of patience:
One: One should realise that God is the creator of all of His
servants' actions, their movements, their stationary positions and
their volition. Whatever God wills occurs, and whatever He wills not to
happen does not occur. There is not an atom in the heavens above or the
earth below that moves without His permission and His will. Men are
merely tools, so turn instead to the One who unleashed them upon you. Do
not look to their bad actions towards you, and in doing so, you will
alleviate sadness and sorrow.
Two: One should consider his own sins and realise that God only
unleashed the oppressors upon him due to his sins. God has said:
"Whatever calamity befalls you, it is due to what your own hands
have earned. And He forgives much"[9] When one realises that all the
bad that has befallen him is due to his own sins, he becomes busy with
repentance and seeking God's forgiveness from sins due to which He
unleashed his enemies on him, instead of criticising, blaming and
insulting his enemies. When you see a person insulting the people when
they harm him, and not holding himself to account and seeking
forgiveness, then realise that his calamity is, indeed, a real one.
However, if he repents and seeks forgiveness and says: `This is due
to my sins', his calamity turns into a bounty for him. `Ali b.
Abi Talib – may God honour him – once said something very
precious: `Let a man not have hope in anyone except his Lord. Let a
man not fear anyone except his sin'. It is also reported from him
and others: `No calamity befalls except due to a sin, which is not
alleviated except with repentance'
Three: One should contemplate on the good reward which God has promised
to the one who forgives and observes patience. God has said: "The
recompense for an evil is an evil like it. So whoever forgives and
reconciles, then his reward is with God. Surely, He does not love the
oppressors"[ 10] Since people, with respect to retaliation, are of
three types; the oppressor who takes more than what he deserves; the
balanced individual who takes only what he deserves; and the good-doer
who forgives and forgets what he deserves; God mentions these three
types in this verse. The first part of the verse refers to the balanced
ones, the middle part refers to those who outdo others in good deeds,
and the last part refers to the oppressors.
One should also contemplate the call of the caller on the Day of
Resurrection: "Rise the one whose reward is due to God!" No one
would rise except for one who forgave and reconciled. If he then
contemplates on that fact that he may lose out on his reward by seeking
revenge and retribution, it becomes easier for him to observe patience
and to forgive.
Four: One should realise that if he forgives and does good in return, it
gives him a sense of open-heartedness towards his brothers, and cleans
his heart of treachery and malice, the desire to revenge and desiring
ill for others. He tastes the sweetness of forgiving which only
increases and multiplies his joy and gain, be it in the near or distant
future, over any gain he may have attained through revenge. He is
thereby included in God's saying: "And God loves the doers of
good", and thus becomes beloved to God. He is akin to a person from
whom only one dirham was taken, yet he was recompensed with thousands of
dinars. He then becomes overjoyed with what Allah has bestowed him with.
Five: One should know that no one takes revenge for himself except that
he inherits thereby a sense of dishonour. But if he were to forgive, God
would have honoured him. This is what the most truthful person confirmed
as he said: "God does not increase a man, by his action of
forgiveness, except in honour"[11] The honour achieved through
forgiving becomes more beloved and of greater benefit to him than the
honour received through revenge. For the latter may outwardly be
honourable, inwardly, though, it is ignominious, whereas forgiveness may
inwardly be humiliating, but it does yield honour internally and
externally.
Six: This is from the greatest benefits; and it is for one to realise
that the recompense of an evil deed is its like, and that he himself is
an oppressor and a sinner; and that the one who forgives people, God in
turn forgives him; and whoever pardons them, God in turn pardons him.
When one realises that the fact he forgives and pardons them, and
furthermore does good to them, despite of their ill-treatment, is a
cause for God repaying him in the like by forgiving and pardoning him,
and further doing good to him despite of his sins; it becomes easier for
him to then forgive and observe patience. This benefit alone would
suffice any intelligent person.
Seven: One should know that if one busies himself with revenge and
retribution, he wastes his own time, and his heart falls into confusion.
He thereby misses out on many benefits that he may never be able to
achieve again, and perhaps, this becomes a greater calamity for him than
whatever evil that may have befallen him due to men. Yet, if he forgives
and pardons, his heart and limbs are free to achieve his own benefits
that are of greater importance to him than revenge.
Eight: One should realise that his revenge, retribution and championing
the cause of oneself is merely that, championing his own cause; whereas
the Messenger of God – may the peace and the blessings of God be
upon him – never took revenge for himself. If the greatest of
God's creation, the most honourable of them in God's sight, did
not seek revenge for himself, despite the fact that harming him is in
fact harming God; knowing that many religious rights are linked to this
topic; knowing that his self is the most noble, the purest and the most
righteous of all, and the furthest from all bad character, and the
closest to all the good character; yet, despite this, he never sought
revenge for himself. How can then, any of us seek revenge for himself,
while being well aware of ourselves and all the evil and faults that
exist in us. In fact, a person who knows his true value does not
consider himself worthy of taking revenge. For him, his self does not
hold enough value to champion its cause.