Patience is the key to success as we see throughout the Quran. Allah points us towards this virtue repeatedly as He, the Most Merciful knows that we need this skill to get through the challenges of life. But so often we find it a difficult to actually practice.

So how can you become patient when you need it the most? Islam show us again and again that patience is born out of practice. The way to actually create the skill  of patience is to understand the different types of patience and practice them one at a time. The type of patience you need the most will become clear when you look at what you struggles that you have.  Patience can mean endurance, it can mean self-restraint, it can also mean not giving up, it can also mean to persevere.  Patience at it’s basic level is to stop yourself from doing or saying anything and give yourself time to think and digest what you’re dealing with.

In this short lesson on patience we will look at how you can nurture some of the most important characteristics of the Patient ones. But I want you to understand the importance of Patience in Islam, as Allah swt congratulates the Sabiroon (the Patient ones) He says:

Wa Bashiroo Sabiroon

“And Give glad tidings to the Patient ones”

Surat Al Baqarah, 155

Glad tidings is the news of Success and paradise in the hereafter. Patience will bring you the greatest gifts in the life of this world and the eternal hereafter. So you can imagine how great this skill and virtue is.

Ok so let’s take a look at the two most important types of patience that we all need.

The First Type of Patience is Perseverance

Perseverance, or better way of putting it, maybe, is to never give up. Now one of the characteristics of the muttaqun, the elite Muslims was that they would never give up on the things that they set out to do.

We go back to the verse where Allah subhanahu-wa-tala says in Surah Aali Imran, 110:

“Kuntum-khairu-umatin-ukhrijat-linas”

“You are the best of nations; you’re from the best of nations that you were taken out to be the best of examples for Humanity”

So the ‘Muttaqun’, they became the best of examples by never giving up, by always striving.

Allah-subhanahu-wa-tala says in surah Al-Baqarah, 245:

“Wastaeenu-bisabri-wasalat. Wainaha-lakabiratun-ila-alal-khashieen”

And Seek help with patience and prayer, indeed it is a difficult thing except upon those who are humbly submissive (to Allah).

So we’re being told to seek the help of Allah using these two things two of the greatest tools we have available to us. These are the two things that will give you the greatest success that you could attain.

• The first one is patience, and another word for that is perseverance, to continue striving towards something.
• And the second one is Dua, asking the Only One who can give you anything you desire.

If you’ve failed before in something that you really wanted to do and you’ve never returned to it, it’s not because you’re a failure. It’s human nature that we become disappointed and we give up.

However, it’s also from the Waswas (constant whispers) of the Shaytan. When you’re trying to do something good, the Shaytan come to you and whispers to you that you’re not doing so good, you’re really bad at this or you’re failing. These constant thoughts cause us to give up and stop.

I want to tell you here that you are not from the failures of this world. Because you haven’t succeeded at doing something before, doesn’t mean you’re not going to succeed again. And as for patience, patience is not just by giving it a shot and then waiting for it to happen, and then when it doesn’t happen you give up, that’s not patience.

Patience is that you persevere, you continue to try and you change your methods, you change your ways. If something is not working, try something else. But you continue to strive until you gain what you want. Now that is patience.

Second type of Patience is Making Continuous Dua

So Allah-subhanahu-wa-tala says:

“Wastaeenu-bisabri-wasalat”

And Salah is this verse means Dua as the explainers of Quran inform us.

Now if you took all the action in the world and you tried everything you could do but it doesn’t bring the results you want. You need to realise you’ve only done have whats necessary. You and I are limited. We have a limited capability but Allah subhanahu-wa-tala is limitless, Allah subhanahu-wa-tala can give us anything that we ask for.

So Allah subhanahu-wa-tala says, seek the help of Allah through taking action, persevering with it, being steadfast. And secondly through asking Allah, make dua, do extra ‘nawafil’, do extra ‘Prayers’ not just your 5 Daily prayers.

Ask Allah-subhanahu-wa-tala, and whatever you persistently ask for, Allah subhanahu-wa-tala would give it to you because ultimately Dua is the key to everything.

Dua Makes You Limitless:

You and I, as I’ve said already, we are limited in our abilities, but what if you could expand your capability. If Allah answers your dua, even if you we’re not able to do it previously, you can do it now.

We know that the ‘Muttaqun’, they were people who would seek the aid of Allah by taking action, by being continuous and persevering and being patient in that. They also coupled their action with asking Allah, because Allah is the one who gives us success and the highest status.

So, they achieve the highest status and Insha’Allah Tala we should strive to attain every goal we have in the same way.

So this is it, Action and Dua. These two things, coupled together, they will make anything and everything happen for you.

Ask yourself, Am I taking Action continuously? And am I asking Allah continuously?

If you are falling short in one of these two types of patience, then I recommend getting started immediately as Allah will give you whatever is good for you, but you’ve got to ask and take action trying to attain it.

Remember patience in this case means to continue seeking it without giving up. It WILL NOT come to you immediately. Sometimes we have to learn many great lessons before Allah gives us the things we’re after.

Let’s do this, let’s become superhuman, let’s become the ‘Muttaqun’, let’s become the highest achievers, the best of the bests.

You can do this, Allah believes in you.