Asalaam
alaikum warahmatulah wabarakatuh
Allah
mentions this statement many times in the Qur’an:
إِنَّ
ذَلِكَ مِنْ
عَزْمِ
الْأُمُورِ
Certainly that is from the
noble tasks. [Luqman
31:17], [aal Imraan 3:186].
When this statement
occurs in the Qur'an, it is always in reference to Sabr
(patience).
However, when this statement appears in Surah
Shoora (42:43), something different occurs that does not in all
the other ayaat. Allah (azza wa jal) states:
إِنَّ
ذَ*ٰلِكَ
لَمِنْ
عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ
Truly
that is certainly
from the noble tasks.
(Shoora 42:43)
This ayah is a special case because
there is an extra letter, a laam. This laam is for
emphasis: certainly. But
why does this ayah have more emphasis, but the rest of the similar
ayaat on patience do not? Because there areTwo different types
of patience (sabr) being referenced
for these two ayaat:
The
Two types of
Patience
There are many types of sabr
[patience] in this deen/religion, but they all fall into two basic
categories:
When something happens to you and you do not have the power to respond.
When something happens to you and you have the power to respond and take action (ie, revenge/retaliate).
In situations when you cannot take
take action, it is still a great thing to have patience. For example
the Sahaba [companions
of Prophet Muhammad] in Makkah, they did
not have the power to retaliate but Allah ta’ala still commanded
them to have patience and He praised those
who were patient.
Also with the Battle of Uhud or Ahzaab, they did not have the power
to retaliate but still had patience in their situation.
2)
Then the Conquest of Makkah occured, and those who overpowered the
Sahaba before, those who kicked them out of their homes, those who
tortured them and their families were right there–the Sahaba were
easily able to take revenge. Does THAT not require sabr? Which
sabr/patience is more difficult? It is
the sabr that one practices when
they have the ABILITY to take revenge and retaliate, but they do
not!
Which is the Best
Patience?
Allah
ta’ala mentioned in the same ayah before that statement:وَلَمَنْ
صَبَرَ وَغَفَرَ
“and for the one
who has patience and forgives” [Shura 42:43] This
person could have had sabr, and retaliated BUT they had sabr and
chose to forgive…so this ayah, the only time it occurs in the
Qur’an, gets an extra laam.
وَلَمَنْ
صَبَرَ وَغَفَرَ إِنَّ ذَ*ٰلِكَ
لَمِنْ
عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ
“And
surely, whosoever shows patience and forgives that would truly
be from the noble tasks” (Shura 42:43)
If
you have the upper
hand and you are in a position
to retaliate and respond, but you
chose to forgive – that
is the harder sabr,
and truly from the noble tasks.