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Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.
Brothers and sisters, we are still in the series of the art of having good thoughts about Allah the Almighty, and we are still building our love for Allah on sound foundations, the first of which is contemplating the names and attributes of Allah the Almighty. We said that if you master dealing with affliction, you will understand the names and attributes of Allah the Almighty more and more through affliction, and this will ultimately lead to turning affliction into a reason to increase love for Allah the Almighty. In the previous episodes, we contemplated Allah's wisdom in affliction, then His affection for His servants through affliction.
Today, we contemplate another attribute of Allah the Almighty. What is this attribute? Sometimes we suffer from a problem that we do not know how long it will last or how much it will worsen. Hope for its disappearance fades in our hearts, and our tongues utter supplications, but we soon feel fear and the specter of despair when we think that our affliction will prolong and intensify. We fear at that moment because we look at the aspects of ourselves and their depths, and we do not find in them anything to rely on to endure if the affliction reaches the feared degree.
We deal with the matter in a mathematical way. If the affliction is a disease that is feared to lead to blindness, for example, you may set the following equation: "I minus sight equals an unhappy person, I cannot imagine life without sight." If your son is in the intensive care unit between life and death, you may set the following equation: "Life minus my son equals continuous grief." And so on.
In these equations, we forget an extremely important element, which is that patience will not come from the weak aspects of yourself and their depths when the affliction occurs or intensifies, but rather patience comes from Allah the Almighty, the Helper, for those who seek His help. Scholars have differed in considering "the Helper" from the names of Allah, but it is undoubtedly one of His attributes. Therefore, patience comes from our Lord the Helper, just as victory comes.
Patience comes from Allah to help you in your battle against despair and sorrow. "And if Allah helps you, then no victor for you." Notice that Allah the Almighty said: "And victory is not but from Allah," He also said: "And be patient, and your patience is not but from Allah." The composition of the words is similar: "And victory is not but from Allah" and "And be patient, and your patience is not but from Allah."
This is a very important fact, patience comes from Allah the Almighty, as well as safety and tranquility. And there are many indications of this. Allah the Almighty said: {Then He sent down upon you, after distress, security.} And His saying: {Then He sent down tranquility upon them.} And His saying, narrating about the magicians who believed in Moses peace be upon him while they were about to have their hands and feet cut off and be crucified, they said: {Our Lord, pour upon us patience and let us die as Muslims.}
Patience descends like rain on the trembling, burning hearts, calming and cooling them, and on the weeping eyes, stopping their tears. It is not your weak human self that you rely on to invent patience and fight the battle, it is Allah the Almighty, the Helper, who strengthens. {Allah keeps firm those who believe with the firm word.} And since it is He who strengthens, there is no affliction greater than the strengthening of Allah the Helper.
It is Allah the Almighty who binds the trembling hearts that almost came out of the chest due to sorrow or fear of the unknown. Allah the Almighty said about the people of the cave: {And We bound their hearts together.} And at that moment, nothing is frightening if Allah the Almighty is the Helper. As for Moses' mother peace be upon him, she threw her son into the river, leaving behind an empty heart, the heart of a mother who lost the apple of her eye, so the strengthening came from Allah. {And the heart of Moses' mother became empty, she almost disclosed it, but We bound her heart so that she would be of the believers.}
Therefore, patience comes from Allah the Helper, and consequently, the correct equation is: "I minus sight plus patience from Allah equals a patient, rewarded person." "Life minus my son plus patience from Allah equals rewarded grief."
We have read Surah Al-Fatihah hundreds of times, perhaps thousands of times, at least once in every rak'ah. {You (alone) we worship, and You (alone) we ask for help.} Has it occurred to you, while you are afflicted, to contemplate this verse when reciting it and imagine your strength as you seek help from Allah the Almighty in the face of affliction?
Do not say, "I will not be patient," if you seek help from Allah, He will help you. Look at the saying of Allah the Almighty: {He said, "My Lord, judge with truth. And our Lord is the Most Merciful, the Helper against what you describe."} And look at what was narrated about Jacob peace be upon him: {And Allah is the Helper against what you describe.} And the Prophet peace be upon him said: "And if you seek help, then seek help from Allah."
We seek help from Allah the Helper. Do not say, "I will not be patient," there is no affliction greater than the help of the Helper if you seek His help sincerely. Remember the people of the ditch, the magicians of Pharaoh, and the maidservant of Pharaoh's daughter, how great patience descended upon them in the face of their severe affliction as soon as faith mingled with their hearts, so their souls were pleased with sacrifice for the sake of Allah, although they had been polytheists for many years before that. The One who made them patient is capable of making you patient if you resort to Him.
Do not say, "I will not be patient," all you have to do is seek help from your Lord, the Most Merciful, the Helper. He peace be upon him said in the hadith narrated by Muslim: "And whoever is patient, Allah will make him patient." And whoever is patient, Allah will make him patient. Do not say, "I will not be patient," but if you seek help from Allah, patience will descend upon you in the appropriate amount to calm your heart no matter the size of the affliction.
Allah the Almighty said: {No disaster strikes except by permission of Allah. And whoever believes in Allah, He will guide his heart.} That is, He guides his heart to good, patience, and contentment in the face of affliction. Do not say, "I will not be patient," but look at this great hadith that summarizes our episode. The Messenger of Allah peace be upon him said in the hadith authenticated by Al-Albani: "Indeed, help comes from Allah according to the means, and patience comes from Allah according to the affliction."
Indeed, help comes from Allah according to the means, according to the burden. And patience comes from Allah, notice it comes from Allah the Almighty the Helper, not from the weak aspects of yourself. And patience comes from Allah, and in what amount? According to the affliction, in the appropriate amount.
The conclusion of the episode: All you have to do is disassociate yourself from your surroundings and your strength and be certain that you own nothing but Allah, so seek help from the Helper and improve your relationship with Him to gain His help, and then there is no affliction greater than the help of the Helper. And Allah the Almighty knows best. Until we meet in the next episode. Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.