Believers, be patient in adversity, and let your patience never be exhausted; be ever ready and fear Allah so that you may prosper. (Surah 3: Ayah 200)
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَرَابِطُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ - 3:200
The closing Ayah in this long Sūrah is an address to the believers which sums up the obligations imposed on them by the constitution Allah has chosen for them. It is an address from on high to the believers.
It calls them by their very quality which establishes their bond with the source of that address and places on them their obligations and qualifies them for the fulfilment of those obligations.
It is the quality which gives them honour in this world and makes them honoured in heaven.
They are called upon to show patience in adversity and to continue to do so in all situations, to be always ready for sacrifice and to maintain their fear of Allah.
The Sūrah speaks repeatedly about patience in adversity and fear of Allah.
The two qualities are mentioned on occasions separately and on others together.
The Sūrah also repeatedly calls on the believers to endure whatever hardship they have to face, to struggle and to foil the schemes of their enemies and never to listen to the defeatists or to those who sow the seeds of discord. That the concluding Ayah of the Sūrah calls on the believer to be patient in adversity and to always persevere demonstrates that these are the essential ingredients of those who want to follow the path of Divine faith.
It is a long and hard way, full of impediments, persecution, trials and tribulations.
To follow it they must be patient. They have to resist their own desires, ambitions, weaknesses and impetuosity.
They have to persevere in the face of peoples’ desires, weaknesses, ignorance, lack of understanding, perversions, selfishness, conceit, and their impatience for quick results.
They have to endure the falsehood and tyranny, the power of evil and the conceit of every boastful arrogant.
They have to be patient in spite of any of their own weaknesses and in spite of the whisperings of Satan at such times when they are totally unhappy.
They must persevere in spite of the fact that this can give rise to anger, exasperation, occasional lack of trust in goodness, lack of confidence in human nature, disappointment, frustration and total despair. In addition, they must also be patient and restrain themselves at the moment of victory, show humility and gratitude when adversity is replaced by prosperity, suppress every motive for revenge or for exceeding the limits of justice.
They must maintain their relationship with Allah and submit to His will in times of happiness and in times of hardship.
They surrender themselves to Him with trust and reassurance.
Words cannot express the true significance of this struggle.
Only a person who has experienced such hardships can understand the full significance of such perseverance. The believers themselves knew well what this address from on high meant. They knew what sort of patience and perseverance Allah wanted them to show. This Ayah then calls on the believers to rise to a higher standard. It is expressed in Arabic in a form of the verb “to be patient” which signifies a highly enhanced effect. This means that the believers must face up to all enemies who try hard to exhaust their patience. The believers are called upon not to allow their patience to fail them despite the prolonged struggle. They must remain more patient and stronger than their enemies, be they the inner enemies in their own souls or the external ones who are the evildoers.
The case is thus described as a contest between them and their enemies, and the believers are called upon to meet patience with stronger fortitude, effort with even greater effort, determination with strong resilience. When they have shown that they are stronger and more patient than their enemies, the outcome will undoubtedly be in their favour.
If falsehood can be determined and is patient as it goes along its own way, then the truth must be more determined and resilient and must show greater patience as it goes along its own way.
To be ready, in Islamic terminology, is to stay in places where battles are expected, and in positions which are liable to attack from the enemy. The Muslim community never used to leave its eyes closed or to allow sleep to overtake it. Right from the moment when it was called upon to take up the message of Islam and to convey it to mankind, its enemies have never been allowed to rest. Nor will they ever allow the Muslim community to rest in peace, anywhere or at any time. Hence, it cannot overlook the need to be ever-ready to fight and sacrifice until the end of time. This message presents to people a practical system which exercises control over their consciences, money, property and way of living. It is a system which is upright, just and good.
Evil, however, does not like to see such a system being implemented. Falsehood does not like honesty, justice or goodness. Tyranny does not submit to justice, equality and dignity. Hence, this message will always find enemies who uphold evil, falsehood and tyranny.
Those who exploit others and are engaged in self- aggrandisement do not wish to relinquish their privileges.
The despots who tyrannise people do not like to stop their oppression.
The corrupt who indulge in every vice do not like to mend their ways.
They all wage a campaign of extermination against the message of Islam.
The believers must face up to all these enemies, and must equip themselves with patience and perseverance which can never be exhausted.
They must always be on the alert for any aggression launched against them so that the Muslim community can never be taken unawares by its natural enemies who can be found everywhere and in all times.
This is the nature of this message and this is the path it follows. It does not intend any aggression, but it certainly wants to establish its correct method and perfect system on earth.
It will always find those who hate its method and system, and who try to prevent its establishment with force, wickedness and propaganda.
The advocates of Islam have no choice but to accept the challenge and to fight the battle no matter how much it costs.
They must always be on their guard.
Fearing Allah must accompany all this, because it is a watchful guard over man’s conscience. It keeps it alert and strong and restrains it from launching any aggression or indulging in any deviation. No one appreciates the need for this watchfulness except the one who suffers the difficulties of this path, the one who has to contend with contradictory feelings and reactions pulling him in opposite directions in every situation and at every moment. This final Ayah sums up the message of the whole sūrah. It puts in a nutshell all the obligations Islam imposes on its followers. There is no wonder then that Allah attaches to it the outcome of a long struggle and makes prosperity in the Hereafter dependent on it: “So that you may prosper.” Allah always tells the truth.