Importance of Patience in the light of traditions

According to a few traditions selected from a collection of traditionsdescribing the importance of patience in Islam and other divine religions, it may besummarised that patience has been recommended by all the divine prophets and righteousleaders to their successors and followers.

Let us consider the example of a kind father or a compassionate teacherwho has spent a life full of efforts and resistance, and suffered pains, tortures, anddeprivations for the sake of his goals. At the last moments of his life, all the struggleswhich provided the purpose and direction to his life are now nearing an end, and his goalsare still cherished. What will be his last advice for his successors, who in his opinionwill follow his struggle and will keep the movement alive by taking other giant steps tocarry this heavy load closer to the final destination?

It will be nothing other than the extraction and summary of all thetheoretical and practical experiences and possessions acquired by him in his life span.All those things which must be said in his last moments, if he could manage to put theminto one sentence, will be like a capsule consisting all the precious accomplishments andpractical know-how acquired by him in the form of guidelines designed for a trainee. Hewill hand this over to his successor and follower, which in reality means transformationof the final designation of his life to the person after him. This mission beingaccomplished, he leaves this world after making due preparations.

The last parting recommendations of the prophets, the pious, therighteous, the martyrs and the strugglers in the way of Allah for their followers and thebuilders of the divine society, is to be patient. Their last advice is theirrecommendation regarding patience.

Now let us pay our attention to the following two traditions:

First Narration:

Abu Hamza Thomali, one of the famous and sincere followers of theProphet""s Ahl-ul-Bait and a principal member of the righteous Shi""ite movement quotes fromhis leader and teacher, Imam Mohammad AI-Baqer (a.s.), as saying: "When the lastmoments of his life arrived, my father Ali ibn al-Hussain (a.s.) held me close to hischest and said: My son I, recommend to you what my father (Imam Hussain) recommended to meat the last Moments of his life. My son stand for truth even if it is bitter".(al-Kafi vol. 2)

Imam Mohammad Baqer (a.s.) is the vicegerent and successor of hisfather Ali ibn Hussain Zayn al-Abedin and is the inheritor of the heavy burden of trust,and is responsible for the continuation of the struggle and movement of his father,exactly in the same manner that Imam Ali ibn al-Hussain (a.s.) was responsible for thecontinuation of the movement left by his father Imam Hussain ibn Ali (a.s.), the martyr ofKarbala.

Each personality from the household of the holy Prophet was responsiblefor the continuation of the divine mission of his predecessor, and all of themcollectively were upholders of the divine mission of the last Prophet of Allah. All ofthem are created from a single source of energy (light) and are the seekers of onedirection and one aim.

"My son I recommend to you what my father recommended me at thelast moment of his life..."

We all know how and where the last moments of the life of Imam Hussainibn Ali (a.s.) were spent. He was in the midst of turmoil on the day of ""Ashura"" (10th ofMoharram 61 Hijri -- 680 AD.). Pains, torture and tragedy dominated the bloody state ofaffairs in the plain of Karbala. In spite of the fact that he was completely encircled byhis bloodthirsty enemies, Imam Hussain ibn Ali (a.s.) took advantage of a shortopportunity to go back to his camp before starting his final attack. After having a briefmeeting with the members of his household who in their own ways were carriers of hismission, he held a short but sufficient, effective and very important discussion with hisvicegerent and successor Imam Ali ibn al-Hussain (a.s.).

These kinds of discussions in simple language may be called farewellmeetings. But it must be understood that a pious leader (Imam) is far above sentimentalpassions, and that during the last opportunity of his life, he would only open his lipsfor personal, private, and sentimental affairs, instead of discussing the most importantissues of his mission. Whatever reports which remains regarding the other great piousleaders (Imams) that has reached us, certifies the same thing. (Footnote: Among the booksof traditions, we may observe the wills of the Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali (a.s.),Imam Hassan (a.s.), Imam Sadiq (a.s.), and other leaders, which proves the seine point).

He knew at that sensitive moment that the heavy burden of the trust forwhich he had struggled for since the beginning of his leadership had also been endured bythe founder of the revolution, the holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.), the Commander of Faithful ImamAli (a.s.), and Imam Hassan (a.s.). All of them had suffered all kinds of pains and weresubjected to severe hardships for following that path. The trust would now be handed overto the next person. The powerful arms and steadfast steps of his vice-regent would beassigned the responsibility to carry that burden of trust forward. Therefore he had cometo advice him about the most important issues of his mission. What was this important andcherished advice?

Now Imam Ali ibn al-Hussain (a.s.) who found himself more or less underconditions similar to his father""s time, explained the key issues to his son andvice-regent, and offered recommendations accordingly. He also emphasised that earlier, hisfather Imam Hussain ibn Ali (a.s.) had been similarly instructed by his father Imam Ali(a.s.):

"What his father recommended..."

This advice has continuously been emphasised since it was first givenby the Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali (a.s.) to the next Imam-designate and onwardthrough all the successive Imams by their proceeding Imams. What was that recommendation?

The outcome and summation of that advice was „patience".

"My son stand for truth even if it is bitter."

www.http://english.tebyan.net