30 Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad about the Patience

Hadiths on the Virtue of Patience

Patience is among the great acts of worship through which a Muslim draws closer to Allah. Allah has singled out the patient for a great reward beyond measure. Allah says: "Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account". And among the virtues of patience in this world and the Hereafter are those mentioned in some hadiths:

1. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "No one is given a gift better and more comprehensive than patience".
2. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "Amazing is the affair of the believer, for all of his affair is good, and this is not the case with anyone except the believer. If he is touched by something good, he is thankful and that is good for him. If he is touched by something harmful, he is patient, and that is good for him".
3. Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "Patience is half of faith, and certainty of faith is all of it".
4. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "Patience is illumination".
5. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "When Allah loves a people, He tests them. Whoever is patient has the patience".
6. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "Know that there is much good in patience over what you dislike, and victory comes with patience".

Hadiths on Patience in Performing Acts of Obedience

Ibn Taymiyyah said: The status of patience in performing acts of obedience is more complete and better than patience in avoiding prohibitions. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, loved doing acts of obedience more than avoiding sin, and the loss of not doing acts of obedience is worse than the loss of committing sin. Many noble hadiths have been narrated, encouraging patience in performing acts of worship and seeking Allah's help with them. Also, hadiths were narrated about the reward of the patient for performing acts of worship. Among these hadiths:

1. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and seeking reward, his past sins will be forgiven".
2. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "Do you want to exert yourself in supplication? Say: 'O Allah, help us to remember You, to thank You, and to worship You well'".
3. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "Whoever stands (in prayer) in Laylat al-Qadr out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven".
4. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "O Allah, I ask You for steadfastness in affairs". In this well-known supplication, there is seeking Allah's help in being patient and steadfast.
5. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "If something afflicts you, do not say, 'If only I had done such and such,' but say, 'Allah decrees and what He wills, He does'".

Hadiths on Patience in Dealing with Desires and Trials

The believer seeks help from Allah and exercises patience in facing trials, disciplines himself with patience against desires, and exercises patience in avoiding prohibitions. Allah has promised the patient in trials, prohibitions, and desires abundant good in this world and the Hereafter because of the severity and solitude they encounter on this path. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, mentioned trials to his companions and encouraged them to be patient in facing them. Among them:

1. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "Islam began as something strange, and it will return to being strange as it began, so blessed are the strangers". The Prophet, peace be upon him, said that Islam emerged amidst ignorance and would return to being strange when ignorance spreads. However, the believers who patiently endure ignorance and trials will be strangers among people, and Paradise is for them.
2. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "The believer who mixes with the people and bears their annoyance with patience will have a greater reward than the one who does not mix with the people and does not bear their annoyance".
3. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "No one endures the hardships of Medina and its toughness but that I will be an intercessor or a witness for him on the Day of Resurrection". In this hadith, the Prophet, peace be upon him, addressed the people of Medina. Those who endure the trials, hunger, and calamities of life in Medina are promised the intercession of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
4. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "Truly, the happy person is the one who is spared trials, and the one who is patient in facing them".
5. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "A man is tried according to his level of religious commitment; if his commitment is solid, his trial is severe, and if his commitment is weak, his trial is light. The calamity continues to befall a person until he walks on the earth without any sin".

Hadiths on Patience in Facing Adversities

The life of this world is a place of trials and difficulties, and man therein undergoes successive tests. Allah says: "Certainly did We create man in hardship". What assists him through these trials is his faith and certainty in Allah. There are many hadiths regarding patience in afflictions:

1. Once, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, passed by a woman crying at a grave. He said, "Fear Allah and be patient". She replied, "Go away from me, for you have not been afflicted with a calamity like mine, nor do you know about it". It was said to her, "Indeed, this is the Messenger of Allah". So, she went to the door of the Prophet, peace be upon him, but did not find any doorkeepers. She said, "I did not recognize you". He said, "Verily, patience is at the first strike of calamity".
2. The daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, sent word to him saying, "My child has passed away. Will you come to us?" So, he sent back the message saying, "To Allah belongs what He takes, and to Him belongs what He gives, and everything has a set term with Him. So, be patient and seek reward".
3. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "When Allah tests His servant with the loss of his two beloved ones and he endures patiently, Allah will compensate him with Paradise". - The two beloved ones refer to the eyes.
4. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "Allah says, 'I have no reward other than Paradise for a believing servant of Mine who remains patient when I take away his beloved ones from among the people of the world, and then I receive him (in Paradise) with good grace'".
5. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "Whenever a calamity befalls a person, and he says, 'Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return. O Allah, reward me in my calamity, and replace it for me with something better,' then Allah indeed rewards him in his calamity and replaces it with something better".
6. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "Whenever Allah intends good for a person, He subjects him to trials".
7. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "When a child of a servant of Allah dies, Allah says to His angels, 'You have taken the child of My servant'. They reply, 'Yes'. Allah then asks, 'Have you taken the fruit of his heart?' They reply, 'Yes'. Allah then asks, 'What did My servant say?' They say, 'He praised You and said, "To Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return"'. Allah then says, 'Build for My servant a house in Paradise and call it the house of praise'".

Hadiths on Patience in Seeking Knowledge

Knowledge holds a great status in Islam. Allah says: "Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees. And Allah is acquainted with what you do". Numerous verses and hadiths speak of the virtue of knowledge, the status of scholars, seekers of knowledge, and their rewards in this world and the Hereafter. Here are some hadiths regarding patience in seeking knowledge and its significance:

1. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "This knowledge is carried by its bearers in every generation. They repel from it the alterations made by those going beyond bounds".
2. Ibn Abbas said: "Studying knowledge for an hour during the night is better than keeping the night alive".
3. Abu Ad-Darda' said: "Knowledge is through learning, forbearance through practicing, and whoever seeks goodness will be given it, and whoever avoids evil will be protected from it".
4. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "Whoever travels a path in search of knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise".
5. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "Ask Allah for beneficial knowledge and seek refuge with Allah from knowledge that is of no benefit".
6. Zirr bin Hubaish said: "I went to Safwan bin 'Assal Al-Muradi and he said, 'What has brought you here?' I said, 'I have come to seek knowledge'. He said, 'For sure, the angels lower their wings in approval of the seeker of knowledge'".