Sabr. For some it means patience, others perseverance. Ultimately sabr is an action. But why do people assume it means to do nothing? If you are in a difficult situation, waiting isn’t going to solve anything!
Sabr is Action
[su_quote cite=”Quran 2:153″ url=”https://quran.com/2/153″]Seek comfort in patience and prayer. Allah is truly with those who are patient. [/su_quote]
The word Sabr is commonly translated as patience. But this does not entirely cover the meaning behind the action. The word patience originates from the latin root word meaning suffering, something quite negative. A better translation would be to persevere, a much more positive outlook.
Don’t be Impatient
To practice Sabr, one needs to persevere with a good attitude. It was narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The dua of any one of you will be answered so long as he is not impatient and says, ‘I made dua but it was not answered.’” (Al-Bukhaari and Muslim)
Be Proactive
It is also advised to be proactive. Set some goals and work towards them. What if on that path you discover something better? What if the difficulty you’re facing changes. You won’t know until you try.
[su_quote cite=”Quran 13:11″ url=”https://quran.com/13/11″]Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves[/su_quote]
In this verse we understand that Allah won’t change our situation until we change what is within ourselves. If someone is in a state of righteousness and they change in a negative way, Allah will change their situation accordingly. Alternatively Allah may give them an opportunity to rectify themselves before implementing the change. However if someone is going down the wrong path and decide to take positive steps to change direction, Allah will bring goodness into their life.
Summary
With this we can understand that the solution to our problems could be within ourselves. Sometimes we need to push ourselves in the right direction, persevere and await for a positive outcome.