Misusing The Virtue of Patience by Urging One Another to Exercise Patience Upon Falsehood

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Misusing The Virtue of Patience by Urging One Another to Exercise Patience Upon Falsehood, Transgression and Lies

Allah, The Most High, said:

وَعَجِبُوٓا۟ أَن جَآءَهُم مُّنذِرٌ مِّنْهُمْ وَقَالَ ٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ هَٰذَا سَٰحِرٌ كَذَّابٌ
أَجَعَلَ ٱلْءَالِهَةَ إِلَٰهًا وَٰحِدًا إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَشَىْءٌ عُجَابٌ
وَانطَلَقَ الْمَلَأُ مِنْهُمْ أَنِ امْشُوا وَاصْبِرُوا عَلَىٰ آلِهَتِكُمْ ۖ إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَشَيْءٌ يُرَادُ

And they (Arab pagans) wonder that a warner (Prophet Muhammad) has come to them from among themselves! And the disbelievers say: ‘This (Prophet Muhammad) is a sorcerer, a liar. Has he (Muhammad) made the aliha (gods) (all) into One Ilah (God – Allah)? Verily, this is a curious thing!’ And the leaders among them went about (saying): ‘Go on, and remain patient (in worshipping) your aliha (gods)! Verily, this is a thing designed (against you)!’” [Qur’an 38:4–6]

أَنِ امْشُوا وَاصْبِرُوا عَلَىٰ آلِهَتِكُمْ ۖ إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَشَيْءٌ يُرَادُ

“Go on, and remain patient (in worshipping) your aliha (gods)! Verily, this is a thing designed (against you)!”

Meaning: Persist upon it, and strive against your souls to be patient in adhering to them [i.e. the idols] and worshipping them. Let neither one turn you away from them nor any hinderer prevent you from worshipping them.

Allah, The Most High, said:

إِن كَادَ لَيُضِلُّنَا عَنْ ءَالِهَتِنَا لَوْلَآ أَن صَبَرْنَا عَلَيْهَا وَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ حِينَ يَرَوْنَ ٱلْعَذَابَ مَنْ أَضَلُّ سَبِيلًا

He (Muhammad) would have nearly misled us from our aliha (gods), had it not been that we were patient and constant in their worship!” And they will know, when they see the torment, who it is that is most astray from the (Right) Path! [Qur’an 25:42]

The aim of their speaking ill of him and mocking him was to make themselves firm upon their falsehood and to deceive those of feeble intellect. Thus, they said: “He would have nearly”—meaning, this man would have nearly “misled us from our aliha (gods)” by making the gods one God.

“Had it not been that we were patient and constant in their worship”—he (Muhammad), as they claim, may Allah disfigure them, would have misled us.

They regarded what was pure Islamic monotheism as misguidance, and regarded the polytheism they were upon as guidance. Due to this, they enjoined one another to exercise patience upon worshipping them.

وَانطَلَقَ الْمَلَأُ مِنْهُمْ أَنِ امْشُوا وَاصْبِرُوا عَلَىٰ آلِهَتِكُمْ

“And the leaders among them went about (saying): ‘Go on, and remain patient (in worshipping) your aliha (gods)!’” [Qur’an 38:6]

Here, (Sūrah al-Furqān Ayah 42), they said: “Had it not been that we were patient and constant in their worship!” Patience is praiseworthy in all situations, except in this situation, for it is patience upon the causes of anger and increasing the fuel of Hell. As for the believers, they are as Allah said about them: “And they enjoined one another to the truth and enjoined one another to patience.”

[An excerpt from Tafsīr as-Saʿdī, slightly paraphrased]