Muslima

Fasting and Patience

Hadith:
It is a narration from one of the companions from Bani Saleem tribe that Prophet Sallallahu Aleihi Wa Sallam
counting on his hand said:

"The tasbeeh (Zikr) fills the half balance
and 'Alhamdolillah' fills it completely
and takbeer (Allah-o-Akbar) fills whatsoever is
in between sky & earth
and fasting is half patience
and piousness is the half imaan (belief)."

(At-Tirmidhi)

Benefits:

In this Hadith Mubarakah Prophet Sallallaho Aleihe Wasallam has taught some important points to the Ummah. First of all Prophet Sallallahu Aleihi Wa Sallam has told about zikr. This zikr is the food of hearts and ways of life for ahl-ullah. If they do not get them then the body for those hearts will turn into graves for them and their hearts are alive from zikr. If their hearts are emptied from (zikr) then it will be like deserted.

Zikr of Allah is the only way and the door which are open in between Allah Jal Jalalahu and His worshippers and from them the worshippers can reach to High Throne and when the worshippers are neglecting zikr of Allah then this door get closed.

Allah Taa'la has brightened likewise to those see-able eyes from light the same way He has bestowed with zikr to those tongues who practices it. That is why, the tongue which is neglecting remembrances of Allah is like those eyes which are deprived of eyesight and like those ears which has lost the power of listening and is like those hands which are damaged after paralyzing.

In many places in Qur'an with regard to the zikr of Allah are mentioned. In one place Allah Taa'la is directing to His worshippers like this:

"Therefore remember Me (by praying, glorifying).
I will remember you, and be grateful to Me
(for My countless Favors on you)
and never be ungrateful to Me."

< Al-Baqarah: 152 >

Subhanallah! What would have been greater thriving successfulness of the worshippers that Creator & Omnipotent of the whole world remembers & keeps remembering them (worshippers)?

In Hadith Mubarakah Prophet Sallallahu Aleihi Wa Sallam said that uttering 'SUBHANALLAH' is such an act of expressing of Glorifying the Greatness of Allah that which is enough to fill the half balance with deeds but this expression must be with true heart. The receipt of the Greatness of Allah Taa'la with true heart can change the life of a person. Then, why the balance of one's deed will not fill?

To utter 'ALHAMDOLILLAH' that is to praise Allah Taa'la which life is related to the praising Allah's tasbeeh and praise that life is the life which can be called 'COMPLETE LIFE'. That is why it is quite natural to get the balance of deed filled for making tasbeeh (Subhanallah) and tamheed (Alhamdolillah).

For those who has attained to the real sensibility to utter takbeer (Allah-o-Akbar) they listen the echo of takbeer in the nature all around in the land and in the sky. Every particle of sky and earth is describing the Greatness & Enormity of Allah. When any one sings the praise of Allah, every particle of sky and earth joins him alike his sound of string has joined with that of Nature.

Again, there is mention about zikr of patience in Hadith Mubarakah. we can assume the whole life of a believer as patience. The believers are binding to a peculier life style. His main (purpose) is the success of Hereafter. He is alive in this world so that he remains busy journeying in the path of Allah. He is required to have a great patience; without patience neither a human being can walk a single step nor without it his well-being and character can be built.

In this Hadith the fasting has been called as half-patience. It means that whosoever fasted he learnt of perseverance in patience. Now, it is required that he is benefitted in his entire life and he turns it into patience. The day his life has been turned into patience that day we can say that he has perfected his own patience. That time he has not half-patience but he will attain patience completely, inshallah.

There is deep-rooted relation and connection in between the patience and fasting that from the thinking of fasting there comes the thinking of patience in mind automatically and manifests the extract of fasting that it's beginning is patience and it's end is also patience.

Whosoever is not acquinted with patience he is indeed not a fasting person and whosoever became real fasting person he has absorbed the reality of patience and steadfastness in himself.

Fasting and patience are such deeds whose reward and compensation are also exceptional. The utmost display of Mercifulness of Allah Ta'ala is on the compensation of these two deeds. In regard to fasting as mentioned in Hadith that Allah Ta'ala says that its reward and compensation will be given by Me and with regard to patience.

Allah Ta'ala says:

"Only those who are patient
shall receive their reward in full,
without reckoning."

< Az-Zumar (39): 10 >