FRIDAY SERMON: PATIENCE, PERSEVERANCE, PRAYER, KEY TO HUMAN SURVIVAL

FRIDAY SERMON: PATIENCE, PERSEVERANCE, PRAYER, KEY TO HUMAN SURVIVAL

By Babatunde Jose

Although often translated as “patience”, the Arabic word sabr (pronounced sub-ru, akin to the Yoruba word ‘suru) has a broader and deeper meaning than the English translation. Depending on the context, it may mean fortitude, patience, equanimity, forbearance, patient endurance, etc. Shukr may be translated as “gratitude” or “thankfulness”. Patience and gratitude are two sides of the same coin, closely related attitudes which the Muslim should seek to foster in every aspect of his or her life.

Nay, seek (Allah’s) help with patient perseverance and prayer: It is indeed hard, except to those who bring a lowly spirit, (Quran 2:45)

O ye who believe! Seek help with patient Perseverance and Prayer: for Allah is with those who patiently persevere. (Quran 2:153)

Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere, Who say, when afflicted with calamity: “To Allah we belong, and to Him is our return”: They are those on whom (descend) blessings from Allah, and Mercy, and they are the ones that receive guidance. (Quran 2:155-157)

O ye who believe! Persevere in patience and constancy; vie in such perseverance; strengthen each other; and fear Allah; that ye may prosper. (Quran 3:200)

And do thou be patient, for thy patience is but from Allah; nor grieve over them: And distress not thyself because of their plots. (Quran 16:127)

Patiently, then, persevere: For the Promise of Allah is true: And ask forgiveness for thy fault, and celebrate the Praises of thy Lord in the evening and in the morning. (Quran 40:55)

There is no doubt that we all struggle to get rich and comfortable in life. We all want the best of this world and the hereafter. However, riches and comfort are from Allah.

It’s not the price for hard work, else, the proverbial labourer will be the richest man. Where the powerful toils and labour in vain, the lame and the infirm prosper. All are from Allah.

The reward of patience, perseverance and prayer in this life cannot be overemphasised. Suffice to say that a man destined to make it in the morning of his life will get rich and comfortable, even if he were to be a woodcutter.

We have seen people who pursue innocuous occupation getting rich and prosperous to the utter consternation of the perceived genius. If a man is destined to be rich in the afternoon of his life, no matter what he does in early part of his life, he will never make it.

But come the afternoon of life, his star will blossom, and he will shine. If he is a late bloomer, he will never make it until the later part of his life. It is the will of God. He gives whom he pleases and when he pleases. You can’t hurry the sunrise.

We will elucidate this theme with the story of one of the richest and most famous Nigerians that ever lived. Here was a man who did not complete his secondary school. He was from a poor parentage and had to sell wood to augment his school fees.

He had no shoes and trekked to school. At the age of 16, our hero absconded from home to enlist in the Army during the Second World War. Not knowing his whereabouts, he was presumed dead until he resurfaced after the war. He sought employment in a government department and became a trade unionist.

All these are not the building block of a rise to riches. Our man could not afford a flat and had to make do with a single room, in which he lived with a wife, brother, sister, cousin and three children.

Then, Almighty Allah decided his time was up to shine. He went into petty trading which blossomed into an import and export trade. Inside 10 years, he had become the biggest cement importer and a major exporter of commodities and produce.

Before you knew what was going on, he was living it big in one of the best houses in Ikoyi and London, with a Phantom Rolls Royce and stretch Cadillac Fleetwood, thrown in for good measure. In a spate of 25 years, he was touted as one of the richest men in the country.

He died at the unripe age of 51. He was a patient man who waited on the Lord and God showered his Grace and benevolence on him.

May Allah continue to bless his soul. We cannot say the same thing for many in our society today. The impatience of getting rich quick has driven many into making money rituals, embezzlement, grand larceny, outright robbery and other heinous crimes.

Today, our society is replete with people who cannot really disclose their source of livelihood. Yet Allah said:
And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint, –none but persons of the greatest good fortune. (Quran 41:35)
Verily Man is in loss, except as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy. (Quran 103:2-3)
Believers are called to put their trust in their Lord, and not to fall into despair or hopelessness.

We must continue to do what Allah has called us to do: put our trust in Him, perform good deeds, and stand as witnesses for justice and truth.

Patience and perseverance are integral part of faith. Allah, stresses the importance of patience and perseverance in the following verses:
And be steadfast in patience; for verily Allah will not suffer the reward of the righteous to perish. (Quran 11:115)
“O ye my servants who believe! Fear your Lord. Good is (the reward) for those who do good in this world. Spacious is Allah’s earth! Those who patiently persevere will truly receive a reward without measure!” (Quran 39:10)

O ye who believe! Persevere in patience and constancy; vie in such perseverance; strengthen each other; and fear Allah; that ye may prosper. (Quran 3:200)

Allah, the Exalted, knows that it is not easy to exercise patience and perseverance during hardship, therefore, He promised those who do it great rewards. However, patience and perseverance will be easy for those who are humble and conscious of Allah

Nay, seek (Allah’s) help with patient perseverance and prayer: It is indeed hard, except to those who bring a lowly spirit, Who bear in mind the certainty that they are to meet their Lord, and that they are to return to Him. (Quran 2:45-6)

Abu Ummah narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated that Allah said: “Son of Adam, if you show endurance and seek your reward from me in the first affliction, I shall be pleased with no lesser reward than Paradise for you.” (Tirmidhi Hadith 1758)

The story of my father, late Isma’il Babatunde Jose, is a great lesson in patience, perseverance and prayer. Jose never went to the university, he never completed secondary school and he was apprenticed as a printer because his father suffered a setback as a result of the Second World War. His father’s business collapsed and he asked his two boys to go learn a trade.

Hence, my father was taken to the Daily Times to work as a trainee printer. His senior brother refused to learn a trade and decided that he had to travel abroad to train as a lawyer.

With patience and perseverance, the trainee printer, ‘small-boy’, as he was then known, rose to become the Chairman/Managing Director of the company, which at its apogee was the biggest newspaper publishing house in Black Africa.

Jose later midwifed Nigeria’s transition to right-hand drive and later spearheaded the first humanitarian relief fund in the country, the Drought Relief Fund. Among other things, he rose to become the President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and West Africa.

As for his brother, he read law and retired as a deputy chief registrar, but behold the wonders of Allah, it was his junior brother, the apprentice printer who paid his fees through law school, paid his passage home and saw him through the Nigerian Law School. That is the wonders of the work of God. It is incomprehensible. May their gentle souls rest in peace.

God said in the Bible:
“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:2

May Allah make patience and perseverance easy for us, may He not test us with a trial that is greater than what we can bear. We ask for Allah’s forgiveness and mercy.

Barka Jumuah and a happy weekend.

FRIDAY SERMON: PATIENCE, PERSEVERANCE, PRAYER, KEY TO HUMAN SURVIVAL

By Babatunde Jose

Although often translated as “patience”, the Arabic word sabr (pronounced sub-ru, akin to the Yoruba word ‘suru) has a broader and deeper meaning than the English translation. Depending on the context, it may mean fortitude, patience, equanimity, forbearance, patient endurance, etc. Shukr may be translated as “gratitude” or “thankfulness”. Patience and gratitude are two sides of the same coin, closely related attitudes which the Muslim should seek to foster in every aspect of his or her life.

Nay, seek (Allah’s) help with patient perseverance and prayer: It is indeed hard, except to those who bring a lowly spirit, (Quran 2:45)

O ye who believe! Seek help with patient Perseverance and Prayer: for Allah is with those who patiently persevere. (Quran 2:153)

Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere, Who say, when afflicted with calamity: “To Allah we belong, and to Him is our return”: They are those on whom (descend) blessings from Allah, and Mercy, and they are the ones that receive guidance. (Quran 2:155-157)

O ye who believe! Persevere in patience and constancy; vie in such perseverance; strengthen each other; and fear Allah; that ye may prosper. (Quran 3:200)

And do thou be patient, for thy patience is but from Allah; nor grieve over them: And distress not thyself because of their plots. (Quran 16:127)

Patiently, then, persevere: For the Promise of Allah is true: And ask forgiveness for thy fault, and celebrate the Praises of thy Lord in the evening and in the morning. (Quran 40:55)

There is no doubt that we all struggle to get rich and comfortable in life. We all want the best of this world and the hereafter. However, riches and comfort are from Allah.

It’s not the price for hard work, else, the proverbial labourer will be the richest man. Where the powerful toils and labour in vain, the lame and the infirm prosper. All are from Allah.

The reward of patience, perseverance and prayer in this life cannot be overemphasised. Suffice to say that a man destined to make it in the morning of his life will get rich and comfortable, even if he were to be a woodcutter.

We have seen people who pursue innocuous occupation getting rich and prosperous to the utter consternation of the perceived genius. If a man is destined to be rich in the afternoon of his life, no matter what he does in early part of his life, he will never make it.

But come the afternoon of life, his star will blossom, and he will shine. If he is a late bloomer, he will never make it until the later part of his life. It is the will of God. He gives whom he pleases and when he pleases. You can’t hurry the sunrise.

We will elucidate this theme with the story of one of the richest and most famous Nigerians that ever lived. Here was a man who did not complete his secondary school. He was from a poor parentage and had to sell wood to augment his school fees.

He had no shoes and trekked to school. At the age of 16, our hero absconded from home to enlist in the Army during the Second World War. Not knowing his whereabouts, he was presumed dead until he resurfaced after the war. He sought employment in a government department and became a trade unionist.

All these are not the building block of a rise to riches. Our man could not afford a flat and had to make do with a single room, in which he lived with a wife, brother, sister, cousin and three children.

Then, Almighty Allah decided his time was up to shine. He went into petty trading which blossomed into an import and export trade. Inside 10 years, he had become the biggest cement importer and a major exporter of commodities and produce.

Before you knew what was going on, he was living it big in one of the best houses in Ikoyi and London, with a Phantom Rolls Royce and stretch Cadillac Fleetwood, thrown in for good measure. In a spate of 25 years, he was touted as one of the richest men in the country.

He died at the unripe age of 51. He was a patient man who waited on the Lord and God showered his Grace and benevolence on him.

May Allah continue to bless his soul. We cannot say the same thing for many in our society today. The impatience of getting rich quick has driven many into making money rituals, embezzlement, grand larceny, outright robbery and other heinous crimes.

Today, our society is replete with people who cannot really disclose their source of livelihood. Yet Allah said:
And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint, –none but persons of the greatest good fortune. (Quran 41:35)
Verily Man is in loss, except as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy. (Quran 103:2-3)
Believers are called to put their trust in their Lord, and not to fall into despair or hopelessness.

We must continue to do what Allah has called us to do: put our trust in Him, perform good deeds, and stand as witnesses for justice and truth.

Patience and perseverance are integral part of faith. Allah, stresses the importance of patience and perseverance in the following verses:
And be steadfast in patience; for verily Allah will not suffer the reward of the righteous to perish. (Quran 11:115)
“O ye my servants who believe! Fear your Lord. Good is (the reward) for those who do good in this world. Spacious is Allah’s earth! Those who patiently persevere will truly receive a reward without measure!” (Quran 39:10)

O ye who believe! Persevere in patience and constancy; vie in such perseverance; strengthen each other; and fear Allah; that ye may prosper. (Quran 3:200)

Allah, the Exalted, knows that it is not easy to exercise patience and perseverance during hardship, therefore, He promised those who do it great rewards. However, patience and perseverance will be easy for those who are humble and conscious of Allah

Nay, seek (Allah’s) help with patient perseverance and prayer: It is indeed hard, except to those who bring a lowly spirit, Who bear in mind the certainty that they are to meet their Lord, and that they are to return to Him. (Quran 2:45-6)

Abu Ummah narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated that Allah said: “Son of Adam, if you show endurance and seek your reward from me in the first affliction, I shall be pleased with no lesser reward than Paradise for you.” (Tirmidhi Hadith 1758)

The story of my father, late Isma’il Babatunde Jose, is a great lesson in patience, perseverance and prayer. Jose never went to the university, he never completed secondary school and he was apprenticed as a printer because his father suffered a setback as a result of the Second World War. His father’s business collapsed and he asked his two boys to go learn a trade.

Hence, my father was taken to the Daily Times to work as a trainee printer. His senior brother refused to learn a trade and decided that he had to travel abroad to train as a lawyer.

With patience and perseverance, the trainee printer, ‘small-boy’, as he was then known, rose to become the Chairman/Managing Director of the company, which at its apogee was the biggest newspaper publishing house in Black Africa.

Jose later midwifed Nigeria’s transition to right-hand drive and later spearheaded the first humanitarian relief fund in the country, the Drought Relief Fund. Among other things, he rose to become the President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and West Africa.

As for his brother, he read law and retired as a deputy chief registrar, but behold the wonders of Allah, it was his junior brother, the apprentice printer who paid his fees through law school, paid his passage home and saw him through the Nigerian Law School. That is the wonders of the work of God. It is incomprehensible. May their gentle souls rest in peace.

God said in the Bible:
“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:2

May Allah make patience and perseverance easy for us, may He not test us with a trial that is greater than what we can bear. We ask for Allah’s forgiveness and mercy.

Barka Jumuah and a happy weekend.