Allah (swt) addresses the believers and guide them to seek help from Him, and says:

(يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ ۚ) (O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer.): Allah (swt) mentions patience before prayer. We know that, in the Hadith, when the Prophet (saws) let His nephew Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) ride behind him He (saws) said:

“O young man, be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. Recognize and acknowledge Allah in times of ease and prosperity, and He will remember you in times of adversity. And know that what has passed you by [and you have failed to attain] was not going to befall you, and what has befallen you was not going to pass you by. And know that if the nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, which Allah doesn’t want to give you, they won’t be able to. And if they were to gather together to take something away from you, which Allah had already prescribed to you, they won’t be able to. If you ask, then ask Allah [alone]; and if you seek help, then seek help from Allah [alone]. And know that victory comes with patience, relief with affliction, and hardship with ease. And know that the pen has written what would be in existence. “[1]

That is to say, seeking help is only from Allah (swt). However, what is the way to reach seeking Allah’s help (swt)? You may say, I have asked Allah for help, and I have done nothing else. Is that enough?

There has to be a way that makes me reach this target, which is seeking Allah’s help. As the prophet (saws) said:

“ if you seek help, then seek help from Allah [alone].”

So, what shall I do to seek Allah’s (swt) help:

(يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ ۚ) (O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer.).

The reason is that: (إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ ) (…Indeed, Allah is with the patient.)

As long as you seek Allah’s help, and you want to be with Allah (swt), Allah (swt) will be with the patient. Let yourself be with Allah (swt), He (swt) is with the patient. So, He (swt) says:

Patience is one of the most important elements of belief. Abdullah Ibn Massoud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that, “Patience is half of believing.” Why Patience is like that? In addition to that, many Qur’anic verses encourage Patience, and ask humans to have Patience. Even when Imam Ali (may Allah honour his face) was asked about the neighbor’s right, he said:

“You say that the neighbor’s right is not to hurt him, and I say, that the neighbor’s right is to be patient with his hurt.”

This is Islam that is accused with terrorism, killing, violence, hardness, and making the secured people fearful… This is Islam which say that the neighbor’s right is not just never to hurt him, but to be patient with his hurt as well, what such a high status and honor for the man, neighborhood right and human rights, regardless of the neighbor’s belief, whether he follows your religion. 

Patience happens when the human-self experience somehow of hunger, fear and pain, and when it is hurt, and face it with patience. Allah (swt) asks us to have patience to give us His help. If we want to be with Allah, we have to be patient, and to use the way of seeking His help through patience and prayer. Therefore, when the prophet (saws) verified the meaning of accompanying Allah, he was patient with Quraysh, and the polytheist’s plot. He was patient when he, his family and his companions were being harmed. He (saws) said to Abu baker (may Allah be pleased with him:

“What do you think of two people, whom Allah is their third,”[2]

The Quranic verse recorded this in:

( إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَنَا )

(He said to his companion, “Do not grieve; indeed, Allah is with us.) (At-Tawba, 40)

O Abu Baker, do not be sad; Allah (swt) is with us. Thus, he is in the company of Allah (swt). Why? Because the prophet (saws) was patient. When he was worried about something, he used to say:

” O Bilal, call for Iqamah (performing the prayer): give us comfort by it.”[3]

As Prayer is a connection with Allah (swt).

Verifying remembrance of Allah (swt) is to live with Him (swt) in every situation; in your way, your home, your work even in your empty time. Let your heart live with Allah’s remembrance, the hearts that live with Allah (swt) would never die.

{الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ}

(Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured.) (Al-Ra’d: 28)

It is worship to be done with every heartbeat. This worship does not need a specific time or place, because it is always in the heart or with the tongue.

After that, the prayer (salᾱt) was ordained: Prayer is meant to specify a part of time in which humans connect with their Lord. Prayer to Allah (swt) is a connection, and prayer is a du’aa’, and du’aa’ is seeking refuge, hoping and asking.

O people who believe, you will experience kinds of trails in this life. Your successes in these trials would make you be in My company. This would be achieved through the following;

1-    Guarding the blessings with the siege of the Giver of these blessings.

2-    Using patience to overcome these trials.

3-    Powering this patience with prayer, by connecting with Allah (swt).

4-    living with remembrance and patience. Allah (swt) Says:

(إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ ) (…Indeed, Allah is with the patient.)

The difference between Prayer and Patience is:

1-    That you may pray to show- off, but you cannot have patience to show off.

2-    Prayer could be symbols and rites, but patience could not be.

3-    Prayer is the movement of senses, but patience is an action and sentiment in the self; therefore, Allah (swt) says:

(إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ ) (…Indeed, Allah is with the patient.)

And He (swt) does not say: Allah (swt) is with those who perform prayer.

Allah (swt) says:

{ فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْمُصَلِّينَ * الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَن صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ }

(So woe to those who pray % [But] who are heedless of their prayer.)
(Al-Maa’un: 4-5)

And He didn’t say; “woe to those who have patience”; because they cannot be heedless of their patience.

Patience is a sentimental emotion. It is a process connected with all human senses and all self-feelings. If the human experiences hatred, injuries or a trial:

{يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ  }  (O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.)

Be aware of being away from Allah’s (swt) custody, as it could be through prayer, patience and remembrance. Whoever wants to be out of Allah’s (swt) custody, he would destroy these three pillars – this is clear in the book of Allah (swt).  

 

[1] The great dictionary to Al-Tabary; Hadiths of Abdullah Ibn Abba, (11265).

[2] Sahih Al-Bukhari, (4386).

[3] Sunan Abi Dawud: The Book of Adab, Chapter: Prayer in the Darkness of the Night, Hadith no. 4985.