The patience of the patient and the provision of the grateful, Shamwah

The son of Al-Qayyim, who correctly organized his text and presented his authentic hadiths, Salim bin Eid Al-Hilali. Introduction: All praise is due to Allah; we praise Him, seek His help, and ask for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of ourselves and from our wrong actions. Whomever Allah guides, there is no misleader for him; and whomever He misguides, there is no guide for him. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. As for what follows: Indeed, faith is two halves: half gratitude and half patience. This is because what the servant encounters is of two types: The first: The blessings that Allah has bestowed upon His servant outwardly and inwardly. He needs to remember them, thank Allah for them, and speak of Allah’s blessing upon him in them. He should not rely upon them or become engrossed in them, and he must observe rights—giving each rightful owner his due. This is the station of gratitude. The second: The calamities that befall the servant; they take loved ones, destroy wealth, weaken the body, and diminish pleasures and desires that have been beautified for people. He needs to accept them with contentment; he should not panic, become angry, complain, but instead await relief and recompense from Allah. This is the station of patience. Since this is the case, it is incumbent upon anyone who sincerely advises himself, loves his salvation, and prefers his happiness, not to neglect these two great principles nor deviate from these two direct paths. He should make his journey to Allah between these two paths, so that Allah may make his meeting with Him on the Day of Resurrection with the best of the two groups. And in order for the argument to be clear and the guidance to be straight for those seeking the highest, it is necessary to clarify these two elevated stations of patience and the two noble objectives. I came across the book “The Means and the Treasure of the Thankful” by Sheikh Islam II and the righteous Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah. I found that he collected the elements of these two matters comprehensively, in a way that has not been surpassed nor followed by anyone afterward. I found it to be an encyclopedic, educational work, fully truthful in its description, as he said: “The stations of religion and the degrees of certainty,” and I became convinced that it is a comprehensive, beneficial book containing many valuable benefits that are truly worth holding onto tightly, praising it highly. It is enjoyable for the reader, clear to the observer, entertaining for the sorrowful, motivating for the negligent, and encouraging for those eager to strive. It includes beautiful insights from Quranic interpretation, authentic prophetic hadiths attributed to their sources, and salafi آثار (sayings or reports) attributed to their authors. It discusses fiqh issues with clear evidence, behavioral subtleties on the straight path, and it is not hidden from those who think and focus their minds. Among its contents are: the mention of the types of patience, the aspects of gratitude, and their kinds; the detailed discussion of the dispute over the superiority between the grateful rich and the patient poor; the reality of the world, what Allah, His Messenger, and the righteous predecessors have likened it to, and the discussion of these examples and their correspondence to the true state; what is praiseworthy and blameworthy in worldly matters, what brings one closer to Allah and what distances him, and how those who suffer from it are miserable, and those who are happy with it are fortunate.