of Nokounam, may his secret be sanctified (Session 285)
Patience, conceived as a transmuting elixir upon the course of the mystical wayfaring, occupies a station whereby the seeker attains spiritual maturation amidst the furnace of calamities. This station, delineated in the Section of Ethics from Manzil al-Sirn by Khwja Abdullah Ansr, constitutes the most arduous step for novices, a formidable trial for the lovers, and a subtle impediment for the monotheists. Patience is not merely the endurance of hardships; rather, it embodies the conscious and active acceptance of Divine decree, which guides the seeker from immaturity towards spiritual perfection.
Patience, as articulated by Khwja Abdullah Ansr, stands among the most onerous stations within the spiritual journey for the general body of wayfarers (mmah). This hardship originates from the absence of spiritual discipline and experiential familiarity with afflictions. The novice seeker, akin to unripe flesh within the furnace of tribulations, necessitates withstanding the seething heat to achieve spiritual ripeness. This station represents a bottleneck wherein the seeker is tested through Divine trials, thereby ushering him from immaturity towards completion.
For the lovers, patience is dreadfully arduous (awash), owing to its inherent contradiction with the intimacy and delight of the Beloved, since the lover awaits union rather than endurance of adversity. Along the path of Divine Unity (tawd), patience is deemed undesirable (ankar), as the display of endurance or ostentation before hardships conflicts with the annihilation of the ego a prerequisite of true unity. The monotheistic wayfarer must annihilate the self, rather than assert permanence through claims of steadfastness.
Traditional elucidations of patience, whether from Khwja Abdullah Ansrs original text or its commentaries, suffer from a lack of scientific order and systematic rigour. Instead of presenting a coherent framework, they incline toward prolix narration and rhetorical embellishment. The absence of logical sequencing in the categorisation and gradation of patience has rendered the comprehension of this virtue difficult. Hence, a scientific and systematic reevaluation in this domain remains an imperative concern within theoretical mysticism.
Episodic patience is particular to the nascent stages of the spiritual journey and manifests in three domains: transgression, obedience, and affliction. This form of patience, culminating upon the attainment of the station of satisfaction (ri), is designed for novice wayfarers and depends essentially upon practice and ascetic endurance vis--vis hardships.
Continuous patience is that which persists through every station of the spiritual journey, from the beginner to the monotheist, extending even into the quotidian existence of the general populace. It manifests in varying degreespatient, restless, and moderatewhen confronting challenges and calamities, thereby accompanying the seeker along the path to perfection.
Khwja Abdullah Ansr categorises patience into three gradations:
Commentators, extending this taxonomy, have added two additional gradations to arrive at five levels:
The poem ascribed to Shibl introduces a sixth level, abr f llh, thereby enumerating patience as:
These traditional classifications, due to their lack of coherence and systematic rigour, conflate episodic and continuous patience, thus complicating precise comprehension of the gradations. The imperative remains to propose a comprehensive and ordered systematisation of patience.
abr il llh denotes visionary patience whereby the seeker, motivated by the intention of proximity to God, endures acts of worship and afflictions. This patience acts as a key to God, commencing with devotional acts such as prayer, undertaken with the specific intention of qurbatan il llh.
abr al llh signifies trusting patience, where the seeker, relying fully upon God, endures Divine ordinances and decrees. This patience functions as a steadfast shield, preserving the seeker amidst Divine predestination.
abr maa llh is companionate patience whereby the seeker perceives God beside him and companions with Him amid tribulations. This patience resembles a benevolent friendship, providing solace and accompaniment during hardships.
abr li-llh represents exclusive patience, endured solely for God and on His account. This patience, akin to a radiant gem, demonstrates the seekers sincerity in yielding to Divine satisfaction.
abr bi-llh is strengthened patience wherein the seeker, empowered by Divine strength, resists adversities. This patience functions as powerful arms aiding the seeker amidst tribulations.
abr f llh connotes the patience of actuality, a station where the seeker and God attain unity as if two souls in one body. This patience, like a pure mirror, reflects the seekers annihilation within God.
abr an llh is the patience of separation and annihilation whereby the seeker deprives himself of beholding God so that God alone may behold Himself. This patience, akin to shrouding oneself in a burial garment, removes the seeker from the realm of existence, guiding him toward absolute unity.
abr an llh, the supreme grade of continuous patience, entails the seekers self-denial from beholding God in order that God may behold Himself. This patience entails complete annihilation (fan) and the eradication of all forms of polytheism (shirk). The seeker, likened to one who envelops himself in a shroud, is withdrawn from the realm of existence and attains the l tayn (the unconditioned).
God bears witness that there is no deity except Him, and [so do] the angels and those endowed with knowledge - maintaining [creation] in justice.
(Srat l Imrn, 3:18)
: God testifies that there is no god but He, and the angels and those possessed of knowledge, standing for justice.
This verse testifies to Gods Oneness without recourse to others testimony. abr an llh elevates the seeker to a station wherein he refrains from testifying to God, so that God alone is His own witness.
Shibls narration, wherein he swooned upon hearing of abr an llh, lacks profound explication. Although indicative of the emotional potency of this patience, without rigorous philosophical and mystical analysis it risks descending into mere rhetorical excess. A thorough mystical and philosophical elucidation of abr an llh remedies this lacuna.
Patience is the fruit of gradual and persistent cultivation. The narration "If you are not forbearing, then force yourself to be so" (إِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ حَلِيمًا فَتَحَلَّمْ) underscores the imperative of diligent practice in acquiring this virtue. The seeker attains patience through asceticism (riyah), experiential endurance of affliction, and mastery over the nafs (lower self).
Spiritual guides assess the patience of their disciples by means of profound spiritual trials. Perfect patience is the hallmark of readiness to advance further on the path, whereas failure to exhibit patience constitutes an obstacle to spiritual progress.
A personal testimony of undergoing surgery without anaesthesia illustrates patience as an inward concentration and the consolidation of the self. The seeker, through volition and self-control, endures pain without disturbance or agitation.
Love engenders intimacy and delight in the beloved, whereas patience is accompanied by aversion to affliction. This superficial contradiction renders patience on the path of love terrifying, unless the seeker attains delight in the affliction itself.
The patient, endowed with the vision of the muball (the Bestower of affliction), derives pleasure from the affliction. This pleasure is the fruit of Divine love, which renders the affliction sweet as it emanates from the beloved.
Mystical poetry elucidates patience on the path of love and Unity. Phrases such as "And every delight I have attained from Him" (وَكُلُّ لَذِيذَةٍ قَدْ نِلْتُ مِنْهُ) and "I desire His union while He desires my abandonment" (أَرِيدُ وَصَالَهُ وَ يَرِيدُ هَجْرِي) exemplify the seekers surrender to the beloveds will.
Patience on the path to Unity, due to the manifestation of ostentation and self-display, is deemed reprehensible. Unity necessitates the annihilation of the self (fan al-nafs), whereas the patient may, through claims of constancy, assert the existence of the ego.
The manifestation of ostentation is also a grave vice on the path of love because it betrays the selfs vainglory. Before the beloved, the seeker ought to demonstrate helplessness and impotence rather than strength and steadfastness.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stated: "No prophet was ever afflicted as I was" (ما أُوذِيَ نَبِيٌّ مِثْلَ مَا أُوذِيتُ). This declaration reveals the depth of his patience, enduring hostility from enemies and domestic trials with steadfastness.
Du Kumayl, with phrases such as "O Allah, You are more honourable than to forsake one You have nurtured" (اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ أَكْرَمُ مِنْ أَنْ تُضَيِّعَ مَنْ رَبَّيْتَهُ), illustrates the patience and submission of Amr al-Muminn (peace be upon him) in the face of calamities.
