Ibn al-Qayyim said:

"Al- Junayd said: 'The journey from this world to the Hereafter is smooth and easy for the believer, but leaving ordinary life for the sake of Allah is difficult. The journey from the ego (nafs) to Allah is extremely difficult, and patience (sabr) in Allah is even more difficult."

He was asked about patience, so he replied: 'It is to swallow bitterness without frowning.'

Dhu'l-Nun al-Misri said: 'Patience is to distance yourself from opposing [the truth], to remain calm when engulfed with calamities, and to display sufficiency when poverty occupies your daily life.'

It has been said: 'Patience is to face affliction with the best conduct.'

It has been said: 'It is to absorb affliction without display­ing complaint.'

It is said: 'It is accustoming the soul to the onslaught of adversi­ties.'

It is said: 'It is to settle down with adversities in good companionship, in the same manner as one settles down with well-being.'

And 'Amr ibn 'Uthman said: 'It is standing firm with Allah and meeting tribulations with magnanimity and welcome.'

---

Compensation

Umm Salamah said:

I heard the Messenger of Allaah sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam say, “There is no Muslim who is afflicted with a calamity and says that which Allaah has enjoined, Innaa lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raaji’oon. Allaahumma ajurni fi museebati wakhluf li khayran minha (Verily to Allaah we belong and unto Him is our return. O Allaah, reward me for my calamity and compensate me with something better than it), but Allaah will compensate him with something better than it.”

She said: When Abu Salamah died, I said, who among the Muslims is better than Abu Salamah, the first household to migrate to the Messenger of Allaah sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam ? Then I said these words, and Allaah compensated me with the Messenger of Allaah sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam.

Saheeh Muslim

---

Abu Hurayrah ( رضي الله عنه ) said: The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said: "It does not befit a Siddiq (righteous Muslim) to frequently curse others.'' [Muslim]

Abud-Darda' (رضي الله عنه) said: The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, "Those who frequently resort to cursing (people) would neither be accepted as witnesses nor as intercessors on the Day of Resurrection.'' [Muslim].

Samurah bin Jundub (رضي الله عنه) said: The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, "Do not curse one another, invoking Curse of Allah or Wrath of Allah or the fire of Hell.'' [Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi].

Abu Zaid Thabit bin Ad-Dahhak Al-Ansari (رضي الله عنه) said: The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, "..... Cursing a believer is like murdering him.'' [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Abu Barzah Nadlah bin `Ubaid Al-Aslami (رضي الله عنه) said: A young woman was riding a she-camel on which there was the luggage of people. Suddenly she saw the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم). The pass of the mountain became narrow for her people (because of fear). The young woman said to the she-camel: "Go ahead.'' When it did not move, she said,"O Allah! Curse it.'' The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, "The she-camel that has been cursed should not accompany us.'' [Muslim].

---