THE BELIEF IS:

PATIENCE & TOLERANCE

Mgr. Lukáš Větrovec

Department for Comparative Religion

Commenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
 PROPHETIC ADMONITIONS
FOR POSTMODERN CONDITIONS

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Complexity, Chaos, Contradictions (Z. Sardar)
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Globalization, Medialization, Precarization, Ignorance,
Deconstruction, Uncertainity
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How to survive? How to maintain the faith and identity?
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Seek response in Qur'an and Sunnah!
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Idetification of ‫ ا إليمان‬faith with ‫ ا لص بر‬patience and ‫ا لسماحة‬
benevolence
 HOW TO EXPLORE OUR TRADITION
FOR THE SOLUTION?
The Apostle of Allah ‫ صـلى لاــهـ عليهـ و سـلم‬said:
.‫ماح ُة‬
َ ‫والس‬
َّ ‫بر‬
ُ ‫الص‬
َّ :‫يمان‬
ُ ‫ا ِإل‬
„The Belief is the Patience and the Benevolence.“

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Micro-level: Different ways and narrations, authenticity, exegesis – rebuild the story
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Macro-level: See all the Sunnah through one hadith: dimensions, hermeneutics,
contexts
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Semantic level: exact and false meanings of patience and tolerance
 THE MICRO-LEVEL OF THE HADITH
●
Main chain: Jabir ‫ رضيهللا عنه‬at Ahmad (Musnad); at-Tabarani (Makarim); at-
Tabrizi (Mishkat via Ibn Abi Shaybah & Ibn Abi d-Dunya); as-Suyuti (Jami')
●
Asbabu l-wurud:
question for essence of belief 'Ubayd ibn 'Umayr ‫ رضيا لله عنه‬at Bayhaqi (Zuhd)
& Ibn Nasr (Salah), sahih)
to prove faith with the best deed (at Ibn Hibban, Majruhin)
●
Authenticity: is Yusuf ibnu l-Munkadir from father reliable?
al-'Iraqi, al-Haythami vs. Ibn 'Adi, Abu Zur'ah.
Adh-Dhahabi: exception.
Alternative: via Muhammad ibn 'Abdillah ibn Ubayd, but da'if.
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Conclusion: Sahih li-ghayrih.
 ADDITIONS TO THE MAIN TEXT

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“The best in faith are the best in morals”

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Ma'qil ‫عنه‬ ‫رضيهللا‬: “The best faith is …”

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'Ubadah ‫عنه‬ ‫رضيهللا‬: Asking about best faith – Belief in Allah, then
confirmation of it and struggle on His path, then … and then not
to blame Allah for the decree.

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Longer onversation with al-Laythi. Hasan li ghayrihi bcs. of Ibn
Abi Lahia
 THE MACRO-LEVEL OF THE HADITH
●
ṣ-b-r used in the Qur’ân about 103 x; s-m-h no occurance, but synonymous '-f-w 35 x
and ṣ-f-h 8 x. Once al-fadl in context of divorce (2:237). The concept of ihsan.

“O you who believe! Endure and be more patient than your enemies” (3:200)

“Let them pardon and forgive.” (24:22)

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Anas: “Make things easy” (Muslim)

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Jabir's hadith on urinating man (Muttafaqun 'alayh)

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'Abdullah's hadith on easy-going man (Ahmad, Tabari et al.)

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Patience and benevolence is rule, oposite is exception. These are fruits of faith.
('Ali al-Qari)
 ABOUT PATIENCE
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Dimensions of patience:
- with the decree, calamities and trials
- while performing good
- while abstaining from evil
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Patience is not with evil or sin (own or other's), changeble evil or
falsehood.
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The rules of pursuing good and forbiding wrong
 ABOUT FORBEARANCE
●
Dimensions of tolerance, forbearingness and benevolence:
- dealing, working, bussiness, coexistence …
- humbleness and asceticism
- with younger or older, insiders and outsiders, friends and
enemies, ethics of disagreement
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Not tolerating untolerable: falsehood, bad manners,
manipulation, fight over the power
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No tolerance on expance of justice
 CONCLUSION
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„In Islam, there are three crucial moral qualities: knowledge,
benevolence and patience. Knowledge before we start to enjoy
good and forbid wrong, benevolence during the process and
patience after we finish it.“ (Ibn Taymiyyah)
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In-tolerance and im-patience are traits of disbelieve(rs),
unsuitable for muslims
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Treating today ummah's sicknesses
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Results of presence/absence of patience
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Results of presence/absence of tolerance