The virtue of patience in the face of trial in the story of Taloot, peace be upon him, and his soldiers...
Selections from the Book The King Prophets...
Written by Dr. Ali Muhammad Al-Sallabi...
Episode (14)
Allah Almighty said: {And when Saul went forth with the soldiers, he said, “Indeed, Allah will be testing you with a river. So whoever drinks from it is not of me, and whoever does not taste it is indeed of me, excepting one who takes [from it] in the hollow of his hand.” But they drank from it, except a [very] few of them. Then when he had crossed it along with those who believed with him, they said, “There is no power for us today against Goliath and his soldiers.” But those who were certain that they would meet Allah said, “How many a small company has overcome a large company by permission of Allah. And Allah is with the patient”} [Al-Baqarah: 249]:
Interpretation of the Noble Verse:
1- {And when Saul went forth with the soldiers, he said, “Indeed, Allah will be testing you with a river. So whoever drinks from it is not of me, and whoever does not taste it is indeed of me, excepting one who takes [from it] in the hollow of his hand”}:
Here the evidence of Allah’s wisdom in choosing this man is clear to us. He is heading into battle, and he has with him an army from a defeated nation, which has known defeat and humiliation in its history time after time, and he is facing the army of a victorious nation. There must be a force latent in the army’s conscience to stand by him. As for The dominant apparent power is only in the will; The will that controls desires and whims, endures deprivation and hardship, rises above necessities and needs, prefers obedience and bears its costs, and passes trial after trial. Therefore, the chosen leader must test his army’s will, steadfastness and patience:
First; the army’s steadfastness against desires and lusts.
Secondly; the army’s patience with deprivation and troubles.
He chose this experience, and they did, as the narratives say, so that he would know who would be patient with him and who would turn on his heels, and would prefer well-being, and his insight was correct.
2- {But they drank from it, except a [very] few of them}:
They drank and drank, and he allowed whoever wanted to drink to take a scoop of water with his hand. A drink that quenches the thirst and does not incite the desire for backwardness. Then, they separated from him as soon as they surrendered and retreated. They separated from him because they were not fit for the task entrusted to him and them, and it was good and firm for them to separate from the advancing army, because they are a seed of weakness, disappointment, and defeat, and the armies are not in large numbers, but in a steadfast heart, a firm will, and a firm faith that is straight on the path.
This experience has shown that latent intention alone is not enough, and practical experience is necessary, and facing the reality of the path to battle before entering into it. It also indicates the solidity of the chosen leader, who was not shaken by the backwardness of the majority of his soldiers at the first experience, but rather went on his way, and here, the experiment had filtered out Saul's army, and separated the truthful from the false.
3- {Then when he had crossed it along with those who believed with him, they said, “There is no power for us today against Goliath and his soldiers”}:
They have become few, and they know the strength of their enemy and the large number of him under the leadership of Goliath, and they are believers who have not renounced their covenant with their Prophet, but in the face of the reality that they see with their own eyes, they feel that they are weaker than confronting it, and that this is the decisive experience; The experience of being proud of another power greater than the power of visible reality. Only those whose faith is complete can withstand this, so their hearts are connected to Allah, and This was the case with the chosen group of believers, who knew the divine standards, and their steadfastness was proverbial.
4- {But those who were certain that they would meet Allah said, “How many a small company has overcome a large company by permission of Allah. And Allah is with the patient”}:
This is the balance that does not shift: {How many a small company has overcome a large company}. This is the rule for those who are certain that they will meet Allah.
The rule says: The group of believers should be small. Because it is the one that climbs the arduous ladder until it reaches the level of selection, but it is the one that prevails; Because it connects to the source of forces, and because it represents the prevailing power and the power of Allah who is supreme in His command, omnipotent over His servants, He is the destroyer of the tyrannical and the vanquisher of the arrogant.
They say this victory is from Allah, Allah willing, and they explain it with its true cause, that Allah is with the patient people. All of this indicates that they are chosen by Allah for the battle of separating truth from falsehood.
Types of patience:
Among the benefits of the noble verse: {And Allah is with the patient} It is encouraging patience, and it is of three types:
The first: patience in obedience to Allah, where a person devotes himself to obedience, and performs it without boredom.
The second: patience with what Allah has forbidden, by refraining from what Allah has forbidden from saying or doing.
The Third: Patience with the painful destinies of Allah, by refraining oneself from dissatisfaction with the public and private calamities that Allah decrees.
Episode references:
- Ali Muhammad Al-Sallabi, The King Prophets, pp. 83-88.
- Quranic Stories (3/392).
- In the shadows of the Qur’an (1/269).
For further information and review of the sources for the article, see:
The Book of King Prophets on the official website of Sheikh Dr. Ali Muhammad Al-Sallabi:
