The virtue of steadfastness and patience when meeting 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 (15)
Types of patience:
Allah Almighty said: {And when they went forth to [face] Goliath and his soldiers, they said, “Our Lord, pour upon us patience and plant firmly our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people} [Al-Baqarah: 250]:
We go with the story, and the small group that is confident in meeting Allah derives all of its patience from the certainty of this meeting, all of its strength from Allah’s command, and all of its certainty from confidence in Allah’s help and that He is with those who are patient. So this small, confident, patient and steadfast group, which was not shaken by the enemy’s abundance and strength, despite its weakness and smallness... So this group is the one who decides the fate of the battle, after it renews its covenant with Allah and turns its hearts to Him, and asks for victory from Him alone, while it faces the terrible terror.
1- {And when they went forth to [face] Goliath and his soldiers}:
They entered the clear, flat, exposed battlefield; This is in preparation for meeting the infidel army and fighting it.
2- {they said, “Our Lord, pour upon us patience}:
An expression that depicts the scene of patience as an abundance of Allah pouring it out on them, overwhelming them and pouring on them peace and tranquility and endurance of terror and hardship.
3- {and plant firmly our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people}:
It is in His hand - Glory be to Him - to stabilize it so that it does not budge, nor shake, nor tilt. {and give us victory over the disbelieving people}. The situation has been made clear: faith versus disbelief, truth versus falsehood, and a call to Allah to grant victory to His faithful servants over his unbelieving enemies. There is no confusion in conscience, no blurring of perception, and no doubt about the integrity of the intention and the clarity of the path.
Dr. Salah Al-Din Al-Khalidi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: There is a note in the arrangement of the three sentences of supplication: patience, steadfastness, and victory over the unbelievers. These three sentences are arranged in a phased order, and each one builds on what came before it, and the first thing that the fighters for the sake of Allah need is patience, which is why they said: {Our Lord, pour upon us patience}, patience in its comprehensive sense, including patience in confronting enemies and fighting them. Patience in battle takes precedence over steadfastness in it, and it is a necessary moral and psychological weapon for the mujahideen. It is the moral weapon of faith and it takes precedence over physical weapons.
We notice that these Mujahideen exalted themselves over the comforts of the world, and asked for what Allah has. When they saw the river - and they were in need of water - each of them was content to scoop one room with his hand and wet his saliva with it. In reality, they needed patience more than water, and for this reason they ask Allah to pour it on them completely and abundantly, to include their being and absorb their surroundings. Pouring patience on them leads to their steadfastness in the field and their valor in fighting and not escaping from war: {and plant firmly our feet} for only the feet of the patient will stand firm, but as for the frightened and anxious cowards, their feet will not be firm in the field, and that is why they turn away. If the Mujahideen are patient and their feet are firm in the field; They win the battle and are victorious over the enemies, and for this reason they asked Allah for victory in the end: {and give us victory over the disbelieving people} .
Victory in battle is a result of what came before it, and it will not be achieved unless what came before it is achieved. Only those who are patient in the confrontation and steadfast in the battle will be victorious.
The Mujahideen asked Allah to grant them three things: granting patience, steadfastness, and victory over the unbelievers. That is why actions were attributed to Allah: {pour upon us patience, and plant firmly our feet, and give us victory over the disbelieving people}. Their request for these three necessary steps from Allah is evidence of the strength of their faith in Allah, and the strength of their dependence and trust in Him. In this great stance of faith, they imitate their brothers, the Mujahideen, about whom Allah Almighty said: {And how many a prophet [fought and] with him fought many religious scholars. But they never lost assurance due to what afflicted them in the cause of Allah, nor did they weaken or submit. And Allah loves the steadfast (146) And their words were not but that they said, “Our Lord, forgive us our sins and the excess [committed] in our affairs and plant firmly our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people” (147) So Allah gave them the reward of this world and the good reward of the Hereafter. And Allah loves the doers of good (148)} [Al Imran: 146-148].
Episode references:
- Ali Muhammad Al-Sallabi, The King Prophets, pp. 89-92.
- Quranic Stories (3/395)..
- In the shadows of the Qur’an (1/269).
- Tafsir Al-Shaarawi (2/1056)
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:
