Poem of Beautiful Patience
The well-known poet Al-Jawahiri reflects on patience in his verses:
I have accepted the endurance of the powerless, and I admire
the perseverance on adversity of the one who jumps with hope.
He holds a confident belief that it will lead him
to a state that encourages him for a better fate or to a demise.
Patience is not an easy matter to bear,
even if all claim it as their own.
And it is not something honorable to possess,
if its consequences only lead to suffering.
Yet, it is akin to the patience of lions against deprivation,
covered by the leaps of the gathering forces.
It tests the natures of the proud and the humble,
and the ordeal of aspiring souls that are downtrodden.
It is a concern for a free spirit pursuing a bold goal,
with another detached, yielding to a plea.
So if you are of a naturally brave heart,
enduring the blows of fate, not just pretending,
welcome the fabric of patience, a shield that doubles its strength,
and blessed are you from one who skillfully fortifies themselves.
Poem of Exhausted Patience
Abdullah Al-Faisal expresses his sentiment:
I see that patience is about to run out,
and I am nearing a point of distance.
My heart is close to finding rest,
and my eyes are about to fall asleep.
I nearly experience living among this crowd,
having lived alone amongst them for so long.
It seems I’ve wasted
my youth, heart, and life in vain.
And that my life and its reasons,
were sought out with you, but now they feel distant.
You have distanced yourself for a long time,
while our echo remains just that, an echo.
If our shades meet today,
it would be an unusual reunion.
The world of imagination brings us closer today,
while every harsh circumstance pulls us apart.
We reminisce about all the yesterdays gone,
and every stranger recalls our past.
And we are nothing but the time that
has passed through humanity on behalf of those gone.
We portray ourselves in the minds of others,
and reveal our weaknesses to what appears.
People mistake us as stronger than the hand of fate,
yet when we retreat to our thoughts, we seek destruction.
If a critic appears at your door,
we pass by in submissive humility.
Beware of being seen by watchful eyes,
and we fear the envy of misfortune.
Return to me, my beloved, as you once did,
in times where you have always been my comfort.
Leave behind the lamentation and the world of pain,
for time is nearly up.
Extend, my beloved, to whom you cherish,
a tender love and a gentle hand.
Or mock as you wish upon memories,
and delve into love like a sacrificial lamb.
Poem of the Fortress of Patience
Eyad Hayatleh emphasizes:
I kissed your head, longing for you, so grant me
O fortress of patience, a belief that strengthens me.
From the glow of your eyes, a sun I can illuminate with,
to present the dawn from the darkness of despair.
If the Almighty wishes for our separation in this world,
I hope to meet you in the eternal Paradise.
With the Master of Messengers, O my mother, and his pure progeny,
we revel in the sight of Al-Rantisi and Yasin.
I do not regret the state I now endure,
but I wished to fulfill my time in the arenas.
The honor of martyrdom is a dream I have long pursued,
in defense of the holiest sanctity and faith.
My spirit is dedicated to you, O Al-Aqsa, O homeland,
to whom the Prophet traveled; these are my veins.
Until our banner flutters over Jerusalem,
or the flag of victory rises over the peak of Hittin.
Poem of Can Patience Yield Fruit for the Impatient?
Abu Firas Al-Hamdani ponders:
Is it pleasing for one devoid of patience to find patience?
If only thoughts converge upon him, overwhelmed by another thought?
Is there a need for prolonged admonition, to be gentle with his heart?
Can one carry burdens if they are harder than rock?
Forgive me for the reproachers who blame love,
if they, too, had tasted the sweetness of love, would they find excuses?
They have blamed him long enough until they left him,
yet their moments were like a month, and their nights span years.
And nothing surprising in what they observe of his pallor,
nor strange in what you behold; their eyes turn away.
And it is praised in the affairs of wearing down what never yields,
and nice in battlegrounds of poisoned blades.
And one asks: “What has happened to you?” — in astonishment —
I replied, “O this, you and fate!”
Is this separation, or is it abandonment, or both aspect?
This separation and estrangement torment me,
Remind me of a beloved land and its memories.
O my friend in my whispers, does this remembrance help?
The dunes stretch tall between us,
and the desolate land grows apart.
Vast spaces, they do not detain a determined soul,
even if the wandering winds fail to capture patience.
Like a ship sailing between Fayd and Hajar,
being surrounded by the seas of its shores.
My opponents have chased me, a stream of hostility,
as they gaze dangerously at my approach.
And the dark-skinned tribes of ‘Ad, their whites gleam among them,
and the whites of ‘Ad, in their hands are the blacks.
And people, whenever they meet, spirits rejoice,
and the land rejoices, whenever it is attacked, the eagle is satisfied.
And horses sweep with goodness reflecting in their eyes,
and whenever the blade is sharpened, victory descends,
when any man revives the battle against foes,
every land he visits witnesses glory.
And on a day when the earth seemed to age with horror,
I encountered cavalry, their guts clenching fiercely,
they glide like the embers of fire, unleashed,
and their trails adorned with crimson splendors.
I mourn them while tears stream from my grief,
across their faces lie poetry, and around their necks, flowing prose.
I promised, and my heart in a state of melancholy;
yet there’s a longing toward their dwelling that grows deep.
Among that gathering, there’s one who holds onto a treasure,
shielded by a veil, its protection is sufficient.
In the midst of glory, there’s a visage untouched by veils,
do the revered recognize their gracious essence?
Did the treasures of Mecca green, does the stone flourish?
May God bless a people, whom your journey graces,
the clouds of mercy significantly rain upon.
Poem of Enduring Patience
The poet Mohammed Hassan Abu Al-Muhasane states:
Embrace the beauty of patience, for patience is a divine gift,
from Allah, who blessed us with great bounties.
The simplest virtue of patience is alleviation from distress,
and a release from the gloom that encircles you.
It will not shield you from a narrative and a tear,
or from the trials that fate has in store for you.
And the greatest calamity is the one requiring endurance,
even if its burdens are many.
Whoever strives diligently through challenges that hinder prospects,
will attain through beautiful patience what he seeks.
Poem of Departure to Patience
Ibn Zaydun writes:
Parted, the lover bids farewell to patience.
Spreading wide what he confided in you.
He laments even upon the absence of an increase,
as he has guided you along that path.
O brother of the moon, shining brightly,
may God protect the time that has illuminated you.
If will cause the night to unfold beyond you, how much
I used to complain of the brief night with you.
Poem of Patience Amongst Time
Abu Muslim Al-Bahlani asserts:
Patience, my son, amidst the shifting tides of time,
for time is a battleground for the free.
Where can one escape from what is decreed for the young?
All matters are held by fate’s decree.
And all affairs belong to The Omnipotent; his governance,
determines all thoughts and notions.
What do you want from time and its passage,
if you do not rely on the Sustainer, the Creator?
Do you see time having an effect on itself?
Every matter returns to the one who selects.
Have patience, for you will succeed if you remain steadfast
in the face of challenging adversities.
Let your righteousness be the path that leads you to
the generosity of the Most Gracious and the blessings of the righteous.
How often calamity has descended, limiting its scope,
then have patience turned into alleviation.
No one fails when they entrust their affairs to their Lord,
for He is the one who relieves hardships and constraints.
Poem on Patience’s Support
In his poem on patience, Ibn Aflaḥ Al-Absi articulates:
Neither does patience support what was encased in sorrow,
on the day of departure, nor does solace rescue it.
For I have never yielded to a critic’s slumber,
when every eye has closed what’s burdened by grief.
Did you not experience any sorrow from your friend’s burden?
What remains in love binds the heart’s yearning.
If not for conceit and its transient desires,
the specter of sleep would reside with anyone longing.
To blame the ‘dream of opulence’ is to commend those who feel protected by illusions.
Every embodiment is but a veil of tragedy when its righteous owner does not see it.
To the unwise, the promise seems bitter,
the struggle of dawn seems impotent to secure the day.
As the astonishing moments are severed from us,
the hours waft as curses on the winds.
Everyone imagines in their hearts what they possess,
yet it only surfaces in the strength of conviction.
Those who have endured know the price of misfortune,
while those who excel bear their burdens unscathed.
And so shall patience lead triumph where there is loyalty,
and the most noble deeds shall prevail in the end.