Patience

In his Enneads, Plotinus states that every existent was associated with and bound to its opposite until that opposite became in the rank of that existent's requisites. The Almighty God, the One Itself that transcends all beings and is not itself a being, however, has no opposite, partner or counterpart.

In digression, Plotinus states that the human soul became in duality with the body thus opposed it in demands and goals. The goal of the soul is to ascent towards the supernal lights where existents are abstract comprehensive meanings and perfect ideals with no defects or distortions and they could neither be composite nor dissolved because they are immortal and simple; whereas, the goal of the body is to be attracted to the composite sensual pleasures as of food, drink, sexual intercourse, sleep and relaxation. According to monotheistic manners/arts, there exists a constant conflict of opposites between the soul and body. Neither the soul could leave the body since the latter is the soul's instrument to acquire its sciences and purify its deeds through its organs, nor the body could stand alone without the soul. Therefore, they are inseparable opposites. The soul tries to formalize the body organs with its supernal elements where hotness is to seek the obedience of God and not body sensual pleasures; coldness is to seek certainty stability and knowledge tranquility, yet not the coldness of relaxation, laziness and comfort; dryness is the power of the intelligence light in acquiring and enforcing knowledge in the incorporeal soul, not the power of the body gloominess, thickness and attraction to every opaque density; and where humidity is humbleness before truth and flexibility of recognition, not the humidity of bestial lusts and instincts.

Accordingly, patience is considered one of the most significant virtues, as stated by Imam Ali Bin Abi Taleb "Patience for faith as head for the body", neither a body is virtuous without the head nor faith without patience. Imam Ali realized that with the lack of patience, body whims overwhelm soul values and transcendental ideals and man falls back to bestial rank. The best of body abilities lies in attracting the body up towards the spiritual pleasures of generosity, magnanimity, courage, prowess and Sufism. It eradicates the bitterness caused by long-term patience and severe suffering. The prophet says in patience, “A believer who mixes with people and stands for their evil, is better than he who does not mix with people or stand for their evil” The Prophet realized that man is a social being who cannot see his success or failure, his happiness or misery, his power or weakness unless on the mirrors of true patience, and not through fleeing away from society to isolation, withdrawal and autism.

The Prophet said in his Holy Book, "By time. Indeed, mankind is in loss, Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience."

Monotheistic manners/arts state that a man to preserve and protect himself and attain the goal he exists for shall seek truth as his quest and ultimate goal; this truth, however, shall be embodied in righteous deeds on the grounds of reality. Standing the harm and evil of people, the faithful believer shall face negativity with positivity, hatred with love, cowardice with courage and injustice with fairness.

In the Holy Book, there was stated, " And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient, Who, when disaster strikes them, say, "Indeed we belong to Allah , and indeed to Him we will return."

We deduce that man is tested by adversities as gold is tested by fire – the purer the gold is, the brighter and yellower it would be when tested by fire; similarly, a faithful believer when tested by adversities, it is not by chance but the fruit of an evil action, heedlessness and doubts. "Actions are but by intentions and every man shall have only that which he intended."

If we know that antibodies are born from the bowels of each others, we would know that pleasure is born from the core of pain and happiness from the core of misery, and we would know that the patient have an excellent return and good ending.

He said, " … but if you persevere patiently, then verily, that will be a determining factor in all affairs, and that is from the great matters". He also said, "Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured. And excellent is the final home".

Whereas poet Shaarawi said, "Hold tight onto the rope of patience in every calamity, for facility would be the outcome of every difficulty."

Patience resembles the tree whose roots are bitter yet fruits are sweet. When one of the ascetic religious men (mashayekh) was asked how he sleeps on a mat and rests, he replied, "He who ignores the cruelty of his bed sleeps comfortably and restfully", then he added, "Misery is not being deprived of life pleasures, being unable to stand that deprivation".

Monotheistic manners/arts emphasized that when the rational soul attracts the body and rationalizes it with its supernal natures, it could be purified and elevated. Whereas soul satisfaction lies in grasping spiritual knowledge and argumentative virtues and in knowing of the existence of manhood which helps it in considering godhood as too exalted, the body associated with the soul and abstained from sensual pleasures until abstention became of its nature and less dense until it appeared as a mould of simple frozen light and not a dense composite clay.

When the monotheistic becomes in the rank of angels, because his supernal intellect could manage its physical body instincts, he would have occupied the highest ranks man could in fulfilling his humanity and adapting with the Intelligence, the master of this existence and the architect of its affairs by virtue of the divine support that is not interrupted for a blink of an eye.

Contributed in the preparation of the text, Kamal Sarieddine.

Issued on 11 Jamad Al Awal 1432 Hagira

Corresponding to April 15, 2011

Monotheistic Guidelines          

Issued by the Bureau of Mashyakhat Al Akl

Of the Mouwahideen Druze