Patience And Gratitude

by Ibn Qayyim al Jawziyyah chapter 7
Patience in adversity and in situations beyond man’s control
Trials such as the death of a beloved one, sickness, loss of wealth,etc.,fall into two types: adversity beyond one’s control, and adverstiy caused by action of another human being, such as slander, beating, etc.
In facing situation that are beyound one’s control, peopel may have any of the following reactions:
1. Feeling helpless and discontented, panicking and complaining.
2. Responding with patience, either for the sake of Allaah or a a sign of human strenght.
3. Accepting the situation with thanks and gratitude. This is even higher than accpetance, because in this case a person sees the adversity as a blessings and thanks Allaah for putting him through it.
4. Problems and adversity that befall a person at the hands of other may be faced with any of the following reactions:
1. He may choose to forgive and forget.
2.He may decide not to take revenge.
3. He may accept the decree ( qada’wa qadr) whilst recognizing that the perosn who harmed him was a wrongdoer, yet the One Who decreed that this harm should reach him at the hands of the wrongdoer is not a wrongdoer.The harm caused by people is like heat and cold: there is not way to prevent it happening and the one who complains about heat and cold betrays a lack of wisdom. Everything that happens, happens through the decree (qadaa’ waqadr), even though there are many different ways and means for it to happen
4. He may treat well the person who mistreated him. This attitude has many advantages and benefits, which nobody can know the entirety except Allaah.

Invocation for someone you have spoken ill to:
230. Allaahumma fa’ayyumaa mu’minin sababtuhu faj’al thaalika lahuqurbatan‘ilayka yawmal-qiyaamati.O Allah, whomever of the believers I have abused, give him the reward of a sacrificial slaughter for it on the Day of Resurrection.

Taken from Fortress of a Muslim