As Almighty Allah has enjoined patience, He has also provided some means that lead to it and support it. Whenever Allah ordains something, He grants the necessary help and appoints the way to maintain it. Indeed, Almighty Allah never inflicts a disease unless He provides its remedy, through which recovery is ensured if He wills.
Though difficult for the soul, patience is possible to attain and worthy to strive for. Patience has two aspects: theory and practice. In these, cures of the heart and the body are found.
The theoretical aspect, as well as the practical one, should be present so that the most effective treatment may be facilitated. The theoretical aspect requires us to get acquainted with the goodness, benefits, bliss, and perfection of the divine obligations as well as the evil and harm of what is forbidden. When a person adds to this his or her sincere resolution, powerful will, and sense of honor, patience is the result. When this occurs, hardships become of little importance, bitterness turns into pleasure, and agonies transform into joys.
There is a continual struggle between patience and impatience. Both seek victory over the other, but the victory of either side will be ensured only when a person supports one side against the other. When one's lusts and whims become stronger and gain supremacy, to the point that relief is unattainable, one is usually tempted by promises of gratification and dissuaded from the divine remembrance and contemplation of what is beneficial to one both in this world and in the hereafter.
However, if a person is resolved to resist and seek treatment for such a spiritual infection, he or she can achieve that by observing the following:
First, the negative side of desires is nourished by that which stimulates and stirs it into action. So, to weaken the effect of this process, one should avoid the possible stimulus, such as excessiveness in food, for example. Fasting helps control one's desires, especially if the fast is broken with a modest meal.
Second, envy and desire, which are often stimulated by gazing the eyes, should be avoided. A person should lower his or her gaze as much as possible. The motivation of one's will and desire, with which the heart may be moved, is stirred by gazing. Indeed, such gaze is a poisoned arrow of Satan. Satan sends its arrows against an unarmored heart. Armor here connotes either lowering one's eyes or diverting them. Such an arrow is thrown from the bow of physical forms. If one keeps away from it, it misses its target; otherwise the heart would be smitten.
Third, pleasure should be sought in what is permissible. Man's natural instincts can be satisfied with what Almighty Allah has permitted. As pointed out by Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), this is an effective treatment that is prescribed for most people.
Fourth, the harms of wrongdoing in this world should be considered. In fact, if there were neither Paradise nor Hell, contemplating the harms of wrongdoing in this world would still be sufficient to lead people away from doing wrong.
Fifth, one has to think about the ugly aspects of the evil inclinations and whims of the soul. The human being who has even the slightest sense of honor naturally dislikes to be involved in any evil affair.
The Incentive of Religion
The incentive of religion is empowered by the following:
1. Glorifying Allah: This means to glorify Allah by refraining from disobedience, for He is Ever-Hearing and Ever-Watching. When one's heart is full of fear and awareness of Allah and respect for Him, one cannot act sinfully.
Almighty Allah has promised to reward His servants when they give up what is forbidden and restrain their desires. The reward shall be so generous as to make them completely content.
2. Loving the Creator: If a servant's heart is full of love for Allah, he or she will give up all sins. Indeed, love commands obedience.
3. Being grateful to the divine bounty and beneficence: A virtuous person never repays his or her benefactor with offensive deeds. This is something only the wicked do. The servants of Allah should, out of thankfulness, fall down in humility when they recognize Allah's bounties being continually bestowed upon them. As a result, any repulsive sin would seem all the more detestable to them.
4. Fearing Allah's wrath and punishment: If a person persists in rebellion, Allah's wrath descends upon him or her, and His wrath cannot be resisted. Humans are weak by nature and are in constant need of Allah's help, mercy, and guidance.
5. Expecting loss because of sin: Sinful people are in a state of loss, for they lose good both in this world and in the next. The smallest atom of faith is better than the whole universe! How can anyone desire to relinquish it? How can they trade it for a brief moment of pleasure that fades away in no time, but whose consequences will be felt forever? Desires languish while misery remains. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying,
"The adulterer is not a believer at the moment when he is committing adultery; the wine drinker is not a believer at the moment when he is drinking wine; and the thief is not a believer at the moment when he is stealing." (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
According to some Companions of the Prophet, faith is taken away from such a person like an umbrella is taken from over one's head. When he or she repents, faith is obtained once more.
6. Seeking victory over Satan and one's lower self:
When people control their desires and overcome Satan, they find sweetness and delight in their heart. Such victory is greater than the victory gained over human enemies. It is also more impressive, pleasurable, and praiseworthy. Such victory is similar to the effective remedy that treats the ailments of one's body.
7. Anticipating reward from Allah:
Almighty Allah has promised to reward His servants when they give up what is forbidden and restrain their desires. The reward shall be so generous as to make them completely content.
8. Seeking Allah's aid:
The Noble Qur'an, in more than one verse, speaks about the fortunate persons who shall receive aid and support from their Lord. Almighty Allah says,
O you who believe! Seek assistance through patience and Prayer; surely Allah is with the patient. (Al-Baqarah 2:153)
(Lo! Allah is with those who keep their duty unto Him and those who are doers of good. (An-Nahl 16:128)
And verily Allah is with those who do right. (Al-`Ankabut 29:69)
Allah's aid and bounty are surely better and more lasting. Eternal success and happiness are so much more desirable than a short joy in the brief period of one's life.
9. Fearing unexpected death:
Always in the back of people's mind is the fear of death, which can take them by surprise at any time. The time of death is unknown to any one. At the moment of death, the sinful will regret their negligence and disobedience. One does not fully appreciate this until his or her life is over, and then it will be too late.
10. Grasping the evil consequences of sins:
Experiencing tribulation is often related to sins and their consequences, while well-being comes as a reward and mercy from Allah when people obey Him. Some earlier scholars said, "When we see people in great difficulty, we should ask Allah for well-being. And when people try to evade their obligations toward Allah and become willfully disobedient and negligent in remembering Him, then affliction follows."
Overcoming Whims and Evil Desires
Training is necessary to develop the incentive to fight negative desires until the sweetness of victory is felt, which in turn strengthens resolution. Experiencing and overcoming hardship is a part of this development. If people withdrew from this battle against their desires, their faith would weaken and their desires would flourish. If people accustomed themselves to curbing their desires, they would gradually subdue them.
Combating the Evil Inspirations
If people find that their desires are overcoming them, they should strongly combat them. They should neither accommodate nor encourage them, lest these desires grow into wishful thinking. Unless a person curbs his or her evil inclinations, they will turn into inspirations, and then worries and anxieties, and finally they will become resolutions and actions. It is therefore easier to dispel the first inclination than to ward off its consequences.
Steering Clear of Negative Relations
A person should eschew the evil relations or means that drive him or her toward vain desires. The intended meaning here is not that people should have no desires but that they should satisfy them lawfully, turn them into something beneficial, and employ them in carrying out Allah's commands.
Indeed, every effort and intention must be purely dedicated to Almighty Allah. If a person made it a habit to act for Allah's sake, he or she would find it most difficult to serve anyone or anything else. On the other hand, those who give themselves up to their whims find it most difficult to sincerely serve Almighty Allah.
Pondering Over Allah's Signs
We are commanded by Almighty Allah to contemplate and reflect on His signs and miracles, which are scattered throughout the universe. When a person's heart becomes in tune with these wonderful signs, it shuns evil temptations. One is amazed at the foolishness of those who incur the wrath of Almighty Allah and show indifference to His commands and prohibitions. All in all, such people have given themselves up to Satan.
Ruminating This Transient World
When we contemplate this fleeting world, it becomes obvious to us that only the malicious, unwise, and hardhearted find contentment in taking the vilest of what this worldly life offers as provision for their eternal lives. If only people knew the reality of this world and what it contains, they would realize that there is little here to benefit from. Violent grief afflicts those who seek only the world without thinking of the hereafter. Imagine! How could one strive for a profit that only brings chastisement?
Persisting in Invoking Allah
Indeed, it is Allah Who captures all hearts, ordains all affairs, and to Whom everything returns. As we invoke Allah so often, we hope that our invocations will be answered, particularly when the supplication coincides with a time in which Almighty Allah answers the call of His servants, as He promised.
Let no one ever feel distressed because of his or her outward condition, for Almighty Allah tests people's belief that none is like unto Allah, both in His deeds and His attributes, and that Allah deprives to bestow, afflicts a disease to prescribe its remedy, and takes lives to resurrect them.
People are required to forsake their customary practices that are at odds with self-development and success. In fact, desires and prosperity hardly ever come together.
Recognizing the Two Enticing Tendencies: Good and Evil
In fact, people's tribulation lies between the two of these. Either people are attracted to the Supreme Companion, Allah, and the uppermost heaven, in which they hope to dwell, or they are reduced to the lowest status in the company of the dwellers of Hell. By responding to either one, a person reaps the consequences.
Whenever one wants to know the category to which one belongs, one should consider the whereabouts of one’s spirit in this world. Upon death, a person's spirit ascends to the Supreme Lord, to Whom it was already attached by nature. Indeed, this is so natural for people: to enjoy the company of their Beloved Creator. Everyone yearns for what they aspire to. In the Qur'an, Almighty Allah says,
Say, "Everyone acts according to his own disposition." (Al-Israa' 17:84)
Therefore, the pious seek the pleasure of Almighty Allah and hold fast to His straight path, while the wicked follow their own desires.
Purifying One's Heart in Hopes of Allah's Mercy
Unless a person frees his or her heart from desires and evil inclinations, he or she will never attain divine mercy. In fact, a person whose heart is purified by curing such diseases becomes eligible to enjoy Allah's mercy and favor. These spiritual causes and means yield fruits far greater and more beneficial than what the material ones produce. But, unfortunately, because of their ignorance and indifference, people are so often overtaken by the worldly, rather than the spiritual, aspects of their lives.
If people forsake their vain desires and reform their hearts, they will truly behold fascinating wonders wherever they look. In fact, Allah's grace and bounty are withheld because of people's inner corruption.
When the heart's impediments are removed, Allah's grace and bounty are generously bestowed upon people from every side. Allah's bounties are like a great river that irrigates every land it runs through. Likewise, the one who neglects the condition of his or her heart may be compared to a landowner who complains of drought while the river is quite nearby.
Understanding the Wisdom of Creation
Almighty Allah has created us for an eternal life, for honor without disgrace, for affluence without destitution, for pleasure without pain, for security without fear, and for integrity without deficiency. However, in this world, Allah is testing His servants with a life that ends with death, honor that is often followed by disgrace, and security that soon transforms into fear and anxiety. Everything in this worldly life can simply be replaced and repelled by its opposite.
Hence, it is mistaken to pursue improper ways to gain bounty, dominance, and glory. This wrong path leads people away from their high position in the sight of their Lord. Moreover, despite their efforts, people too often never achieve their ends; even if they are realized, these ends remain fleeting pleasures. All Messengers of Almighty Allah were sent for a single purpose: to call humankind to the worship of Allah, eternal salvation, and entry into the supreme kingdom. Whoever responds positively to this call enjoys the best of this world and of the hereafter; their life will be more pleasant than that of kings.
Renouncing worldly pleasures is a means to power. Satan is envious of the believers over this privilege, so he does his utmost to prevent them from reaching their destination.
When people control their temper and desires and yield to religious incentives, they find the true kingdom and freedom. On the other hand, a king who gives himself up to his desires and temper becomes a shackled servant of them. Only the fool people mistakenly concentrate on outward sovereignty whose reality is nothing but servitude. The lust that begins with pleasure ends up with grief.
Keeping in Mind That Mere Knowledge Is Insufficient
To think that knowing the above-mentioned tips is sufficient for achieving this goal is simply wrong. One must do one's utmost to put all these tips into practice.
To achieve this goal, people are required to forsake their customary practices that are at odds with self-development and success. In fact, desires and prosperity hardly ever come together. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said, "Let him who hears of the Antichrist go far from him" (Abu Dawud).
Thus, nothing helps to get rid of evil more than to ward off its means and its most likely whereabouts.