The Quran gives a lot of emphasis on patience (sabr). According to a Quranic verse: Truly those who persevere patiently will be requited without measure. (THE QURAN 39:10)
Such a verse is not there in the Quran for any other deed. Only for patience does Quran say that the reward would be countless in measure. What is this reward? This reward is not a mysterious phenomenon. It is what those who exercise patience receive instantly if they have exercised patience in the real sense.
Patience and reward are inseparable parts of each other. In the above verse of the Quran, reward refers to personality development. A developed personality is the much sought-after quality of a human being. In reality, personality development is what separates man from an animal. And the biggest source of personality development is patience.
The biggest source of personality development is patience.
Man is born with unlimited potential. As soon as he is born, this potential starts to unfold on its own. It does not require any additional endeavour for its unfolding. An allegorical reference in the Quran clarifies this further:
Have you not considered how God sets forth a parable of a good word (being) like a good tree? Its root is firm and its branches are in the sky, it yields its fruit each season with its Lord’s permission — God makes such comparisons for people in order that they may reflect. (THE QURAN 14: 24-25)
A tree is a unique self-growing phenomenon of creation. The entire tree is potentially hidden in a seed and when the seed sprouts, it turns into a tree! So is the case of man. Man is born as a child, which is like a seed. The child has unlimited potential to grow and if given an opportunity to unfold, it will go on growing and become a mature and complete person!
All qualities—wisdom, positive thinking, love, generosity, forbearance etc. are innate in man. Given a chance to grow, just as a seed grows to become a complete tree, a child would also grow into a complete man.
What hinders the growth or personality development in man? Man has to live in society where he encounters unwanted situations which can always disturb him. This could lead to the development of anger, hatred, malice, violence and negative thinking. These qualities then obstruct the natural course of growth of man. In such a scenario, man’s personality development has just one requirement: that he develops in himself the quality of patience. He must learn to remain unaffected despite unwanted experiences. In other words, he must learn the art of unaffected living.
Only for patience does Quran say that the reward would be countless in measure.
Now the question is how to lead an unaffected life? The method is very simple. It is all a matter of thirty seconds. Whenever you encounter an unwanted situation, you become impatient. If left unchecked, it would reach the state of a breakdown. If you want to check your unwanted reaction, you need to empty your mind for thirty seconds by observing silence. As a result, the anti-wave that had arisen would break and disperse. It would not become a part of your personality.
If you practise this, you would realise that for thirty seconds you were very disturbed but after thirty seconds, you became absolutely normal. After thirty seconds, the natural process returns.
If you want to check the veracity of this formula, you need to test it and practise it. In the first experience itself, you would find that this method is hundred percent successful.
