To Will and Will Not

As with previous excerpts from ‘Uddatu-Saabireen, the terms ‘patience’, ‘steadfastness’, 'perseverance’ and ‘Sabr’ are all used interchangeably. Previous excerpts explained that Sabr, or steadfastness, is the means by which Allah’s commands might be fulfilled and His prohibitions avoided. This section discusses two matters. First, the different rulings on Sabr as they correspond to obligations and duties; and secondly, how steadfastness in adhering to commands (promotive Sabr) and staying away from prohibitions (suppressive Sabr) complement one another. Imam Ibn ul Qayyim discusses this latter point differently to how it is presented here. First, he presents arguments by scholars who view Suppressive Sabr as being of higher rank.