THE CHAPTER OF CORPSES · 27 – PATIENCE SHOULD BE PRESENT AT THE FIRST BLOW OF CATASTROPHE
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to a woman who was weeping over a deceased child, and he said to her, “Fear Allah and be patient.” The woman said, "You do not give importance to the calamity that has befallen me." Then it was said to the woman who had been told to be patient that the one who told her to be patient was the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. So the woman came to the home of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and did not find guards at his door (as one finds with kings). She said, “O Messenger of Allah! I did not know you.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Patience is [to be found] in the first strike [of calamity], or the initial impact."
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COMMENTARY: The time when calamities affect most intensely is at their onset. Being patient at that moment serves as a means to reward. Allah is with those who persevere. With the passage of time, habituation occurs.