To have Patience over matters we cannot understand not possible

Patience is mentioned as many as 90 times in the Qur’an and is mostly associated with times of difficulty. The Holy Book repeats there is relief after hardship, to console the believers that hard times will always be followed with better times by the Grace of God. This gives hope to the believers and help them cope with lean times.

The Quranic story of Moses encounter with the mystical personality Al Khidr (The Green One) in the Chapter of the Cave (Surah Kahf) brings out vividly the need to trust in the Plan of God. In this story we read that Khidr built a wall for a most inhospitable people who had refused them food. Moses protested why he did not charge them for it, only to be told by the wise one that he did so because buried under it was a treasure that belonged to some orphans, so that they would be able to retrieve their treasure when they reached age. The lesson to be learnt here is that there are many things beyond the knowledge of man which is why we need to have patience throughout our lives and take things in our stride.

Everybody faces challenges in some form or other and this we need to take as a test from God. Very often one sees this at play in the workplace. Employees are affected by bad management decisions or to do away with their services. Likewise employers are affected when a key employee leaves them high and dry in the middle of a project or a major financial loss results in companies having to wind up their business, affecting both employers and employees. But after a few months or years we find that everything has changed and that we are in a much better position.

In these difficult times, we need to exercise restraint and hold back any statement or decision we may feel compelled to take on impulse or the spur of the moment. We also need to consult relevant people who can be relied to give sound advice. Only then should we take a decision or implement a plan on how to move forward.