Ce am învățat în 2010

Eu nu sărbătoresc trecerea anilor, dar fiscul m-a obișnuit să țin bilanțuri. Și ce aș putea mai frumos să trec într-un astfel de bilanț decât întrebarea de la Paula, ce am învățat în 2010.

Am învățat că Mariei i se schimbă uneori culoarea ochilor din albastru în verde. Am mai învăţat să mă ascund de oameni (a se citi mankind) și să mă izolez în templul meu de cleștar, alături de tot ceea ce contează. Am învățat că singurătatea este o virtute atunci când totul în jur devine desuet.

Pe stâncile din Meca am mai învățat ceva.

Dar cel mai important lucru pe care l-am retinut a fost acesta: صْبِرْ sabr‎ – răbdare.

Răbdarea (în sensul acesta) este o caracteristică unică a speciei umane. Ortodocșii o numesc asceză. În Orientul îndepărtat se cheamă disciplina spiritului. Noi îi spunem simplu: sabr, sabr, sabr…

Din cartea The African Caliphate – Ibrahim Sulaiman

To achieve that moral and economic supremacy another quality is, however, essential: ṣabr. In a narrow sense, ṣabr just means patience, but in a wider sense, it embraces a number of attitudes, including endeavoring to live honestly and honorably in a situation where those qualities are not tolerated by the prevailing system and putting up with the hardships and disadvantages suffered as a result. The purpose of embodying this attitude is that it serves as a shining light in the midst of pervasive darkness. Ṣabr also means overlooking much of the ill-treatment, harm and wrongs which come from others and which are an integral part of human life. Allah has said in this regard that He has made some people a means to test others, in order to see which of them will exercise patience.

The most important form of ṣabr is the endurance of hardships suffered while striving on behalf of one’s religion. In their struggle against a decadent system, some people might lose social or economic privileges, some might lose their freedom, some their means of subsistence and some their very lives. In all these trials the most valuable weapon is ṣabr, because the path of religion is long, the steps hard and the efforts exhausting. Ṣabr means not personalizing any harm or injury suffered in the cause of Allah and not holding personal enmity towards those who inflict such harm, so that hostility will cease as soon as such an adversary opens his heart to the faith. It also entails overlooking temporary inconveniences and viewing such trials as moral training, not as a punishment from Allah.

The fruits of ṣabr are ready forgiveness, the lack of any other than ideological adversaries, the ability to overlook and overcome any obstacles placed in your path, and ultimately the attainment of your goal. Apart from knowledge and piety, there is no greater weapon for an individual striving in the cause of Allah than ṣabr.