One of the Salaf said, “When I am afflicted with calamity, I praise Allāh four times: I praise Allāh for it not being worse than it is, I praise Allāh for nourishing me with the ability to bear it patiently, I praise Him for granting me the accord to say, ‘To Allāh we belong and to Him we return,’ and I praise Him for not making the tribulation in my religion.”
Looking to relief through patience is an act of worship since tribulation never remains forever.
Patiently bear every calamity, take heart,
Know that harm never endures forever.
Be patient, just as the nobles were patient:
It is a fleeting event; here today, gone tomorrow.
If the most severely afflicted person were to be dipped but once in the bliss of Paradise and then asked, “Have you ever seen calamity?” He will reply, “My Lord, no!” [1]
O soul, patience only for a few days!
Their length? A few flitting dreams!
O soul, pass through this world quickly;
Turn away from it, true life lies ahead!
Another said,
It is only an hour, then it will depart
All of this will go, it will disappear.
Footnotes
- As mentioned in a ḥadīth recorded by Muslim #2807 on the authority of Anas.
- Transcribed from: The Legacy of the Prophet: An explanation of his advice to ibn ‘Abbās; being a translation of his Nūru’l-Iqtibās fī Mishkāt Waṣiyyah al-Nabī li’bn ‘Abbās | Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī
Tawheed First 
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