Ethics

Normally, patience is defined as tolerance of unpleasant circumstances. This defination, the way it is to a larger extent is intermingled with ambiguities, justifications, opposing statements, and conflicts. For an oppressed and vacuous society steeped in corruption and decadence, patience as defined above will become the biggest tool and pattern for oppressors and corruptors for maintaining the status quo, by keeping the society in a state of backwardness.

When poor and backward nations exposed to all kinds of problems and misery, or oppressed masses crushed under brute oppression, or societies faced with moral corruption, poverty and human suffering, or any individual or group trapped in a cesspool of misfortune and calamities are told to be patient, the first result will be the taking of that bitter and fatal dose, i.e. to suffer with, and not to overthrow the existing state of oppression.

Not only will they not mobilize themselves to overthrow the existing undesirable state of oppression, but on the contrary, keeping in mind the supposed rewards for remaining indifferent and naive they would feel happy and content to the extent that they would regard such behaviour as tantamount to accomplishment of a grand victory. It is obvious that the prevalence of such a mentality in that society, upto a large extent, will be to the advantage of the class of exploiter-s and oppressors, and to the further detriment of the deprived and oppressed masses.

Unfortunately, this wrong interpretation together with its disastrous results presently constitutes the sorry state of affairs in Islamic societies. Any other interpretation for free and unprejudiced minds is quite logical and acceptable. But for those accustomed to its false interpretation, even serious endeavours and fruitful results. When detailed studies of verses of the Holy Qur'an and narrations (hadith) about patience are conducted, grief and surprise for this deviation becomes relatively intense.

Adapted from the book: "Discourse on Patience" by: "Seyyed Ali Khamenei'i"