Patience, patience and more patience! By: Guardian Nigeria Date: 5 June 2026 4:34am WAT
A Muslim woman reads the Quran during prayers on the eve of Eid al-Fitr. By Afis A. Oladosu
Seek the Almighty's help with patient perseverance and prayer. It is indeed hard except for those who are humble. (Quran 2:45)
If you were to ask an ordinary Nigerian today, particularly those who are down in the abyss of want and deprivation where hope for a better tomorrow remains like a mirage, how he feels about this country, he would probably tell you he has lost all hopes for a better Nigeria. If you were to commit that other error of asking a politician who is out of power how he feels about current situations in our country, he would most likely tell you things were better yesterday under party B than they are presently under party A. Now if you commit the greater error of asking one of those compatriots who desire that this nation breaks up so that an imaginary, rather illusory Eldorado of a nation could emerge from the ashes of a disembowelled Nigeria, he would declare that this nation holds no promise anymore for anybody.
Upon closer contemplation, it can hardly be controverted that the same rain that waters the plantation in Accra falls in Anambra; the same sun that shines over Chicago is beheld in Kano. I looked up at the skies and still saw the same moon and stars at night. The beautiful scenery that makes Calabar attractive to visitors has not changed a bit from what it was years ago. When I recently visited Lagos, I discovered that Mushin has not changed its name, nor Surulere nor Victoria Island. What has changed in these parts of Lagos is the change brought to bear by its inhabitants. In other words, Lagos has changed and is changing from the dirtiest city in West Africa to the most beautiful, smart city. Lagos is changing not because the landscape changed by itself. No, Lagos is changing because Lagosians have put in place a process that, over time, is maturing such that the city is now changing. Lagos is changing because Lagosians are allowing the process of change to take place, and peacefully too. This goes for other states in our country that are recording advances in infrastructural development. Sokoto is changing, just like Kano, just like Bayelsa.
The question then becomes urgent: what is missing in our national life? Exactly what might be the missing link in our world today? Responses to this question, simple and highly innocuous as it appears, could be as multifarious as the colours of the rainbow. But careful reflection over where we are today as a nation shows that what is missing in our lives as individuals and citizens of this great country might actually not be as hard to get as the basic necessities of life. The missing link is not that which we lack, such as water, electricity, good road network, state-of-the-art hospitals, or modern education. These are necessities. In nations other than ours, these are taken for granted. In those countries, you do not have to pray for provision of water or constantly await the arrival or return of electricity from some mythical principalities such as the Power Holding Outfits.
It is my opinion that what we are missing is that subtle connector, that compass that leads nations away from adversity to prosperity, from fear to hope, from dependence on fellow men to reliance on the Almighty. What we appear to lack is patience. The missing link in our nation is Sabr. Sabr, or patience, is a central Islamic value and teaching. It is repeatedly stressed in the Quran. The two words appear in the Quran more than one hundred times, indicating the great importance given to this virtue in Islamic ethical hierarchy. It reminds us that our worldly life is beset with challenges. The reason is that the world we live in is a world where everyone is free. This freedom creates competition and challenges, which in turn create problems constantly. We very well know that we cannot abolish the freedom given to man by God Himself. So, no human being has the power to abolish that situation which leads to competition and challenges. Hence, we are compelled to live in a situation of problems.
Given this scenario, what do we need to face the challenges of life successfully? Patience. It is patience and more patience. It is the robe constantly worn by men and women of knowledge and intuition. Patience or Sabr is not a passive attitude to life. It is not cowardice. Rather, it is the creative and proactive posture against challenges of life. It is the path trodden by all Messengers of the Almighty, from which they were rewarded with eternal success (Quran 46:35). Whenever what you desire takes time to come into reality, whenever your aspirations are long in coming, keep this in mind: as far as our Creator is concerned, delay is not denial; He knows exactly at what time your success should come. Wait for Him!
