Hawzah News Agency | In the fourteenth supplication of Sahifa Sajjadiyya, Imam Zayn al-Abidin, peace be upon him, addresses Almighty God, saying:

«اَللَّهُمَّ وَ إِنْ کَانَتِ الْخِیَرَةُ لِی عِنْدَکَ فِی تَأْخِیرِ الْأَخْذِ لِی وَ تَرْکِ الاِنْتِقَامِ مِمَّنْ ظَلَمَنِی إِلَی یَوْمِ الْفَصْلِ وَ مَجْمَعِ الْخَصْمِ‏،

“O God, if it is in my best interest that the recovery of my rights and my retribution against the one who has wronged me be postponed until the Day when truth is distinguished from falsehood, and the Day when all claimants gather together for judgment,

فَصَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ وَ أَیِّدْنِی مِنْکَ بِنِیَّةٍ صَادِقَةٍ وَ صَبْرٍ دَآئِمٍ،‏

then send blessings upon Muhammad and his family, and grant me the strength to maintain a sincere intention and unwavering patience.”

Explanation:

At times, people assume that divine justice only becomes meaningful when injustice is immediately answered and the wrongdoer is punished at once for their actions. Yet, according to the monotheistic worldview, God's justice cannot be measured by the speed with which punishment is administered. God is neither unaware of injustice nor does He forget the rights of the oppressed. Rather, within His wise and purposeful order, every event unfolds in its appropriate place and at its appointed time.

What a believer must reflect upon is that a delay in obtaining justice never means that one's rights have been disregarded. Perhaps, during this very interval, God is creating circumstances for personal growth, testing, and the revelation of truth, ultimately bringing justice to light in a more complete manner. Therefore, the oppressed should not interpret a delay in the punishment of the wrongdoer as evidence of an absence of divine justice, for God's justice transcends the limited and hasty calculations of human beings.

Of course, Islam's call to patience does not in any way mean accepting oppression, relinquishing one's rights, or surrendering to injustice. A person who has been wronged has the right to defend themselves, demand their rightful due, and stand against injustice within the bounds of truth and justice. What Islam asks of a person is that, in this struggle, they must not themselves stray from the path of justice or transgress the limits set by God. Even at the height of suffering and pressure, one must not surrender control to anger, but remain certain that there is no need to commit wrongdoing oneself in order to secure justice.

A person who patiently endures injustice is someone who recognizes their rights and strives to uphold them, while refusing to allow injustice to undermine their faith or their monotheistic outlook and trust in God.

Thus, as expressed in the illuminating words of Imam Sajjad, peace be upon him, a person may suffer in the face of oppression and injustice and may even find the path to deliverance difficult to discern. Nevertheless, they must never forget that the world is not without a Master and that human destiny rests in the hands of an All-Wise and Just Power. This perspective empowers the oppressed neither to surrender to injustice nor to fall into despair when relief is delayed. They know that God is watching, that He sees the truth, and that no suffering goes unnoticed and no right is lost in His presence.

Patience, therefore, is not passive submission to injustice; rather, it is a form of steadfastness rooted in faith.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The International Service of "Hawzah News Agency"