The provision of the patient and the treasure of the grateful

Author's name: Imam Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya

This book, by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, discusses the virtues of patience and gratitude. It draws upon interpretations of the Holy Quran, authentic Prophetic traditions (hadiths) with their proper sources, established legal rulings supported by evidence, and subtle behavioral insights that are readily apparent to anyone who reflects and considers the matter carefully. Ibn Qayyim states at the beginning of his book: "Since faith is comprised of two halves—half patience and half gratitude—it is incumbent upon anyone who seeks to advise themselves, desires their salvation, and prioritizes their happiness not to neglect these two great principles." Therefore, this book was written to highlight the critical need for and necessity of these virtues, and to demonstrate that happiness in this world and the hereafter depends upon them. It is a comprehensive, inclusive, and beneficial work.

It was commented on and its hadiths were extracted by Salim bin Eid al-Hilali

the introduction

All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help, and ask for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil within ourselves and from the evil of our deeds. Whomever Allah guides, none can lead astray, and whomever He leads astray, none can guide.

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the One, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. Now then:

Faith is comprised of two halves: half gratitude and half patience. This is because what a servant encounters is never devoid of two types:

First: The blessings that God has bestowed upon His servant, outwardly and inwardly. He needs to mention them, thank God for them, and speak of God’s favor upon him in them, so that he does not rely on them, nor become engrossed in them, and he observes the rights; so that he gives everyone who has a right his due. This is the station of gratitude.

Second: The calamities that befall a person, taking loved ones, destroying wealth, weakening the body, and defeating the pleasures and desires that have been made alluring to people. He needs to receive them with contentment, neither despairing nor becoming angry nor complaining, but rather awaiting relief and compensation from God. This is the station of patience. Since this is the case, it is incumbent upon anyone who advises himself, desires his salvation, and prefers his happiness not to neglect these two great principles, nor to deviate from these two straight paths, but rather to make his journey to God between these two paths, so that God may grant him a meeting on the Day of Judgment with the best of the two groups.

And so that the argument becomes clear and the path straight for those seeking the highest ranks, it is necessary to understand the two highest stations and the two most sublime objectives. I came across the book “The Provision of the Patient and the Treasure of the Grateful” by the second Sheikh of Islam and the divine Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, and I found that he had compiled the details of these two issues in a comprehensive manner that has never been done before, nor has anyone after him done it. I found it to be a comprehensive educational encyclopedia on the stations of religion and the degrees of certainty, and I became certain of the truthfulness of its author in his description of it, where he said:

Then came a comprehensive and beneficial book, containing benefits worthy of being cherished and held in high regard; enjoyable for its reader, clear for the observer, comforting to the sorrowful, motivating the negligent, and encouraging the diligent. It includes insightful points from the interpretation of the Qur'an, Prophetic hadiths attributed to their sources, sayings of the early Muslims attributed to their originators, sound legal rulings supported by evidence, and subtle points of conduct on the straight path. This knowledge will not be hidden from anyone who reflects and considers it.

Mention the categories of patience, the aspects of gratitude, and its types.

The dispute was resolved regarding the preference between the grateful rich and the patient poor, and the reality of the world was mentioned, as well as the examples given to it by God, His Messenger, and the righteous predecessors. The discussion focused on the nature of these examples and their conformity to the reality of the situation, mentioning what is condemned and praised in the world, what brings one closer to God and what distances one from Him, and how those who are miserable in it are made miserable, and those who are happy in it are made happy.

And other benefits that you can hardly find in any other book. This is a gift from God to His servant and a present from some of His gifts. It is a book suitable for kings, princes, the rich, the poor, Sufis, and jurists. It motivates the one who is sitting to move, comforts the traveler on the road, and alerts the seeker to the intended goal (1).

I witnessed it firsthand, for seeing is believing. This eminent scholar and valiant leader was guiding those whose intentions were pure and whose hearts and minds were clear, so that they might be among those who are steadfast and courageous, not those who are hesitant and reluctant. He was a shining example, and his share of the prize was the highest. It was imperative that our brothers in faith share with us this refined and religiously sanctioned experience. So I sought guidance from God in bringing it forth from its slumber so that it might see the light, and so that the people of patience and gratitude might increase in joy and happiness. Thus, it would return to the Muslims of our time as a nurturing environment of divine faith, so that we might follow in the footsteps of the righteous predecessors and succeed as they succeeded, and triumph and prosper as they triumphed and prospered. For this nation will not be reformed except by that which reformed its first generation, and our righteous predecessors were saved by asceticism and certainty.

And God speaks the truth and guides to the right path.

Book publications and their evaluation:

The book has been printed in multiple editions, including:

Printed in 1341 AH at the Imam Press in Egypt.

It was printed in 1349 AH at the Salafiyya Press in Egypt.

Then editions followed in Egypt and Lebanon.

Many of these editions contain deficiencies in the original text, overlapping phrases in most places, and misinterpretations of the author's words that distort his intended meaning, leading to flawed understanding and erroneous opinions. Therefore, it became imperative to verify and standardize the texts of this book, to trace its hadiths and narrations, and to clarify their degrees of authenticity and weakness, in service to knowledge and in fulfillment of its obligations to scholars.

My work in investigation:

I have written in the book:

1- Copying and comparing two handwritten copies:

The first is located in the Egyptian National Library, No. (2159), under the heading "Religious Ethics." It consists of (153) folios, each page containing approximately (25) lines, and each line containing (10) words. It is written in clear Naskh script. At the end, it reads: "Written by the poorest of mankind, the captive of his sins, and the most needy of God's servants for His forgiveness, mercy, kindness, pleasure, and pardon, Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd al-Aziz Al Uwaid, on Saturday morning in the month of Dhu al-Qi'dah, 1313 AH, after the migration of our Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and his family and companions and grant them abundant peace." [The following appears to be a separate, unrelated statement:] The discussion on

It was symbolized by “M”.

The second: an Iraqi version on microfilm brought by one of our brothers, a student of Islamic knowledge in Baghdad. I have designated it with the symbol “ظ”.

I have done that - i.e., the comparison - repeatedly, to avoid omission or misprint.

Or illusion and distortion. The differences between the two versions are explained in the footnote.

2- To standardize its texts to make them easier for the reader to understand, and this includes:

A - Adding diacritics to words, including letters and vowel markings.

B - Explanation of unfamiliar terms.

T - Divide the book into paragraphs according to what the meaning requires, taking into account punctuation marks.

3- I attributed the verses to their sources in the Book of God by mentioning their number and surah, and I placed that next to them and made sure that it was in the Uthmani script.

4- The hadiths included in the book were examined, and their degrees of authenticity were clarified according to the rules of hadith methodology, relying on the opinions of scholars who were well-versed in this field, both past and present. For hadiths found in the two Sahihs (Bukhari and Muslim) or one of them, I simply cited them, as this indicates authenticity unless some scholars explicitly stated otherwise.

Simple letters.

5- The effects and poems included in the book were produced to the best of my ability and capacity.

6- I translated the biographies of the prominent figures mentioned in the book. May God have mercy on him.

7 - I commented on some passages that are unclear to the reader, and whose understanding is difficult for him, or in which there is a correction to the author.

8- I translated the author’s work in an intermediate translation, explaining his scientific standing, the value of his books and letters, and his impact on Islamic sciences.

9 - Analytical scientific indexes were created so that the student of knowledge can easily access its benefits and find what he needs easily. These indexes are:

A - Index of Quranic verses arranged according to the surahs.

B - Index of the ends of the Prophetic hadiths arranged alphabetically.

T - Index of works arranged by their authors.

B - Index of narrators and notable figures whose biographies are included. C - Index of places, countries, and regions. D - Index of poems.

X - Index of sects, denominations, groups and tribes.

Index of scientific benefits.

Index of sources and references.