10. Persevere Patiently in Order to Overcome the Journey’s Obstacles

Don’t give up! Remain steadfast and continue to learn from your missteps and build on your successes until you meet your Lord with the highest level of accomplishment and excellence. If you falter, fall or fail, stand up, improve, and go on.

The lifetime journey for excelling in this life for the next is full of challenges and obstacles that require a lot of effort and expertise, which both necessitate patience (1)Saḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Saḥīḥ Muslim; Ḥādīth narrated by Imām Abū Hurayra, may God be pleased with him “No one has been given a gift better and greater than patience.” [ما رزق عبد خيرا له ولا أوسع من الصبر] and perseverance. It does not happen overnight nor is it achieved through quick fixes.

Persevere while being lenient, sympathetic, flexible, forbearing, and unhurried with those under your leadership whom you are working with to achieve excellence. They, too, can and will make mistakes. They, too, are on a learning curve. They, too, need time and trials before they can get it outstandingly right.

Persevere while remaining strong, not stressed!

Persevere while remaining firm, not violent! In order to excel at enjoining good and forbidding evil in society, you’ll need to control yourself and don’t over-react!

Persevere while being humble in acknowledging your shortcomings, in seeking constructive feedback to improve and excel, in learning from the experts regardless of their social status, and in sharing your own expertise.

Persevere while being content with God’s choice. You take the necessary means to perfect your deed, but be patient in awaiting the outcome and be content with it even if it is different from what you had expected; God knows best what is best for you. His Plan takes over and it is always most excellent.