ABNA24 - In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. May prayers and peace be upon the noblest of creation, our master, beloved, and leader, Abu al-Qasim Muhammad, and upon his pure and immaculate family, his righteous and chosen companions, and upon all prophets and righteous people until the Day of Judgment.
Peace be upon you, O Aba Abdillah. Peace be upon you, O son of the Messenger of Allah. Peace be upon you, O son of the Commander of the Faithful, chief of the Prophet’s successor. Peace be upon you, O son of Fatimah al-Zahra, the doyenne of the women of the worlds. Peace be upon you, O Aba Abdillah, and upon the souls that gathered in your courtyard. May Allah’s peace be upon you as long as I live and as long as night and day endure, and may Allah never make this the last of my visit to you. Peace be upon Hussein, upon Ali ibn al-Hussein, upon the sons of Hussein, and upon the companions of Hussein. Peace be upon the martyred leader and guardian, Imam Khamenei, may his soul be sanctified. Peace be upon the Sayyed of the Nation’s Martyrs Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, may Allah be pleased with him. Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you all.
Our topic today is one of the foundations that we have sought to establish and cultivate during the past days of Ashura. It is a topic related to patience, which I have titled “The Jihad of Patience.”
Through this discussion, the importance of patience will become clear as a fundamental pillar in building our journey within the divine project on earth, following the path of Imam Hussein [peace be upon him].
What is patience? Patience is endurance. In the Arabic language, patience is defined as restraining oneself from panic and despair. Rather than being overcome by fear, anxiety, a sense of losing control, or inner turmoil, patience is a state of self-discipline, restraint, determination, and perseverance.
For this reason, the month of Ramadan has been called the Month of Patience. Why? Because the fasting person endures abstaining from food and drink despite hunger and thirst, having made a conscious decision to fast in obedience to Allah the Almighty. In this sense, the fasting person is patient because they refrain from satisfying personal desires and pleasures, even those that are otherwise permissible.
Patience requires willpower. It is therefore an essential foundation upon which a person builds their character, life, and mission.
In other words, patience is a choice.
Some people think: “We were struck by a hardship, or we ended up in a problem or a difficult situation, and we have no choice but to be patient.” But no- patience is not something that just happens to you by force.
You have to make a conscious decision that you want to be patient. It is not that you are compelled, or that a misfortune has befallen you and you have no control over it. In that case, it is not correct to say that you are patient; rather, it is simply something you are enduring unwillingly, with the outcome imposed on you without your active role.
What we are talking about is true patience- a difficult and complex outcome that involves challenges, restraint from desires, and the offering of sacrifices. This requires a deliberate decision called patience. Patience is a choice.
And this kind of patience- as a choice- requires self-discipline and inner struggle. It requires you to wrestle with yourself in order to make that decision and to develop real willpower.
This kind of patience is needed under the framework of the path we have chosen- the path of Islam and the way of Imam Hussein [peace be upon him].
Because in order to spread this path, to remain committed to it, and to let it guide one’s life, there are many stages along the way. Every one of these stages requires patience because they require willpower, consistency, and persistence.
They also require refusing to deviate from the path, reinforcing and strengthening it, and facing opposition and enemies, and so on- whether those enemies are internal [the self and its desires] or external. All of this requires patience.
There is a narration from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) that says: “Patience is contentment.”
Reflect on how beautiful this is. It means that when you make the decision to be patient and actively work on embodying patience- in all its forms, in every kind of challenge, and with full determination- the result is that you reach a state of contentment.
You become content because you chose this path yourself. You see it as a form of jihad, a jihad of patience, which ultimately leads you to achieve the goals you are seeking.
So in the end, you are satisfied. Patience is contentment.
If we make a comparison with certain situations that involve serious challenges, even reaching the level of killing, there are cases where patience means that a person refrains from fighting because it is not the right time.
In such situations, patience is actually stronger than fighting itself. Why? Because a person is usually driven by emotion and urgency. One might say: “Who is this enemy? Let me confront him now. Whatever happens, happens.” This instinctive push toward confrontation is often stronger than the impulse to hold back and not engage.
But when a person chooses restraint—when he decides to stand firm on principle, to remain grounded and not act impulsively—that requires a higher level of strength. In fact, those who are engaged in struggle and discipline will tell you: when they are asked to hold back, they feel a kind of inner tension or confusion, because the natural reaction is to move forward quickly and resolve things immediately.
So when they choose patience, it means they are exercising greater strength than in direct confrontation. Do not underestimate patience as a fundamental pillar of character building. It is something we must be trained and raised upon.
Patience itself has many forms: patience in obedience, patience in avoiding wrongdoing, patience in facing enemies, and patience in confronting challenges. There is no need to go into all its branches; the main concept is sufficient, and its applications appear throughout life.
Patience is a fundamental milestone on the path to victory. Anyone who seeks to attain victory in the end must begin with patience. One cannot reach the desired outcome without being patient.
Consider the Qur’anic verse, which serves as a central reference on the subject of patience. Allah the Almighty says:
“And when they advanced to face Goliath and his warriors, they prayed: ‘Our Lord, pour upon us patience, make our steps firm, and give us victory over the disbelieving people.’ So they defeated them by Allah’s will.” (Al-Baqarah, 250–251)
Look at these four stages that lie before us.
The first thing Talut and those with him asked was:
“Our Lord, pour upon us patience…” (Al-Baqarah, 250)
When a person sets out for battle, faces challenges, confronts enemies, or seeks to uphold and establish a just cause, those enemies will not simply allow him to succeed. So what should he ask of God at this first stage?
The answer is: first and foremost, he needs patience. That is why they prayed, “Our Lord, pour upon us patience.”
Reflect on the beauty of this expression. The words “pour upon us patience” suggest an abundant outpouring from Allah—as though asking Him to grant us as much patience as we are capable of receiving.
This shows how deeply a person needs a relationship with Allah: how much spiritual strength, heartfelt devotion, remembrance of Allah, trust in Him, and closeness to Him are required in order to receive such an immense measure of patience and inner fortitude.
“Our Lord, pour upon us patience.”
Then comes the second stage. If Allah grants us this patience, what follows?
“…and make our steps firm.”
Once you have patience, you possess the inner qualities and preparation needed to face challenges.
As you confront challenges, there are moments of advance and retreat, moments of facing enemies, moments of confronting dangers, and moments of resisting sin. In fact, I am speaking about every kind of confrontation: personal struggles, collective struggles, confronting external enemies, resisting sinful acts, and even persevering in acts of obedience, since obedience itself requires determination and self-discipline.
This brings us to the second stage:
“…and make our steps firm.”
In other words, as we walk the path of patience, we ask Allah to make us steadfast—to help us build strength, accumulate resilience, and persevere until patience becomes a firmly rooted quality within us.
At first, patience is often difficult and demanding. It feels like a struggle. But over time, with training and perseverance, it becomes natural. A person reaches the point where patience flows instinctively, without feeling that it requires extraordinary effort or constant self-restraint.
This is the purpose of cultivating patience from the outset: through continuous practice, it gradually becomes second nature—a lasting trait of character.
Once we move to the second stage—“…and make our steps firm”—we arrive at the third stage:
“…and grant us victory over the disbelieving people.” (Al-Baqarah, 250)
If we are engaged in a struggle, it is only natural that we seek victory in the end. All of the preceding steps are intended to build the conditions that lead to victory.
This is Allah’s promise and His established law in life. As He says:
“Prepare against them whatever force you [believers] can of [military] power and cavalry to deter Allah’s enemies and your enemies.” (Al-Anfal, 60)
The outcome, therefore, follows naturally. Victory becomes the expected result when its necessary conditions have been fulfilled.
When we say that victory is inevitable in the course of confrontation, we mean that it follows from undertaking the means that Allah has commanded us to prepare. Thus comes:
“…and give us victory over the disbelieving people. So they defeated them by Allah’s will.” (Al-Baqarah, 250-251)
Notice the sequence: first comes patience, then steadfastness, and then victory. Patience is therefore the essential foundation and the first milestone on the path to achieving the desired outcome.
As the Hadith reads:
“Indeed, victory comes with patience, relief comes with hardship, and with difficulty comes ease.”
There is another point I would like to address. I would like to present some examples from both history and the present day, so that we can see the practical applications of patience and its tangible effects in real-life situations.
Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) became Imam at approximately the age of forty-seven, following the martyrdom of Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) in the year 50 AH.
From 50 AH until 61 AH—a period of about ten years, culminating in Muharram of 61 AH—he exercised patience in the face of what is described here as a deviant caliphate. The objective circumstances, as presented in this account, did not permit him to rise in opposition: the people would not have responded to his call, nor would he have been able to achieve the desired objective.
So what did he do?
He remained patient, just as Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) had exercised patience when he concluded the peace treaty with Mu’awiyah. This patience was evident and unmistakable.
However, when the appropriate moment arrived, Imam Hussein rose to pursue reform. He moved from the stage of patience to the stage of confrontation.
Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) expressed this idea in the letter he addressed to his brother, Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah:
“Whoever accepts me on the basis of the truth, then Allah has the greatest right to the truth. And whoever rejects me, I shall remain patient until Allah judges between me and the people with the truth, for He is the Best of Judges.”
In other words, Imam Hussein made it clear that he had anticipated a stage of patience if the people did not accept his call. If they responded positively and the circumstances became favorable, then he would move to the stage of confrontation in order to remove the tyrant.
Thus, patience is presented as the first and most fundamental principle. It is the foundation upon which everything else is built, enabling one to ultimately reach the desired objective.
Imam Ali (peace be upon him), the Commander of the Faithful, was the one most entitled to the caliphate, as affirmed by narrations, verses, history, and many analysts.
However, due to the circumstances that existed at the time, he was not allowed to assume leadership as caliph. So, what did the Imam do?
He conducted a realistic assessment and recognized that if he were to try to seize power- despite being the rightful one- while others were acting against the truth, it would lead to a prolonged and destructive civil strife. It would result in killings and would destabilize the very foundation of the Islamic system.
Thus, the community was not ready for a confrontation that would remove those who had deviated it from its rightful course.
What does the Imam (peace be upon him) say, especially at the time of the appointment of the third caliph?
He says:
“You have known that I am the most entitled of all people to it (the caliphate) besides others. By Allah, I will remain patient as long as the affairs of the Muslims remain sound, and there is no injustice in it except upon me personally. I do so seeking reward for that and its virtue, and out of detachment from the worldly adornments over which you compete.”
In other words, he chose the option of patience—because that was what served the interest of the Muslims.
The Imam does not operate on the basis of whether he has a right or not; rather, even if he has the right, if circumstances do not allow its realization, then patience is required.
Sometimes there are periods in which endurance is necessary, and certain sacrifices must be made. Not everything is immediately attainable.
Thus, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) remained patient for twenty-five years after the passing of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), until he assumed leadership as the fourth caliph.
This reflects the greatness of his approach. He exercised patience at the highest level—even though he was the Imam of the nation, the divinely appointed leader, and the one designated by the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). Yet, based on the practical realities and circumstances, he acted with wisdom.
He remained patient. In fact, his patience was stronger than confrontation, even though patience often carries a heavier cost. Nevertheless, he endured.
And the result was that he later established governance and presented a pioneering model of justice.
Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her)—what immense patience is this?
Had it not been for her patience, these great banners of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) would not have risen after his martyrdom in such a powerful and enduring way.
Why is that?
Because there is a profound difference between a situation where Imam Hussein is martyred and Lady Zaynab is left exhausted and broken, the family in a state of devastation, the Muslims overwhelmed and lamenting their loss—versus a situation where she stands before Ibn Ziyad and declares:
“I saw nothing but beauty.”
Allahu Akbar—such words require extraordinary patience. In such a painful and tragic moment, in the presence of such criminals and killers, this level of composure and conviction is extraordinary.
Yet it is precisely this statement—“I saw nothing but beauty”—that has been immortalized in history. It is what carried the message forward, preserved the banner, and shaped the ongoing path of the Husseini movement and the legacy of Karbala.
So the point is clear: patience is directly tied to its impact in reaching the final outcome and preserving the mission after such profound trials.
Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) says:
“From the religion of the Imams are piety, chastity, and righteousness,” and then he says:
“And awaiting relief through patience.”
This means that we are patient because we are waiting for Imam al-Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance).
It is not easy to be among those who wait with patience. Some might say: “How long must we wait?” But no one has the right to say that. We wait until he himself determines the time of his appearance, when Allah the Almighty permits his appearance—whether it is tomorrow, next year, ten years, or even a hundred years later.
Those who walk this path are not doing so in order to achieve immediate gains. Rather, they follow it in order to fulfill their duty. Sometimes the results come in our lifetime, and sometimes they come in the lifetime of others. We are part of a continuous movement, and patience is one of its essential pillars.
That is why the Imam says:
“And awaiting relief through patience.”
Reflect on how central patience is in this entire framework—it is the foundation of waiting, commitment, and continuity in the path.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said regarding the Muslims who will come after you—that is, those of your time, the fighters in various fronts, the Resistance movements, and the honorable and pure people of the community:
“There will come people after you, and one man among them will have the reward of fifty of you.”
They said: “O Messenger of Allah, we were with you at Badr, Uhud, and Hunayn, and the Quran was revealed among us- how could one of them equal fifty of us?”
He replied:
“Because you would not have the patience to endure what they endure.”
Reflect on where the strength lies here. It lies in patience- endurance under immense pressure. These are people who remain steadfast while the entire world may stand against them. The sacrifices are the hundreds and thousands. They endure massive loss and destruction across towns and villages.
And why do they endure all this?
Because they carry a mission- a project based on dignity, honor, and establishing truth on earth.
This noble, honorable, and great Resistance in Lebanon—by God, no matter how much we speak about it, we fall short of giving it its due.
What we have witnessed from this Resistance has astonished the world. When people observe it, they ask: What is it about them? Why do they act this way? How did they achieve this? They cannot believe it.
Why is that?
Because they are not accustomed to seeing this kind of patience—patience that reshapes equations and transforms realities.
Our patience builds the future. Our patience changes the balance of power. Our patience leads to the consolidation of a project, and it breaks the arrogance of tyranny. Our patience connects us to the patience of the Prophet and the Imams, all the way to Imam al-Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance).
This is the kind of patience we are speaking about: the patience of a comprehensive project, a great mission that requires sacrifice.
You are people of sacrifice because you have already given. There is a difference between you and others. We are not speaking about people from whom we ask patience—we are speaking about people from whom the world learns patience.
You have already implemented, moved forward, and achieved results- praise be to God for reaching this stage.
In this gathering, I wanted to mention three examples of families of martyrs. I assigned some brothers to visit the families of martyrs who have two, three, four, or even five martyrs within a single household.
They submitted a report to me, in which they conveyed some of the words spoken by these families. In truth, I saw that their words are a school in themselves.
I said that it is both our duty toward them and their right upon us that we learn from them and reflect on what they have said.
One of the fathers of the martyrs from the Al-Abbas family, an 80-year-old man, and his wife, who is 75, had eight sons and eight daughters. From various battles, they have already presented five sons as martyrs.
What does the father say?
This father, who once worked and traveled and- praise be to God- had built up wealth and owned assets and businesses, says: “Now everything I had is gone, because it has all been destroyed in the south.”
Yet he adds: “We are all sacrifices for this path.”
He continues: “If we do not offer our children, as other families of martyrs have done, then who will defend us and our land?”
He says: “I am proud of the martyrdom of my sons, and I hold my head high in honor of them.”
He then asks: which is better for a father—to be told that his sons were martyred on the path of truth, or to be told that they were killed while committing theft, attacking a bank, or dying in traffic accidents?
This is a school in itself.
What does the wife say? She says: “If even a thorn pricked one of my children’s feet, I used to feel as though it had pierced my own heart.”
But for the sake of this path, when sacrifice becomes a duty, then we accept the pain and we endure the separation.
Do you see? We endure separation. In the end, they are human beings with emotions and feelings—these are their children, their own flesh and blood.
Yet they say: we strengthened ourselves in this situation through patience.
Another family from the Alaa al-Din family: they have three sons who are martyrs, a grandson who is a martyr, and a son-in-law who is also a martyr—meaning they have five martyrs in total.
What does Um Basil say?
She says: “We are strengthened by the blood and the fragrance of the martyrs and by our brothers, the mujahideen. I ask Allah Almighty to gather us soon in a land of dignity and honor.”
She adds: “Our hope in Allah is great for return and victory. Allah has promised us in the Quran that the party of Allah are the successful and the victorious.”
She continues: “We ask Allah that Lady Fatima al-Zahra (peace be upon her) be pleased with us. She taught us patience, and although it is bitter, we will remain patient. We saw nothing but beauty. They are our role models, our motto, and our symbol.”
Notice where her emphasis lies: on patience—because it is something immense and foundational.
A third family is from the Qaddouh family. Hajjah Huda is the wife of a martyr and the mother of two martyrs—meaning that there are three martyrs in her household.
She says:
“When I heard the news of my son Muhammad Ali’s martyrdom, I went into my room and, without consciously thinking about it, found myself prostrating before Allah. The same thing happened when my other son was martyred.”
Allahu Akbar.
Do you know what it means that she prostrated to Allah? It means that she offered thanks to Allah for her son’s martyrdom. She gave the very dearest part of herself—her own children—for this cause, and she remained patient.
This is the kind of patience we are speaking about: the patience that accomplishes extraordinary things, the patience through which a cause ultimately reaches its objective.
Our Sayyed, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah (may Allah be pleased with him)-why did he attain such a great stature? Why did he become so deeply rooted in the hearts of people around the world? Why was he able to transcend barriers, borders, and hearts alike?
Because for decades he persevered with patience, preparation, and tireless effort in support of this cause. He endured the hardships of life, its many trials, long periods away from his family, and even the sacrifice of his own son as a martyr, among other sacrifices.
Without that patience, we would not have reached the outcome they see today.
I wanted to present these examples to show the outcome of this kind of patience.
Patience grants extraordinary strength. Allah says:
“O Prophet, motivate the believers to fight. If there are twenty steadfast among you, they will overcome two hundred; and if there are one hundred of you, they will overcome one thousand of the disbelievers, for they are a people who do not understand.” (Al-Anfal, 65)
Notice what the verse says:
“If there are twenty steadfast ones among you, they will overcome two hundred…”
Patience is the foundation. It multiplies your strength tenfold in the midst of battle.
Where does this strength come from?
Those who have experienced it know. If we tried to explain it to those who have never lived through it, they would not fully understand. But you understand, because you are the families of martyrs, you are the people of this journey, and you are the people of the cause.
The outcome of patience is both worldly and eternal.
As the Qur’an says:
“Our Lord, pour upon us patience, make our steps firm, and grant us victory over the disbelieving people.” (Al-Baqarah, 250)
In the end, by Allah’s will, we attain victory in this world in its various forms, and in the Hereafter we receive our share, as Allah says:
“But this cannot be attained except by those who are patient and who are truly fortunate.” (Fussilat, 35)
In other words, you gain both this world and the next. Along with that success comes a distinguished rank with Allah.
Consider some of the verses where Allah speaks about patience:
“And Allah is with the patient.”
The first reward is that Allah is with those who are patient. What greater source of strength could there be?
“And Allah loves the patient.”
Allah loves them.
“And give glad tidings to the patient.”
This means that their outcome will be good, both in this world and in the Hereafter.
“Only those who endure patiently will be given their reward without limit.” (Az-Zumar, 10)
Their reward is unlimited—beyond calculation.
And Allah also says:
“And We will surely reward those steadfast according to the best of their deeds.” (An-Nahl, 96)
That is, Allah rewards them according to the very best of their deeds.
The conclusion, therefore, is that patience should be the fundamental principle from which we proceed in order to uphold and preserve the path of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him).
Send your blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.
I would like to conclude with what I consider to be an important and beneficial takeaway.
When we decided to adopt the slogan “Hussein is Our Path,” we wanted to do something during Ashura that would be more than a series of lectures. We wanted it to resemble a practical plan—a project that would begin in Ashura and continue well beyond it.
That is why the talks delivered during the Ashura gatherings were, in reality, interconnected. Each one formed part of a broader plan and contributed to a larger project.
This project is called “The Project of Our Happy Life.”It is built upon five foundational principles, corresponding to the five lectures (or five addresses) delivered during the Ashura program.
The first foundation: Hussein is Our Path.
The second foundation: Our Victory Is Everlasting.
The third foundation: Continuous Upbringing and Self-Development.
The fourth foundation: The Responsibility of Spreading and Establishing the Religion.
The fifth foundation: The Jihad of Patience.
If I were to summarize “The Project of Our Happy Life” in a single sentence, I would say:
The Project of Our Happy Life is this: Hussein is our path; through it we remain ever victorious, continually cultivate ourselves upon it, spread it and strive to establish it through the struggle of patience.
I realize that it may not be easy for individuals to retain all of these points in this form. Therefore, I would like to address our media team and those responsible for this work:
It is your responsibility to compile these five lectures into a single project entitled “The Project of Our Happy Life,” then publish the texts, print them, circulate them, and make them widely available.
At this stage, we want to move to a new foundational phase—one that enables us to keep pace with the developments ahead while benefiting from what we have already accomplished.
Peace be upon Hussein, upon Ali ibn al-Hussein, upon the sons of Hussein, and upon the companions of Hussein.
May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.
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