Sabr is an Arabic word that means patience. We are taught that we should be patient with what life throws at us and not dwell on the problems that life is throwing at us. That doesn’t mean that we’re not allowed to feel sad or frustrated or annoyed by what happens to us, it means that we should experience those emotions but not wallow in them and allow them to poison our entire lives.
Sabr also does not mean that we should not fight to better our lives. We should do the best we can to fix things but if we cannot fix them, we should be patient with them.
It took me a very long time to learn this. I would swing between being angry about my situation and being angry with myself for being unsatisfied with that situation. I had to learn to allow myself to experience my emotions and yet not allow those emotions to overwhelm or poison me.
It’s still a work in progress and it’s not easy. I have to keep reminding myself all the time. That’s okay though.
The Imperfect Muslimah 