"Prayer, Charity and Patience: The Three Lights"
Our Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
_“**Purification is half of faith,_
_**(Saying) alhamdulilah (praise be to Allah) fills the scale, _
_**(Saying) subhanallah (High is Allah above every imperfection) and alhamdulilah (praise be to Allah) fill up what is between the heavens and the earth._
Prayer is a noor, charity is a burhaan, _**and patience is a diyaa’._
_**The Quran is a proof for you or against you._
_**All people go out in the morning and sell themselves, either setting themselves free [from the fire] or destroying themselves [due to their actions]._ (Sahih Muslim)
Prayer, charity and patience are all described as different types of light in this hadith.
Prayer is described as “noor” because it is a light that has no burn or fuel to it. The light of the moon in the Quran is described as noor since it is a light that simply reflects the sun: “The light of the moon is very soothing and comfortable, so is the case with prayer. It provides great comfort to the soul by bringing it into the presence of the Merciful Lord.”
Charity is described as burhaan ** which means a decisive proof. However, burhaan is also the rays that are emitted by the sun. The rays point to the existence of the sun, the source of light. This is perhaps why the Prophet (peace be upon him) used that term for charity because giving charity for the sake of Allah proves or points to the existence of one’s faith in a manner similar to how the rays point to the existence of the sun.
Patience has been described as diyaa’, which is a source of light. The sun is also described in the Quran as diyaa’ since it is a source of light and heat. This type of light involves some kind of “heat” or “burning” with it. It guides the person but that guidance comes only at the cost of effort and work. This is because patience is not always an easy thing for a person. By definition, patience involves restraining oneself and controlling one’s actions. It can even be so difficult to be patient that it is as if one is actually in a burning fire.
Patience is called diyaa’ because it is the real source of light for the Muslim. Patience is required to fulfill obligatory deeds in Islam and patience is required to stay away from what is forbidden by Allah.
So without patience, we can not truly perform any of the great deeds mentioned in this hadith such as ablution, dhikr, prayer and charity.
Patience is, in fact, the source for all of the other “light” that comes from prayer and other deeds.
Patience is truly a diyaa’; a splendid and bright source of light.
**This definition was given by Ibn Rajab in his Sharh of this hadith.
(Summarized from Jamal Zarabozo’s Commentary on the 40 Hadith of Al-Nawawi)