The Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said to his cousin: “And know that victory comes with patience, relief with affliction, and ease with hardship. 1
Even in the battle of Qadisiyyah, after fighting through the whole day, the Muslim leader said “just be patient, and keep fighting.” Even into the night, when most armies stop fighting at night! But subhanallah, what happened? By the next morning, the Muslims had won.
With anything you do, there’s this one moment everyone is tired, and if you push through that moment, endure a little more, then you make it. A winner mentality. Losers are like “no, I can’t do it, I’ll just quit.” Ask people who are black-belts–they’ll tell you the same thing. There’s this one moment where you feel like quitting. But if you push through that moment, you’ve succeeded–the rest you can do on cruise-control.
So whatever you’re trying to do–whether succeed at a project, or change a habit, or achieve a goal, or conquer an enemy, remember that victory comes with patience.
And of course, patience is an active quality, not a passive quality–don’t just sit back and expect things to go your way. Work for it, strive for it, and remember that results are from Allah (سبحانه وتعالى).
And Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says in the Qur’an:
Translation: And seek assistance through patience and prayer, and most surely it is a hard thing except for the humble ones. [Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 45]
[1] “Important Lessons From Ramadaan.” Islaam.Com. Jan. 1997. 24 Feb. 2007 <http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=143>.
[2] Muhammad ibn Faqih. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Rules of Engagement. University of Toronto, Toronto. September 2006.