Forbearance (Hilm)

Allah, the Wise, has said:

 "Most surely Ibrahim was forbearing, tender-hearted, oft-returning (to Allah)."

{Noble Qur'an, Suratul Hud (11), Verse 75}

Imam Sadiq (a.s.) had said:

"If you are not forbearing then portray yourself as one possessing forbearance."

{Jame' al-Sa'adat, Volume 1, Page 297} 

Short Explanation

Forbearance is Allah's lantern from the illumination of which a person achieves the proximity of Allah. A forbearing person, in the face of ill treatment by his family, friends and other people, exhibits patience for the sake of divine pleasure. The reality of forbearance is when a person, despite having the power and ability to extract revenge, pardons the person who has caused him harm and injury; we read in the supplications: "O' Lord! Your grace is (too) expansive and Your forbearance is (too) immense that You should punish me for my deeds and disgrace me for my sins."

Since the significance of a true believer more than anyone else, thus, it is imperative for him to exhibit forbearance in the face of troubles and inconveniences of the foolish ones, for if he were to stand up in confrontation with them, it would be tantamount to adding fuel to the fire and only serve to aggravate the issue. 

 Imam Hasan and the Syrian

One day, Imam Hasan (a.s.) was sitting in his place when he was confronted by a man who had come from Syria. As soon as the man set his eyes upon the Imam (a.s.), he began to curse and revile him; but the Imam (a.s.) remained silent till he had completed his outburst.

When he had stopped, the Imam (a.s.) turned towards him, greeted him, smiled and then said: "Brother! You seem to be a stranger here and you have apparently made a mistake. If you want me to disregard your behaviour and forgive you, I shall do so; if you seek something from me, I shall grant it to you; if you want me to guide you, I shall do so; if you are hungry, I shall feed you; if you are in need of clothes, I shall provide them to you; if you are needy, I shall give you all that you need; if you have been expelled, I shall grant you shelter and if you have a desire, I shall fulfill it for you. If you can be my guest for the duration of your stay here, it would be to your benefit, since my house is large and contains all amenities."

Hearing these words of Imam Hasan (a.s.), the man burst into tears and said: "I bear witness that you are Allah's Caliph upon the earth and Allah knows best where He places His message and caliphate. Before this meeting of ours, I regarded you and your father as my greatest enemies amongst the people, but now you are the most beloved of them all for me."

The man stayed with Imam Hasan (a.s.) as his guest for the entire duration of his stay in Madinah and eventually became one of the sincere followers of the Ahlul Bayt. 

Reference :

• Anecdotes for Reflection, vol 2, Forbearance, anecdote 4