One More Moment

ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād is a famous figure in the tales of the Arabs, known for his courage; that is ʿAntarah's character in Arabic literature. They say that a very strong, well-built, powerful man came to ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād and said: ʿAntarah, how is it that you are famous for power and strength, when your body is smaller than mine and your strength is less than mine — and yet everyone uses you as the example of courage and strength?

He said: I will tell you why. Put your finger in my mouth, and I will put my finger in yours, and let us bite: I bite your finger and you bite mine. So each put his finger in the other's mouth; they counted to three and began biting, crushing each other's fingers. After a few moments, the other man screamed, and he lost.

ʿAntarah told him: that is why. If you had waited just one more moment — one more second — I would have screamed. It is simply a matter of outlasting you. I was able to be patient for just one more moment, and that is why I won. As the saying goes in English: who blinks first? Truly, whoever has taqwā and is patient — Allah does not waste the reward of those who do good.