The Quran says: 'Seek help with patience and prayer.' (2:45) Why are patience and prayer bracketed with each other? Patience here means being focused on God. If you face a problem from someone, you develop complaints for that person. So if you pray while keeping these complaints in mind, then such prayer will not be accepted by God. Keeping patience eliminates the negativity that has filled your mind, then the prayer you perform will be sincere and acceptable to God. Sincerity in prayer means to cease to thirst for revenge from others and purify yourself of all negativities. This requires patience. So we have to be patient with respect to what we have faced from others and then pray to God. Being patient means to purify yourself of all the negativity that you have against another person. Prayer in this state of positivity is then accepted by God. So we have to turn away from people's negativity and turn wholly to God.
