فَٱصْبِرْ صَبْرًا جَمِيلًا 5
Translations
So be patient with gracious patience.
Transliteration
Fa-sbir sabran jamīlā
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah commands the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to exercise patience in the most beautiful and praiseworthy manner, without complaint or impatience. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, 'sabran jamīlā' (beautiful patience) refers to patience accompanied by reliance upon Allah, acceptance of His decree, and absence of grievance—the highest form of spiritual forbearance. The command comes in the context of the disbelievers' rejection and mockery, instructing the Prophet to endure with dignified resolve.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-Ma'arij, a Meccan chapter revealed during the early period of intense persecution of Muslims by the Quraysh. The surah addresses the reality of the Day of Judgment and encourages believers to maintain patience and faith despite worldly trials. The immediate context (70:1-5) contrasts the disbelievers' demand for divine punishment with instruction to bear hardship patiently.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of you are those who are best in patience' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2191). Additionally, 'There is nothing better and more comprehensive than patience' (Sahih Bukhari 5059), emphasizing the virtue of patient endurance.
Themes
Key Lesson
Beautiful patience is not merely passive resignation but active trust in Allah's wisdom and timing, requiring believers to face trials with dignity, without complaint or despair. This ayah teaches that true strength lies not in retaliation or frustration, but in steadfast reliance upon the Divine while maintaining composure and moral excellence.
Related Ayahs
ٱلَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا۟ وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ
Who have been patient and upon their Lord rely.
وَإِن كَانَ طَآئِفَةٌ مِّنكُمْ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱلَّذِىٓ أُرْسِلْتُ بِهِۦ وَطَآئِفَةٌ لَّمْ يُؤْمِنُوا۟ فَٱصْبِرُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَحْكُمَ ٱللَّهُ بَيْنَنَا ۚ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ ٱلْحَـٰكِمِينَ
And if there should be a group among you who has believed in that with which I have been sent and a group that has not believed, then be patient until Allāh judges between us. And He is the best of judges."
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱصْبِرُوا۟ وَصَابِرُوا۟ وَرَابِطُوا۟ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
O you who have believed, persevere and endure and remain stationed and fear Allāh that you may be successful.
حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا ٱسْتَيْـَٔسَ ٱلرُّسُلُ وَظَنُّوٓا۟ أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ كُذِبُوا۟ جَآءَهُمْ نَصْرُنَا فَنُجِّىَ مَن نَّشَآءُ ۖ وَلَا يُرَدُّ بَأْسُنَا عَنِ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ
[They continued] until, when the messengers despaired and were certain that they had been denied, there came to them Our victory, and whoever We willed was saved. And Our punishment cannot be repelled from the people who are criminals.