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
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.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ
O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allāh is with the patient.
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."
وَٱصْبِرْ وَمَا صَبْرُكَ إِلَّا بِٱللَّهِ ۚ وَلَا تَحْزَنْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا تَكُ فِى ضَيْقٍ مِّمَّا يَمْكُرُونَ
And be patient, [O Muḥammad], and your patience is not but through Allāh. And do not grieve over them and do not be in distress over what they conspire.