ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ وَٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ وَٱلْقَـٰنِتِينَ وَٱلْمُنفِقِينَ وَٱلْمُسْتَغْفِرِينَ بِٱلْأَسْحَارِ 17
Translations
The patient, the true, the obedient, those who spend [in the way of Allāh], and those who seek forgiveness before dawn.
Transliteration
As-sabirin wa-as-sadiqin wa-al-qanitin wa-al-munfiqin wa-al-mustaghfirin bil-ashar
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the characteristics of those who will receive forgiveness and a great reward from Allah: the patient ones, the truthful ones, the obedient ones, those who give in charity, and those who seek forgiveness in the early hours of the night. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, these qualities represent the comprehensive righteousness of believers—combining patience in trials, truthfulness in speech and deed, devotion in prayer, generosity in giving, and humility in seeking forgiveness before dawn when supplications are most readily answered.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Ali 'Imran (a Medinan surah), which discusses the characteristics of the righteous and those close to Allah. The broader passage (3:15-17) contrasts the temporary pleasures of this world with the eternal rewards prepared for the God-conscious believers, establishing a framework for understanding true piety in the Muslim community.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'The best prayer is the night prayer' (Sunan Ibn Majah), directly relating to the significance of seeking forgiveness at dawn (al-ashar). Additionally, the Hadith Qudsi states: 'I am as My servant thinks I am, and I am with him when he remembers Me' (Sahih Bukhari), emphasizing the importance of seeking forgiveness and remembrance.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that genuine piety is multifaceted, requiring simultaneous cultivation of moral integrity, spiritual discipline, financial generosity, and constant repentance. For modern believers, it emphasizes that spiritual elevation comes through consistent practice of these virtues and especially through dedicating time before dawn for reflection, prayer, and seeking Allah's forgiveness.
Related Ayahs
أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تَدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُم مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ خَلَوْا۟ مِن قَبْلِكُم ۖ مَّسَّتْهُمُ ٱلْبَأْسَآءُ وَٱلضَّرَّآءُ وَزُلْزِلُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَ ٱلرَّسُولُ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ مَتَىٰ نَصْرُ ٱللَّهِ ۗ أَلَآ إِنَّ نَصْرَ ٱللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ
Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while such [trial] has not yet come to you as came to those who passed on before you? They were touched by poverty and hardship and were shaken until [even their] messenger and those who believed with him said, "When is the help of Allāh?" Unquestionably, the help of Allāh is near.
وَٱلَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا۟ ٱبْتِغَآءَ وَجْهِ رَبِّهِمْ وَأَقَامُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَأَنفَقُوا۟ مِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰهُمْ سِرًّا وَعَلَانِيَةً وَيَدْرَءُونَ بِٱلْحَسَنَةِ ٱلسَّيِّئَةَ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ عُقْبَى ٱلدَّارِ
And those who are patient, seeking the face [i.e., acceptance] of their Lord, and establish prayer and spend from what We have provided for them secretly and publicly and prevent evil with good - those will have the good consequence of [this] home -
ٱلَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا۟ وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ
[They are] those who endured patiently and upon their Lord relied.
فَٱصْبِرْ إِنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّ وَٱسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنۢبِكَ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ بِٱلْعَشِىِّ وَٱلْإِبْكَـٰرِ
So be patient, [O Muḥammad]. Indeed, the promise of Allāh is truth. And ask forgiveness for your sin and exalt [Allāh] with praise of your Lord in the evening and the morning.