وَلَمَن صَبَرَ وَغَفَرَ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ لَمِنْ عَزْمِ ٱلْأُمُورِ 43
Translations
And whoever is patient and forgives - indeed, that is of the matters [worthy] of resolve.
Transliteration
Wa-laman sabara wa-ghafara inna dhalika lamin azmi al-umur
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms that whoever practices patience (sabr) and forgiveness (maghfirah) has indeed grasped one of the most resolute and noble of matters. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, 'azm al-umur (the determination of affairs) refers to the most important and difficult virtues—those requiring strong willpower and firm resolve. Al-Qurtubi emphasizes that patience and forgiveness are not passive qualities but active demonstrations of spiritual strength, combining emotional restraint with moral magnanimity.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Ash-Shuraa, which discusses divine guidance, consultation, and moral conduct. The broader passage (42:40-43) addresses the response to wrongdoing: one may retaliate equally, or one may choose the higher path of forgiveness. This ayah concludes that section by affirming that forgiveness coupled with patience represents the highest moral resolution.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The strong person is not the one who overcomes people by his strength, but the strong person is the one who controls himself while in anger' (Sahih Bukhari 5763). Additionally, 'Whoever restrains their anger when they have the power to act upon it, Allah will fill their heart with contentment on the Day of Judgment' (Sunan Ibn Majah 4189).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that true strength lies not in revenge or retaliation, but in the disciplined choice to forgive and remain patient—a practice that requires greater inner fortitude than any physical confrontation. For modern believers, it emphasizes that spiritual maturity is measured by our ability to control our emotions and extend compassion even when wronged.
Related Ayahs
ٱلَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا۟ وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ
[They are] those who endured patiently and upon their Lord relied.
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.
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.
فَٱصْبِرْ إِنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّ ۖ وَلَا يَسْتَخِفَّنَّكَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُوقِنُونَ
So be patient. Indeed, the promise of Allāh is truth. And let them not disquiet you who are not certain [in faith].