وَٱتَّبِعْ مَا يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَيْكَ وَٱصْبِرْ حَتَّىٰ يَحْكُمَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ ٱلْحَـٰكِمِينَ 109
Translations
And follow what is revealed to you, [O Muḥammad], and be patient until Allāh will judge. And He is the best of judges.
Transliteration
Wa-ttabi' mā yūḥā ilayka wa-ṣbir ḥattā yaḥkum Allāhu wa-huwa khayru al-ḥākimīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah commands the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) to follow the revelation sent to him and to exercise patience until Allah renders His judgment. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari explain that this instruction emphasizes steadfast adherence to the Qur'an despite opposition from disbelievers, and assures the Prophet that Allah is the Best of judges who will ultimately vindicate truth. The ayah conveys that divine judgment is certain and superior to all human judgment.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears near the end of Surah Yunus, which is a Meccan surah addressing the Prophet during a period of intense persecution and rejection by the Quraysh. The surah's broader theme addresses divine wisdom, patience, and reassurance that Allah's plan will ultimately prevail despite contemporary disbelief and opposition.
Related Hadiths
The principle of patience (sabr) is extensively discussed in hadith literature. Related is: 'No one is given a better and greater gift than patience' (Sahih Bukhari 5059). Additionally, the hadith 'The best of you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it' (Sunan Ibn Majah 207) relates to following revelation.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that adherence to divine guidance combined with patient endurance during trials is the path to ultimate success, reminding us that Allah's judgment transcends human perception and will ultimately establish justice. For modern readers, it emphasizes that maintaining faith and following God's instructions while patiently enduring life's difficulties is the true measure of spiritual strength, not immediate worldly victory.
Related Ayahs
قَالُوٓا۟ أَجِئْتَنَا لِتَلْفِتَنَا عَمَّا وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهِ ءَابَآءَنَا وَتَكُونَ لَكُمَا ٱلْكِبْرِيَآءُ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا نَحْنُ لَكُمَا بِمُؤْمِنِينَ
They said, "Have you come to us to turn us away from that upon which we found our fathers and so that you two may have grandeur in the land? And we are not believers in you."
ءَآلْـَٔـٰنَ وَقَدْ عَصَيْتَ قَبْلُ وَكُنتَ مِنَ ٱلْمُفْسِدِينَ
Now? And you had disobeyed [Him] before and were of the corrupters?
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ ٱلشَّمْسَ ضِيَآءً وَٱلْقَمَرَ نُورًا وَقَدَّرَهُۥ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُوا۟ عَدَدَ ٱلسِّنِينَ وَٱلْحِسَابَ ۚ مَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ ذَٰلِكَ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ ۚ يُفَصِّلُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ
It is He who made the sun a shining light and the moon a derived light and determined for it phases - that you may know the number of years and account [of time]. Allāh has not created this except in truth. He details the signs for a people who know.
أَمْ يَقُولُونَ ٱفْتَرَىٰهُ ۖ قُلْ فَأْتُوا۟ بِسُورَةٍ مِّثْلِهِۦ وَٱدْعُوا۟ مَنِ ٱسْتَطَعْتُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ
Or do they say [about the Prophet (ﷺ)], "He invented it?" Say, "Then bring forth a sūrah like it and call upon [for assistance] whomever you can besides Allāh, if you should be truthful."