Patience and Perseverance

یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱصۡبِرُوا۟ وَصَابِرُوا۟ وَرَابِطُوا۟ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تُفۡلِحُونَ​

“O you who believe, be patient, remain steadfast (against the enemy), and guard the frontiers. And fear Allah so that you may be successful.” (Surah Aal ‘Imraan v200)

This is the last verse of Surah Aal ‘Imraan. In this verse, Allah Ta‘ala commands the believers to carry out three things, the first being to adopt patience. The word, “sabr”, literally means to hold or to tie. In the terminology of the Quraan and hadeeth, it refers to forcing oneself to carry out those things which are against one’s nature and liking.

Sabr has three types, all of which are included under this verse:

1. Patience on the commandments of Allah Ta‘ala: To diligently fulfil the command of Allah Ta‘ala, no matter how burdensome and difficult it may be.

2. Patience against sins: To control and hold oneself back from whatever Allah Ta‘ala has prohibited, no matter how desirable and appealing it may be to a person.

3. Patience on difficulties: To patiently endure any hardship and pain, without becoming very uneasy, and together with understanding and accepting that everything is from the side of Allah Ta‘ala.

The word used in the next injunction is also derived from the word “sabr”. It refers to persevering and remaining steadfast against the enemy. Although this also falls under the previous injunction of adopting patience, Allah Ta‘ala made categoric reference of it due to it being one of the greater forms of sabr. (Roohul Ma‘aani vol. 4, pg. 277)

The third injunction is that of “muraabatah” or “ribaat”. The Quraan Majeed and ahaadeeth use this word in two senses:

Firstly, it means to be on guard at the borders and frontiers of the Muslim land, and remain prepared to defend it at any time.

The great merits and immense rewards mentioned in the ahaadeeth for this act indicate to it being one of the greatest acts a believer could carry out. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) has said, “Guarding the frontiers (of the Muslims) for a (single) day or night is better than fasting and standing in salaah for an entire month. If he (i.e. the person on guard) passes away, (the reward of) his actions which he used to carry out will continue reaching him, his sustenance will keep coming to him (from Allah Ta‘ala) and he will be protected from the punishment of the grave.” (Saheeh Muslim #4938)

From this and other ahaadeeth, it is understood that the reward for ribaat is even greater than sadaqah (charity), because the reward of sadaqah will continue only until people continue benefitting from it, whereas the reward of ribaat will continue till the Day of Qiyaamah. The reason for this great reward is that all the ‘ibaadaat and Deeni activities which are carried out in the Muslim lands are only possible when they are well protected against their enemies. Thus, the person who defends the Islamic frontiers actually becomes the means of all the good deeds which are carried out by the Muslims at large.

The second sense in which the word “ribaat” appears in the ahaadeeth is that as soon as one salaah has been performed, one should eagerly look forward to fulfilling the next salaah.

Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) once addressed the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) saying, “Should I not show you something by means of which Allah Ta‘ala will wipe out (your) sins and raise (your) ranks?” “Most definitely!” replied the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum). Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) then said, “(These actions are;) performing a complete wudhu despite difficulties (such as cold weather etc.), taking many steps to the masaajid (i.e. frequenting them) and awaiting the (time of) salaah after the (previous) salaah (has already been performed).” Then Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “This is ribaat.” (Saheeh Muslim #587)

After narrating this hadeeth in his tafseer, Imaam Qurtubi (rahimahullah) explains that in light of this hadeeth, it is hoped that the one who (anxiously) waits for salaah will receive the same reward mentioned in the hadeeth for ribaat.

Finally, Allah Ta‘ala concludes this verse with the instruction to observe taqwa – fulfilling His commands and abstaining from His prohibitions. This is the essence of everything that one does, and the success of both the worlds depends on it.

(Adapted from Ma‘aariful Quraan vol. 2, pg. 273 and Tafseerul Qurtubi vol. 5, pg. 491)

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