Patience (sabr) is one of the greatest virtues in Islam and one of the most important qualities of a believer. The Qur’an repeatedly commands patience and praises those who possess it. Through patience a person remains firm upon obedience to Allah, refrains from sin, and endures the trials that occur in life.
The scholars explain that patience is not simply waiting quietly during hardship. Rather, it is the ability to restrain the soul and remain steadfast upon the commands of Allah even when difficulties arise.
This page follows Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen’s explanation in Sharh Riyaad as-Saaliheen, Vol. 1, with a passage from Shaykh ‘Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di’s Tafsir.
The Meaning of Patience
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen explains the meaning of patience in his own words:
“Lexically, patience means restraint. However technically, it means: Controlling oneself regarding three things: Firstly: Upon obedience to Allah, Secondly: From the prohibitions of Allah, Thirdly: Over Allah’s preordainments he finds painful.”
Each of these requires strength of faith and reliance upon Allah.
The Virtue of Patience
Patience holds a very high status in Islam. It is a quality that brings immense reward and helps a believer remain firm upon the truth.
The Prophet ﷺ said, as reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim:
“No one is granted a gift better and more comprehensive than patience.”
This hadith shows that patience is among the greatest blessings a person can receive. Through patience a believer remains steadfast in worship, avoids falling into sin, and endures hardship without losing faith.
Patience also protects a person from reacting incorrectly during trials.
The Prophet ﷺ also said, in a hadith reported by Muslim:
“How wonderful is the case of a believer; there is good for him in everything and this applies only to a believer. If prosperity attends him, he expresses gratitude to Allah and that is good for him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently and that is better for him.”
The Different Reactions to Trials
Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymeen explains that when a person faces difficulty, there are different possible reactions:
- Impatience: complaining and becoming angry with the decree of Allah
- Patience: restraining the tongue and actions while enduring the difficulty
- Contentment: accepting the decree with a peaceful heart
- Gratitude: thanking Allah even during hardship
The Shaykh explains that impatience appears in three places: in the heart, when a person nurses anger against his Lord; on the tongue, when he invokes ruin upon himself; and in the limbs, in acts such as slapping the cheeks, hitting the head, pulling the hair, or tearing the clothes.
The believer strives to reach patience and, if possible, contentment and gratitude.
The book gives an example of this gratitude: a female worshipper who hurt her finger thanked Allah over it, saying:
“The sweetness of its reward made me forget the bitterness of its patience.”
The book also mentions that whenever the Prophet ﷺ saw something he disliked, he would praise Allah in all conditions.
Patience in the Qur’an
The Qur’an frequently commands patience and highlights its importance in the life of a believer.
Allah says (Qur’an 3:200):
“O you who believe! Endure and be more patient.”
Allah also says (Qur’an 2:155):
“And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Saabirin (the patient ones, etc.).”
The Shaykh explains these five tests one by one. Fear is the loss of security, and it is severer than hunger, which is why Allah mentioned it before hunger. Hunger comes as hunger widespread among people, or as drought and years of famine, when udders do not produce milk and the plants do not thrive. Loss of wealth is economic decline. Loss of lives is death, when epidemics spread among the people. And loss of fruits means that blessings are removed from vegetation, date trees, and other plants.
Shaykh as-Sa’di explains why Allah tests His slaves, commenting on this same verse in his Tafsir:
“Here Allah tells us that He will inevitably test His slaves with all sorts of trials and tribulations, in order to distinguish the sincere from the liars, and the impatient from the patient.”
He also explains that the purpose of these tests is to purify the believers, not to destroy them.
Allah also says (Qur’an 2:153):
“Seek help in patience and As-Salat (the prayer). Truly! Allah is with As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.).”
The Shaykh explains that Allah commanded seeking help in one’s affairs through patience, and that if a person is patient and anticipates relief from Allah, affairs will be made easy for him.
These verses show that trials are a normal part of life. A believer will face hardship, but patience during those moments brings great reward.
The Reward of the Patient
Allah further says (Qur’an 39:10):
“Only those who are patient shall receive their rewards in full, without reckoning.”
This verse demonstrates the immense reward granted to those who remain patient. Unlike many other deeds whose reward is multiplied by a known amount, the reward of patience is given without limit.
“Patience is Light”: Explanation of the Hadith
The Prophet ﷺ said, in a hadith reported by Muslim:
“Purification is half of Faith; the utterance of Al-hamdulillah (all praise belongs to Allah) fills the Scales; the utterance of SubhanAllah wal-hamdulillah (Allah is far removed from every imperfection and all praise belongs to Allah) fills the space between the heavens and the earth; and Salat (prayer) is light; and charity is the proof of Faith; and patience is illumination; and the Qur’an is a plea in your favour or against you. Every person departs; he either ransoms it or puts it into perdition.”
Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymeen explains this description of patience as illumination in his own words:
“It illuminates (the path) for the individual when darkness becomes overwhelming and sufferings become aggravated. So, if he is patient, patience will be an illumination for him, guiding him towards the truth.”
Through patience Allah guides a person and helps them remain firm upon the correct path.
The scholar also explained that this illumination differs from the light mentioned in relation to prayer. Prayer is light (nur) for the servant in his heart, but the illumination (diya’) of patience is accompanied by heat, because of the mental and bodily exhaustion that patience involves. Allah points to this difference in the Qur’an, where the sun is made a diya’ and the moon a nur (Qur’an 10:5).
Conclusion
Patience is a central characteristic of faith in Islam. It allows a believer to remain firm upon obedience, avoid sin, and endure the trials that occur throughout life.
The Qur’an and the Sunnah consistently remind believers that hardship is part of the test of this world. Through patience, however, a believer gains closeness to Allah and immense reward in the Hereafter.
For this reason the Prophet ﷺ described patience as one of the greatest gifts a person can receive. A Muslim should therefore strive to cultivate patience in every aspect of life, trusting that Allah rewards those who endure with sincerity and faith.
References
- Sharh Riyaad as-Saaliheen: Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-‘Uthaymeen. Dar-us-Salam, Vol. 1 (2016; ISBN 978-603-500-379-7): chapter “On Patience,” printed pp. 174–197: the definition of patience (printed p. 174), the chapter’s verses and their explanation (printed pp. 176 to 185), the Abu Malik hadith and the explanation of patience as illumination (printed pp. 187 to 194), the gift-of-patience hadith (printed p. 195), and the hadith of Suhaib (printed p. 197).
- Tafsir as-Sa’di, Shaykh ‘Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di, IIPH English Edition 1, 2018, translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab: Vol. 1, on Surah al-Baqarah 2:155-157 (printed pp. 184 to 186).
Further Reading
- Gratitude (Shukr): gratitude, the companion response to patience in the famous hadith
- Manners & Character (Akhlaq): patience as one theme among the manners of a believer
- Repentance (Tawbah): the conditions of sincere repentance
Verified on 2026-10-26 against: Sharh Riyaad as-Saaliheen (Ibn Uthaymeen) and Tafsir as-Sa’di, Vol. 1 (Shaykh ‘Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di).