3. Sura al-Imran

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

الصَّابِرِينَ ...

3: 17. Those who show patience, firmness and self-control;

C356. Sabr (Sabirin) includes many shades of meaning: I have specified three here, viz., patience, firmness, and self-control.

See 2:45 and 2:153 and notes 61 and 157.

... وَالصَّادِقِينَ وَالْقَانِتِينَ وَالْمُنفِقِينَ وَالْمُسْتَغْفِرِينَ بِالأَسْحَارِ ﴿١٧﴾

who are true (in word and deed);

who worship devoutly;

who spend (in the way of Allah);

and who pray for forgiveness in the early hours of the morning.

C357. True servants of Allah are described in 3:16 and 17. They have faith, humility, and hope (3:16); and they have certain virtues (3:17) viz.,

1. patience, steadfastness, self-restraint, and all that goes under the full definition of Sabr;

this shows a certain attitude of mind:

2. in all their dealings they are true and sincere as they are also in their promises and words;

this marks them out in social conduct:

3. further, their spiritual worship is earnest and deep, an inner counterpart of their outward conduct;

4. their worship of Allah shows itself in their love of their fellow-men, for they are ready and liberal in charity: and

5. their self-discipline is so great that the first thing they do every morning is humbly to approach their God.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ ...

3: 200. O ye who believe!

...اصْبِرُواْ وَصَابِرُواْ ...

persevere in patience and constancy:

vie in such perseverance;

C502. The full meaning of Sabr is to be understood here, viz.: Patience, perseverance, constancy, self-restraint, refusing to be cowed down.

These virtues we are to exercise for ourselves and in relation to others; we are to set an example, so that others may vie with us, and we are to vie with them, lest we fall short; in this way we strengthen each other and bind our mutual relations closer, in our common service to Allah.

... وَرَابِطُواْ وَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٢٠٠﴾

strengthen each other;

and fear Allah; that ye may prosper.

C503. Prosperity (falah) here and in other passages is to be understood in a wide sense, including prosperity in our mundane affairs as well as in spiritual progress.

In both cases it implies happiness and the attainment of our wishes, purified by the love of Allah.

Asad’s Version:

3: 17 Those who are patient in adversity, and true to their word, and truly devout, and who spend (in God’s way) and pray for forgiveness from their innermost hearts.

3:17 Those who show patience, firmness and self control; who are true (in word and deed) who worship devoutly; who spend (in the way of God); and who pray for forgiveness in the early hours of the morning.

3: 17 Those who are patient in adversity, and true to their word, and truly devout, and who spend (in God’s way) and pray for forgiveness from their innermost hearts.

Asad’s version

3: 200 O you who have attained to faith! Be patient in adversity, and vie in patience with one another, and be ever ready [to do what is right], and remain conscious of God, so that you might attain to a happy state!