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Sabr () (literally 'endurance' or more accurately 'perseverance' and 'persistence'"Ṣabr", ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'') is one of the two parts of
faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...
(the other being '' shukr'') in
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
. It teaches to remain spiritually steadfast and to keep doing good actions in the personal and collective domain, specifically when facing opposition or encountering problems, setbacks, or unexpected and unwanted results. It is patience in the face of all unexpected and unwanted outcomes.


Etymology

Arabic lexicographers suggest that the root ṣ-b-r, of which ṣabr is the
nominalization In linguistics, nominalization or nominalisation, also known as nouning, is the use of a word that is not a noun (e.g., a verb, an adjective or an adverb) as a noun, or as the head (linguistics), head of a noun phrase. This change in functional c ...
, means to bind or restrain. The word ''ṣabr'' has a special technical application in the expression ''yamīn aṣ-ṣabr'' (يمين الصبر), which refers to perjury.


In the Quran

In the
Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
, words that are derived from the root ṣ-b-r occur frequently, with the general meaning of persisting on the right path when under adverse circumstance, whether internal or external, personal or collective. For example,
Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
is told to be patient like the Apostles of God before him (); (). The Qur'an promises those who face difficulty and yet persist on the right path, a double reward ( ). The concept is also in jihad, () where it is translated as "endurance" or "tenacity". It is also used when God commands Muslims to serve Him: XIX, 65, "Serve Him and persevere in His service." (). Sometimes ''ṣabr'' is associated with the salāt (, ). According to the Qur'an commentators, ''ṣabr'' in these passages is synonymous with fasting, as the month of Ramadan was given the name ''s̲h̲ahr ṣabr'' (meaning month of patience). The word is found with the meaning resignation(acceptance), for example in the sura of Yusuf, Yaqub(As.), on hearing of the death of his son, says " y best course isfitting resignation(acceptance)", where resignation(acceptance) is the most appropriate translation for ''sabar''. The Quran also uses the adjective ''ṣabbār''. This concept is related to shukr (meaning gratitude). In Quran there is usually a close connection between being patiently persisting in doing right and expecting relief or deliverance from God ('' tawakkul''). Thus Muhammad is told to be "patient till your Lord decides, for you are in Our sight".


Hadiths on significance of ṣabr

Abu Yahya Suhaib b. Sinan said that Muhammad said: "Wondrous are the believer's affairs. For him there is good in all his affairs, and this is so only for the believer. When something pleasing happens to him, he is grateful, and that is good for him; and when something displeasing happens to him, he is enduring (ṣabr), and that is good for him." ( Muslim ) Muhammad is reported to have said, "No one had ever been given anything better than ṣabr." From
Sahih Bukhari () is the first hadith collection of the Six Books of Sunni Islam. Compiled by Islamic scholar al-Bukhari () in the format, the work is valued by Sunni Muslims, alongside , as the most authentic after the Qur'an. Al-Bukhari organized the bo ...
and
Sahih Muslim () is the second hadith collection of the Six Books of Sunni Islam. Compiled by Islamic scholar Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj () in the format, the work is valued by Sunnis, alongside , as the most important source for Islamic religion after the Q ...
Abu Musa al-Ashari reported that Muhammad said, "When a son of a servant of Allah dies, Allah Says to the angels, 'Have you taken the son of My servant?' They say, 'Yes.' Then Allah Says, 'Have you taken the fruit of his heart?' They say, 'Yes.' Allah Says, 'What has My servant said?' They say, 'He has praised You and said, ʾinnā li-llāhi wa-ʾinnā ʾilaihi rājiʿūn (To Allah we belong and to Him is our return). Then Allah Says, 'Build a house for My servant in Paradise and call it the house of praise.'" From Tirmidhi, Musnad Ahmad and ibn Habban.


Quotes pertaining to ṣabr

Umar bin Khattab said, "We considered the best part of our lives to be that in which there was ṣabr." Related by al-Bukhārī (11/303) in taʿlīq form, and it has been related in connected form by Imām Ahmad in az-Zuhd with a Ṣaḥīḥ ʾisnād – as al-Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Hajar mentioned in Fatḥ al-Bārīʾ (11/303). Ali said, "Indeed ṣabr is from ʾīmān (faith). Its position is like that of the head with respect to the rest of the body." Then he raised his voice and said, "Verily, there is no ʾīmān (faith) for the one who has no ṣabr." Related by Hibat Allāh ibn al-Ḥasan al-Lālakāʾī in Sharḥ ʾuṣūl ʾiʿtiqād ʾahl as-sunnah wa-al-jamāʿah (no. 1659), al-Bayhaqī in Shuʿūb al-ʾīmān and Abī Shaybān in Kitāb al-ʾīmān (no. 130), with a slightly different wording. Imam Ahmad said, "Allāh has mentioned ṣabr (patient perseverance) in over ninety places in His Book (
Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
)." Related by Ibn al-Qayyim in Madārij as-Sālikīn (2/152).


Classification

Many Muslim scholars have tried to classify and give examples of ''ṣabr''. According to the
Encyclopaedia of Islam The ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'' (''EI'') is a reference work that facilitates the Islamic studies, academic study of Islam. It is published by Brill Publishers, Brill and provides information on various aspects of Islam and the Muslim world, Isl ...
''ṣabr'' is of two kinds: #physical, like the endurance of physical troubles, whether active (such as performing difficult tasks) or passive (such as suffering illnesses), and #the spiritual, such as renunciation in face of natural impulses. Fakh̲r al-Dīn al-Rāzī distinguishes four kinds:Fak̲h̲r al-Dīn al-Rāzī. ''Mafātīḥ al-g̲h̲ayb'', Cairo 1278, on III, 200. Quoted in "Sabr", ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'' #
intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and Human self-reflection, reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the wor ...
endurance (for example in disputed points in religious dogma), #endurance in completing tasks one is bound or recommended to do by
Islamic law Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, intan ...
(such as fasting), #being steadfast in refraining from forbidden activities, and #resignation in times of calamity. He also gives an application of the concept, Muṣābara, in which ones refrains from taking
revenge Revenge is defined as committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Vengeful forms of justice, such as primitive justice or retributive justice, are often differentiated from more fo ...
from one's fellow-creature (like neighbors,
People of the Book People of the Book, or ''Ahl al-Kitāb'' (), is a classification in Islam for the adherents of those religions that are regarded by Muslims as having received a divine revelation from Allah, generally in the form of a holy scripture. The clas ...
).
Al-Ghazali Al-Ghazali ( – 19 December 1111), archaically Latinized as Algazelus, was a Shafi'i Sunni Muslim scholar and polymath. He is known as one of the most prominent and influential jurisconsults, legal theoreticians, muftis, philosophers, the ...
said that ''ṣabr'' consisted of three parts: ''maʿrifa'' (the tree), ''ḥāl'' (branches) and ''ʿamal'' (the fruits). In addition to the above, Sabr was also classified as thus: #"Sabr in time of afflictions, that is; to bear the bitterness of troubles and misfortunes. #Sabr in obedience of Allah, that is; to bear the difficulty of performing what we are commanded. #Sabr in guarding against sins, that is;to stop and refrain from committing sins despite their attraction".


Sabr in practice

According to Qur'an, a practical example of Sabr was described and stated as thus:


Sabirun

Those who possess ''ṣabr'' to a certain extent are called ''ṣābirūn''. Out of the three classes of beings (
jinn Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam. Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...
,
angels An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
, and mankind), man alone may possess ''ṣabr''. This is because the animals are entirely governed by their desires and impulses; and the angels are completely occupied by their longing for God, so they have no desires and thus need no ''ṣabr'' to overcome them. In man, however, the two impulses (that of desire and that of spirituality) are fighting, where the former is kindled by
Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...
and the latter by the
angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
s. Among mankind, there are the pious, who have attained ''ṣabr'' by overcoming their animal instincts, called ''siddiqūn'', while some still struggle in this task. ''Sābirūn'' are to remain steadfast not only in health and prosperity (where their ''ṣabr'' is to be used as gratitude to God) but also in the performance of religious obligations, in refraining from forbidden things and in the event of uncontrollable calamities.


Achieving sabr

#"The true realisation of any moral virtue occurs when it becomes one’s second nature, such that the person acts according to it without much difficulty or pretention". #Another way to achieve this, is to act ‘as if’ one possesses the virtue, as it was quoted by Imam Ali; “If you are not tolerant, put on the garb of tolerance, because it rarely happens that one imitates a people and does not soon become one of them.” #Thus, practice and consistency help one develop this virtue as a matter of time.


See also

*
Political quietism in Islam In the context of political thought or politics and the religion of Islam, political quietism has been used to refer to the religiously-motivated withdrawal from political affairs. It is in contrast to political Islam, which holds that the Is ...
* Stiff upper lip


Notes


References

*Giese, Alma; Reinhart, A.K. "S̲h̲ukr". ''Encyclopaedia of Islam''. Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2008. Brill Online. 29 April 2008 * *Watt, William Montgomery. "Suffering in Sunnite Islam". ''Studia Islamica'', no. 50 (1979), p. 5-19. *Wensinck, A.J. "Ṣabr". ''Encyclopaedia of Islam''. Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W. P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2008. Brill Online. 29 April 2008


External links

* Sabar ki Dua

Sabar Quotes - ReadBeach.com
{{Authority control Islamic terminology