The short answer
Sabr is holding yourself steady for Allah's sake: staying firm in obeying Him, holding back from what He forbids, and bearing hardship without objecting to His decree. It is not passive waiting. Allah says He is "with the patient" and that they receive their reward "without account".
Sabr literally means to restrain or hold firm. The Quran returns to it again and again. "Seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient" 1, and "the patient will be given their reward without account" 2. The Prophet ﷺ said, "Nobody can be given a blessing better and greater than patience", and that "whoever remains patient, Allah will make him patient" 3: it grows as you practise it.
Scholars commonly describe three kinds of sabr:
1. Patience in obeying Allah. Worship takes effort: waking for Fajr, fasting, staying consistent. "Worship Him and have patience for His worship" 4.
2. Patience in staying away from sin. Saying no to temptation is sabr too. Yusuf (AS) said, "My Lord, prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me" 5. The Prophet ﷺ said the Fire is surrounded by desires and Paradise by things the soul dislikes 6.
3. Patience with trials. Allah will test us "with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient" 7. The Prophet ﷺ taught that "the real patience is at the first stroke of a calamity" 8: what you say and do in that first moment matters most.
What sabr is not. It is not suppressing all emotion; grief and tears are human. It is not giving up on solutions; you can seek treatment, ask for help and make dua for relief. Sabr means you keep your tongue, heart and actions within what pleases Allah while you work through the difficulty.
Seek help through patience and prayer; Allah is with the patient.
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱسۡتَعِينُواْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ ١٥٣
O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient
The patient receive their reward without account.
قُلۡ يَٰعِبَادِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمۡۚ لِلَّذِينَ أَحۡسَنُواْ فِي هَٰذِهِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا حَسَنَةࣱۗ وَأَرۡضُ ٱللَّهِ وَٰسِعَةٌۗ إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى ٱلصَّٰبِرُونَ أَجۡرَهُم بِغَيۡرِ حِسَابࣲ ١٠
Say, "O My servants who have believed, fear your Lord. For those who do good in this world is good, and the earth of Allah is spacious. Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account
Whoever tries to be patient, Allah makes him patient; no one is given anything better than patience.
Narrated Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri:Some Ansari persons asked for (something) from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and he gave them. They again asked him for (something) and he again gave them. And then they asked him and he gave them again till all that was with him finished. And then he said "If I had anything. I would not keep it away from you. (Remember) Whoever abstains from asking others, Allah will make him contented, and whoever tries to make himself self-sufficient, Allah will make him self-sufficient. And whoever remains patient, Allah will make him patient. Nobody can be given a blessing better and greater than patience
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ اللَّيْثِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ نَاسًا مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ سَأَلُوا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَعْطَاهُمْ، ثُمَّ سَأَلُوهُ فَأَعْطَاهُمْ، حَتَّى نَفِدَ مَا عِنْدَهُ فَقَالَ " مَا يَكُونُ عِنْدِي مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَلَنْ أَدَّخِرَهُ عَنْكُمْ، وَمَنْ يَسْتَعْفِفْ يُعِفَّهُ اللَّهُ، وَمَنْ يَسْتَغْنِ يُغْنِهِ اللَّهُ، وَمَنْ يَتَصَبَّرْ يُصَبِّرْهُ اللَّهُ، وَمَا أُعْطِيَ أَحَدٌ عَطَاءً خَيْرًا وَأَوْسَعَ مِنَ الصَّبْرِ ".
Worship Allah and be patient in His worship.
رَّبُّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا بَيۡنَهُمَا فَٱعۡبُدۡهُ وَٱصۡطَبِرۡ لِعِبَٰدَتِهِۦۚ هَلۡ تَعۡلَمُ لَهُۥ سَمِيࣰّ ا ٦٥
Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them - so worship Him and have patience for His worship. Do you know of any similarity to Him
Yusuf (AS) preferred prison to giving in to temptation.
قَالَ رَبِّ ٱلسِّجۡنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا يَدۡعُونَنِيٓ إِلَيۡهِۖ وَإِلَّا تَصۡرِفۡ عَنِّي كَيۡدَهُنَّ أَصۡبُ إِلَيۡهِنَّ وَأَكُن مِّنَ ٱلۡجَٰهِلِينَ ٣٣
He said, "My Lord, prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me. And if You do not avert from me their plan, I might incline toward them and [thus] be of the ignorant
The Fire is surrounded by desires and Paradise by things disliked.
Narrated Abu Huraira:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The (Hell) Fire is surrounded by all kinds of desires and passions, while Paradise is surrounded by all kinds of disliked undesirable things
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ، عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " حُجِبَتِ النَّارُ بِالشَّهَوَاتِ، وَحُجِبَتِ الْجَنَّةُ بِالْمَكَارِهِ ".
Allah tests with fear, hunger and loss, and gives good tidings to the patient.
وَلَنَبۡلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيۡءࣲ مِّنَ ٱلۡخَوۡفِ وَٱلۡجُوعِ وَنَقۡصࣲ مِّنَ ٱلۡأَمۡوَٰلِ وَٱلۡأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَٰتِۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ ١٥٥ ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَصَٰبَتۡهُم مُّصِيبَةࣱ قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيۡهِ رَٰجِعُونَ ١٥٦ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ صَلَوَٰتࣱ مِّن رَّبِّهِمۡ وَرَحۡمَةࣱۖ وَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُهۡتَدُونَ ١٥٧
155 And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient 156 Who, when disaster strikes them, say, "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return 157 Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided
Real patience is at the first stroke of a calamity.
Narrated Anas:The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The real patience is at the first stroke of a calamity
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا غُنْدَرٌ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ ثَابِتٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَنَسًا ـ رضى الله عنه ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " الصَّبْرُ عِنْدَ الصَّدْمَةِ الأُولَى ".
This answer was compiled with the help of AI, using only the verified texts shown here. Every reference links to its source. If you find a mistake, please report it. Updated 2026-09-24