—“Then, indeed, your Lord—for those who emigrated after they had been persecuted, then strove and were patient—your Lord, after all that, is certainly All-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (al-Naḥl 16:110); and in His words: “We shall surely test you until We make evident those among you who strive and those who are patient” (Muḥammad 47:31).
He coupled it with seeking forgiveness: “So remain patient—for the promise of Allah is true—and seek forgiveness for your sin, and glorify the praise of your Lord evening and morning.”
He coupled it with glorification, in His saying: “So be patient for the judgement of your Lord, for you are under Our watchful eyes; and glorify the praise of your Lord when you rise” (al-Ṭūr 52:48); and in His saying in Sūrat Ṭā-Hā: “Therefore endure what they say, and glorify the praise of your Lord before sunrise and before sunset, and during certain hours of the night do glorify, and at the ends of the day, so that you may be satisfied” (Ṭā-Hā 20:130).
He linked patience to truth: “By Time! Indeed, man is in loss, except those who believe and perform righteous deeds, and counsel one another to the truth and counsel one another to patience” (al-ʿAṣr 103:1–3). He linked it to mercy: “Then he became of those who believe and who counsel one another to patience and counsel one another to mercy” (al-Balad 90:17). He also linked it to gratitude in several verses, among them: “Surely in that are signs for everyone who is greatly patient and constantly grateful” (Ibrāhīm 14:5).
The Qur’an’s discourse on patience is varied and captivating, attesting to the virtue’s immense importance and lofty station. The same is true of the Prophetic Sunnah: the Prophet ﷺ urged his community to adopt this noble quality, and his life stands as the supreme model of patience in all its forms and at its highest degrees. Whoever studies his practical biography and his spoken teachings will find that patience holds an exalted place.
I have come across a concise treatise by Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah—may Allah have mercy on him—on the subject of patience, entitled A Foundational Essay on Patience. Despite its brevity, it is replete with insights and valuable principles, particularly concerning patience in the face of other people’s harm. The author presents the topic in a singular, distinguished style, laying bare the hallmarks of this form of patience and its benefits. No sooner had I finished reading it than I resolved to produce a critical edition and publish it, seeking thereby to benefit myself first and to facilitate