Quran Speaks To You

Believers, be patient in adversity and let our patience never be exhausted, be ever ready and fear Allah so that you may prosper. (The House of Imran, Aal Imran: 3:200) Commentary by Sayyid Qutb.Translation by A.A.Shamis and Adil Salahi


What we are discussing in this issue is the final verse in this long surah. It is an address to the believers which sums up the obligations imposed on them by the constitution Allah has chosen for them. It is an address from Allah to the believers calling them by their very quality which establishes their bond with the source of that address and places on them their obligations and qualifies them for the fulfillment of those obligations. It is the quality that gives them honour in this world and makes them honoured in heaven that is, their being believers. They are called upon to show patience in adversity and to continue to do so in all situations and to maintain their fear of Allah.


The surah speaks repeatedly about patience in adversity and fearing Allah. The two qualities are mentioned on occasions separately and on others they are grouped together. The surah also calls repeatedly on the believers to endure whatever hardship they have to face, to struggle and to foil the schemes of their enemies and never listen to the defeatists or to those who sow the seeds of discord within their ranks. That the concluding verse of the surah calls on the believer to be patient in adversity and to be always ready to sacrifice and to fear Allah makes it a most fitting conclusion.


Patience and perseverance are the essential nourishment for those who want to follow the path of the divine faith. It is a long and hard way, full of impediments. Only those who are always willing to sacrifice and endure persecution, test and trials are able to follow it. These need to be patient in the face of many difficulties. They have to resist their own desires, ambitions, weaknesses and hastiness. They have to persevere in the face of pressures which result from other people’s desires, weaknesses, ignorance, lack of understanding, perversions, selfishness, conceit and their impatience for quick results. They have to endure the high-handedness of falsehood and tyranny, the power of evil and the conceit of every boastful arrogant. They have to be patient inspite of the weakness of helpers, if any are available and inspite of the fact that their goal is a distant one. They have to withstand the whisperings of Satan at such times when they are totally unhappy. They must persevere inspite of the fact that resisting all this can become extremely hard and can give rise to a variety of feelings: anger, exasperation, occasional lack of trust in goodness, despair of human nature, disappointment, frustration and even total despair. In addition to all this, they must also be patient and restrain themselves at the moment of victory, show their humility and gratitude when adversity is replaced by prosperity, suppress every motive of taking revenge or to exceed the limits of justice. They must maintain their relationship with Allah and submission to his Will in times of happiness and in times of hardship. They surrender themselves to Him with trust and reassurance.


To persevere in the face of all that and whatever else which faces anyone who embarks on following this long path calls for qualities which cannot be easily described. Words cannot express the true significance of this struggle. Only a person who has experienced such hardships can understand the full significance of such perseverance. The community of believers who were the first to be addressed by the Quran had experienced a great deal of all that and they knew very well what this address meant. They knew what sort of patience and perseverance Allah wanted them to show.


This verse then calls on the believers to rise to a higher standard which is expressed in Arabic in a form of a verb, “to be patient” which signifies a highly enhanced effect. This means that the believers must face up to all this and must never allow their failings to get the better of them or submit to their enemies who try hard to exhaust their patience. The believers are called upon not to allow their patience to fail them despite the prolonged struggle. They must remain more patient and stronger than their enemies, be they the inner enemies in their own souls or the external ones who are the evil-doers. The case is thus described as a contest between them and their enemies and the believers are called upon to meet patience with stronger patience, effort with harder effort, determination with greater determination. When they have shown that they are stronger and more patient than their enemies, the outcome will undoubtedly be in their favour. If falsehood can be determined and patient, as it goes along its own way, then the truth must be more determined and resilient and must show greater patience as it goes along its own way.


“To be ready”, in Islamic terminology, means to stay in places where battles are expected and in positions which are liable to be attacked by the enemies. The Muslim community never closed their eyes or allow sleep to overtake them. Ever since they have been called upon to take up the message of Islam and convey it to people, their enemies have not allowed them to rest. Nor will they allow the Muslim community to rest in peace in any place or time. Hence Muslims cannot overlook the need to be ready to fight and sacrifice until the end of time.


This message presents to people a practical system which exercises control over their consciences, money, property and their code of living. It is a system which is straight, just and good. Evil, however does not like to see such a system being implemented. Falsehood does not like straightforwardness, justice or goodness. Tyranny does not submit to justice, quality and dignity. Hence, this message will always find enemies who uphold evil, falsehood and tyranny. Those who exploit others and are engaged in self-aggrandizement do not wish to relinquish their privileges. The despots who tyrannise over people do not like to stop their tyranny and oppression. The corrupt who indulge in every vice do not like to mend their ways. They all wage a campaign of extermination against the message of Islam. The believers must face up to all these enemies and must equip themselves with patience and perseverance which can never be exhausted. They must also be always on the alert for any aggression launched against them so that they can never be taken unawares by their natural enemies who can be found everywhere and in all generations.


This is the nature of this message and this is the path it follows. It does not want to launch any aggression, but it certainly wants to establish its correct method and perfect system on earth. It will always find those who hate its method and system, try to prevent its establishment with force and wicked schemes and fight it with propaganda and brute force. The advocates of Islam have no choice, but to accept the challenge and fight the battle no matter how much it costs them. They must always be ready and keep on their guard. Fearing Allah must accompany all that, because it is a watchful guard over man’s conscience. It keeps it alert, strong and restrains it from launching any aggression or indulging in any deviation. No one appreciates the need for this watchful guard except the one who suffers the difficulties along this path and has to contend with contradictory feelings and reactions pulling him in opposite directions in every situation and at every moment.


This final verse is the summing up of all the messages in the surah which puts in a nutshell all the obligations Islam imposes on its followers. There is no wonder then that Allah attaches to it the outcome of the long struggle and makes prosperity in the hereafter dependent on it: So that you may prosper. Allah always tells the truth.