Having Sabr is clearly not just being patient. In fact, I don’t think the word Sabr has an equivalent in other languages. Sabr is about staying firm, accepting your Qadar and trusting Allah. Sabr was deeply embodied by the Sahaba like Khabbab ibn Al-Arat (رضي الله عنه), who endured brutal torture for his faith, and Bilal ibn Rabah (رضي الله عنه), who repeated “Ahadun, Ahad”. Their patience was not passive — it was powerful. Muslims also had exceptional Sabr especially in the secret phase of Islam. But nowadays, at some point in your life you may have asked yourself: “Why is Allah testing me so much?” or “How do I have more Sabr to endure the hard times I am going through” or “why is Allah testing me when I am a believer!”. Before we go into these questions about our trials and hardships we have to remember that Allah has promised As-Sabirun three important things.

What did Allah Say About Sabr in Surah Al-Baqarah?

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيْءٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْخَوْفِ وَٱلْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ وَٱلْأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَٰتِۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ ١٥٥
ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌۭ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيْهِ رَٰجِعُونَ ١٥٦
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَٰتٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُهْتَدُونَ ١٥٧

“We will certainly test you with a touch of fear and famine and loss of property, life, and crops. Give good news to those who patiently endure— who say, when struck by a disaster, “Surely to Allah we belong and to Him we will ˹all˺ return.”
They are the ones who will receive Allah’s blessings and mercy. And it is they who are ˹rightly˺ guided.”

So Allah has promised those with Sabr three things:

• Salawat (blessings) from Allah
• Mercy in dunya and Akhirah
• Hidayah (guidance)

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ also said:
“No one can be given a greater good than sabr.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari)

There are situations where Sabr is mandatory and others where it’s optional. But the best classification of Sabr is as follows:

Levels of Sabr

1) Sabr in Obedience

This is mandatory and related to obeying Allah and fulfilling the five pillars of Islam. This essential Sabr is what makes a Muslim a Muslim. It is essential but also the most rewarding.

2) Sabr to Stay Away From Sinning:

This is one level above Sabr over obedience. Now that one has the sabr to fulfill the basics, we need this type of sabr to separate ourselves from repeatedly sinning. Yes, we are all sinners, but those with Sabr will make tawbah and hold back from returning to the same sin again and again.

This type of Sabr has infinite forms: the Sabr needed for those in power not to be unjust; for those with strength not to bully; for those with beauty not to use it in a haram way; for those with wealth not to be stingy; for those who cry in fear of Allah and keep it to themselves without telling anyone; for those who are trusted with property or money and do not steal a penny; for those who have the urge to say something harsh but stay quiet.

3) Sabr When Facing Calamity:

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said a beautiful dua:
“اللَّهُمَّ اقْسِمْ لَنَا مِنَ الْيَقِينِ مَا تُهَوِّنُ بِهِ عَلَيْنَا مَصَائِبَ الدُّنْيَا”
“O Allah, grant us such certainty that makes the calamities of this world easy for us.”

This is the Sabr some people will need to pass the tests of this dunya. If you ever ask yourself, “Why is Allah testing me so much?” or “Why is all this happening to me?”, this is the type of sabr you need to carry yourself through the calamities of life. This is the level of Sabr that will separate you from others.

Highest Level

And who had more sabr than Prophet Ayoub عليه السلام? Allah tested him with disease, yet after years of suffering he finally raised his hands and made dua:

وَأَيُّوبَ إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُۥٓ أَنِّى مَسَّنِىَ ٱلضُّرُّ وَأَنتَ أَرْحَمُ ٱلرَّٰحِمِينَ
“And [mention] Ayoub, when he called to his Lord, ‘Indeed, adversity has touched me, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful.'”
(Surah Al-Anbiya, 21:83)

With utmost adab (manners), he only said “touched me” rather than “burdened me”!

Prophets are indeed the most tested of men and therefore have the most Sabr. They are therefore guaranteed the highest reward on Judgement Day.

Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام, like all prophets, showed all levels of Sabr:

• He had Sabr when he was left all alone as a child in the well.
• He had Sabr when he refused to commit zina.
• He had Sabr when he was in jail.
• And when he was finally rewarded with great wisdom and authority, he still had Sabr.

وَلَقَدْ هَمَّتْ بِهِۦۖ وَهَمَّ بِهَا لَوْلَآ أَن رَّءَا بُرْهَـٰنَ رَبِّهِۦۚ كَذَٰلِكَ لِنَصْرِفَ عَنْهُ ٱلسُّوٓءَ وَٱلْفَحْشَآءَۚ إِنَّهُۥ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا ٱلْمُخْلَصِينَ
“And she certainly determined [to seduce] him, and he would have inclined to her had he not seen the proof of his Lord. And thus [it was] that We should avert from him evil and immorality. Indeed, he was of Our chosen servants.”
(Surah Yusuf, 12:24)

For those who embody all three types or levels of Sabr, then you are officially untouchable. Iblis has promised to misguide all human beings, with the exception of Al-Mukhlaseen. He admitted defeat before the start of the human race against those with this level of resilience.

So How Can I Have More Sabr?

If you’ve reached this far, then you are already striving to be better and determined to do better than most. Congratulations! The good news is that having more Sabr is something that we can train ourselves for:

1. Ta’zeem (magnification) of Allah in your heart — more and more. This takes time and isn’t a switch you can turn on and off. It takes practice, constant pondering over the great universe we live in, Allah’s creation, and His Qadar.
2. Understanding or trying to understand the hikmah (wisdom) behind Allah’s tests and the calamities of this (passing) dunya. If we reach a level of understanding of how mortal and transient this life is, then what calamity can truly impact us? What sin would be too appealing knowing it’s only a matter of time before standing in front of Allah on Judgment Day?
3. Understanding the short-term consequences of sinning: sin brings more sin. Knowing its immediate impact on your life and the misery it can bring, will give you the Sabr to resist it.
4. Understanding the obvious long-term consequences of sinning.
5. Picturing yourself victorious over sin and calamity. If you can see yourself victorious after this “small” hiccup in life, then you have something to look forward to. Picture the scene where you’ve beaten this calamity and replay it in your head. Focus on what it takes to beat it and the victory either in dunya or akhira, not the calamity itself.
6. Nothing you’ve gone through or are going through was not endured by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his Sahaba. These are our role models — the real superheroes we need in our lives. In fact, this is the reason I started this blog