What does the Quran say about patience?

With hardship, ease

The famous pair, stated twice in a row. The preposition matters: ease is with hardship, not merely after it.

• Ash-Sharh 94:5✦ skyread

  فَإِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا

  For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.

• Ash-Sharh 94:6✦ skyread

  إِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا

  Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.

Seek help through it

Patience is placed beside prayer as a thing to draw on, not a mood to endure.

• Al-Baqara 2:153✦ skyread

  يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ

  O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.

• Al-Baqara 2:45✦ skyread

  وَٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱلْخَٰشِعِينَ

  And seek help through patience and prayer, and indeed, it is difficult except for the humbly submissive [to Allah]

Tested, and told so plainly

The book does not promise an untroubled life. It names the trials in advance and names what to say when they land.

• Al-Baqara 2:155✦ skyread

  وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَىْءٍ مِّنَ ٱلْخَوْفِ وَٱلْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ وَٱلْأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ

  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,

• Al-Baqara 2:156✦ skyread

  ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَصَٰبَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيْهِ رَٰجِعُونَ

  Who, when disaster strikes them, say, "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return."

• Al-Baqara 2:286✦ skyread

  لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا ٱكْتَسَبَتْ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَآ إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦ وَٱعْفُ عَنَّا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَٱرْحَمْنَآ أَنتَ مَوْلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ

  Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned. "Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people."

Where it falls

Every verse on this subject, placed across the book in reading order. This subject leans Meccan, the earlier and more urgent material.

Densest by share of their own length: Al-Ankaboot (7), Ash-Shura (5), Aal-i-Imraan (18), Al-Anfaal (5).

How it sounds

These verses measured against the whole book, so the difference is what matters rather than the number.

Nearest the heart of it

The verses the measurement ranked closest to this subject, beyond the ones already quoted above.

• Hud 11:115✦ skyread

  وَٱصْبِرْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ

  And be patient, for indeed, Allah does not allow to be lost the reward of those who do good.

• Taa-Haa 20:2✦ skyread

  مَآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ لِتَشْقَىٰٓ

  We have not sent down to you the Qur'an that you be distressed

• Al-Hijr 15:56✦ skyread

  قَالَ وَمَن يَقْنَطُ مِن رَّحْمَةِ رَبِّهِۦٓ إِلَّا ٱلضَّآلُّونَ

  He said, "And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord except for those astray?"

• Az-Zumar 39:34✦ skyread

  لَهُم مَّا يَشَآءُونَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ ذَٰلِكَ جَزَآءُ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ

  They will have whatever they desire with their Lord. That is the reward of the doers of good -

• Al-Maaida 5:85✦ skyread

  فَأَثَٰبَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِمَا قَالُوا۟ جَنَّٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا وَذَٰلِكَ جَزَآءُ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ

  So Allah rewarded them for what they said with gardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally. And that is the reward of doers of good.

• An-Nahl 16:127✦ skyread

  وَٱصْبِرْ وَمَا صَبْرُكَ إِلَّا بِٱللَّهِ وَلَا تَحْزَنْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا تَكُ فِى ضَيْقٍ مِّمَّا يَمْكُرُونَ

  And be patient, [O Muhammad], and your patience is not but through Allah. And do not grieve over them and do not be in distress over what they conspire.

• Muhammad 47:31✦ skyread

  وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ حَتَّىٰ نَعْلَمَ ٱلْمُجَٰهِدِينَ مِنكُمْ وَٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ وَنَبْلُوَا۟ أَخْبَارَكُمْ

  And We will surely test you until We make evident those who strive among you [for the cause of Allah] and the patient, and We will test your affairs.

• Al-Kahf 18:30✦ skyread

  إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ إِنَّا لَا نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ مَنْ أَحْسَنَ عَمَلًا

  Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds - indeed, We will not allow to be lost the reward of any who did well in deeds.