Table of Contents
Patience and gratitude are two qualities that shape how a believer walks through every moment of life. They are not only virtues of character, they are a way of looking at the world, a way of understanding Allah, and a way of responding to every situation, whether joyful or painful.
Two Wings of the Believer’s Heart
Patience and gratitude are often described as two wings that keep the believer balanced. Without patience, hardship breaks a person. Without gratitude, blessings make a person arrogant or heedless. Together they provide a stable inner life, whatever the external circumstances.
Allah links both qualities directly to true faith. He says about the people of Paradise:
“Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured. And excellent is the final home.”
(Qur’an 13:24)
And He says:
“Why should Allah punish you if you are grateful and believe? And Allah is ever Appreciative, All Knowing.”
(Qur’an 4:147)
The Prophet ﷺ explained that the believer’s state is always good when he lives between patience and gratitude:
“How amazing is the affair of the believer. All of his affair is good, and that is for no one except the believer. If something pleasing comes to him, he is grateful, and that is good for him. If something harmful befalls him, he is patient, and that is good for him.”
(Muslim)
A believer must respond to every situation with either patience or gratitude, and often with both together. This is part of completing faith in the heart.
Understanding Patience (Ṣabr)
Patience in Islam is not passive suffering or emotional numbness. It is a strong, conscious holding of the heart and body within the limits set by Allah. It is to remain obedient, hopeful, and trusting in Allah, even when circumstances are difficult.
Allah commands patience many times in the Qur’an:
“O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.”
(Qur’an 2:153)
This verse shows that patience is not simply bearing pain. It is a means of seeking help from Allah and a way to experience His special closeness, because He says, “Allah is with the patient.”
Types of Patience
Scholars of Islam have explained, based on the Qur’an and Sunnah, that patience appears in three main areas of life.
First, there is patience in obeying Allah. Acts of worship and obedience can be heavy on the self, especially in the beginning or in times of weakness. To wake for Fajr, to guard the eyes from the forbidden, to give charity when one loves wealth, all of this requires inner strength. Allah praises those who remain patient in obedience:
“(They are) those who are patient, seeking the Face of their Lord, and establish prayer and spend from what We have provided them secretly and openly, and repel evil with good. Those will have the good end.”
(Qur’an 13:22)
Second, there is patience in staying away from what Allah has forbidden. The soul is drawn to desires and habits that displease Allah. To struggle against these urges and to leave sin for His sake is a form of patience. Yusuf عليه السلام chose prison rather than falling into sin, and Allah records his words:
“He said, ‘My Lord, prison is more beloved to me than that to which they invite me.’”
(Qur’an 12:33)
Third, there is patience in facing what Allah decrees of hardship. Loss, illness, fear, poverty, grief, and all kinds of trials are part of life. The believer stays firm, does not despair of Allah’s mercy, and continues to turn back to Him. About such people Allah says:
“And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient, those who, when disaster strikes them, say, ‘Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.’ Those are the ones upon whom are blessings