7 hadiths on patience
and trials
Can you cry and still be patient? What can you say in misfortune? Seven hadiths explained, in English and Arabic.
Bad news, illness, bereavement or a lasting difficulty can make the advice ‘be patient’ hard to hear.
What does being patient really mean when your heart is hurting? Can you cry? What can you say when misfortune strikes? And how can you keep taking action?
These seven authentic hadiths on patience and trials, reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim, explain sabr, or patience. The Prophet ﷺ himself wept, taught a supplication in misfortune and encouraged people to seek what is useful.
Article contents
Tears can accompany patience
The context of the narration
Anas ibn Malik accompanies the Prophet ﷺ to his son Ibrahim, who is in his final moments. Seeing the Prophet’s tears, ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn ‘Awf is surprised that he, too, is weeping. The Prophet explains that these tears are a mercy, then expresses his grief:“The eyes shed tears, the heart grieves, and we say only what pleases our Lord.”
Read the Arabic text
إِنَّ الْعَيْنَ تَدْمَعُ، وَالْقَلْبَ يَحْزَنُ، وَلاَ نَقُولُ إِلاَّ مَا يَرْضَى رَبُّنَا
Understanding this hadith
The Prophet ﷺ weeps and speaks of his sadness while taking care to say only words that please Allah. The account thus distinguishes tears from the words that pain might lead someone to say.
If you are grieving, your tears alone do not mean that you lack patience. The Prophet’s example allows grief to be acknowledged without having to pretend that everything is fine.
Patience matters from the first shock
The context of the narration
Anas ibn Malik relates that the Prophet ﷺ passes a woman crying beside a grave. He advises her to fear Allah and be patient. Without recognising him, she sharply turns him away: she asks him to leave, saying that he has not suffered the same misfortune as she has.
When she is told that it was the Prophet ﷺ, she goes to his door, where she finds no guards. She explains that she had not recognised him. He then replies:
“True patience is at the first shock of misfortune.”
Read the Arabic text
إِنَّمَا الصَّبْرُ عِنْدَ الصَّدْمَةِ الأُولَى
Understanding this hadith
The reply of the Prophet ﷺ makes sense in this exchange: the woman rejected his advice in the shock of misfortune, then returned to see him. He teaches her that patience matters from the first shock, when pain makes self-control difficult.
Read alongside the previous account, this hadith does not command us to suppress tears. When you are in shock, you can wait before responding or making a decision, and call upon Allah with the words in the next hadith.
What can you say when misfortune strikes?
The context of the narration
Umm Salama reports a supplication taught by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to someone struck by misfortune. She relates that she herself said it when her husband Abu Salama died, while wondering which Muslim could be better than him. These are the words she had learnt:إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ، اللَّهُمَّ أْجُرْنِي فِي مُصِيبَتِي وَأَخْلِفْ لِي خَيْرًا مِنْهَا
“We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. O Allah, reward me for my misfortune and grant me something better in its place.”
Pronunciation help
Innā lillāhi wa innā ilayhi rājiʿūn. Allāhumma’jurnī fī muṣībatī wa akhlif lī khayran minhā.
An approximate transliteration of the Arabic text.
Understanding this hadith
The account does not end with the wording: Umm Salama goes on to relate her marriage to the Prophet ﷺ. She said the supplication when she could not yet see what the future might bring.
The supplication allows a person to ask for a reward and good to come even when they cannot yet imagine them. The hadith gives no timeframe for their arrival.
You will find other wordings in the guide to supplication and its answer.
Suffering can be a cause of expiation
“No fatigue, illness, worry, sadness, hurt or distress befalls a Muslim, even the prick of a thorn, without Allah erasing some of their sins because of it.”
Read the Arabic text
مَا يُصِيبُ الْمُسْلِمَ مِنْ نَصَبٍ وَلاَ وَصَبٍ وَلاَ هَمٍّ وَلاَ حُزْنٍ وَلاَ أَذًى وَلاَ غَمٍّ حَتَّى الشَّوْكَةِ يُشَاكُهَا، إِلاَّ كَفَّرَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ خَطَايَاهُ
Understanding this hadith
The text mentions sadness and worry as well as illness and pain. Even suffering that seems small in other people’s eyes is included in the situations described.
This hadith brings hope: a trial can be a cause for sins to be erased. It does not allow us to tell a particular person why a specific trial has happened to them, or to reduce their pain to a lesson they should accept immediately.
Giving thanks in ease and being patient in difficulty
The context of the narration
Suhayb reports that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, describing the believer’s situation:“If something pleasant happens to him, he thanks Allah, and that is good for him. If misfortune befalls him and he is patient, that too is good for him.”
Read the Arabic text
إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ
Understanding this hadith
The hadith connects two attitudes with two situations: gratitude in ease and patience in difficulty. The good mentioned is linked to this response of the believer.
The believer can therefore gain good from patience even while the situation remains painful. They do not have to find suffering pleasant.
To explore thankfulness in times of ease, read the hadiths on gratitude.
Patience develops with Allah’s help
The context of the narration
Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri relates that some of the Ansar ask the Prophet ﷺ for help. He gives to them repeatedly until he has exhausted what he has. He assures them that he would not keep for himself anything from which they could benefit, then encourages them to exercise restraint, be self-reliant and be patient. This excerpt is part of his advice:“Whoever strives to be patient, Allah will grant him patience.”
Read the Arabic text
وَمَنْ يَتَصَبَّرْ يُصَبِّرْهُ اللَّهُ
Understanding this hadith
The Prophet ﷺ had already given to those asking until what he had was exhausted. His advice to be patient therefore comes after help, not instead of it. He then teaches restraint during need.
The Arabic verb yatasabbar here expresses the effort to be patient. The hadith therefore also speaks of someone striving to be patient even when it is difficult.
You can begin by holding back a hurtful word or resuming a task you had abandoned, while asking Allah to help you be patient.
Patience goes hand in hand with beneficial effort
The context of the narration
Abu Hurayra reports a teaching of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that brings together effort and trust in Allah. The Prophet first teaches that the strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, while making clear that there is good in both. He then advises seeking what is beneficial. After the excerpt below, he also teaches how to accept what has happened without becoming trapped in regret:“Seek what benefits you, ask Allah for help, and do not lose heart.”
Read the Arabic text
احْرِصْ عَلَى مَا يَنْفَعُكَ وَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللَّهِ وَلاَ تَعْجِزْ
Understanding this hadith
Three elements are brought together: seeking what is useful, asking Allah for help and persevering. The explanation in the Encyclopedia of Translated Prophetic Hadiths includes what benefits a person in their religion and in daily life.
When facing a particular difficulty, this may mean completing an administrative task, asking for help or speaking with someone you trust. You can call upon Allah while looking for a solution.
Also read: trusting Allah while continuing to make an effort.
In practice
- You feel guilty about cryingThe Prophet ﷺ wept and expressed his sadness beside his son Ibrahim.Read the account about tears
- You are looking for words to sayCall upon Allah with the words reported by Umm Salama, in Arabic and English.Find the supplication
- You find it hard to be patientThe Prophet ﷺ promises Allah’s help to those who strive to be patient. Read the context of this advice.Read the advice on patience
- You no longer know how to move forwardAsking for help, making an appointment or resuming a task: patience can go hand in hand with these efforts.Read the advice on taking action
You can also share the account with someone you trust and tell them simply what you need: someone to listen, accompany you or help you with a task.
Sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari · 1303The place of tears
- Sahih al-Bukhari · 1283At the first shock
- Sahih Muslim · 918aSupplication in times of trial
- Sahih al-Bukhari · 5641–5642Expiation of sins
- Sahih Muslim · 2999Good amid difficulty
- Sahih al-Bukhari · 1469Learning to be patient
- Sahih Muslim · 2664Continuing to act
For Muslim 2664, the explanation of beneficial effort also draws on the Encyclopedia of Translated Prophetic Hadiths.
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