صَبَرَ

16:127.

Commentary:

Though Islam has given the aggrieved party full right to have the injury done to him recompensed at the expense of the guilty person, the noblest course recommended to him, however, is to bear with patience the injury and to forgive the aggressor. But it is given to extremely few—only to God’s Beloved and Elect—to possess this very noble moral quality. Our Holy Prophet gave a practical demonstration of this moral quality at the time of the Fall of Mecca. He did not utter even a single word of reproach to, much less punish, his bloodthirsty enemies, who had hounded him out of his native place and had killed in cold blood his poor and innocent followers and had placed a price at his head. He forgave them with a magnanimity unparalleled in human history, with the words, "Go, you are all free. No blame shall lie on you this day; may Allah also forgive you" (Hisham).

The verse also implies a prophecy that Muslims would be shortly given power and dominion over their opponents, and so in the hour of triumph they should be forgiving, forbearing and merciful to their enemies.

10:46; 30:56; 79:47.

Commentary:

In this verse the Holy Prophet is told that with his advent a new heaven and a new earth would be born. The old decrepit order would die and a new and better one would emerge from its ruins. But before that great and glorious day his own mettle and that of his followers would be put to a severe test. They will have to bear, with patience and fortitude, like great Prophets of God, very great hardships and privations, and it is after they will come out of the ordeal triumphantly and unscathed that their cause will prevail. That would be a glorious day for believers; and for the disbelievers a time of heart-burning and gnashing of teeth. So severe and swift and overwhelming would be God’s punishment that compared to it a whole life spent in comfort and ease would seem but an "hour".