Endure and be more patient (Surah Al-‘Imran 3: 200)

The Command for Patience and Ribat

Allah said,  

O you who believe! Endure and be more patient, and Rabitu

Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, "The believers are commanded to be patient in the religion that Allah chose for them, Islam. They are not allowed to abandon it in times of comfort or hardship, ease or calamity, until they die as Muslims. They are also commanded to endure against their enemies, those who hid the truth about their religion.'' Similar explanation given by several other scholars among the Salaf.

As for Murabatah, it is to endure in acts of worship and perseverance. It also means to await prayer after prayer, as Ibn `Abbas, Sahl bin Hanif and Muhammad bin Ka`b Al-Qurazi stated. Ibn Abi Hatim collected a Hadith that was also collected by Muslim and An-Nasa'i from Abu Hurayrah (Radhi Allahu Anhu) that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said,

Should I tell you about actions with which Allah forgives sins and raises the grade Performing perfect ablution in unfavorable conditions, the many steps one takes to the Masajid, and awaiting prayer after the prayer, for this is the Ribat, this is the Ribat, this is the Ribat.

They also say that the Murabatah in the above Ayah refers to battles against the enemy, and manning Muslim outposts to protect them from enemy incursions inside Muslim territory. There are several Hadiths that encourage Murabatah and mention its rewards. Al-Bukhari recorded that Sahl bin Sa`d As-Sa`idi said that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said,

A Day of Ribat in the cause of Allah is better than this life and all that is in it.

Muslim recorded that Salman Al-Farisi (Radhi Allahu Anhu) said that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said,

Ribat for a day and a night is better than fasting the days of a month and its Qiyam (voluntary prayer at night). If one dies in Ribat, his regular righteous deeds that he used to perform will keep being added to his account, and he will receive his provision, and will be saved from the trials of the grave.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Fadalah bin `Ubayd said that he heard the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) saying,

Every dead person will have his record of deeds sealed, except for whoever dies while in Ribat in the cause of Allah, for his work will keep increasing until the Day of Resurrection, and he will be safe from the trial of the grave.

This is the same narration collected by Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi, who said, "Hasan Sahih''. Ibn Hibban also collected this Hadith in his Sahih.

At-Tirmidhi recorded that Ibn `Abbas (Radhi Allahu Anhuma) said that he heard the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) saying,

Two eyes shall not be touched by the Fire: an eye that cried for fear from Allah and an eye that spent the night guarding in Allah's cause.

Al-Bukhari recorded in his Sahih that Abu Hurayrah (Radhi Allahu Anhu)  said that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said,

Let the servant of the Dinar, the servant of the Dirham and the servant of the Khamisah (of clothes) perish, as he is pleased if these things are given to him, and if not, he is displeased. Let such a person perish and be humiliated, and if he is pierced with a thorn, let him not find anyone to take it out for him. Paradise is for him who holds the reins of his horse, striving in Allah's cause, with his hair unkempt and feet covered with dust: if he is appointed to the vanguard, he is perfectly satisfied with his post of guarding, and if he is appointed in the rearguard, he accepts his post with satisfaction; if he asks for permission he is not permitted, and if he intercedes, his intercession is not accepted.

Ibn Jarir recorded that Zayd bin Aslam said, "Abu `Ubaydah wrote to `Umar bin Al-Khattab and mentioned to him that the Romans were mobilizing their forces. `Umar wrote back, `Allah will soon turn whatever hardship a believing servant suffers, to ease, and no hardship shall ever overcome two types of ease. Allah says in His Book,

O you who believe! Endure and be more patient, and Rabitu, and have Taqwa of Allah, so that you may be successful.'  

Al-Hafiz Ibn `Asakir mentioned in the biography of `Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak, that Muhammad bin Ibrahim bin Abi Sakinah said, "While in the area of Tarsus, `Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak dictated this poem to me when I was greeting him goodbye. He sent the poem with me to Al-Fudayl bin `Iyad in the year one hundred and seventy, `O he who worships in the vicinity of the Two Holy Masjids! If you but see us, you will realize that you are only jesting in worship. He who brings wetness to his cheek with his tears, should know that our necks are being wet by our blood. He who tires his horses without purpose, know that our horses are getting tired in battle. Scent of perfume is yours, while our scent is the glimmer of spears and the stench of dust [in battle]. We were narrated about in the speech of our Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam)  an authentic statement that never lies. That the dust that erupts by Allah's horses and which fills the nostrils of a man shall never be combined with the smoke of a raging Fire. This, the Book of Allah speaks among us that the martyr is not dead, and the truth in Allah's Book cannot be denied.'

I met Al-Fudayl Ibn `Iyad in the Sacred Masjid and gave him the letter. When he read it, his eyes became tearful and he said, `Abu `Abdur-Rahman (`Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak) has said the truth and offered sincere advice to me.' He then asked me, `Do you write the Hadith' I said, `Yes.' He said, `Write this Hadith as reward for delivering the letter of Abu `Abdur-Rahman to me. He then dictated, `Mansur bin Al-Mu`tamir narrated to us that Abu Salih narrated from Abu Hurayrah (Radhi Allahu Anhu) that a man asked, `O Messenger of Allah! Teach me a good deed that will earn me the reward of the Mujahidin in Allah's cause.' The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam)  said,

Are you able to pray continuously and fast without breaking the fast)  The man said, `O Messenger of Allah! I cannot bear it.' The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said,  

By He in Whose Hand is my soul! Even if you were able to do it, you will not achieve the grade of the Mujahidin in Allah's cause. Did you not know that the horse of the Mujahid earns rewards for him as long as it lives.

Allah said next,

and have Taqwa of Allah, concerning all your affairs and situations. For instance, the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said to Mu`adh (Radhi Allahu Anhu)  when he sent him to Yemen,

Have Taqwa of Allah wherever you may be, follow the evil deed with a good deed and it will erase it, and deal with people in a good manner.  

Allah said next,

so that you may be successful  in this life and the Hereafter. Ibn Jarir recorded that Muhammad bin Ka`b Al-Qurazi said that, Allah's statement,

and have Taqwa of Allah, so that you may be successful  means, "Fear Me concerning what is between you and Me, so that you may acquire success when you meet Me tomorrow.''

Source: Tafsir ibn Kathir (Abridged)