Tafsir al-Tustari

By Time! (wa�l-ʿaṣr) That is: �By the Lord of time (Rabb al-dahr).� It has also been said [that He meant] �By the afternoon ⸢prayer⸣.�

Verily man is in [a state of] loss,This means: all the days of Abū Lahab were wasted.

except those who believe and perform righteous deeds�That is, they perform their religious obligations (farāʾiḍ) as prescribed for them; and enjoin one another to the truth, that is, to God, Mighty and Majestic is He; and enjoin one another to patience [in carrying out] His commandments. He was asked, �What is patience (ṣabr)?� He replied:⸢It is contentment (riḍā) and true [inner] verification of the truth (taṣdīq al-ṣidq).Then he was asked if there was anything more excellent (afḍal) than patience, and he replied:⸣ There is no better act than patience, and no greater reward than the reward for patience. There is no provision [for the way] (zād) except mindfulness of God (taqwā) and there is no mindfulnessof God without patience. There is no aid to patience for God�s sake save God, Mighty and Majestic is He. Then he was asked, �Is patience included among works?� He answered:Yes indeed. Patience is to action as is the status of the head to the body, the one is useless without the other.Then he was asked, �What is the time-span (ajl) of patience?� He replied:Its time-span is as long as it takes to wait for relief (intiẓār al-faraj) from God. [After this] he was asked, �What is the basis of patience?� to which he replied:It is striving [with] the self (mujāhadat al-nafs) to maintain acts of obedience and perform them according to their rules (aḥkām) and limits (ḥudūd), and struggling to avoid acts of transgression (maʿāṣī), whether big or small.He was asked, �What are the people who practise patience like?� He replied:People of patience are of two kinds: one kind practise patience for the sake of this world, until they acquire what they desire for themselves from it, this is a blameworthy form of patience. The other kind practise patience for the sake of the Hereafter, seeking its reward and fearing its punishment.Then he was asked, �Is there only one kind of patience for the sake of the Hereafter, or are there different kinds?� To which he replied:Patience for the sake of the Hereafter has four stations (maqāmāt), three of which are obligatory(farḍ) and one of which is a superogatory virtue (faḍīla). [The first three are:] patience [or steadfastness] in obedience to God, Mighty and Majestic is He; patience in [refraining from] His disobedience; and patience in the face of afflictions (maṣāʾib) from Him.