Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:250

(And when they went forth), that is, when Talut and those with him appeared and moved into the baraz of the earth—which is the open, level ground—to face Goliath and his soldiers, (that is, to fight and do battle with them), (they said), all together, after the hearts of the weak had been strengthened, supplicating to Allah the Almighty and disavowing any power or strength of their own:

(Our Lord, pour upon us patience), meaning: pour this down upon us and grant us success in it. What is intended by it is restraining the soul for the sake of fighting. (And plant firmly our feet), meaning: grant us complete strength and steadfastness during the encounter so that we do not waver. The intention behind "planting the feet" is not merely keeping them fixed in one spot, for there is little utility in that. (And give us victory over the disbelieving people), meaning: aid us against them by subduing and defeating them. Placing "the disbelieving people" in the position of the pronoun that would have referred back to Goliath and his soldiers serves to indicate the cause for victory over them.

In this supplication, there is an elegance, beauty of style, and subtle points that are self-evident.

• Firstly: It contains the act of invoking through the attribute of Lordship (Rububiyyah), which implies bringing [the suppliant] to perfection.
• Secondly: It uses the word ifragh (pouring), which denotes abundance, treating patience as water poured upon them to cool their chests and suffice them in place of the water they were denied.
• Thirdly: It uses the preposition ‘ala (upon/on), which suggests that the patience encompasses them as if they were vessels containing it.
• Fourthly: It uses the indefinite sabran (patience), which expresses its magnificence and magnitude.
• Fifthly: The second request, "planting the feet firmly," reinforces the imagery of patience as water in the first request, for where water is poured, the ground becomes slippery, thus requiring firm footing.
• Sixthly: It displays an excellent order; they first asked for the pouring of patience upon their hearts at the time of the meeting, secondly for the firmness of foot and strength to resist the enemy—since patience may be achieved by one who lacks the ability to resist—and thirdly for the main goal and objective of warfare, which is victory over the opponent, as courage without victory is a path that deviates from utility.

It has been said that they sought the pouring of patience first because it is the cornerstone of the matter, the firmness second because it branches off from it, and victory third because it is the ultimate end. This has been objected to by the argument that it would then necessitate the use of the connective fa (then), as it is the particle that indicates [logical] sequence. The response is that the use of waw (and) is more eloquent, because it relies for the sequence upon the intellect, which is the most impartial witness, as stated by al-Sakkaki.