Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:45

When He, glory be to Him, commanded them to abandon misguidance and leading others astray, and to adhere to the laws—and that was burdensome for them because it entailed the loss of their beloved desires and the departure of their pursuits—He treated their ailment with this address.

"Patience" (al-sabru) is restraining the soul against what it dislikes. It is placed before "prayer" because prayer is not perfected except through it, or due to its suitability to the state of those being addressed, or because its effect—as it is said—is in removing what is inappropriate, while the effect of prayer is in attaining what is appropriate; and the warding off of corruption takes precedence over the acquisition of benefits. The definite article ("al") in it is for the generic category. It is also permissible that a specific type of patience is meant, which is fasting, by the indication of its mention alongside prayer. Seeking help through patience in the first sense is due to the expectation of relief and success that it necessitates, relying upon Him who does not disappoint those who put their trust in Him—hence it is said: "Patience is the key to relief." Seeking help through it in the second sense is due to its breaking of desire and purification of the soul, which necessitate devotion to Allah the Exalted, which in turn leads to the answering of supplications.

As for seeking help through "prayer," it is because of the types of worship it contains that draw one near to Allah the Exalted with a proximity that warrants the attainment of what is sought and the ascension to the Beloved. It is sufficient as a testament to its greatness that it is a worship repeated five times day and night, in which the servant converses with the Knower of the Unseen and washes away with it the filth of sins and defects. It has been narrated from Hudhayfah that whenever a matter distressed the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, he would pray. Ahmad also narrated that whenever a matter distressed him, he would hasten to prayer.

Interpreting "prayer" in the verse—and likewise in the Hadith—as mere "supplication" is not free from being far-fetched. More far-fetched than that is the notion that "patience" means patience in performing prayer.

"And it is indeed difficult, except for the humble" (45). The pronoun refers to "prayer," as is indicated by the apparent wording. Specifying prayer by returning the pronoun to it is due to its immense significance and its gathering of various forms of patience. The meaning of its "heaviness" is its weight and difficulty for those who perform it, along the lines of the Almighty's saying: "Difficult for the polytheists is that to which you invite them." The exception is mufarragh (disconnected), meaning: it is "difficult" for everyone "except for the humble," who are the submissive and the lowly. The root of khushu' (humility) is ikhbat (submissiveness), and from this comes khash'ah (low-lying sandy ground). It is not burdensome for them because they possess knowledge of what is attained therein and are expectant of the reward stored up for it, so it becomes easy for them. Therefore, it is said: "He who knows what he seeks, finds what he sacrifices to be easy," and "He who is certain of compensation is generous with his offering."

It is also permissible that the pronoun refers to "seeking help" (the act of seeking help), along the lines of the saying: "Be just; that is nearer to righteousness." This is favored by its comprehensiveness. What is said—that "seeking help" is not "difficult"—carries no weight, for seeking help through prayer is more specific than the act of prayer itself, as it implies performing it for the purpose of seeking help with needs or for all other acts of obedience, as it draws those things in.

It is also said that it may be in the style of: "And Allah and His Messenger have more right that they should satisfy Him," or the saying: "The bloom of youth and black hair, so long as one does not sin, is madness." The use of the feminine pronoun in the singular [in the Arabic text of the verse, despite the compound antecedents] is similar to the opinion regarding the Almighty's saying: "And those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend them [in the way of Allah]," or it may mean every characteristic among them. It is also said that the pronoun refers back to the aforementioned matters—the commanded and the forbidden—and its being feminine [in the Arabic text] is apparent. This is closer than what al-Akhfash said regarding it referring back to the "response to the Messenger," may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Remote—or rather, more remote—is its return to the Kaaba, understood from the mention of prayer.