Al-Baqarah: (153) O you who believe...

Know that when the Almighty established the obligation of all acts of worship with His saying: {So remember Me}, and established what is connected to gratitude with His saying: {and be grateful to Me}, He followed this by explaining what aids both of these, saying: {Seek help through patience and prayer}.

He specified these two because they contain the means of assistance for acts of worship.

As for patience (al-ṣabr), it is the subjugation of the self to endure hardships for the sake of Allah the Exalted, accustoming it to bear difficulties, and avoiding impatience/despair. Whoever trains their self and heart in this discipline will find it easy to perform acts of obedience, bear the hardships of worship, and avoid prohibitions.

Some people interpret patience as fasting, and others interpret it as Jihad (struggle/fighting), because the Almighty immediately followed this verse with: {And do not say about those who are killed in the way of Allah, "They are dead"} (Al-Baqarah: 154). Also, the Almighty commanded steadfastness in Jihad when He said: {When you meet a company, then be firm} (Al-Anfal: 45). And steadfastness in prayer (i.e., in supplication) when He said: {And their saying was not but that they said, "Our Lord, forgive us our sins and our extravagance in our affair and make firm our feet and grant us victory over the disbelieving people"} (Al 'Imran: 147).

However, the interpretation we have chosen [i.e., patience as general endurance] is preferable due to the generality of the wording and the lack of restriction.

Seeking help through prayer (al-ṣalāh) is because it must be performed with humility, submission to the Worshipped One, and sincerity towards Him. One must dedicate their focus and heart to it, and to what occurs within it—the recitation—so that they may contemplate the promise and the threat, the encouragement and the warning. Whoever follows this path in prayer has disciplined their self to endure hardship in all other acts of worship. This is why He said: {Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book} (Al-'Ankabut: 45). This is why we see the righteous people, when calamities strike, unanimously resorting to prayer. It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to resort to prayer whenever a matter distressed him.

Then He said: {Indeed, Allah is with the patient}. This means He is with them in granting them victory, just as He said: {Allah will suffice you against them, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing} (Al-Baqarah: 137). It is as if the Almighty guaranteed them that if they seek help in obeying Him through patience and prayer, He will increase them in success, guidance, and subtle favors, as He said: {And Allah increases those who are guided, in guidance} (Maryam: 76).

{And do not say about those who are killed in the way of Allah, "They are dead." Rather, they are alive, but you do not perceive.}