Al-Qur'an Surah Ali 'Imran Verse 17

Mufti Taqi Usmani

(and those who are) the patient, the truthful and the devout, who spend (in Allah’s way) and who seek forgiveness in pre-dawn hours.”

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

˹It is they˺ who are patient, sincere, obedient, and charitable, and who pray for forgiveness before dawn.[[ Optional prayers before dawn are recommended and are more likely to be accepted. ]] 

Ruwwad Translation Center

Those who are patient, truthful, devout, charitable, and who seek forgiveness before dawn.

A. J. Arberry

men who are patient, truthful, obedient, expenders in alms, imploring God's pardon at the daybreak.

Abdul Haleem

those who are steadfast, truthful, truly devout, who give [in God’s cause] and pray before dawn for forgiveness.’

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

The patient ones and the truthful ones and the devout ones and the expanders and the praying ones at early dawn for forgiveness.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Those who show patience, Firmness and self-control; who are true (in word and deed); who worship devoutly; who spend (in the way of Allah); and who pray for forgiveness in the early hours of the morning.

Abul Ala Maududi

men who are steadfast, truthful, obedient, spend (in the way of Allah) and implore the forgiveness of Allah before daybreak.

Ahmed Ali

They are the patient, the sincere and devout, full of charity, who pray for forgiveness in the hours of dawn.

Ahmed Raza Khan

The steadfast, and the truthful, and the reverent, and who spend in Allah's cause, and who seek forgiveness in the last hours of the night (before dawn).

Ali Quli Qarai

[They are] patient and truthful, obedient and charitable, and they plead for [Allah’s] forgiveness at dawns.

Ali Ünal

Those who are persevering (in misfortune and steadfast in fulfilling God’s commandments and in refraining from sins), and truthful (in their words and actions, and true to their covenants), and devoutly obedient, and who spend (out of what God has provided for them, in His way and for the needy), and who implore God’s forgiveness before daybreak.

Amatul Rahman Omar

(And those who are) the patiently persevering, the truthful and the obedient, and those who spend (liberally in the cause of Allâh) and the implorers of Divine protection in the latter part of the night (and from the core of their hearts).

English Literal

The patient and the truthful, and the obeying humbly , and the spending , and the ones asking for forgiveness, at the times at end of night, before dawn .

Faridul Haque

The steadfast, and the truthful, and the reverent, and who spend in Allah´s cause, and who seek forgiveness in the last hours of the night (before dawn).

Hamid S. Aziz

Those who show patient, firmness and self-control, the truthful in word and deed, the devout in worship, and those who spend, and pray for forgiveness at dawn.

Hilali & Khan

(They are) those who are patient ones, those who are true (in Faith, words, and deeds), and obedient with sincere devotion in worship to Allah. Those who spend [give the Zakat and alms in the Way of Allah] and those who pray and beg Allah's Pardon in the last hours of the night.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Those who say: Our Lord, we believe, so forgive our sins and save us from the chastisement of the fire.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

The patient, and the truthful, and the obedient, and those who spend (benevolently) and those who ask forgiveness in the morning times.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

The steadfast, and the truthful, and the obedient, those who spend (and hoard not), those who pray for pardon in the watches of the night.

Muhammad Sarwar

who exercise patience, speak the truth, who are devoted in prayer, spend their property for the cause of God and seek forgiveness from God during the last part of the night.

Qaribullah & Darwish

who are patient, truthful, obedient, and charitable, and who ask forgiveness at dawn.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

(They are) the patient, the true believers, and obedient with sincere devotion in worship to Allah. Those who spend [in good] and those who pray and beg Allah's pardon in the last hours of the night.

Wahiduddin Khan

those who are steadfast, truthful, obedient, and those who spend [for God's cause] and who pray before dawn for forgiveness."

Talal Itani

The patient, and the truthful, and the reverent, and the charitable, and the seekers of forgiveness at dawn.

Tafsir jalalayn

The patient, in obedience and against disobedience (al-sbirna, `the patient', is an adjectival qualification [of alladhna, `those']), truthful, in their faith, obedient, compliant before God, expenders, of charity, imploring God's pardon, by saying, `Lord, forgive us' at daybreak', in the last part of the night, singled out here for mention because it is the time of unawareness and of the joy of sleep.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

الصَّابِرِينَ

(They are) those who are patient,

while performing acts of obedience and abandoning the prohibitions.

وَالصَّادِقِينَ

those who are true,

concerning their proclamation of faith, by performing the difficult deeds.

وَالْقَانِتِينَ

and obedient,

meaning, they submit and obey Allah,

وَالْمُنفِقِينَ

those who spend,

from their wealth on all the acts of obedience they were commanded, being kind to kith and kin, helping the needy, and comforting the destitute.

وَالْمُسْتَغْفِرِينَ بِالَاسْحَارِ



and those who pray and beg Allah's pardon in the last hours of the night.

and this testifies to the virtue of seeking Allah's forgiveness in the latter part of the night.

It was reported that when Yaqub said to his children,
سَوْفَ أَسْتَغْفِرُ لَكُمْ رَبِّيَ
(I will ask my Lord for forgiveness for you) (12;98) he waited until the latter part of the night to say his supplication.

Furthermore, the Two Sahihs, the Musnad and Sunan collections recorded through several Companions that the Messenger of Allah said,

يَنْزِلُ اللهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالى فِي كُلِّ لَيْلَةٍ إِلى سَمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا حِينَ يَبْقَى ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ الاْخِرُ فَيَقُولُ


هَلْ مِنْ سَايِلٍ فَأُعْطِيَهُ




هَلْ مِنْ دَاعٍ فَأَسْتَجِيبَ لَهُ




هَلْ مِنْ مُسْتَغْفِرٍ فَأَغْفِرَ لَهُ



Every night, when the last third of it remains, our Lord, the Blessed, the Superior, descends to the lowest heaven saying,

"Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him his request?

Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to his invocation?

Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?"

The Two Sahihs recorded that Aishah said,

"The Messenger of Allah performed Witr during the first part, the middle and latter parts of the night. Then, later (in his life), he would perform it (only) during the latter part."

Abdullah bin Umar used to pray during the night and would ask,

"O Nafi! Is it the latter part of the night yet?"

and if Nafi said, "Yes," Ibn Umar would start supplicating to Allah and seeking His forgiveness until dawn.

This Hadith was collected by Ibn Abi Hatim