What Sabr (صبر) Means In Arabic (Patience & More)

If you spend any time around Arabic speakers, you’re going to hear the word sabr (صَبْر) a lot.

Its meaning is much deeper than its direct English translation.

The literal translation of sabr is “patience”. 🤌

But it’s not just about waiting in line at the supermarket. It’s a powerful concept in Arab (and particularly Islamic culture) that means enduring hardship with strength, perseverance, and without complaint.

It’s a virtue that people deeply respect.

I’ll break down how you can understand and use this important term.

The basic meaning of sabr

As I said, sabr (صَبْر) is ‘patience’, but it also means endurance, forbearance, and perseverance.

It’s the idea of staying strong and steadfast when things are tough.

When someone’s going through a difficult time, they are often encouraged to have sabr.

.الصَّبْرُ مِفْتَاحُ الْفَرَج

as-sabr miftah al-faraj.

Patience is the key to relief.

This is a famous Arabic proverb, and it shows how central the idea is: holding on with patience will eventually lead to a solution or a way out of difficulty.

One of the names of Allah is As-Sabur (ٱلصَّبُورُ), which also comes from sabr and means “The Patient One”.

How to use sabr in conversation

You’ll hear sabr used in a few different ways, mainly as a noun (“patience”) or as a command (“be patient!”).

Encouraging someone to have patience

You can tell someone “have patience” or “patience is needed.”

.لازم يكون عندك صبر

laazim yakun 3andak sabr.

You must have patience.

Telling someone to “be patient”

If you want to tell someone directly to be patient, you use the command form of the verb, which is iṣbir (اِصْبِر).

Like many things in Arabic, it changes slightly depending on who you’re talking to.

Here’s a simple table:

To Whom	Arabic Command	Pronunciation
a male	اِصْبِر	iṣ-bir
a female	اِصْبِرِي	iṣ-bi-ree
a group	اِصْبِرُوا	iṣ-bi-roo

Here’s an example of how you might use it:

.اصبر يا صديقي. الحافلة ستصل قريباً

iṣbir ya ṣadīqī. al-ḥāfilah sa-taṣil qarīban.

Be patient, my friend. The bus will be here soon.

Quick note on dialects: The word sabr is the same everywhere. The command form is also widely understood, though pronunciation might vary. For example, in Egyptian Arabic, you might hear it as ‘isbur instead of the formal iṣbir. Don’t worry about this too much in the beginning; the standard form works perfectly.

Common phrases with sabr

Because sabr is such an important concept, it appears in many common expressions and proverbs.

Learning these chunks is a great way to sound more natural.

Here are a few you’ll hear all the time:

ṣabr jamīl (صَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ) - This means “beautiful patience.” It’s a phrase from the Quran used to describe the ideal way to endure hardship—gracefully and without losing faith. You might say this to console someone facing a major life challenge.
innal-lāha maʿaṣ-ṣābirīn (إِنَّ اللهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ) - This also comes from the Quran and means “Indeed, God is with the patient.” It’s a very common and powerful way to offer encouragement, reminding someone they are not alone in their struggle and that their patience will be rewarded.
aṣ-ṣabru miftāḥ al-faraj (الصَّبْرُ مِفْتَاحُ الْفَرَجِ) - This is the proverb I mentioned earlier: “Patience is the key to relief.” It’s used to give hope and encourage someone not to give up.

Find out your Arabic level by taking this quiz: Start quiz

Understanding sabr is more than just learning a direct translation; it’s getting a glimpse into a core cultural concept in the Arab and Islamic world.

It’s a key virtue.

Listen for it in conversations, TV shows, songs and religious discussion, and be sure to use it yourself to encourage (or admonish) those around you.

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