At-Tur · Makki · ayah 31 of 49

At-Tur 52:31

قُلْ تَرَبَّصُوا۟ فَإِنِّى مَعَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْمُتَرَبِّصِينَ

“Say, "Wait, for indeed I am, with you, among the waiters."”

Saheeh International

Essence

Their threat is met without fear or bitterness: go on waiting, I am waiting too, and time will show whose waiting was wise.

A reflection

The calmest answer to a threat

They had said: we are waiting for him to die. The Prophet ﷺ is told to answer in two words: tarabbaṣū, go on waiting.

A classical commentator explained why this is not really a command. It is the reply of someone who is not afraid. He gave an everyday example. A man threatens you: I will complain about you to so-and-so. You answer: go ahead, complain. If you had said 'please don't complain', you would have shown fear. If you had said 'complain or don't, I don't care', you would still be arguing. 'Go ahead' is the complete answer, in its words and in its meaning. It says: I am unconcerned, and you will see that your expectation leads nowhere.

Picture a cashier at a supermarket on a Saturday afternoon. A customer is shouting about a price. 'I'll be writing to your head office about you,' he says. She does not raise her voice or plead. She takes a feedback card from under the till and slides it across: 'Please do. The address is on the back.' The man falls silent. There is nothing left for his threat to hold on to.

The ayah works the same way. It does not argue about whether the Prophet ﷺ will die young. It does not plead for mercy from those who are waiting for his death. It does not curse them. It simply accepts the terms of their challenge and adds one quiet line: I am waiting with you.

This is a model for believers facing hostility. Not every insult deserves a defence. Some threats are best answered by showing that they have no grip. A calm 'go ahead' can say more than a long speech, because it shows where your security actually lies. It does not lie with the person making threats. It lies with Allah, who decides how every waiting ends.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.