And seek help through patience and prayer; and indeed, it is difficult except for the humbly submissive [to Allāh]
Sahih International
Grammar, phrase by phrase
وَٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ ۚ
(And seek help through patience and prayer;)
Root عون — to aid, assist, help · 11 times in the Quran
Root صبر — to be patient, endure with steadfastness · 103 times in the Quran
Root صلو — to pray, to bless; prayer, blessing · 99 times in the Quran
وَٱسْتَعِينُوا۟word 1
Conjunction · حرف عطفA conjunction is a small joining word like 'and' that ties one command to another. The prefix وَ joins this counsel to the charges before it. L4 · R4
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. ٱسْتَعِينُ names an action — seeking help — from the root عون, to aid, assist, help. L1 · R7
Imperative Verb · فعل أمرAn imperative verb is a direct command addressed to 'you', formed from the present-tense verb by removing its prefix and adding a helping ٱ when what remains starts with a vowelless letter. ٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ shows that helping ٱ, commanding a group: 'seek help!' — the ending وا۟ pointing the order at 'you all'. L10 · R1
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb is one whose root contains the weak letter و or ي — letters that love to change shape or vanish. The root of ٱسْتَعِينُ is عون: its weak middle و has softened into the long ي of ـعِينُ in this shape. L24 · R2
Form X Verb · اِسْتَفْعَلَA Form X verb adds اِسْتَـ to the front of the root, typically meaning asking or seeking the action. ٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ opens with exactly that ٱسْتَـ before its root عون (to help): to SEEK help — ask for aid. L13 · R6
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending وا۟ on وَٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ is such a suffix, standing for 'you all'. L3 · R7
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, so it stands in the nominative — the doer's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending وا۟ on وَٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ is that doer, 'you all'; on this attached pronoun the shape is fixed, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4
بِٱلصَّبْرِword 2
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little word that relates one thing to another and pulls the naming word after it into the genitive — the after-preposition ending, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. The prefix بِ 'through/with' names the means: seek help 'through patience'. L4 · R2
Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ٱل ('the') fixed to the front of a naming word. Here the ص is one of the fourteen 'solar' letters — letters made near where the ل itself is made, which swallow the ل of ٱل so it is written but not heard — so the ص doubles, shown by the shaddah ـّ, the small w-shaped doubling mark above it. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA word that accepts the prefix ٱل ('the') is a noun — a naming word. This word carries that prefix and names patience, from the root صبر, to be patient, endure with steadfastness. L1 · R1
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. This word carries no feminine marker such as a ة at its end, so it falls to the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a naming word takes after a preposition, shown by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke below the last letter. صَّبْرِ carries that kasrah ـِ because بِ stands before it. L2 · R12
وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ ۚword 3
Conjunction · حرف عطفA conjunction is a small joining word like 'and' that ties one item to another, and the joined item copies the ending of the one before it. The prefix وَ joins 'the prayer' to 'patience', so صَّلَوٰةِ too carries the genitive kasrah ـِ, the small stroke below its last letter. L4 · R4
Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ٱل ('the') fixed to the front of a naming word. Here the ص is one of the fourteen 'solar' letters — letters made near where the ل itself is made, which swallow the ل of ٱل so it is written but not heard — so the ص doubles, shown by the shaddah ـّ, the small w-shaped doubling mark above it. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA word that accepts the prefix ٱل ('the') is a noun — a naming word. This word carries that prefix and names the prayer, from the root صلو, to pray, to bless. L1 · R1
Feminine Noun · اسم مؤنثA feminine noun is a naming word Arabic treats as 'she', typically marked by a ة at its end. ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ ends in exactly that ة: the prayer is a 'she'-word. L2 · R1
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending shown by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke below the last letter. صَّلَوٰةِ carries that kasrah ـِ on its ة, copying the ending of 'patience', which it is joined to after the preposition بِ. L2 · R12
Allah commanded His servants to use patience and prayer to acquire the good of this life and the Hereafter. 'Umar bin Al-Khattab said, "There are two types of patience: good patience when the disaster strikes, and a better patience while avoiding the prohibitions of Allah."
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:45
So far: “And seek help through patience and prayer;”
وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ
(…and indeed, it is difficult)
Root كبر — to be great, big, mighty; to be arrogant, proud; elder · 161 times in the Quran
وَإِنَّهَاword 4
Resumptive Particle · حرف استئنافA resumptive particle is a وَ or فَ that begins a fresh statement after a pause or shift. The prefix وَ here opens a new remark about the prayer just commanded: how heavy it weighs. L14 · R1
Accusative Particle (إنّ) · حرف مشبه بالفعلإِنَّ 'indeed' — carrying the doubling shaddah ـّ, a small w-shaped mark — is a particle of the family حرف مشبه بالفعل that opens a topic-plus-comment sentence, adds emphasis, and pushes its topic into the accusative, the fathah ـَ form. Joined with 'it' it reads إِنَّهَا: 'indeed, it…'. L15 · R2
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word; glued to a particle, it is governed by that particle. The ending هَا on وَإِنَّهَا stands for 'it' — the topic إِنَّ speaks about, held in the accusative role, the fathah ـَ form; the pronoun's written shape is fixed, so no fathah appears. L3 · R6
لَكَبِيرَةٌword 5
Emphatic Lām & Nūn · لام التوكيد ونون التوكيدThe emphatic لَـ at the front of a word presses down on the statement to say it is really, surely true, without changing any ending. The لَ opening لَكَبِيرَةٌ carries that stress: it is SURELY a heavy thing. L20 · R14
Noun · اسمA word that accepts tanwīn — the doubled end-vowel marks ـٌ ـً ـٍ — is a noun, a naming word; the category covers describing words like 'great'. كَبِيرَةٌ ends in the doubled ḍammah ـٌ, from the root كبر, to be great, big, mighty. L1 · R2
Feminine Noun · اسم مؤنثA feminine noun is a naming word Arabic treats as 'she', typically marked by a ة at its end. كَبِيرَةٌ ends in exactly that ة, matching the 'she'-word it speaks about — the prayer. L2 · R1
Singular Noun · مفردA singular noun refers to exactly one and shows its ending with a single short vowel mark, doubled to tanwīn when the word is indefinite. كَبِيرَةٌ names one thing — a great burden — with its doubled ḍammah ـٌ on the ة. L2 · R4
Indefinite Noun · نكرةAn indefinite noun is general — 'a' something — and shows this with tanwīn, the doubled end-vowel mark. كَبِيرَةٌ ends in the doubled ḍammah ـٌ — the usual dress of a one-word comment about a topic. L2 · R8
Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter — doubled to tanwīn ـٌ when the word is indefinite. كَبِيرَةٌ ends in that doubled ḍammah ـٌ: it is the comment about إِنَّ's topic, and the comment stays nominative in its own right. L2 · R10
The pronoun 'it' refers to prayer, as Mujahid said — also the choice of Ibn Jarir; it may also refer to the whole advice, to observe patience and the prayer. Allah's statement means: prayer is heavy and burdensome.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:45
إِلَّا عَلَى ٱلْخَـٰشِعِينَ
(…except for the humbly submissive [to Allāh])
Root خشع — to be humble, to submit, to be reverent · 17 times in the Quran
إِلَّاword 6
Restriction Particle · أداة الحصرA restriction particle narrows a whole statement down, meaning 'only'. إِلَّا 'except' carves one group out of the heaviness just declared: the prayer weighs on everyone EXCEPT the humble — only for them is it light. L19 · R5
عَلَىword 7
Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word with no meaning standing alone; it takes no ending and does not name or act. عَلَى is such a helper word here. L1 · R8
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little word that relates one thing to another and pulls the naming word after it into the genitive — the after-preposition ending, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. عَلَى 'on/upon' is one of the common prepositions: heavy 'upon' all but the humble. L4 · R2
ٱلْخَـٰشِعِينَword 8
Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ٱلْ ('the') fixed to the front of a naming word to mark one specific, known group. Here it marks خَٰشِعِينَ as 'THE humble ones' — the ل carrying the sukūn ـْ, the small circle showing it is written and heard before the خ. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA word that accepts the prefix ٱلْ ('the') is a noun — a naming word. This word carries that prefix and names the humble, from the root خشع, to be humble, to submit, to be reverent. L1 · R1
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. This word carries no feminine marker such as a ة at its end, so it falls to the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Plural Noun · جمعA plural noun refers to three or more. The sound masculine plural carries its role in its ending — ـُونَ for the nominative (the 'subject form', with the ḍammah ـُ sound), ـِينَ for the accusative and genitive (the 'object' and 'of' forms); ٱلْخَٰشِعِينَ ends in exactly that ـِينَ: the many who humble themselves. L2 · R6
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a naming word takes after a preposition, usually a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke below the last letter. For this kind of plural the genitive shows itself instead as the ending ـِينَ, which ٱلْخَٰشِعِينَ carries because عَلَى stands before it. L2 · R12
Active Participle · اسم فاعلAn active participle is a naming word built from a verb's root on the pattern فَاعِل to name the doer or holder of the action. خَٰشِع is built on that pattern from the root خشع (to be humble, to submit): one who humbles himself. L11 · R1
Ibn 'Abbas commented on this Ayah: "They (Al-Khashi'in) are those who believe in what Allah has revealed."
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:45
So far: “And seek help through patience and prayer; and indeed, it is difficult except for the humbly submissive [to Allāh]”