"O you who have believed, persevere and endure and remain stationed"—the interpretation of Qatadah: Meaning, persevere in the obedience of Allah, endure against the people of misguidance, and remain stationed in the cause of Allah. "And fear Allah that you may be successful." This is obligatory [for the one who performs it], and the successful ones are the fortunate.
Muhammad said: The root of al-murabatah (stationing at the border) is that these [groups] tie their horses, and those [groups] tie their horses at the frontier; each one is prepared for the other, thus staying at the frontiers was called ribat (a station of vigilance).
﴿يَا أَيهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَرَابِطُوا﴾ تَفْسِير قَتَادَة: أَي: اصْبِرُوا على طَاعَة الله، وَصَابِرُوا أهل الضَّلَالَة، وَرَابطُوا فِي سَبِيل الله ﴿وَاتَّقُوا الله لَعَلَّكُمْ تفلحون﴾ وَهِي وَاجِبَة [لمن فعل] والمفلحون: السُّعَدَاء.
قَالَ مُحَمَّد: أصل المرابطة: أَن يرْبط هَؤُلَاءِ خيولهم، وَهَؤُلَاء خيولهم بالثغر؛ كُلٌّ مُعِدٌّ لصَاحبه، فَسُمي الْمقَام بالثغور رِبَاطًا.
