Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
The Names of Allah are tawqifiyyah, meaning that we may not affirm a Name for Allah except on the basis of evidence from the Qur’an or Sunnah.
It is also important to distinguish between what appears in the revealed texts as a Name and what appears as a description or statement about Allah. Not everything that Allah may correctly be described by is necessarily one of His Beautiful Names.
The term “As-Sabūr” appears in some narrations that mention the enumeration of the Beautiful Names of Allah, most famously the narration reported by at-Tirmidhi and others.
However, the scholars have explained that the list of Names in that narration is an insertion and is not established as a statement transmitted from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. Therefore, the scholars differed concerning the establishment of some of the Names mentioned in it, including the Name “As-Sabūr.”
Nevertheless, it is authentically established that Allah تعالى is described as more patient and forbearing in enduring the harm of His creation. In the two Sahihs, Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari رضي الله عنه reported that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
“No one is more patient in bearing harm that he hears than Allah عز وجل. They associate partners with Him and attribute a child to Him, yet He grants them well-being and provides for them.”
This hadith establishes the attribute of patience and forbearance for Allah تعالى and demonstrates His immense forbearance and respite toward His servants, despite His ability سبحانه to hasten punishment.
Al-Khattabi, may Allah have mercy on him, explained the meaning of “As-Sabūr” by saying that As-Sabūr is the One who does not hasten to punish the sinners, but gives them respite until an appointed time. Its meaning is close to that of “Al-Halīm” (the Forbearing), although there is a distinction between the two descriptions.
A number of scholars also included “As-Sabūr” among the Beautiful Names of Allah, including al-Khattabi, Ibn Mandah, al-Halimi, al-Bayhaqi, Ibn al-‘Arabi, al-Qurtubi, Ibn al-Qayyim, and others.
Accordingly, whether “As-Sabūr” should be counted among the Beautiful Names of Allah is a matter of scholarly interpretation in which there is disagreement. It is not a matter in which one may categorically deny the Name merely because the narration enumerating the Names has not been established as authentic.
A distinction should be made between two situations:
It is preferable not to initiate this name, because the establishment of “As-Sabūr” as a Name of Allah تعالى is a matter of scholarly disagreement, and it has not been established through an explicit, authentic text as a Divine Name.
There are unquestionably established Names of Allah that are sufficient, so one may choose a name such as Abdullah, Abd ar-Rahman, Abd al-‘Aziz, Abd al-Karim, and similar names.
As for someone whose family gave him this name, who has become known by it among people, and whose official documents bear this name, and who later learned of the scholarly disagreement regarding whether “As-Sabūr” is established as a Name of Allah, there does not appear to be any hardship upon him in keeping his name, and he is not required to change it, especially if changing official documents would cause him difficulty or harm.
This is because continuing an existing matter is broader in ruling than initiating it. A name that is not preferable to choose initially may nevertheless be tolerated when it has already become established.
Moreover, all that can be said here is that the establishment of “As-Sabūr” as a Divine Name is not agreed upon by the scholars and was not established as such according to some of them. This does not mean that they unanimously denied that it is one of the Names of Allah. Rather, the matter remains within the sphere of scholarly disagreement and interpretation.
And Allah تعالى knows best.