Perseverance/patience/persistence (sabr) is the common theme in the Quran. It's said to be one of the two core traits of faith, the other being gratefulness. Th

Perseverance/patience/persistence (sabr) is the common theme in the Quran. It's said to be one of the two core traits of faith, the other being gratefulness. The idea is that anyone can profess faith, but the real test of faith is whether they believe things will be fine when pitted against all odds. Not so much light triumphing against dark, but faith that God is ultimately in control. The Quranic take on David vs Goliath was that it required perseverance to follow David, who did not look much like a King. And after marching, they were exhausted and thirsty, reached the river, but were only allowed to take a single sip. Anyone who took more than a sip would not be part of the battle with Goliath. So there were only a few in the battle, which made the odds seem impossible, and so they prayed to God for perseverance (2:250) and Goliath was defeated in the most unexpected way. Most tales about a Prophet is a story of perseverance.