I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying, "Allah said, 'If I deprive my slave of his two beloved things (i.e., his eyes) and he remains patient, I will let him enter Paradise in compensation for them.'"
Tafsir of Hadith from Sahih al-Bukhari 5653
This noble hadith qudsi, narrated in the Book of Patients by Imam al-Bukhari, reveals the immense reward for patience in facing tribulations. When Allah tests His servant by taking what is most beloved to them - in this case, eyesight - and the servant accepts this decree with patient perseverance (sabr), Allah promises them Paradise as recompense.
The Nature of Divine Compensation
The scholars explain that the temporary loss in this worldly life is exchanged for eternal perfection in the Hereafter. The blind believer will be granted vision in Paradise far superior to what they possessed in this temporal existence.
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani comments in Fath al-Bari that this hadith demonstrates how Allah's mercy encompasses His justice. The patient believer receives not merely restoration but enhancement beyond their original state.
The Virtue of Patience
Al-Qurtubi emphasizes that true patience (sabr) involves three components: restraining the tongue from complaint, restraining the heart from resentment, and restraining the limbs from sinful reactions. This comprehensive patience is what merits the divine reward.
Imam al-Nawawi notes that this hadith applies to all forms of severe tribulation, with blindness serving as an example of the ultimate tests that demonstrate a servant's complete reliance upon and acceptance of Allah's decree.