March 26, 2024

SubhanAllah one of the pages of Qur’an I recited in my khatam group today blew my mind. Allah is Ar-Rahman, Al-Karim (The Most Merciful, The Most Generous). I recited pages 329 and 330 of the Qur’an today and page 329 left my mouth agape. The two pages covered surah Al-Anbiya, ayats 82 - 101. Ayats 83-90 on page 329 were the ones that stood out to me subhanAllah.

In ayats 83 and 84, Allah tells us about the story of Ayyub (Job) when he cried out to Allah saying “I have been touched with adversity, and You are the Most Merciful of the Merciful.” Immediately after, Allah says in the next ayah “So We answered his prayer and removed his adversity, and gave him back his family, twice as many, as mercy from Us and a lesson for the ˹devoted˺ worshipers.” I was stunned by Ayyub’s first instinct in complaining to Allah first about his difficulty and also invoking Allah’s Mercy and acknowledging that it is only Allah Who can get him out of it. And Allah in His Mercy answers him and grants him more than he had asked for. But what stuck to me was the last part of the ayah where Allah says, this is a lesson for the devoted worshippers. Essentially, Allah is saying His Mercy and His response isn’t limited to prophets. That this can happen for me too if I am devoted in my worship and I call on Him sincerely.

The surah continues to ayats 87 and 88, Allah reminds us of prophet Yunus (Jonah) when He found himslef in the darkness of the belly of the whale, and made the du’a we all say now “There is no god worhty of worship except you. Glory be to You! I have certainly done wrong.” Immediately Allah says, “So We answered his prayer and rescued him from anguish. And so do We save the believers.” Again, Allah tells us of how He answered another prophet’s du’a and then adds that you and I too can be saved.

And then comes, ayats 89 and 90, where Allah tells us about Zachariah when he cried out to Him asking Allah to grant him a child. “My Lord! Do not leave me childless, though You are the Best of Successors.” Allah immediately says, “So We answered his prayer, granted him Yahya (John) and made his wife fertile. Indeed, they used to race in doing good, and call upon Us with hope and fear, totally humbling themselves before Us.” Allahu Akbar! Again, Allah tells us what they used to do, which earned them His immediate response to their prayer. They used to race to do good, and call upon Allah with hope and fear, humbling themselves before Him. In other words, if I did the same, then I will earn Allah’s immediate response to my prayers too.

Later, another sister shared a reflection on ayats 89 and 90 and mentioned that, we see the hope and fear Allah talks about in ayah 90, in Zachariah’s du’a in ayah 89. The fear was in him saying “My Lord! do not leave me childless” and the hope was in him saying “though You are the Best of Successors.” He feared being childless but he had hope in Allah being the Best of Successors.

The entirety of this page was made up of Allah saying فَٱسۡتَجَبۡنَا (So We answered) - to du’as of prophets who came to Allah in their weakest moments, allowing themselves to be vulnerable to Him, complaining to Him and being humble. Du’as that are now immortalized in the Qur’an for us to learn and call upon Allah with. In this whole page Allah gives us the “formula” to getting our own prayers answered. May Allah make us among those who call upon Him with sincerity, with fear and hope, and humbling ourselves. May Allah make us among those who race to do good. Ya Allah, Ya Rahman, make us among those to whom You say فَٱسۡتَجَبۡنَا - So We answered, because You are Al-Mujib (The Responsive One). Allahumma Amin.

With Love, Ibtisam