The
eleventh chapter of the holy Qur’an greatly emphasizes the importance of
istighfaar (seeking Allah’s forgiveness for our sins). Right from the beginning
of the chapter, in the third verse, we are indulged to seek Allah’s forgiveness
and we are promised a good life in return. The surah further deals with the
oneness of Allah (tauhid ) and this is aptly demonstrated by the stories of the
seven prophets (Nuh, Hud, Salih, Ibrahim, Lut, Shuaib, and Musa) narrated in
the chapter. In the Qur’an, stories are not narrated just for narration sake,
instead the stories are given for lessons to be derived from them. As I was
going through the chapter, I realized that apart from the similarity of the
message delivered by the Prophets, another recurring theme is the fact that the
people of three of the Prophets (Hud, Salih and Shuaib) were encouraged to seek
Allah’s forgiveness in order to have their sins wiped.
I
understand that istighfaar is a major theme in the entire Qur’an but I found
the way it was emphasized in surah Hud to be inspiring. In the beginning of the
Surah, in three out of the seven stories narrated in the chapter, istighfaar is
explicitly emphasized. In addition, towards the end of the chapter, salat is
mentioned and it was stated that good deeds erase bad deeds. Looking at it all,
it can be understood that the surah was highlighting ways out for humans who
are naturally predisposed to sin.
In
the narrations given in the chapter, the bad deeds of the people are mentioned
and then the people are implored to seek forgiveness for their bad deeds and
turn over a new leaf by following their chosen messengers. All but the people
of Prophet Ibrahim and Musa were destroyed after they refused to submit to the
oneness of Allah. Looking at it a bit more closely, it can be understood that
these two Prophets were mainly mentioned in passing in the chapter. In
addition, in the story of Prophets narrated in the Qur’an, Prophet Musa’s story
is a turning point. His people were not destroyed despite their actions after
the destruction of Fir’aun and his entourage. From Prophet Musa onward, people
were spared despite their disobedience. Prophet Ibrahim on the other hand was
the father of almost all the Prophets after him, including our noble Prophet ﷺ.
His story in this
chapter was given in relation to that of Prophet Lut. Hence the lesser emphasis
on his journey to Prophethood and his warnings to his people. For details on
that, surah 21 (Al-Anbiya) is a good reference.
In the chapter, Allah emphasized His
might by revealing that had He wished, He would have made mankind one ummah
based on the true religion but it was in His wisdom for the world to be the way
it is today.
Which brings me to the hope the surah
gives me. Istighfaar is a way for us to have our sin erased. Another way taught
by the chapter is performing good deeds. This can directly erase our bad deeds
according to the chapter. Today, I live in a world full of sin. A world where a
person cannot pray all his five prayers in congregation if he is having a good
job, as the job will definitely distract him. A world where zina is rampant and
the people who abstain are seen as being too holy or being extremists (a new
name for practicing muslims in this era). All sorts of sins have been
normalized and are part of daily life. These range from lying, to backbiting to
fornication, to consuming interest to homosexuality and the likes. In short,
our modern world though full of technological advancement is a world designed
solely for the worship of shaitan and our base desires. Every day it saddens me
as I discover that I indulge in sins due to the numerous temptations that only
exist in the modern age, temptations that were unknown to our pious
predecessors. As I ponder upon how we live today, I realize that only the mercy
of Allah can lead us to Jannah. Furthermore, apart from the multitude of sins
we engage in, we are always distracted from worship by the fast-paced world and
the advent of social media. Realizing the good that could result from
istighfaar and returning to Allah is a way for my heart to find peace. Surah
Hud contributed to that by its direct allusion to seeking Allah’s forgiveness
and the benefits of doing so. It gave me peace by making me understand that committing
sins should not be the end of our relationship with our maker. We can still
return to Him no matter the number of sins we commit. This is mainly in two
ways, sincerely repenting to Him and intending to not return to the sin ever
again and by performing an abundance of good deeds to wipe away our bad.
Allah understands our hearts as humans
and our nature. It is in our nature to commit sins and as a result, Allah gave
us a way out in the form described above. Furthermore, knowing the nature of
our hearts, Allah gave us the Qur’an as a remedy to our heart maladies. And
this is exactly what I experienced while pondering over surah Hud as I found
the chapter touching my heart and directly addressing my concerns regarding the
world I live in today.
As I try to balance out living my day
to day life doing two major things (searching for sustenance and worshipping my
Lord with the ultimate aim of attaining Jannah), I need to utilize all the
tools I have at my disposal, my intellect, the Qur’an, istighfaar, zhikr among
others. I am confident that, in sha Allah, if I keep to the rules and seek
Allah’s help while striving towards ultimate success in the hereafter (some
level of success here won’t hurt!), Allah would come to my aid and rescue me
from the evil that surrounds us today.
May Almighty Allah save me, my parents,
my family and my friends from the fitnah of this world and grant us all Jannah
firdaus. Ameen.
