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.
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