25.65-66 Supplication to be kept far from sins and their consequences
This is one of those blessed supplications of which there are so many in the Book of the Almighty Lord. It is a plea with which His sincerely believing and God-fearing servants turn to the Almighty Creator. These are people whom the Lord of the worlds repeatedly praises in His Book and of whom He has told us that they possess firm faith and beautiful moral qualities, and that their worthy actions are the natural result of their faith and good character.
“Our Lord!” When these sincere believers turn to the Almighty in supplication, they usually begin with a courteous address, namely, with the acknowledgement that He is their Lord. These people, whose hearts are filled with faith, do not forget Allah, nor that He is their God and their Lord. He is the One who created all that exists and has power over all His creations without exception.
“Keep the punishment of Hell away from us.” This is the very essence of their supplication, the main thing they wished to ask of the Almighty. It is the supplication of people with living hearts, who know well how terrible the punishment in Hell will be, and who therefore greatly fear it. And from these words it is clear that they are asking the Almighty not only for rescue from what results from weakness of faith and foul deeds. They ask the Lord to help them keep away from everything that leads a person to Hell. And so, in uttering these few words, they put a very great and very important meaning into them. This supplication contains a request both for the strengthening of faith and for help in refraining from sins, disobedience and foul actions. For in such cases the absence of the cause implies the absence of the results.
“Its punishment is indeed unrelenting.” Hell is a constant, unchanging evil, a source of eternal torment. It clings to its inhabitants like a harsh creditor who gives no peace to the one who had the misfortune to owe him.
“It is certainly an evil place to settle and reside.” This is the worst, most repulsive, most terrible of the places in which a person can find himself. These words show that the believers who uttered them have fully felt the whole horror of the condition of those fated to enter this abode. And these descriptions make their supplication still deeper and more fervent and emphasise the strength of their desire to be among the saved.
This supplication beautifully reflects the inner essence of these good people. Possessing many wonderful qualities loved by the Almighty and doing many worthy deeds pleasing to Him, these believers are still gripped by fear of the anger of the Almighty, of His retribution, of the punishment in the Fire of Hell, although there are surely so many people in the world who have far more reason to fear this than they do.
These believers, who have been honoured with the praise of the Almighty, deserve to be taken as an example. It is not without reason that this supplication is mentioned in the Book of the Almighty Lord and will be read until the very Day of Judgment. Do we not wish at least to draw closer to the high and beautiful position these servants of Allah have attained?..
This supplication reminds us that while a believer lives in this world, he should fear Allah, beware of bringing His anger upon himself and not forget the Fire of Hell, while combining this fear with hope in the mercy of the Almighty and in rescue from the Fire. For hope and fear are to a believer what two wings are to a bird. Can it fly with one wing or with no wings at all?..
Asking for protection from the Fire of Hell should be a natural and inseparable part of the life of every believer.
A believer should not be deluded by his own deeds, however many good actions he has done and however diligent he has been in worshipping the Almighty. Those who turn to Allah with supplications like this one are a good example for us. Even when honoured with the praise of the Lord, they did not fall into delusion, did not cease to strive for His sake, did not stop feeling reverent fear before the Lord and calling upon Him, did not rely entirely on the many good deeds they had done, and did not lose their modesty and courtesy towards the Creator. Conceit, self-assurance, arrogance and narcissism are not qualities that can adorn a believer.