3.16 Supplication of those who believe that the Lord forgives and punishes
This is one of those many supplications mentioned in the Book of Allah with which the very best, the most sincere of His servants turn to Him, and with which each of us should turn to Him.
“Our Lord!” they call out in humility, reaching with all their being and all their thoughts towards the One to whom their supplication is addressed. For them these words are not empty sounds. They are filled with the deepest meaning, they truly matter. And so they do not merely utter them; they believe in them with all their heart.
They believe in the Almighty Maker, the Creator of the universe, the Creator of people, the Creator of all that exists, the One of whom His noble prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) once said: “˹He is˺ the One Who created me, and He ˹alone˺ guides me. ˹He is˺ the One Who provides me with food and drink. And He ˹alone˺ heals me when I am sick. And He ˹is the One Who˺ will cause me to die, and then bring me back to life” (Surah 26 «Ash-Shu'araa», Ayahs 78–81).
They do not forget for a moment that He is their Lord, who bestows upon them every day, every hour, every minute His great and countless favours. They are well aware that if it were not for Him, they would not have come into the world and nothing that surrounds us now would exist. They know that the air they breathe, the water and food that sustain their lives, the reason by which they are raised above a vast number of His other creations, all come from Him, the Almighty. He is the One from whom they cannot hide anywhere, who knows absolutely everything about them. And He is the One who cares for them day and night, although He has no need of them.
“We have believed.” We have believed in You, the Only God, the Lord of the worlds, the Sustainer of all, the Living who does not die. We have believed in Your prophets, whom You sent to people with the truth. We have believed in the Scriptures, which You sent down by Your mercy as true guidance for the children of Adam (peace be upon him). In a word, in everything that comes from You.
They call upon Allah the Almighty in supplication, prefacing it not only with the acknowledgement of His Lordship but also with the mention that they have believed, thereby seeking to draw near to Him. Showing obedience and humility, they express the hope that their supplication will not go unanswered and that the Lord will grant them what they ask.
“So forgive our sins.” Forgive us our sins, great and small, committed long ago and recently, those we remember and those we have forgotten, those we know about and those we committed without noticing but which You have recorded. We have acknowledged You as Lord and God, we are content with You as Lord and God, and we have believed in and profess the religion You sent down. So do not call us to account. Forgive us our disobedience and our foul actions, do not judge us harshly and cover us with Your mercy, for You are truly the Most Merciful.
“And protect us from the torment of the Fire.” You can do all things, and You forgive whom You will, so protect us from the terrible punishment in the abode You created for the wicked and for those to whom godlessness is dearer than faith. Protect us from the Fire, which is many times more terrible and hotter than earthly fire, and even ordinary earthly fire can cause great pain and inspire horror. In turning to the Lord of the worlds with such a supplication, they are in fact asking Him for help and support in this world. They ask Him to help them live their earthly lives in such a way that He will be pleased with them, with their words, deeds and intentions. For only the one with whom Allah is pleased and whom He honours with His mercy will escape the Fire of Hell. So these believers are not simply asking for an impregnable wall to be raised between them and Hell that would reliably protect them from it. They are in fact asking for more: that their life in this world should be exemplary, that they should manage to live it as a true believer ought to live it.
This supplication teaches us to ask the Lord for forgiveness, for each of us is a sinner. And Hell is a terrible abode which everyone should fear, and asking the Almighty for protection from it should be as natural for a believer as breathing. In the heart of each of us, reverent fear of Him should mingle with the hope that His mercy will always overshadow us, both in this life and in the eternal one.