59.10 The believers' best supplication for one another
This beautiful Quranic supplication is among those with which His sincerely believing and God-fearing servants turned to Allah the Almighty. Specifically, it concerns the generation that followed the companions and those of later generations who took them as an example in righteousness, in diligent worship of the Almighty and in exemplary obedience to Him.
This supplication clearly shows the strength of the believers’ love for one another and the firmest bonds of brotherhood in Islam that unite them. We see that these righteous people asked the Lord of the worlds for forgiveness not only for themselves but also for those who went before them: “Forgive us and our fellow believers who preceded us in faith.”
It is important to note that in this way these believers acknowledged the merits of those for whom they were making supplication, for they not only called them brothers, that is, brothers in faith, but also mentioned that they had preceded them in accepting Islam and attaining faith. This testifies to the courtesy and pure-heartedness of these believers, as well as to their modesty and their freedom from arrogance, pride and self-admiration.
Brotherhood in faith implies the absence of hatred for one another in the hearts of believers and the presence of its opposite, that is, love. So it is not surprising that these believers asked the Almighty Lord that there should be no hatred, malice, envy or other negative feelings in their hearts towards other believers.
In reality this supplication covers more than feelings alone. For the absence of such foul and blameworthy feelings also implies the absence of the corresponding words and actions that express these feelings. These people sincerely wished that nothing should stain or darken their pure love for their brothers in faith.
It follows from this ayah that asking for mercy for our righteous predecessors, turning to Allah the Almighty with good supplications for them and refusing to speak ill of them are among the characteristic traits of believers.
This supplication reminds us how important it is for believers to turn to the Almighty Creator with good supplications for one another. All the more so since we know from the Quran and the Sunnah that for this a believer will not only receive a reward from Allah the Almighty: an angel specially sent for this purpose will say, in response to the supplication any of us makes to Allah for his brother in his absence: “Amen! And may the same be for you!” So, in turning to the Almighty and Great Allah with sincere supplications for other believers, we benefit ourselves, and this helps us to attain the very blessings we ask for other Muslims.
And, of course, this supplication teaches Muslims to love one another sincerely. For the mutual love of believers and their brotherly attitude to one another are an inseparable part of our religion. It also teaches us modesty towards other believers and courtesy towards the Almighty Creator.
This supplication reminds us of the importance of asking the Lord for the forgiveness of sins. For each of us has them, and all of us have to bear their burden. And the heavier the load, the harder it is to walk the path that leads to the pleasure of the Almighty, to salvation, success, happiness in both worlds and the gardens of Paradise.
And, very importantly, this beautiful supplication teaches us to remember our righteous predecessors, to acknowledge their virtues and their services to religion, and to treat them with due respect.
We see also that in their supplication they used the acknowledgement of the Lordship of the Almighty and the mention of the two most fitting of the beautiful names of Allah as a means, prescribed by Him, of drawing near to Him, thereby carrying out the Lord’s command and striving to increase their chances that their supplication would be accepted by the Almighty and would not go unanswered.
In turning to the Almighty Creator with this supplication, which purifies hearts, a Muslim brings himself enormous benefit in both worlds. So the more often we remember it and call upon the Almighty with it, the better.