We began this series thirty days ago exploring the question of the human nafs and its journey towards the Divine.  

We looked at the full spectrum of who we are, a noble creature that the angels bowed before (38:72), and the creature of weakness who forgets (4:28). We discussed the fitrah which is hardwired to align towards goodness, the inner compass of conscience that Allah gifted to us. We explored the Nafs al-ammarah that commands toward desire and tempts us to submit to our desires and the Nafs al-lawwamah that makes us uncomfortable when we give in to these temptations. We discussed the journey of returning to Allah [swt] through the practice of tawbah and then we discovered how to make things right with our horizontal relationships by both seeking and offering forgiveness. Along the way we asked some hard questions about what it means to correct each other, to receive correction, and to stay in community rather than retreating into isolation.

Now, in the final hours of the mon...

We started our conversation about forgiveness yesterday by understanding the cost of holding on to grudges. Today Inshallah let us explore the reasons why it is so challenging to forgive and finding the motivation to take on this challenging journey. 

Our reflection for today is from the last part of the verse from Sura Nur where Allah [swt] says: 

وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ 

[24:22] and they should pardon and turn away. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Before we address the motivation embedded in this verse, let us acknowledge again that forgiveness is challenging. The Quran itself calls forgiveness an act of courage. 

Why is it so challenging?

The self feels it as a threat to its dignity. When someone wrongs us, our sense of self, our worth, our standing, our narrative about who we are takes a hit. Holding the grievance becomes a way of reasserting that what ...

Yesterday we reflected on verse 42:40 and talked about “aslaha” making amends with others which is an important aspect of making things right with Allah [swt] as He cannot forgive what is owed to other human beings. 

Let us revisit the verse from yesterday:

وَجَزَاء سَيِّئَةٍ سَيِّئَةٌ مِّثْلُهَا فَمَنْ عَفَا وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ 

[42:40] And the recompense of evil is punishment like it, but whoever forgives and amends, he shall have his reward from Allah; surely He does not love the unjust.

Before aslaha [making amends] the verse talks about “afa” whoever forgives. 

Forgiveness is a very broad topic and we will only touch on it briefly, Inshallah in an effort to support ourselves in letting go and putting down any resentments that we have been carrying before this blessed month is over.

So someone did you wrong and hurt you. Perhaps they apologized or perhaps they never apologized at all. In either case, you cannot let it go. In y...

Today’s verse is from Chapter 42 where Allah [swt] gives a wronged person the right to defend their rights [in proportion to the harm done]. 

وَجَزَاء سَيِّئَةٍ سَيِّئَةٌ مِّثْلُهَا فَمَنْ عَفَا وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ 

[42:40] And the recompense of evil is punishment like it, but whoever forgives and amends, he shall have his reward from Allah; surely He does not love the unjust.

The verse however says that if the person who is wronged chooses [this is very important and we will talk about it again inshallah] to a. forgive and b. make amends then his reward lies with Allah [swt] 

We have been talking about Tawba, repentance to Allah [swt] to make things right between our Creator and ourselves. Now we turn to this verse which talks about making thigs right between other human beings and ourselves.

We briefly discussed Imam Ali[as]’s conditions of Tawba from Nahj al-Balagha (Saying #417). The third condition of Tawba that he laid out wa...

We have been talking about the topic of Tawba the last few days and today we will explore Allah [swt]’s attribute of Al-Tawwab. 

The first time the Quran uses the divine name al-Tawwāb it appears within the story of Adam (as): 

فَتَلَقَّى آدَمُ مِن رَّبِّهِ كَلِمَاتٍ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ إِنَّهُ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ 

[2:37] Then Adam received (some) words from his Lord, so He turned to him mercifully; surely He is al-Tawwāb, al-Rahīm.

The context of  this verse is this: After Iblis tempted Adam [as] and he was removed from the Garden, Adam [as] felt the full weight of what had happened. He had left behind a place of ease, beauty, and nearness to God and now found himself in a world of effort and hardship. So he turned repentent. With his whole heart and with genuine remorse, he turned back to his Lord.

At the same time, the Mercy of Allah [swt] was bestowed on him with 'kalimat’ ‘effective words' by the means of which Adam repented and He accepted his repentance mercifully. ...

We have been talking about returning to Allah [swt] by doing Tawba. The ending of this verse from Sura Baqara reminds us that Tawba is not a one time event. 

إِنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ 

[Shakir 2:222] surely Allah loves those who turn much (to Him), and He loves those who purify themselves.

The word Allah uses in this verse is tawwab, a grammatical form in Arabic that indicates repetition, continuity, habit. The one who keeps returning. The one for whom return is not an emergency response to exceptional failure but a regular, ongoing movement of the soul. Scholars explain that this verse is saying that Allah [swt] loves all forms of turning towards Him [and all forms of physical and spiritual purification] and He loves repeated repentence and repeated cleanliness. 

Sometimes we tend to think of tawba as something we do when we have fallen badly or when something serious has happened and we need to seek forgiveness. And of course it includes that...

We have been talking about how souls can drift away from righteousness, what this costs and how Allah [swt] is always inviting us to turn back to Him. 

Today’s verse includes a promise from Allah [swt]

وَمَن يَعْمَلْ سُوءًا أَوْ يَظْلِمْ نَفْسَهُ ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ اللّهَ يَجِدِ اللّهَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا 

[4:110] And whoever does evil or acts unjustly to his soul, then asks forgiveness of Allah, he shall find Allah Forgiving, Merciful.

The verse is talking about whoever does evil [scholars explain one meaning could be that this refers to wrongs towards other people] or acts unjustly [towards his own soul], in other words both harm to others and to self through sinning. 

If such a person asks for forgiveness, yajid — he will find. The verb is active, immediate and certain. He will find. And what attributes will Allah [swt] be manisfesting when the seeker finds Him? Forgiving, Merciful. 

To find something implies that it was there all along, waiting to be encountered. You do not fi...

^{Today let us turn to Sura Tahrim, verse 8 where Allah addresses the believers at the beginning of a longer verse and says:}

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحًا عَسَى رَبُّكُمْ أَن يُكَفِّرَ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَيُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ  

[66:8] O you who believe! turn to Allah a sincere turning; maybe your Lord will remove from you your evil and cause you to enter gardens beneath which rivers flow

Today’s verse for reflection is a command addressed to believers meaning those who are already in relationship with Allah [swt]. It invites them to turn in Tawba. While the verse does not describe tawbah in detail, it describes its quality. Tawbatan nasuha. Sincere, pure, wholehearted repentance. 

What Does Nasuha Mean?

The scholars offer several meanings of nasuha, and each one illuminates a different facet of what genuine tawbah requires. One meaning is a tawbah that is done purely (khalis) for God’s sake i.e not fo...

 Yesterday we sat with an uncomfortable truth: that leaving the soul’s drift unaddressed has a cost, and that cost accumulates. Reflecting on the verse from yesterday can stir something within and awaken awareness. 

Here’s the thing: when we gain awareness of His Majesty and our own shortcomings, it can make the task of returning feel overwhelming. Imam Zainul Abedin [as] paints a picture of this distress in Dua Tauba: “So he saw the enormity of his disobedience as immense, and the greatness of his opposition as great”.

Today’s reflection helps cope with the despair that might emerge as a result of awareness. 

Verse 53 of Chapter 39, Surah Az-Zumar is widely regarded by scholars as one of the most hope-bearing verses in the entire Quran. It says:

قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ 

[39:53] Say: O my servants! who have acted extravagantly against...

Over these past weeks, we have explored the inner landscape of the human soul [the fitrah upon which we were created], the states of the nafs, the pull of desire, and the gradual silencing of the conscience. Over the last few days, we have been talking about our mutual role of guardianship where we try to keep each other’s consciences alive. 

Today, as we enter the final third of this blessed month, we turn to the question of what happens to the soul when it drifts and does not return?

Let us reflect on verse 14 from Chapter 83, Sura Al-Mutaffafin:

كَلَّا بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ 

[83:14] Nay! rather, what they used to do has become like rust upon their hearts.

The verse is addressed to those who reject Allah [swt]’s communications and call the Message of the Quran: “stories of old or myths of the ancients”.

The verse is telling us that rejecting guidance and continuing with unworthy actions has become like rust upon their hearts. 

The word the Quran ...