We Need Allah’s Forgiveness

Believers have respite in times of duress, understanding this temporary life is a test from Allah and He has provided answers in His Book, the Qur’an. In Surah Al-Anbya (The Prophets 21:87), we learn the famous dua Prophet Yoonas sought from Allah while in the whale: 

“And ˹remember˺ when the Man of the Whale stormed off ˹from his city˺ in a rage, thinking We would not restrain him. Then in the ˹veils of˺ darkness he cried out, “There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except You. Glory be to You! I have certainly done wrong.”

Ustadh Michael Wolfender reminds this is the dua to ask of Allah in times of distress. Turn back to Allah and ask for His Forgiveness. 

Ustadh Michael also reminds of the last two ayah of Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow 2:285-286):

“The Messenger ˹firmly˺ believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and so do the believers. They ˹all˺ believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, and His messengers. ˹They proclaim,˺ “We make no distinction between any of His messengers.” And they say, “We hear and obey. ˹We seek˺ Your forgiveness, our Lord! And to you ˹alone˺ is the final return.

“Allah does not require of any soul more than what it can afford. All good will be for its own benefit, and all evil will be to its own loss. ˹The believers pray,˺ “Our Lord! Do not punish us if we forget or make a mistake. Our Lord! Do not place a burden on us like the one you placed on those before us. Our Lord! Do not burden us with what we cannot bear. Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our ˹only˺ Guardian. So grant us victory over the disbelieving people.”

These two ayah were among three gifts provided when Prophet Muhammad ﷺ ascended to Heaven, where Allah provided instructions for worship and that for whoever believes in Allah as One and that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is His final messenger, all of their minor sins will be forgiven. 

Brother Michael emphasizes in ayat 285, how believers profess ‘we hear and we obey.’ This is turning back to Allah, indicating we’ve heard His Instruction and given the power of reason He has endowed us with, we decide to obey. Asking Our Master to forgive us is turning back to Allah. We need His Forgiveness as that is the ultimate assistance. Foremost, we need to be forgiven to earn eternal salvation, as the hereafter is most important.