Surah Ghafir (40) — Ayah 55

(Ayah 55) ➊ { فَاصْبِرْ اِنَّ وَعْدَ اللّٰهِ حَقٌّ:} After mentioning the harms that Musa (peace be upon him) received from Pharaoh and the people of Pharaoh, upon which he was patient and as a reward for which Allah Almighty blessed him with His support and help, now our Noble Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and, through him, every member of the Ummah is being instructed to be patient over the difficulties encountered in the call to truth and the harms received from the disbelievers. Surely, the promise of Allah’s help is true, so do not be impatient or hasty, as He said: « فَاصْبِرْ كَمَا صَبَرَ اُولُوا الْعَزْمِ مِنَ الرُّسُلِ وَ لَا تَسْتَعْجِلْ لَّهُمْ» [ الأحقاف : ۳۵ ] “So be patient as those of determination among the messengers were patient and do not seek to hasten for them.”

➋ {وَ اسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنْۢبِكَ:} In this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and every individual of the Ummah is commanded to seek forgiveness. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: [ وَاللّٰهِ! إِنِّيْ لَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللّٰهَ وَأَتُوْبُ إِلَيْهِ فِي الْيَوْمِ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ سَبْعِيْنَ مَرَّةً ] [بخاري، الدعوات، باب استغفار النبي صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم في الیوم واللیلۃ : ۶۳۰۷ ] “By Allah! I seek forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy (70) times a day.” Here, a question arises that Allah Almighty had already forgiven the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) earlier and later sins, as mentioned in Surah Al-Fath (2), so why was he commanded to seek forgiveness? The answer is that Surah Al-Mu’min is a Makkan surah, which is before this glad tiding, so this question does not arise here, whereas Surah Al-Fath was revealed in 6 AH. However, regarding the verse mentioned in Surah An-Nasr (3): «فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَ اسْتَغْفِرْهُ », this question does arise, because this surah was revealed after the conquest of Makkah, near the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) death. Umm al-Mu’minin Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reports: [ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ يُكْثِرُ أَنْ يَقُوْلَ فِيْ رُكُوْعِهِ وَسُجُوْدِهِ سُبْحَانَكَ اللّٰهُمَّ رَبَّنَا وَ بِحَمْدِكَ، اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِيْ، يَتَأَوَّلُ الْقُرْآنَ ] [ بخاري، الأذان، باب التسبیح والدعاء في السجود : ۸۱۷ ] “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say frequently in his bowing and prostration: {’’ سُبْحَانَكَ اللّٰهُمَّ رَبَّنَا وَ بِحَمْدِكَ، اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْلِيْ ‘‘} ‘O Allah! Our Lord! You are free from all defects and with Your praise. O Allah! Forgive me.’ He used to act upon the command of the Qur’an.” The answer to this is that every person’s sin is considered in view of his status; the leader of the Prophets (peace and blessings be upon him) considered it necessary to seek forgiveness even for the slightest heedlessness. Agharr Muzani (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ إِنَّهُ لَيُغَانُ عَلٰی قَلْبِيْ وَإِنِّيْ لَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللّٰهَ فِي الْيَوْمِ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ ] [ مسلم، الذکر والدعاء، باب استحباب الاستغفار والاستکثار منہ : ۲۷۰۲ ] “A light veil comes over my heart, and I seek forgiveness from Allah a hundred times a day.” Shah Abdul Qadir writes: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to seek forgiveness from sin a hundred times a day. Every servant falls short, so accordingly, everyone must seek forgiveness.” (Mawduh)

➌ Some people say that wherever the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is commanded in the Qur’an to seek forgiveness for his sins, it means seeking forgiveness for the sins of the Ummah, but this is not correct, because in Surah Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) this interpretation is not possible. Allah Almighty said: « فَاعْلَمْ اَنَّهٗ لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَ اسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنْۢبِكَ وَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ۠ وَ الْمُؤْمِنٰتِ وَ اللّٰهُ يَعْلَمُ مُتَقَلَّبَكُمْ وَ مَثْوٰىكُمْ» [محمد : ۱۹ ] “So know that there is no deity except Allah and ask forgiveness for your sin and for the believing men and believing women. And Allah knows your movement and your resting place.”

➍ { وَ سَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ بِالْعَشِيِّ وَ الْاِبْكَارِ:} Along with patience and seeking forgiveness, Allah Almighty has commanded to glorify and praise the Lord morning and evening to become deserving of Allah’s promise of help. This includes remembering Allah Almighty at all times and also prayer, because patience and prayer are the means of seeking help from Allah Almighty, as He said: « وَ اسْتَعِيْنُوْا بِالصَّبْرِ وَ الصَّلٰوةِ » [ البقرۃ : ۴۵ ] “And seek help through patience and prayer.” For details on the meaning of glorification and praise as prayer, see the commentary of Surah Ta-Ha (130).

55. 1. By sin is meant minor slips, which occur due to human nature, and whose correction is also done by Allah. Or, seeking forgiveness (istighfar) itself is an act of worship. The command to seek forgiveness is given for the increase of reward and recompense, or the purpose is to guide the Ummah that they should not consider themselves free from the need for seeking forgiveness.

55. 2. By "ashiyy" is meant the last part of the day and the early part of the night, and by "abkar" is meant the last part of the night and the early part of the day.

55. So be patient. Surely, the promise of Allah is true. And seek forgiveness for your sin [71], and glorify your Lord with His praise [72] morning and evening.

[71]
The Sins of the Prophets Refer to Minor Ijtihadi Slips:

It is impossible for the Prophets to deliberately commit any sin. What is meant by their sins can only be their small ijtihadi slips, which may also occur due to forgetfulness, and this is a characteristic of being human. Here, these slips are certainly related to patience. For example, sometimes you would think that if Allah Almighty granted a miracle according to the demands of the disbelievers of Makkah, it could greatly benefit Islam. Or when the disbelievers wanted to pave the way for compromise with you ﷺ, such a thought would come to you ﷺ, but Allah Almighty strictly forbade even such thoughts. On this basis, you ﷺ were first instructed to be patient here.

[72] In this portion of the verse, all five prayers are mentioned in a general way: one in the earlier part of the day and four in the latter part of the day. This was, in fact, the preliminary command regarding these five prayers and their times, which were later made obligatory. In several places in the Noble Quran, patience and prayer are mentioned together in times of difficulty, because the more one’s nature is engaged in the remembrance of Allah, the more other worries automatically decrease.