The Most Hopeful Verse

All praise is due to Allah the All-Knower, the All-Wise. He knows what is in the hearts and what is hidden in the chests. The Knower of all unseen. We praise Him for His mercy, graces and kindness to us. In this honorable month He has bestowals, conferrals and gifts that only the successful encounter and the disappointed turn away from. So Allah make use from the successful and spare us the way of the disappointed. The Almighty’s Messenger ﷺ was the most generous of people, and he was the most generous in Ramadan when Gabriel used to meet him. And Gabriel used to meet him ﷺ every night in Ramadan and study the Quran with him. When Gabriel met him, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was more generous in doing good than the blowing wind.

Be conscious of Allah the Most High and obey Him. And fill the days and nights with obedience of Him. And occupy yourselves with remembering Him, expressing gratitude to Him and worshipping Him in the best manner. For you will receive the best of nights. The preferred night of Laylatul Qadr (night of decree) that is better than 1000 months. Do not get tired of supplicating. And do not get bored of the Quran. And do not slowdown in performing acts of worship. And do not despair of His mercy. For in only a few nights the accepted will attain a great reward and those granted mercy will be joyful of this great bestowal. So show Allah Almighty good from yourselves and you will receive good.

Allah the Exalted said:
Az Zumar (39) 9: Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night, prostrating and standing [in prayer], fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, [like one who does not]? Say, “Are those who know equal to those who do not know?” Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding.

These are nights of hoping and reciting the Quran. And it is a Book of hope & fear, encouragement & admonition and promising & warning. And in some of its verses there is hope that dispels fear, removes sadness, anchors the heart and sheds the tears. So that we know that Allah Almighty is Pardoning, Forgiving and Most Merciful.

And from among the verses that is said to be the most hopeful verse is:
Az Zumar (39) 53: Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.”

This noble verse is a call to all disobedient disbelievers and others to repent and return. And it informs that Allah Almighty forgives all the sins for whoever repents and desists from them. No matter what the sins are and even if the sins are plentiful and like the foam of the sea.

And it was related from some of the predecessors that this is the most hopeful verse in the Book of Allah Almighty. And that is because Allah Almighty mentioned the servants with Himself – by saying My Servants- for honoring them and giving them glad tidings. Then He described them as transgressing in sin and having much sins. Then he concluded with forbidding those with many sins from despairing from His Mercy. So the command not to despair for sinners who are not transgressors is even more. Next, came what left no place for doubt nor requires guessing upon hearing it. Allah Almighty said:
Indeed, Allah forgives all sins.

So what good tidings there are for comforting the hearts of the believers who think well of their Lord Most Glorified. Those genuinely hopeful in Him the Exalted. Those who shed the cloak of despair and reject thinking negatively of the One for Who no sin is too big to forgive-for He does not spare in forgiving and being merciful to His servants. Those turning to Him in requesting pardoning and seeking refuge in Him for forgiving their sins. And how best He the Exalted explained it saying:
Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Allah’s forgiveness and mercy is great, spanning and far reaching. And Allah’s great mercy is indicated in the story of the man who killed 100 souls and repented before death and was then forgiven by Allah Almighty.

Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) said that there is no verse in the Quran more encompassing than the verse:
O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah.

And reason for its revelation came in the Hadith related by Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them):
Some polytheists who had excessively killed and fornicated came to Muhammad ﷺ and said, ” Whatever you say and invite people to is good, but if you could inform us if there is an expiation for our past (evil) deeds.” So it was revealed: ‘And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed], except by right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse. And whoever should do that will meet a penalty.’ (25.68) And it was also revealed: Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah.’ (39.53) [al-Bukhari 4810]

Relying on this verse and other verses with similar meanings, the predecessors hated those who despaired people from repentance and the mercy of Allah Almighty. And because the Prophet ﷺ said:
A man said: By Allah, Allah will not forgive so-and-so. And Allah Almighty said: Who is he who swears by Me that I will not forgive so-and-so? Verily I have forgiven so-and-so and have nullified your (good) deeds. [Muslim 2621]

And Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The one with true understanding of religion is the one who does not despair people from the mercy of Allah and does not provide them license to disobey Allah and does not make them feel secure from the punishment of Allah and does not leave the Quran desiring other than it.

So repentance is not closed from anyone regardless of the extent of their sins as long as the soul is in their body and it is not in the process of exiting. And mercy is not veiled from the repentant regardless of their crime. And our Lord Most Glorified grants mercy and pardons many of the disobedient who were otherwise obliged to be punished.

And the month of Ramadan is from the most hopeful of times for the acceptance of repentance and forgiveness. And the most hopeful part of Ramadan is the last ten nights which contain laylatul Qadr (night of Decree). And Ubay bin Ka3b (may Allah have mercy on him) swore that it was the 27th night. So let us strive in what remains of these great nights. And let the people of good increase in goodness. And let those with shortcomings repent for their shortcomings. And let the sinners regret for their sins, return to their senses and turn to their Lord Most Glorified. And let us hope for the pardoning and forgiveness of our Lord, think well of Him Most Glorified and not despair of His mercy. For no one gives up hope in Allah the Exalted except the perished.

An Noor 31: And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.

Oh Muslims: Be as was your Prophet Mohammad ﷺ in expressing gratitude to Allah Almighty for his bounties and magnifying Him and knocking on His door. And humbling yourselves between His hands. And calling and supplicating to Him with humility. For indeed your Lord the Exalted and Possessor of Majesty is close and generous:
Al Baqarah (2) 186: And when My servants ask you, [O Muḥammad], concerning Me – indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.

Magnify Allah your Lord and be persistent in your supplications to Him. And soften your hearts from humility and direct your tears to Him for He the Exalted is the Most Merciful. It was narrated by Rabi3ah bin A3amer (may Allah be pleased with him) who said that I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:
Recite frequently: “O Possessor of Majesty and Honor. [Jami at-Tirmidhi 3524]

And the meaning is to adhere to it and hold on to it in your supplications. For Majesty and Honor are praising and glorification, respectively. And Allah’s graces on us are plentiful. And His rights upon us are great. And it is obligatory for us to magnify him.

So let us be guarded in performing voluntary prayers in these blessed nights for within them is laylatul qadr (night of decree). If people revived the whole year to ensure realizing it, that would not have been too much. And know that if we perform plenty of worship, Allah will give even more reward. And He is more generous than us. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said:
“Then we will make much supplications”, then the Prophet ﷺ said: “Allah is more (in answering and giving without limits)” [Ahmad 11133]

Oh Allah make us from among the winners. And do not make us among the denied. Oh Allah help us against our inner selves and grant us sincerity in our deeds. Oh Allah help us to remember You, to express gratitude to You and to worship You in the best manner. And accept from us and all of the Muslims.

Ref: