Be A GOOD MUSLIM

Hope In Allah

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ once entered upon a young boy who was dying. He ﷺ asked him, “How are you?” The boy replied, “O Messenger of Allah, I swear by Allah that I have hope in Allah and I am scared over my sins.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “These two (qualities) do not gather in a slave’s heart in such a moment except that Allah gives him what he hopes for, and protects him from what he is scared of” (Tirmidhī).

Hope in Allah, known as rajā’ in Arabic, is to behold the vastness of Allah’s mercy and have full confidence in His generosity. Hope is an engine which propels the heart to its Beloved. Hope motivates us: if we didn’t have hope, we wouldn’t strive hard to please Allah. Hope makes our journey to Him beautiful.

Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh) explains, “Hope (in Allah) is a necessity for the seeker, on his journey to Allah. The seeker would nearly perish if he lost hope even for a moment, for he moves between:

1. sins which he hopes will be forgiven;

2. shortcomings which he hopes will be rectified;

3. righteous deeds which he hopes will be accepted;

4. steadfastness which he hopes to attain and sustain;

5. closeness to Allah and a high rank with Him which he hopes to attain;

—and no seeker can ever afford to lose sight of these.”

When we recognise who Allah is, our hearts will be overwhelmed with hope. There is no one kinder, more loving or more generous than Him. Allah is al-Muṣawwir (The Fashioner); He has created us in the most beautiful form. Allah is al-Raḥmān (The Extremely Merciful); His mercy encompasses all of His creation. Allah is The Concealer of sins (al-Sittīr); He does not expose us despite the multitude of our sins. Allah is Gentle (al-Rafīq); He loves gentleness. Allah is The Most Compassionate (al-Ra’ūf); His compassion knows no ends. Allah is The Most Modest (al-Ḥayiyy); He feels shy to turn us back, empty-handed. He is the One True God, and there is no one like Him.

How can we not have hope in Him?

Every day, Allah attends to His creation: He forgives sins, eases difficulties and relieves distress. He mends the broken, enriches the poor, teaches the ignorant, guides the astray, directs the confused and helps the desperate. He frees the captive, feeds the hungry, clothes the naked and cures the sick. He accepts the repentance of the one who repents, and rewards the one who does good. He aids the oppressed and humbles the tyrant. He conceals faults and calms fears.

Hope in Allah’s Forgiveness

Reflecting on the vastness of Allah’s mercy will fill our hearts with hope. Allah is Free of all need, and yet we find His messengers telling those who reject Allah: “Can there be any doubt about Allah, the Originator of the heavens and the earth?! He is inviting you in order to forgive you your sins” (14:10).

Not only does Allah forgive, but he loves those who constantly repent and seek His forgiveness. The Prophet ﷺ explained that Allah’s delight at His servant’s repentance, is greater than the delight of a person who was travelling in a desert, lost all his belongings, and then unexpectedly found them.

As humans, we struggle to forgive each other, let alone reciprocate evil with good. Allah, on the other hand, does not only conceal and forgive, but He also “changes their evil deeds into good ones” (25:70). He showers us with worldly blessings as a result of us seeking forgiveness. Allāhu Akbar!

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Allah, Exalted is He, said: ‘Son of Ādam, as long as you call upon me and hope in Me, I will forgive you despite what you do, and I do not care. Son of Ādam, even if your sins were to reach to the clouds of the sky, then you seek forgiveness from Me, I will forgive you. Son of Ādam, even if you were to come to Me with nearly an earth full of sins, and then you meet me, not having associated anything with me, then I will surely bring you as much as the earth in forgiveness’” (Tirmidhī).