Abu Bakr Zoud

How perfect is our Lord.

How many who had wandered far returned to Him today, and He drew them near. How many sinners sought His forgiveness, and He forgave them. How many broken hearts He mended, distressed souls He relieved, and desperate prayers He answered.

In Surah Al-Rahmaan, He said:
كُلَّ يَوْمٍ هُوَ فِي شَأْنٍ
“Every day He is bringing about a matter.”

Every day, Allah forgives sins, relieves hardship, answers the desperate, raises some, guides others, and draws hearts back to Him.

So perhaps today, you are one of those Allah draws near by His mercy. Take one step toward Him. Allah says in the Qudsi hadith:
وَمَنْ أَتَانِي يَمْشِي أَتَيْتُهُ هَرْوَلَةً
“And whoever comes to Me walking, I come to him at speed.”

What a generous Lord, whose door remains open for every wanderer who returns, and every sinner who repents.

Cancel Culture

One of the harshest things people do is cancel someone because of one mistake. A person can spend years doing good, helping others, and trying to live well, but one mistake, one wrong post, and suddenly people act as if none of the good ever existed.

But the Quran does not teach us to think this way. In the Quran, a mistake does not have to be the end of your story. If you return to Allah, it can become the beginning of your new story.

Adam عليه السلام made a mistake. He repented. Allah accepted his repentance, and a new chapter began:
فَتَلَقَّىٰ آدَمُ مِن رَّبِّهِ كَلِمَاتٍ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ
“Then Adam received words from his Lord, and He accepted his repentance. Indeed, He is the Accepter of repentance, the Most Merciful.”

And look at Musa عليه السلام. Years later, Pharaoh tried to use Musa’s past against him:
وَفَعَلْتَ فَعْلَتَكَ الَّتِي فَعَلْتَ وَأَنتَ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ
“You committed that deed of yours which you did…”

Musa did not pretend it never happened. He acknowledged it:
قَالَ فَعَلْتُهَا إِذًا وَأَنَا مِنَ الضَّالِّينَ
“He said, ‘I did it then, while I was among those who were astray.’”

He made a mistake, turned back to Allah, and Allah raised him to become one of His greatest messengers.

That is the difference between people and Allah. People may hold onto your mistake and forget all your good. Allah allows you to repent, change, and begin again.

So do not spend your life trying to satisfy people who are determined to hold your past over your head. Repent, change and keep doing good.

Your mistake does not have to be the end of your story. With sincere repentance, it can become the beginning of a new one.

⚠️ A Warning About Assumptions

One of the greatest forms of character is not just controlling what you say about people, it is also controlling what you assume about them in your heart.

Umar ibn Al-Khattab رضي الله عنه said: “It is not permissible for a Muslim who hears a word from his brother to think badly of it while he can find a good interpretation for it.”

How many relationships have been destroyed not by words themselves, but by assumptions?
“They ignored me on purpose.”
“They said that to disrespect me.”
“They must be jealous.”
“They’ve changed.”
“They don’t care.”

Yet perhaps they were tired. Perhaps they were overwhelmed. Perhaps they expressed themselves badly. Perhaps there is an explanation you simply do not know.

We want that Allah judge us by our intentions, while we judge others by our suspicions. That is something that needs to be corrected.

Having a good opinion of someone does not mean becoming blind to obvious harm. It means that when the truth is unclear to you, you do not assume the worst explanation and then punish someone for a story your own mind created.

Be careful with your assumptions. Not every ignored call or unanswered message is rejection. Not every short response is disrespect. And not every poorly chosen word carries an evil intention.

Before you allow suspicion to enter your heart, ask yourself: “Is there a good explanation for this?” If there is, choose it until the truth gives you a reason not to.

Because sometimes, the only thing standing between brotherhood and a broken relationship is one assumption you chose to believe.

Guard your tongue and also guard your thoughts. Some sins are spoken, and others begin with what you think about people.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ
O you who believe, avoid much suspicion, for indeed some suspicion is sin. (Surah Al Hujuraat: 12).

Whenever you feel like there’s no way out and everything has closed in on you, seek Allah’s forgiveness by say استغفر الله (Astaghfirullah).

Allah says:
فقلت استغفروا ربكم إنه كان غفارا ۝ يرسل السماء عليكم مدرارا ۝ ويمددكم بأموال وبنين ويجعل لكم جنات ويجعل لكم أنهارا
And I said, 'Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver.
He will send (rain from) the sky upon you in abundance.
And give you increase in wealth and children and provide for you gardens and provide for you rivers. (Surah Nuh: 10–12).

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah used to say: “Sometimes a matter becomes difficult for me, so I seek Allah’s forgiveness a thousand times, or more or less, until Allah opens it up for me.”

All praise and thanks belong to Allah, who enabled us to complete the Tafseer of Surah Al-Maarij over seven sessions.

Jazakum Allahu khayran to everyone who came out and joined us onsite or online throughout this series. May Allah accept from us, make the Quran a source of guidance and transformation in our lives, and allow us to live by what we learn from His Words.

The complete seven-part series will be available on YouTube inshallah:

🎥 Tafseer Surah Al Maarij (The Ascending Stairways).
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeXh6KPuhwls

Inshallah, the next Surah we will study together will be Surah Nuh. More details will be announced soon,