How do you not know that God hasn’t already forgiven them?

*”O Allah show us the truth as the truth and bless us that we might follow it, and show us falsehood as falsehood and bless us that we might refrain from it” A true supplication of the Messenger of God.*

Such was one of the supplication that the Messenger of God (saw) used to make for himself. 

Many will rightly interpret the supplication as being there to teach us to follow the truth and leave off from falsehood. 

Just as the Messenger (saw) used to do one hundred istighfar, to teach us the importance of it and yet he was masoom- innocent of all wrong. 

When we think deeply about the religion, and not superficially, then we would see that istighfar is more about creating a humble mindset than anything else. 

That we ask because we each have the capability to wrong, and asking forgiveness helps to prevent us from that. Because istighfar nurtures humility in us, and also opens for us the doors to God’s mercy. ^1

 Indeed contemplation is the gateway to closeness to God. For our religion is rich with such opportunity. It’s in the signs of God, evident in His greatest handiwork (the cosmos), ourselves and the revelation, and His religion that are ripe with such opportunity. 

So when we consider the supplication at a deeper level we would recall that “truth is clear from falsehood”, a verse that follows on from the greatest of verses in the Quran (Ayat’ul Kursi).^2

And that the Messenger of God had both Worlds opened for him, and so cosmological truth would have been self evident and natural to him. 

So since the above supplication was for himself we have a duty to think deeply to plume the depths of it’s meaning. ^3

And indeed the supplication of a Messenger is always answered. 

This means that to find the answer to this conundrum we might first look to the Seerah of the Messenger (saw) and his life. 

It is unfortunate that many of our scholar whilst well versed in the Quran, and in fuss’at Arabic neglect contemplating the Seerah. 

For did not God call it the Wisdom in His revelation. But for most of them they do not contemplate, nor think deeply. 

Then you must ask yourself who would you rather follow the whole World and their interpretation, or the Messenger of God (saw) and his interpretation? ^4a & ^4b

[What I mean by this is that how the Messenger (saw) interpreted the supplication would be present within his action. For supplication is not simply that, it is also action that is inspired by that supplication. And that is ripe and ready for you to contemplate.]

The truth that is referred to in the Messenger’s (saw) supplication is not so clear as day and night. 

Rather it is the reason we have been given life, and free will, in the first place. 

For did not God say “indeed we created death and life to know which of you is best in deeds” and “This is a day on which the truthful will profit from their truth”. (S Mulk v1) (S Maedah v119).  

And it is this truth which becomes clear at times of tribulation and hardship. 

Contemplate then the case of a man who betrayed the Messenger (saw) of God?

For when Quraysh broke the Peace treaty between them, and the Messenger (saw) concluded at the behest of one of his allies, that he must take action against this breach of trust, he determined to march on Mecca. 

Jibreel (as) (the Angel Gabriel) came and informed him of a message sent to Quraysh to warn them of their imminent danger. 

The message was intercepted. 

And Umar (ra) asked of the Messenger (saw) permission to go and cut off the head of the traitor who had dispatched the message. He had done so because part of his family yet remained in Mecca and he wanted either for them to be protected, or for them to curry favour with their people. 

Now look at the Messenger (saw) and his response to Umar’s (ra) enquiry. 

O Umar, he was one of those who fought a Badr. What makes you not think that God hasn’t already forgiven his future sins?

Indeed the battle of Badr was a great trial from God, where 300 scantily clad, and poor mainly Muhajir, stood against 1000 well armed warriors of Quraysh with steeds of war. 

Those who fought there were worth their weight in gold, and even more than that; for they had proved their truth. 

And this then is the supplication of the Messenger (saw), for to know the truth of men is a difficult thing. 

But when you find one who is true, then his worth is like that man who betrayed the Messenger (saw) and was forgiven because of his words- “how do you not know that God hasn’t already forgiven him?”

They are like jewels on the Earth. 

And such people, you should take them as your friends and be good and kind to them, for their worth is immeasurable, no matter who they are. 

And so we also see the Messenger (saw) desperately wanting to find the truth of his people at the battle of Tabuk. 

For that was one of the hottest months on record, and Rome threatened Medina from the North. So the Messenger determined to muster his warriors to the North at Tabuk. There were no standing armies and each man was responsible for his own ride, armour and weaponry. 

The Messenger (saw) arrived at the oasis of Tabuk. And there we find him eagerly looking to the horizon. He did not look nor worry about the threat from Rome. Rather he looked south, and was eager to see Abu Dharr al-Gofari (ra). 

Read the Seerah, and read about how Abu Dharr fulfilled his obligation and made it to Tabuk. And feel how the Messenger (saw) must have felt pleased that his truth had been proved. ^5

And so we also find this quality of the Messenger mentioned in v128 of S Taubah:- full of compassion and concern for the believers, that they would not fall into hypocrisy because of the trails that will be meted out to them once or twice a year. (Read Taubah- from v 123).  

Then this is the meaning of show me the truth as the truth, and bless me that these people are part of my life. 

(I’m not a linguist but the root of the word used in the supplication appears to be risq- sustenance- then it is- O Allah let them be part of the ways through which you sustain me, and me them. Aameen). 

For in the last verse of Taubah we see the Messenger indirectly admonished as to his compassionate character and then asked to rely on Allah. For the words used are those that we us when a trial is upon us.

Clearly the believers are a trial for the Messenger. ^6

That when we appreciate his words, then we are a blessing for him. 

And so the meaning of the supplication is also, that when you find one who is false and their falsehood is verified because it is no mere mistake that you can overlook, and forgive, know that that person is false. 

And then may God give us the courage to leave off from them. ^7

O Allah bless each of us that You may find the truth in each of us, and protect us from the falseness within each of us, that we may be constantly vigilant against it. 

Aameen. 

END. 

*Knowledge is sought through study and contemplation. Not this above, nor lectures, nor talks*

^1 And so in Surah Nasr which was revealed after the conquest of Mecca, we were commanded to make istighfar (ask God for His forgiveness). 

And at that conquest no one was harmed, and Mecca was taken peaceably, and with the respect it is due. 

^2 So clear that as the verse reads, “There is no compulsion or force in the religion”, because the truth of it is so evident that God does not need to compulse you to believe. 

^3 Indeed when we do think deeply then we appreciate that truth is a cosmological quantity pertaining to the reality of all things as they are. And we learn in the Qur’an that all things do bear witness to God in truth. And God offered freedom of choice and of all things it is, the essence that is, man that accepted it. 

^4a The Sufi pay particular heed to this supplication believing that it talks about the hidden knowledge. 

It is a cornerstone of true Muslim belief, that is mentioned in S Takwir, the Messenger (saw) withheld naught of what he knew. 

We can see this at Israa and Miraj. That the event happened and though people would have rightly scoffed at it, the Messenger (saw) immediately told us concerning the event. 

Indeed a few Muslims left the religion of Islam on hearing about Israa and Miraj. 

 ^4b For when you contemplate then you realise that God’s protection of the Quran extends to His religion, that understanding it is an ever present conundrum. 

So that it has not been fully explained and is fresh for each new generation, as if it had been born yesterday. 

^5 Abu Dharr (ra) took the Shahadah whilst the Messenger (saw) was still at Mecca and before the Hijra to Medina and the establishment of the a Muslim polity. 

He was from a dessert tribe and was not present at the battles of Badr, Uhud or Khandaq. 

If you peruse Shia sources then they will say otherwise because they say that he was one of three who did not leave the religion when Abu Bakr (ra) became Khalifatul RasulAllah. 

^6 And that is also referenced in the last verses of S Hajj. 

^7 it’s as if this is a circular argument that the supplication that we are concerned with is a direct result of the last verse of Taubah. But as with everything to do with the religion, linearity is never so simple. 

That the supplication may predate the verse and explain it.