“It is Allah’s Will to make things clear to you, guide you to the ˹noble˺ ways of those before you, and turn to you in mercy. For Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.” [4:26]

“And it is Allah’s Will to turn to you in grace, but those who follow their desires wish to see you deviate entirely ˹from Allah’s Way˺.” [4:27]

“And it is Allah’s Will to lighten your burdens, for humankind was created weak.” [4:28]

These were the ayats that prompted the Names I walked with today. I am always in awe of the vastness of Allah’s mercy, that at all times, He continues to give us opportunities to earn His mercy, His forgiveness, His pleasure, and His Jannah.

Allah promises to make things clear to me, to guide me to His ways, and to turn to me in mercy and grace. The question is: am I turning to Him in order to receive His favors upon me? Allah is always setting us up for success, telling us exactly what we need to do. But the question is, how badly do I want His pleasure and His Jannah?

One of the many du’a I’m making this Ramadan is to ask Allah for clarity. And so, reading these ayats was exactly what I needed. Allah has promised to make things clear. He tells me, and He tells you, that there will be distractions that try to cause great deviation from Allah’s way. And because of that, He promises to turn to me in grace for the times I may fall into these distractions. He does not abandon me to them.

Allah does not require perfection from us. He knows my circumstances, my capacity, my strengths, and my weaknesses. And so He reassures me that His path is not one of burden, because He promises to lighten my burdens and ease my path to Him. His ask of me is to keep my eyes on the prize i.e., His pleasure, His mercy, His forgiveness, and His Jannah, no matter how many times I falter. Because I will fall short, “for humankind was created weak.”

As I reflected on these ayats, I was reminded of the last ayah in surah Al-Ankabut [29], where Allah says:

“As for those who struggle in Our cause, We will surely guide them along Our Way. And Allah is certainly with the good doers.” [29:69]

Allah has promised clarity, guidance, forgiveness, mercy, acceptance of repentance, and above all, He has willed ease for me on His path. The question I ask myself is: what am I doing in return for these mighty favors? In what ways am I striving for His cause? How badly do I want to earn His pleasure and His Jannah?

What a great loss it would be, may Allah protect me, to show up before Him on that Day having failed to take advantage of all the opportunities He provided me. Opportunities to repent. Opportunities to return. Opportunities to rise again after falling.

And so today, I called upon Al-Mubīn (The Clear, The Manifest) and Al-Hādī (The Guide). Al-Mubīn is the One who makes truth distinct from falsehood and manifests clear evidence of His existence. He is the One who clarifies what is blurred and unveils what is hidden. Al-Hādī is the source of all guidance, the One who guides with grace and mercy to, on, and along His path.

Ya Mubīn, to You belongs all knowledge. I ask You for clarity in striving in Your path. Allow me to clearly see truth as truth and grant me the ability to follow it. And allow me to clearly see falsehood as falsehood and grant me the ability to refrain from it. Ya Rahman, Ya Ghaffār, I ask You to always turn to me in mercy, even when I don’t feel worthy of turning to You.

Ya Hādī, continue to guide me to Your noble ways and do not cause me to deviate after You have guided me. Guide me to all that is good for me in this life and the next. Guide my steps to Your doors. Make me among those who hasten to Your guidance and Your forgiveness. Lighten my burdens as I make my way to You. I ask You for the light of guidance, and make me among the sincere, excellent good doers. I ask You by all of Your Beautiful Names. Amin ya Rabb.

With Love,

Ibtisam