Nurain's Post

Salam Brothers

Hope you are all doing great In sha Allah! I know its been along time
since I've spoken to many of you and I hope that you'll forgive me for
that and that we shall talk in the near future, In Sha Allah. Things
are going well for me Alhamdulillah, started a new block in med
school - immunology and microbiology and have started my peds
outpatient clerkship and preparing for the summer, In Sha Allah, i'll
be in Thailand researching child diarrheal illnesses among Burmese
refugees by surveying mothers as to their treatments and preventions
of these diseases as well as assessing their water sanitation
practices. Please pray for me that I may accomplish some good things
safety and help these people In sha Allah - also please keep this
information of my travels amongst ourselves :)

So instead of giving a hadith, I wanted to share a story that was told
to me by someone very dear. It was basically what he had learned in a
hukbah and relates to Surah Noah - and the gist of it is that if we
are to ask Allah for help - who else can help us - we should make sure
we are asking for his forgiveness before we ask for help

I tried looking up the specifics of this matter and am probably doing
it no justice what so ever (please forgive me, I ask Allah for
forgiveness and ask that you all correct me in this matter) What I did
come across from talking to this person was that the Prophet (PBUH)
would ask for Allah's forgiveness 700 times in a day (or it might have
been in a sitting after prayer)! before asking him of what he wanted.

The other part of this piece is that by asking forgiveness for
something, we should work hard not to repeat our offense. In Sha
Allah, by doing this Allah will grant us our wishes which I hope will
lead us to become closer to him and aid others.

Below are a few lines from Surah Noah that I think are pertinent to
this and the entire surah.

71:10 "Saying, 'Ask forgiveness from your Lord; for He is Oft-Forgiving;
Faqultu istaghfiroo rabbakum innahu kanaghaffaran

71:11 "'He will send rain to you in abundance;
Yursili alssamaa AAalaykummidraran

71:12 "'Give you increase in wealth and sons; and bestow on you
gardens and bestow on you rivers (of flowing water).
Wayumdidkum bi-amwalin wabaneenawayajAAal lakum jannatin wayajAAal
lakum anharan

Surah 71. Noah

71:1 We sent Noah to his People (with the Command): "Do thou warn thy
People before there comes to them a grievous Penalty."
Inna arsalna noohan ilaqawmihi an anthir qawmaka min qabli an
ya/tiyahum AAathabunaleemun

71:2 He said: "O my People! I am to you a Warner, clear and open:
Qala ya qawmi innee lakum natheerunmubeenun

71:3 "That ye should worship Allah, fear Him and obey me:
Ani oAAbudoo Allaha waittaqoohuwaateeAAooni

71:4 "So He may forgive you your sins and give you respite for a
stated Term: for when the Term given by Allah is accomplished, it
cannot be put forward: if ye only knew."
Yaghfir lakum min thunoobikumwayu-akhkhirkum ila ajalin musamman
inna ajala Allahiitha jaa la yu-akhkharu law kuntumtaAAlamoona

71:5 He said: "O my Lord! I have called to my People night and day:
Qala rabbi innee daAAawtu qawmeelaylan wanaharan

71:6 "But my call only increases (their) flight (from the Right).
Falam yazidhum duAAa-ee illafiraran

71:7 "And every time I have called to them, that Thou mightest forgive
them, they have (only) thrust their fingers into their ears, covered
themselves up with their garments, grown obstinate, and given
themselves up to arrogance.
Wa-innee kullama daAAawtuhumlitaghfira lahum jaAAaloo asabiAAahum
fee athanihimwaistaghshaw thiyabahum waasarroo waistakbarooistikbaran

71:8 "So I have called to them aloud;
Thumma innee daAAawtuhum jiharan

71:9 "Further I have spoken to them in public and secretly in private,
Thumma innee aAAlantu lahum waasrartu lahumisraran

71:10 "Saying, 'Ask forgiveness from your Lord; for He is Oft-Forgiving;
Faqultu istaghfiroo rabbakum innahu kanaghaffaran

71:11 "'He will send rain to you in abundance;
Yursili alssamaa AAalaykummidraran

71:12 "'Give you increase in wealth and sons; and bestow on you
gardens and bestow on you rivers (of flowing water).
Wayumdidkum bi-amwalin wabaneenawayajAAal lakum jannatin wayajAAal
lakum anharan

71:13 "'What is the matter with you, that ye place not your hope for
kindness and long-suffering in Allah,-
Ma lakum la tarjoona lillahiwaqaran

71:14 "'Seeing that it is He that has created you in diverse stages?
Waqad khalaqakum atwaran

71:15 "'See ye not how Allah has created the seven heavens one above another,
Alam taraw kayfa khalaqa AllahusabAAa samawatin tibaqan

71:16 "'And made the moon a light in their midst, and made the sun as
a (Glorious) Lamp?
WajaAAala alqamara feehinna nooran wajaAAalaalshshamsa sirajan

71:17 "'And Allah has produced you from the earth growing (gradually),
WaAllahu anbatakum mina al-ardinabatan

71:18 "'And in the End He will return you into the (earth), and raise
you forth (again at the Resurrection)?
Thumma yuAAeedukum feehawayukhrijukum ikhrajan

71:19 "'And Allah has made the earth for you as a carpet (spread out),
WaAllahu jaAAala lakumu al-ardabisatan

71:20 "'That ye may go about therein, in spacious roads.'"
Litaslukoo minha subulan fijajan

71:21 Noah said: "O my Lord! They have disobeyed me, but they follow
(men) whose wealth and children give them no increase but only Loss.
Qala noohun rabbi innahum AAasawneewaittabaAAoo man lam yazidhu
maluhu wawaladuhu illakhasaran

71:22 "And they have devised a tremendous Plot.
Wamakaroo makran kubbaran

71:23 "And they have said (to each other), 'Abandon not your gods:
Abandon neither Wadd nor Suwa', neither Yaguth nor Ya'uq, nor Nasr';-
Waqaloo la tatharunna alihatakumwala tatharunna waddan wala
suwaAAanwala yaghootha wayaAAooqa wanasran

71:24 "They have already misled many; and grant Thou no increase to
the wrong-doers but in straying (from their mark)."
Waqad adalloo katheeran walatazidi alththalimeena illa dalalan

71:25 Because of their sins they were drowned (in the flood), and were
made to enter the Fire (of Punishment): and they found- in lieu of
Allah- none to help them.
Mimma khatee-atihimoghriqoo faodkhiloo naran falam yajidoo lahum min
dooniAllahi ansaran

71:26 And Noah, said: "O my Lord! Leave not of the Unbelievers, a
single one on earth!
Waqala noohun rabbi latathar AAala al-ardi mina alkafireenadayyaran

71:27 "For, if Thou dost leave (any of) them, they will but mislead
Thy devotees, and they will breed none but wicked ungrateful ones.
Innaka in tatharhum yudillooAAibadaka wala yalidoo illa fajirankaffaran

71:28 "O my Lord! Forgive me, my parents, all who enter my house in
Faith, and (all) believing men and believing women: and to the
wrong-doers grant Thou no increase but in perdition!"
Rabbi ighfir lee waliwalidayyawaliman dakhala baytiya mu/minan
walilmu/mineena waalmu/minatiwala tazidi alththalimeena illatabaran

--
Nurain Fuseini, MHS
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
MS1