Fajr Thoughts: Nearness to Him Part 12
Never knew love like this before.
In the name of Allah, the entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful
وَاستَغفِروا رَبَّكُم ثُمَّ توبوا إِلَيهِ ۚ إِنَّ رَبّى رَحيمٌ وَدودٌ
And ask forgiveness of your Lord and then repent to Him. Indeed, my Lord is Merciful and Affectionate. [Qur’an 11:90]
There is a kindness, tenderness and urgency that we see with the prophets of Allah as they call to Allah.
Imagine standing before a locked door, knocking, desperate for a response.
But what if the door was never locked?
What if it was always open, waiting for you to step through?
This ayah is not just an invitation, it is a lifeline.
Do you feel like there is a distance between you and Allah?
Take two steps back to Him…
Step 1 - Istighfar - seeking Allah’s forgiveness
Step 2 - Tawbah - a commitment to change and actively choosing obedience to Allah.
"Indeed, my Lord is Merciful..."
His mercy is specifically for you when you turn back.
No matter how far I have strayed, no matter how heavy the burden of my mistakes, even those ones that keep me up at night.
His mercy is more than my sins.
"…and Affectionate."
Al-Wadud means both "The One who loves" and "The One who is loved." He loves His believing servants, and they love Him in return. The One who loves, and the One who is deeply, infinitely loving.
He doesn’t just accept. He loves.
It is a love that simply exists because He always is.
A love that is not transactional.
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
" إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَالَ: مَنْ عَادَى لِي وَلِيًّا، فَقَدْ آذَنْتُهُ بِالْحَرْبِ، وَمَا تَقَرَّبَ إِلَيَّ عَبْدِي بِشَيْءٍ أَحَبَّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا افْتَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهِ، وَمَا يَزَالُ عَبْدِي يَتَقَرَّبُ إِلَيَّ بِالنَّوَافِلِ حَتَّى أُحِبَّهُ، فَإِذَا أَحْبَبْتُهُ، كُنْتُ سَمْعَهُ الَّذِي يَسْمَعُ بِهِ، وَبَصَرَهُ الَّذِي يُبْصِرُ بِهِ، وَيَدَهُ الَّتِي يَبْطِشُ بِهَا، وَرِجْلَهُ الَّتِي يَمْشِي بِهَا، وَإِنْ سَأَلَنِي لَأُعْطِيَنَّهُ، وَلَئِنْ اسْتَعَاذَنِي لَأُعِيذَنَّهُ، وَمَا تَرَدَّدْتُ عَنْ شَيْءٍ أَنَا فَاعِلُهُ تَرَدُّدِي عَنْ نَفْسِ عَبْدِي الْمُؤْمِنِ، يَكْرَهُ الْمَوْتَ وَأَنَا أَكْرَهُ مَسَاءَتَهُ"
رواه البخاري
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said: Whosoever shows enmity to someone devoted to Me, I shall be at war with him. My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it. I do not hesitate about anything as much as I hesitate about [seizing] the soul of My faithful servant: he hates death and I hate hurting him.
It was related by al-Bukhari.
Hadith 25, 40 Hadith Qudsi
Someone might forgive someone, but that doesn’t mean he wants him near him. [And Allah is above all of it]
But Allah? He forgives you and pulls you closer.
Not just “I forgive you,” but “I still love you.”
Even if you have been drowning in mistakes. His love is not fragile. No sin is too great and no mistake too deep, that it places us beyond the reach of His forgiveness.
His love is a refuge, not just a reward.
It is not just about avoiding punishment and we should want, strive and die trying to avoid punishment. It is also about choosing love over the distance between you Allah, because that is what sins do.
He loves you, not despite your flaws or needing you to be perfect, but through your flaws, as you keep turning back to Him.
Do not walk away overwhelmed with guilt or shame! Come back into His Love.
Ask forgiveness, admit the wrong, bring it to Him, raw and unfiltered. Not because He doesn’t already know, but because it might help you break the chain of shame and guilt. And those two are quite heavy to carry.
Close the distance, and remember that you were never meant to walk this path alone. Let your love for Him shape your choices. Step into a mercy so vast that your past can no longer define you.
What would change in your life if you truly believed that Allah loves you, not just when you are good, but even as you stumble back to Him?
Ya Wadud, Ya Raheem, fill my heart with the love that steadies me. Help me embrace the love that you keep giving me. Let me not just know Your love, let me feel it, trust it, and be transformed by it.
If you would like to reflect on least one ayah daily this blessed month, then go ahead and get your copy of Fajr Thoughts. It contains a summary of each juz, an ayah or passage from each juz, some notes from tafasir and then some questions to get you started on your reflections.