The Surah of 'The Believer'

Many scholars (such as Imam Bukhari and Imam Tirmidhi) refer to Surat Ghafer, Chapter 40, as the Surah of 'the believer' – سورة المؤمن. 

This chapter narrates with some level of detail the story of Musa and the Pharaoh, and in particular the moment when the Pharaoh announced his clear intention to kill Musa [40:26].

Immediately after that, the spotlight in the Surah turns into a man from the royal family of the pharaoh (Ayahs 28 - 46), and how he challenged the status quo to announce his belief and support of Musa. Despite being surrounded by disbelievers and even criminals, he chose to resist all that pressure and even advise his community with the best of speech and manners. The Quran highlights different aspects of his daawa approach: his logical arguments, his mention of history and the afterlife, his wisdom, in addition to his empathy and love for his people.  

The story of 'The Believer' is a great example for finding the truth and sticking to it amid corruption and disbelief. It is an inspiration on speaking truth to power regardless of our family associations, our political affiliation, and other shackles that call for 'political correctness'. 

What is remarkable about 'The Believer' who was honored in the Quran is that his name was never mentioned! Allah referred to him by his most important trait: belief. His name was not transmitted by narrators across centuries; his contribution to humanity was not commemorated with monuments or cities or even streets being named after him. He did not have a mass following (on the contrary, his own community rejected him and abandoned him); according to a world that is filled with individualistic achievements, obsession for fame, and capitalist standards, he did not 'leave a legacy'. 
Just like that, 'a believer from the family of the Pharaoh'

This invites another tough question for those of us who crave to 'make a difference' and 'leave a dent in this world':
What is our ultimate goal in life? What is our ultimate why? What is our 'very end' in mind?
Are we going to waste a lifetime just so people on the other side of the world 'know' our name, carry it over with an endless stream of digital impressions, likes and tweets?
What do we really mean when we want to 'be remembered'?
Why not crave for the attention of Allah and Allah alone?
What if our roles and our legacies that we are destined to leave were meant to be hidden?
Are we really bothered if nobody knows about our name, our work, and our impact except Allah?

You might be meant to teach the Quran for a handful of kids and instill the love of Allah’s words into their hearts…
You might volunteer for a nonprofit organization to crunch numbers together or send out links and flyers for the next online event, so that families on the other side of the planet who will never meet you survive.
You might be preparing slides for a lecture that is given by another teacher …
You might be reviewing someone else’s work, or promoting someone else’s platform … 
And you might be a son, a daughter, a sibling, a spouse, a parent, a shepherd who tends to his flock and prioritizes them before anyone and anything else.  

You may come to this life and leave without being recognized for your efforts, 
Your name may be forgotten, and you may achieve nothing close to what others who are fulfilling their roles in other areas in life. 

But WHO CARES! if you truly believe that Allah is watching your work and aim for His acceptance of your efforts! 

WHO CARES about worldly recognition, if the impact of your work reaches the heavens, and the angels start retweeting Allah’s love and appreciation for what you do. 

Stop dreaming about meaningless goals and aspirations, 
And start working to achieve such status!  
And remember the Ayah:

'There are messengers whose stories We have told you already and others We have not' [4:164]

Remember that even some messengers were not mentioned by name in the Quran!

PS: If these reflections resonated with you, there is more at HekmahOS.com, where I provide online courses that explore how Quranic wisdom can shape the way we live and think.

brother there is a mistake in arabic the word Rehmatahu is written wrong

Imagine your daughter is slandered of the worst of crimes imaginable and rumours spread all across the community. You then find out one of the major protagonists is your close relative who you have been financially providing for, for many years. Can you even begin to imagine the pain and enraged anger you would feel? 

This is what Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) faced. He understandably swore an oath to stop spending on Mistah, due to his joining in the slander against Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). Allah then revealed this verse which included: 

'let them forgive and overlook, do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.'

SubhanAllah! This type of beautiful tarbiyah is the foundation to the sahaba then going onto build the most illustrious and thriving civilisation human kind has seen. 

May Allah make us of those to whom forgiving and overlooking others mistakes come easy. May Allah make us of those who quickly focus on reflecting on our own mistakes when faced with others' mistakes. May Allah forgive our mistakes and sins, and wipe them clean from our books.

The ego, how hard it is... Abu Bakr Siddiq Ra. What a person he was. Subhanallah. How they defeated their ego. May Allah grant us to defeat it too. 