Page 102 - Communication and Argument in the Qur'an

100 COMMUNICATION AND ARGUMENT IN THE QUR’AN

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When Adam (as) realized his error, he prayed: “O our r
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a al-A‘raf: 23). Nuh (as) asked forgiveness for his unbelieving
son and immediately prayed when Allah showed his error:
“O my Lord, I seek refuge with You from asking You for
anything about which I have no knowledge. If You do
not forgive me and have mercy on me, I will be among
the lost.” (Surah Hud: 47)
There is another good example from those who have a
deep understanding of religion:
All they said was: “O our Lord, forgive us our wrong
actions and any excesses we went to in what we did,
make our feet firm, and help us against these unbeliev-
ing people.” (Surah Al ‘Imran: 147)
The sincerity and close friendship with Allah of the pro-
phets and the messengers can be felt in their prayers. For
example, they pray not to be disgraced on the Day of
Judgment, to be spared the pangs of Hell, to inherit the
blessings of Paradise, and that Allah will forgive all believ-
ers on the Day of Judgment. Of course, they also pray for
a good life in this world, that the unbelievers will know the
pangs of Hell, and to have nothing to do with the unbeliev-
ers. Ibrahim (as) asked for a good life in this world:
And when Ibrahim said: “O my Lord, make this a place
of safety and provide its inhabitants with fruits–all of
them who believe in Allah and the Last Day,” He
replied: “I will let anyone who becomes an unbeliever
enjoy himself a little, but then I will drive him to the