Al-Baqarah · Madani · ayah 128 of 286

Al-Baqarah 2:128

رَبَّنَا وَٱجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِنَآ أُمَّةً مُّسْلِمَةً لَّكَ وَأَرِنَا مَنَاسِكَنَا وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَآ ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ

“Our Lord, and make us Muslims [in submission] to You and from our descendants a Muslim nation [in submission] to You. And show us our rites [of worship] and accept our repentance. Indeed, You are the Accepting of Repentance, the Merciful.”

Saheeh International

Essence

At the height of their life's work, two prophets asked to be made more surrendered, to be shown how to worship, and to be forgiven.

A reflection

Forgiveness asked for on the scaffolding

A cup final has just been won. In the changing room, amid the noise, the captain finds the left-back. He apologises quietly for the pass he gave away in the first half. Nobody else remembers it. He does.

Ibrāhīm and Ismāʿīl have just raised the House of Allah. It is the greatest work either of them will ever do. And what do they ask for, standing beside it? 'Turn to us in forgiveness.'

That order is the lesson. We tend to repent after failing. They repented at the height of success. A concise commentary says they asked though they were protected from sin. They did it out of humility, and to teach their descendants.

A later commentary describes repentance at three levels. For most believers it is regret, resolve not to return, and putting right what was wronged. For people of deeper devotion, it is turning back from stray thoughts, from slackness, from worship done less well than it could be. For the very nearest, it is a way of rising in rank. Repentance is not only the cleaning up of a mess. It is the movement of a heart that keeps coming closer.

The Prophet ﷺ said: 'By Allah, I seek Allah's forgiveness and turn to Him more than seventy times a day' (Sahih al-Bukhari). The best of creation repented most.

The word tawba means return. Its root pictures someone who had walked away turning round to come home. And Allah's name here is al-Tawwāb, the One who turns back to His servants again and again. He has already turned towards you before you finish turning.

After your best day, try what they did. Before you replay the praise, ask: where did I fall short, even here? Then turn.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.