Adh-Dhariyat · Makki · ayah 50 of 60

Adh-Dhariyat 51:50

فَفِرُّوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ ۖ إِنِّى لَكُم مِّنْهُ نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ

“So flee to Allāh.[1546] Indeed, I am to you from Him a clear warner.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Run, not walk, towards Allah: the only shelter from all you fear is the One who decrees it, and His messenger warns you because he is for you.

A reflection

Fleeing from Him, to Him

Normally you flee from a danger. This ayah turns the verb around. Firrū ilā Allāh: flee to Allah. The lexicons note that the verb can run that way, betaking yourself to something. But here the direction carries a mystery.

One early authority explained it in four words: flee from Him to Him. A classical scholar who wrote at length on the inner life saw a great secret of faith in that phrase. Everything a servant fears exists only by Allah's will and decree. So when you run from any harm, you are running from something He allowed. And the only place to run is His mercy. You flee from His decree to His kindness.

The Prophet ﷺ put this into words of prayer. Sahih Muslim reports that in prostration at night he said: 'I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your anger, in Your pardon from Your punishment. And I seek refuge in You from You.' Sahih al-Bukhari records his bedtime words too. There is no refuge and no escape from You, except to You.

Picture a learner driver on her third lesson. A cyclist swerves, and the instructor stamps on the dual-control brake. The car jolts to a stop. She is shaken, almost in tears. And what does she do? She grips the instructor's arm. The one who startled her is the one she holds on to, because he is also the one who kept her safe.

A doubt may arise. Is it healthy to run towards the One who also warns and punishes? The ayah's logic answers it. There is no second power to run to. Fleeing to anyone else leaves you still within His decree, only now without His mercy.

So when fear rises, of illness, of loss, of your own sins, do not run sideways. Say what the Prophet ﷺ said. 'I seek refuge in You from You.' Then let yourself be held.

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.