Echoes of Forgiveness

Salaam Minara Family,

What’s been sitting on your heart lately?

We had a topic request recently about forgiveness, slander and oppression. Jazak-Allah khayr reader!

These are all topics that deserve detail, depth and compassion.

Bismillah - today we would like to touch on forgiveness and oppression in light of Surah Fatiha:

“Guide us to the Straight Path.
The path of those You have blessed,
not of those who have earned Your anger or gone astray.”

^{[Surah Al-Fatiha, 1:6-7]}

Surah Al-Fatiha is the heartbeat of the Qur’an, recited in every unit of prayer, whispered in moments of grief and triumph, and etched into the rhythms of our daily lives. It is a chapter that holds the entire message of the Qur’an in its concise, lyrical beauty. And at its core lies a gentle but urgent plea: guidance

This divine supplication, asking for the Straight Path, is not just about direction, but about a yearning for divine justice, clarity, and mercy in a world where oppression persists and the wounds of injustice run deep.

In a time when oppression, both personal and political, weighs heavily on our hearts and in our worlds, Surah Al-Fatiha reminds us that justice belongs to Allah. The oppressed, the broken-hearted, the wronged, the silenced, all turn to this surah not just for guidance but for assurance.

Assurance that Allah sees, Allah knows, and Allah will rectify.

But nestled within this very surah is also a reminder of forgiveness.

Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem: The Most Merciful, The Especially Merciful. These are the very first names of Allah mentioned in the Qur’an. Even before we ask for guidance, we are reminded of His mercy. The oppressed are taught not only to seek justice but to anchor their healing in divine mercy, a mercy that elevates them, comforts them, and ultimately, heals them.

At the same time, those who have wronged - knowingly or unknowingly - are not cast away without hope. Surah Al-Fatiha extends the hand of forgiveness through guidance. The Straight Path is one that can be re-joined. The door to rahmah is never locked.

So whether you seek redemption or reparation, Surah Fatiha holds you in its folds. It calls on us to embody justice without vengeance, to seek forgiveness without arrogance, and to walk with humility on the path that leads back to Allah.

As we recite Surah Fatiha in our salah this week, let us do so with both the tenderness of the forgiven and the strength of the resilient.

May Allah guide us, protect the oppressed, forgive the oppressors who sincerely repent, and let our feet be firm on the path of those whom He has blessed.

Aameen Ya Rabb

A little reminder that letting go can sometimes start with just one small step [or five!]

1. Pause and Breathe
   That annoying comment? That eye-roll moment? Or just needing some space from loved ones! Choose patience, even if your ego says otherwise.

2. Draw the Line with Love
   Forgiveness doesn’t mean losing yourself. Boundaries are a mercy - for you and them.

3. Whisper it to the Night
   Before sleep claims you, whisper a du’a: “Ya Allah, I forgive, for Your sake.” Let it lift the weight from your heart.

   

4. A Daily Sweep of the Soul
   Commit to istighfar after every salah. Like a spiritual reset button, fresh page, five times a day.

5. Du’a for the Oppressed
   For those hurting under oppression, seek recompense for them. Allah’s Justice never sleeps and He is the best Judge of affairs.

And finally, let’s finish off with our little lessons from ‘Umrah series by a member of our Minara team. Today she reflects on forgiveness based on today’s theme.

Naturally some of the most important pleas you make to Allah center around forgiveness. We go to His house desperate for a return - to use the cliché - like a new-born: unblemished, wholesomely cleansed.

We visit the sacred land, hearts heaving with hope and a sort of yearning that Allah will forgive us and that this is the very reason we have been invited - new beginnings await us; Allah wills this for us; isn’t this why we are here, now, by Allah’s invitation?

So naturally, I asked Allah for forgiveness. And I asked for acceptance of my ‘Umrah. I asked that all my shortcomings and failings during the visit be erased. Without a shadow of doubt, I had many.

I fell ill in Medinah [customary for all visitors, particularly after Makkah!] The day of our return home loomed large but the illness appeared to intensify, particularly on the day of our travels. I had a fever, an awful cough, my stomach hurt, I was exhausted and breathless and put simply, the plane journey back was traumatic.

I didn’t get better for a while - post-fever rash et al 🙄- and ‘Eid day was upsetting as travelling to visit my family didn’t feel viable. ‘Umrah exhilaration felt dampened and that made me sad too, and guilty as I felt I was being unappreciative.

At first, I saw my illness as a barrier to the joy I had expected after ‘Umrah. But something shifted when my sister and then my friend’s kind mother reminded me of something profound.

And I was struck by Allah’s Mercy.

They mentioned a hadith which after looking up, I can quote here:

Narrated the Prophet’s companion, 'Abdullah [Allah be pleased with him]:

I visited the Prophet during his ailments and he was suffering from a high fever. I said, "You have a high fever. Is it because you will have a double reward for it?" He said, "Yes, for no Muslim is afflicted with any harm but that Allah will remove his sins as the leaves of a tree fall down." [Sahih Bukhari]

Allah will create reasons and cause and circumstance to forgive you. In my story, fever graced me and for this, I am hopeful of Allah’s Mercy. I asked for His forgiveness and He exhibited His signs.

Allah will look for any and every reason to forgive us. We might not be worthy of it, but His Mercy and Love reaches us nonetheless.

And now I see my illness differently. Yes science dictates that we put hundreds of thousands of people together and catching something is inevitable. But my faith tells me that all these hopeful, expectant servants of Allah come back unblemished and cleansed and absolutely wholesomely put together again, heart and soul.

May we all be liberated in the embrace of His forgiveness. May we all be invited to His home again and again and again.

Aameen Ya Rabb.

On that note friends, here’s to finding grace in the little things this week.

The Minara Team

Pssst: If there’s anything you’d like us to discuss, please drop us a email. Happy to oblige 😸!