Part of Echo of the Pulpits
· Lesson 41 of 48
Echo of platforms | By Sheikh Khaled Al-Hamoudi | Sermon (38) | May God Almighty have mercy, the story of the child
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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Echoes from the pulpits.
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The mercy of Allah the Exalted.
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And the story of a child.
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A sermon by the honorable Sheikh,
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Khalid ibn Abdullah al-Humudi,
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May Allah preserve him.
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Praise be to Allah, the Guardian of the righteous.
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Praise be to Allah, and the final outcome is for the God-fearing.
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Praise be to Allah.
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For every blessing He has bestowed upon us,
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Whether ancient or recent,
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Whether general or specific,
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Whether in secret or in public.
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Praise be to Allah, abundantly and repeatedly, just as He bestows blessings abundantly.
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O my Lord, praise that none but You are worthy of being praised.
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O You to whom all creatures turn in their needs.
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The doors of every kingdom have been locked,
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Yet I have found Your door wide open, never to be locked.
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I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner.
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There is no refuge nor escape from Him except to Him.
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We flee from Him unto Him.
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When a person seeks refuge in another person,
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I hasten to the One who grants refuge and against whom no refuge can be sought.
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So where can one flee from Him, except unto Him?
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When the servant finds no room to escape.
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I bear witness that our master, our prophet, and our beloved, Muhammad, is the servant of Allah and His Messenger,
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His chosen one and His intimate friend.
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The guide and the bringer of glad tidings,
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And the illuminating lamp.
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Possessor of the sublime character,
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Kind and merciful to the believers.
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What heart is like your heart?
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And what loftiness is like your loftiness?
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Words are left bewildered,
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How to compose the most beautiful phrases about you.
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And thoughts are left bewildered,
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When they seek to express some of your meanings.
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But the language of the state and the word,
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For our Messenger, our beloved, our exemplar, and our guide:
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I love you; I have no explanation for my longing.
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What shall I explain, when love cannot be explained?
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O Allah, send peace, blessings, and increase upon,
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Your servant, Messenger, Prophet, and beloved, Muhammad, peace be upon him.
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And upon his pure and immaculate household,
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And upon his noble and blessed Companions,
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And grant them abundant peace until the Day of Judgment.
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Now then, servants of Allah,
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I advise you and myself to fear Allah.
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“Then, when they have reached their term, take them back in kindness or part from them in kindness, and call to witness two just men among you, and keep your testimony upright for Allah. Whoso believeth in Allah and the Last Day is exhorted to act thus. And whosoever keepeth his duty to Allah, Allah will appoint a way out for him,” (65:2)
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“And will provide for him from (a quarter) whence he hath no expectation. And whosoever putteth his trust in Allah, He will suffice him. Lo! Allah bringeth His command to pass. Allah hath set a measure for all things.” (65:3)
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“And for such of your women as despair of menstruation, if ye doubt, their period (of waiting) shall be three months, along with those who have it not. And for those with child, their period shall be till they bring forth their burden. And whosoever keepeth his duty to Allah, He maketh his course easy for him.” (65:4)
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O community of believers,
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Indeed, among the kindness of Allah toward us,
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Is that He, glory be to Him and Exalted is He, is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
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Infinite in His forgiveness.
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And among the vastness of His mercy,
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Is that He said in His Book:
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“And ordain for us in this world that which is good, and in the Hereafter (that which is good), Lo! We have turned unto Thee. He said: I smite with My punishment whom I will, and My mercy embraceth all things, therefore I shall ordain it for those who ward off (evil) and pay the poor-due, and those who believe Our revelations;” (7:156)
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It encompasses the righteous and the wicked in this world,
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And on the Day of Resurrection,
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It is exclusively for those who fear Him.
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Thus, the mercy of Allah, glory be to Him and Exalted is He,
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Has encompassed this entire world.
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Through it, people have mercy upon one another.
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Through it, a mother has mercy on her child,
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And a father on his children,
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And even animals.
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He has shown mercy through it to animals.
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The Qur'anic verses have followed one another,
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In clarifying the vastness of the mercy of the Lord of the worlds.
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He, glory be to Him, said:
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“Then, even after that, ye turned away, and if it had not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy ye had been among the losers.” (2:64)
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"...you would have been among the losers."
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And He, glory be to Him, said:
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"...and I am the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful."
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And He, the Majesty of His glory, said:
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"...indeed, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful."
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So much so that the verses containing mercy,
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And their indications,
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Exceed two hundred verses in the Book of Allah.
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Moreover, the name 'al-Rahman' (the Most Gracious) is mentioned in the Qur'an,
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Fifty-seven times.
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And the name 'al-Rahim' (the Merciful),
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Is mentioned more than one hundred times.
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The very first verse in the Qur'an,
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Mentions 'al-Rahman' and 'al-Rahim'.
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It is the first verse of every Surah:
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"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful."
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'Al-Rahman' is an attribute inherent to Him, glory be to Him,
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Comprehensive of all creatures in this world,
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And for the believers in the Hereafter.
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Therefore, it is not permissible for any creature ever,
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To name himself 'al-Rahman'.
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It is not permissible to attribute this magnificent name to a creature.
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Hence, He, glory be to Him, said:
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"Say, 'Call upon Allah or call upon al-Rahman;
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whichever [name] you call - to Him belong the best names.'"
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He equated it with the name of Allah,
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In which no one else shares with Him.
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Which is 'Allah'.
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Therefore, it is permissible to say of a man that he is 'rahim' (merciful),
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But it is not permissible to say 'al-Rahman'.
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The prohibition is not limited to these two names only.
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Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
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It includes 'the Creator', 'the Provider',
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And similar names.
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And the supplication of the righteous,
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As He, the Majesty of His glory, said:
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“Those who bear the Throne, and all who are round about it, hymn the praises of their Lord and believe in Him and ask forgiveness for those who believe (saying): Our Lord! Thou comprehendest all things in mercy and knowledge, therefor forgive those who repent and follow Thy way. Ward off from them the punishment of hell.” (40:7)
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"...so forgive those who have repented
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and followed Your way
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and protect them from the punishment of Hellfire."
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And He, glory be to Him, said:
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“And when those who believe in Our revelations come unto thee, say: Peace be unto you! Your Lord hath prescribed for Himself mercy, that whoso of you doeth evil through ignorance and repenteth afterward thereof and doeth right, (for him) lo! He is Forgiving, Merciful.” (6:54)
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Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
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He has made it obligatory upon His noble Self,
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Out of His grace,
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Out of His benevolence and favor.
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And among the wonders of Allah's mercy toward us, O servants of Allah,
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Is what the Prophet, peace be upon him, mentioned to us,
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When he saw a woman,
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Who found a young boy among the captives,
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She pressed him to her belly and nursed him.
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He said, may my father and mother be sacrificed for him:
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"Do you think this woman would throw,
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her child into the fire?"
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They said, "No, O Messenger of Allah."
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He, peace be upon him, said:
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"Allah is more merciful to His servants than this woman is to her child."
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Narrated by al-Bukhari.
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So look at the greatness of Allah's mercy,
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To the point that the Messenger, peace be upon him, clarified,
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That Allah is more merciful to His servant than a parent is to their child.
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Hammad ibn Salamah said:
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"It would not please me if my affairs were left to my parents,
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for my Lord is more merciful to me than my parents."
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This statement of his indicates his trust in Allah.
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For on the Day of Resurrection,
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A parent will flee from their child,
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And the child from their parent.
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And among the mercies of Allah, O servants of Allah,
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Is that He fashioned you, O servant of Allah,
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He fashioned you in the best of proportions,
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He fashioned you and balanced you,
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He gave you hearing,
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He gave you sight,
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He gave you hands, feet, a heart, and a mind.
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He created you and perfected your creation.
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And in mention of these great blessings,
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I will tell you this true story,
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Which was told to me by someone I trust,
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And I contacted him the day before yesterday,
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And I asked his permission to mention it,
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Because I saw in it a benefit and a lesson.
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A woman who was delayed in having children,
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Then she became pregnant after a long time.
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When she became pregnant and gave birth,
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While she was on the delivery bed,
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They brought her the child she had been longing for,
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Especially since she had been given the glad tidings that it was a boy.
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They brought him to her wrapped up.
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When she opened the cover,
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She saw a boy without ears.
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She wept,
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She burst into tears,
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Then she pressed him to her chest,
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And said, "I am content with what Allah has given me,
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I am content with what Allah has given me,
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O Allah, to You be the praise."
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She took care of this child,
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And raised him in the best possible way,
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Until he entered kindergarten and primary school.
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And every day,
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He would come and throw himself into his mother's lap, weeping,
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And say to her, "O mother,
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They call me a monster,
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They call me a monster,
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For the appearance of my head without ears,
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Makes me look like a monster."
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His mother would say to him,
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"But I call you the moon,
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So if they call you a monster,
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I see you as the moon."
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Allah granted him success,
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And he was excellent in his studies.
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And every day,
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As he grew older,
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And saw the ears of the adults,
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And the ears of the children,
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He would become sad.
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His father said to him,
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"O my son,
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O my son and my child,
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When you grow up,
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We will attach ears for you,
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If Allah wills."
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When he grew up,
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He asked his father,
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"When will you do that?"
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Until he grew up,
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And reached university.
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And every day,
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He was in a pitiful state,
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Hiding with a cap,
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Or by any other matter,
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he would hide his ears,
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so that no one would see them.
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He would hide his head so that people would not see him,
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for the state of his ears
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was very painful for him.
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Then, one day,
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his parents
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began searching for a way,
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in any hospital,
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to perform a transplant.
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The father learned
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of an organ transplant procedure
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somewhere,
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so he went to it in haste,
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and searched,
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until they found
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a skilled and successful surgeon.
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The doctor said, "I can perform
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the transplant operation,
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but on one condition:
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that you bring me someone
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who is a match for him
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in blood type,
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and such and such,
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and also similar in skin tone."
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They searched,
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but found no one.
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Then they searched again,
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but found no one.
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Until Allah granted them success
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through a donor
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who had heard of the plight
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of this child
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and his brilliance,
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for he was
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inclined
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toward politics, study, and scholarship abroad.
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However, he set a condition:
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that no one be told who he was.
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So his agreement with the doctor was
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that his identity remain secret.
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The operation was performed,
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and Allah blessed them,
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and the operation succeeded by the grace of Allah.
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The ears were grafted onto him,
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and they were close to his skin tone.
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Eventually, this man became
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an ambassador for his country
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in one of the nations.
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Then, one day,
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this son, the ambassador,
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said to his father,
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"O my father,
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I have a request for you,
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and I hope you will not turn me away."
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He asked, "What do you want, my son?"
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He said, "Direct me to that man
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who gifted me the ears.
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By Allah,
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I want to reward him."
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He said, "O my son,
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you cannot,
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and you will never be able to,
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and we do not know him."
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He said, "O my father,
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I want to gift him
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everything I own.
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By Allah,
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the distress I used to live in
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has vanished,
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and now I find honor in gatherings
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and everywhere I go."
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The father kept telling him,
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"My son, you cannot."
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Until he despaired of his father telling him.
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So the son said,
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"Then, O my father,
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I see, as I return from my travels,
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that I should honor you
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and my mother,
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for you raised me with ambition,
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with courage,
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with struggle,
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with virtue,
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and with patience, kindness, and generosity.
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I intend to honor you, my father,
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with an honor the likes of which I have never seen,
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and to honor my mother.
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By Allah, I will clothe her in gold
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from her head to the soles of her feet,
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and I do not know how to repay you both."
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He swore and took an oath to that effect.
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Then he brought the finest types of gifts
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and the most expensive gold,
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and he wanted to present it.
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Indeed, he presented the gifts
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to his father,
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and gave him the greatest of gifts,
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and honored him with the greatest of honors.
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Then he came to his mother
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to honor her with the gold,
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and to place the gold upon her ears.
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He was shocked to find she had no ears.
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He said, "O my mother,
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O my mother,
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were you the one who donated them to me?
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Were you the one who did that?
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Why did you not tell me?"
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She said, "O my son,
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my happiness was when I saw you happy,
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and my happiness was not in my ears.
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I had hidden them with my hair."
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This is mercy, O servants of Allah,
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which Allah has placed
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in the hearts of His servants
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for one another,
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especially the mercy of parents.
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We say nothing but:
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"My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small."
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So, O servants of Allah,
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show mercy to those on earth,
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and the One in heaven will show mercy to you.
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O Allah, have mercy on us with a mercy from You
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that makes us independent of the mercy of anyone else.
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May Allah bless me and you through the Great Qur'an,
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and benefit me and you
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with the verses and the wise reminder it contains.
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I say what you hear,
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and I ask Allah for forgiveness for me and for you,
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so seek His forgiveness,
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for He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
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Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds,
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and the outcome is for the righteous.
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I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,
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the Judge of the Day of Judgment,
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and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger,
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the truthful, the trustworthy.
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May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, his family,
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and all his companions.
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And now, O servants of Allah,
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Allah is the Most Merciful, the Compassionate.
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By Allah, and by Allah, and by Allah,
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if you were to gather all the mercy of mankind
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for you, O servant of Allah,
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and at the forefront of that is the mercy of fathers and mothers,
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it would not equal a single drop
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in the ocean of Allah's mercy for you, O servant of Allah.
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So seek Him in your needs,
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and turn to Him in your distress,
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for no one knows your state,
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and no one is more merciful to you,
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and no one knows your worries better than Allah.
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Allah may close a door before you out of His justice,
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but He may open a hundred doors for you out of His mercy.
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So trust in Allah and His mercy,
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and say, "O Lord,
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just as You honored me with Islam without me asking You,
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do not deprive me of Paradise by Your mercy while I am asking You."
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O Allah, O Merciful, O Compassionate,
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O Allah, O Merciful, O Compassionate,
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O Possessor of Majesty and Honor,
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O Merciful of this world and the Hereafter and the Compassionate of both,
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O Allah, have mercy on us by Your mercy.
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O Allah, have mercy on us with Your mercy that encompasses all things.
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O Allah, we hope for Your mercy,
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so do not leave us to ourselves
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for the blinking of an eye.
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O Allah, I have found You to be Merciful,
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so how can I not hope in You?
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O Allah, I have found You to be Merciful,
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so how can I not call upon You?
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O Merciful of this world and the Hereafter and the Compassionate of both,
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have mercy on us with a mercy from You
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that makes us independent of the mercy of anyone else.
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O Allah, have mercy, have mercy,
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O Most Merciful of the merciful,
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have mercy on us and on the Muslims everywhere.
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O Allah, have mercy, have mercy on our brothers in Palestine,
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and have mercy, have mercy on our brothers in Sudan,
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and in every place.
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O You whose mercy encompasses all things,
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O You whose mercy has preceded Your wrath,
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O Allah, have mercy on us with a mercy
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after which we will never go astray,
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and have mercy on us with a mercy
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by which You facilitate our affairs,
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and by which You expand our provisions,
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and bless our children and our wives.
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O Allah, have mercy on us with a mercy
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by which You make our end good.
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O Allah, O Most Merciful of the merciful,
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O Allah, O Most Merciful of the merciful,
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O Allah, O Most Merciful of the merciful,
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grant us what we have wished for,
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and more than what we have wished for,
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of the good of this world and the Hereafter.
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O Allah, grant us security in our homelands,
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And rectify our leaders.
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And those in authority over our affairs.
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And grant victory to our soldiers at the borders.
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And grant victory to our oppressed brothers.
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In every place.
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Our Lord, we have called upon You as You commanded us.
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So answer us as You have promised us.
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O Allah, forgive the one who built this mosque for us.
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And gather us with him and those we love.
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In the Gardens of Bliss.
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“Glorified be thy Lord, the Lord of Majesty, from that which they attribute (unto Him)” (37:180)
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From what they describe.
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And peace be upon the messengers.
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And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.