Supplication for Righteous Families: Quranic Supplications 2
During Ramadan 2023, Sheikh Faraz Rabbani gave a series of daily video talks on supplications in the Quran. This series of articles are drawn from those talks and the related eBook. This article is about asking for righteous families. The video series can be viewed here.
وَٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَٰجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّـٰتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍۢ وَٱجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا
“And those who say, ‘Our Lord, give us from our spouses and successive generations of offspring a pure joy to set eyes upon for their righteousness; And make us to the godfearing an exemplar.’” [Quran, 25:74]
This supplication is found in an amazing set of verses in Surat al-Furqan, the 25th Surah of the Quran.
These verses describe the best of believers: وَعِبَادُ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ هَوْنًۭا – “The servants of The All Merciful are those who tread lightly on Earth.” An amazing description of the qualities of the true servants of Allah.
Among the characteristics of the best of servants is that they regularly pray for themselves, their spouses and their family. And for all people, their spouses and families. “O Lord, gift us from our spouses and from our offspring” – and the word for offspring: dhurriyatina is all future generations of our children – “a joy for our eyes.” Ajoy that fills us completely with contentment.
That when we look at our spouses, when we look at our children, and when we pass on from this life and are shown the state and conduct of our future generations, we feel deep contentment. A joy for our eyes.
Make Righteous Leaders of Us
But what are we seeking for ourselves, and our spouses and our children and likewise for all people and their spouses and children? وَٱجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا. Make us for your mindful servants, for your God fearing servants, true exemplars. Make us imams. An Imam is a leader. But it’s not a leader who wants to be ahead of others. An exemplar is one who leads people because of what they have of good qualities.
We don’t just ask: O Lord, make us good people, make us good believers. We ask Allah that He make us the best of His servants, and for the God fearing, the God conscious – the muttaqin – that we be examples of virtue, of goodness, for the best of His servants. That’s what we should seek for ourselves, for our families and for others: to fulfill our good and to be exemplars. We shouldn’t settle for paltry aspirations in our religious and spiritual life, but to ask for the highest of matters in the best of ways.
This is a beautiful supplication to make for ourselves, and our spouses, and our families, and for all people. We should have the courage to seek the fulfillment of that supplication through our conduct.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of all the worlds.
