Reflection by J Yousef (@J_Yousef)

Al-Baqara (2 ) 186

(186) ‫ن‬
َ ‫ﺷﺪ ُو‬ ْ ُ‫ﺑ ِﻰ ﻟ َﻌَﻠﻬ‬
ُ ‫ﻢ ﻳ َْﺮ‬ ِ ْ ‫ﺠﻴﺒ ُﻮا ﻟ ِﻰ وَﻟ ْﻴ ُﺆ‬
‫ﻣﻨ ُﻮا‬ ْ َ ‫ن ﻓَﻠ ْﻴ‬
ِ َ ‫ﺴﺘ‬ ِ ‫ﺐ د َﻋ ْﻮَة َ ﻟﺪاِع إ ِذ َا د َﻋ َﺎ‬
ُ ‫ﺟﻴ‬
ُ
ِ ‫ﺐأ‬ٌ ‫ﻋﺒ َﺎد ِى ﻋ َﻨﻰ ﻓَﺈ ِﻧﻰ ﻗَﺮِﻳ‬ َ َ ‫ﺳﺄ َﻟ‬
ِ ‫ﻚ‬ َ ‫وَإ ِذ َا‬

When My servants ask you ˹O Prophet˺ about Me: I am truly near. I respond to one’s prayer when they call upon Me. So let them
respond ˹with obedience˺ to Me and believe in Me, perhaps they will be guided ˹to the Right Way˺. (186)

Saba (34 ) 50
َ َ َ
ٌ ‫ﻤﻴﻊٌ ﻗَﺮِﻳ‬
(50) ‫ﺐ‬ ِ ‫ﺳ‬
َ ‫ﻪ‬
ُ ‫ﻰ إ ِﻧ‬
ٓ ‫ﻰ إ ِﻟﻰ َرﺑ‬
ٓ ‫ﺣ‬ َ ِ ‫ﺖ ﻓَﺒ‬
ِ ‫ﻤﺎ ﻳ ُﻮ‬ ُ ْ ‫ن ﻫْﺘ َﺪ َﻳ‬
ِ ِ ‫ﺴﻰ وَإ‬
ِ ‫ﻰ ﻧ َْﻔ‬ ِ ‫ﻤﺎ ٓ أ‬
ٰ ‫ﺿﻞ ﻋ َﻠ‬ ُ ْ ‫ﺿﻠ َﻠ‬
َ ‫ﺖ ﻓَﺈ ِﻧ‬ ْ ُ‫ﻗ‬
َ ‫ﻞ إ ِن‬

Say, “If I am astray, the loss is only mine. And if I am guided, it is ˹only˺ because of what my Lord reveals to me. He is indeed All-
Hearing, Ever Near.” (50)

Hud (11 ) 61

ْ ُ ‫ﻤَﺮﻛ‬
ْ َ‫ﻢ ﻓِﻴﻬَﺎ ﻓ‬
‫ﺳﺘ َﻐِْﻔُﺮوه ُ ﺛ ُﻢ‬ َ ْ‫ﺳﺘ َﻌ‬
ْ َ‫ض و‬ َْ َ ‫ﺸﺄ َﻛ ُﻢ ﻣ‬
َ ‫ﻦ إ ِﻟ َٰﻪٍ ﻏ َﻴ ُْﺮه ُ ﻫُﻮَ أ َﻧ‬
ْ ‫ﻣﺎ ﻟ َﻜ ُﻢ ﻣ‬ َ ‫ﺤﺎ ﻗَﺎ‬
‫ل ﻳ ََٰﻘﻮْم ِ ﻋ ْﺒ ُﺪ ُوا‬ َ َ ‫ﻤ ﻮد َ أ‬
ُ َ‫ﻰ ﺛ‬ َ
ِ ‫ﻦ ﻷْر‬ َ ‫ﻪ‬
َ ‫ﻟﻠ‬ ً ِ ‫ﺻﻠ‬
َٰ ‫ﻢ‬
ْ ُ ‫ﺧﺎ ﻫ‬ ٰ ‫وَإ ِﻟ‬
(61) ‫ﺐ‬ ٌ ‫ﺠﻴ‬ ِ ‫ﺐﻣ‬ ٌ ‫ﺗ ُﻮﺑ ُﻮٓا إ ِﻟ َﻴ ْﻪِ إ ِن َرﺑﻰ ﻗَﺮِﻳ‬

And to the people of Thamûd We sent their brother Ṣâliḥ. He said, “O my people! Worship Allah. You have no god other than Him. He
˹is the One Who˺ produced you from the earth and settled you on it. So seek His forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance. Surely my
Lord is Ever Near, All-Responsive ˹to prayers˺.” (61)

Reflection

As human beings, we crave a certain closeness to other people, but can sometimes be disappointed. Is there anyone to
whom we can be close– truly close?

Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) says in the Qur’an:

“And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me – indeed I am Qareeb [near].” [2:186]

For all those times you have wondered whether Allah (swt) is near or far, Allah doesn’t use an intermediary to answer this
question. He does not tell the Prophet ( ), “tell them”. He answers you directly in the verse above: “I am near.”

For all those times you have wondered whether Allah (swt) hears you, He answers: “Indeed, He is Hearing and near,”
[34:50].

For all those times you have wondered if He has heard the silent du`a’ (supplication) of your heart, He answers: “Indeed, my
Lord is near and responsive,” [11:61].

QuranReflect.com
Sometimes even our best friend does not understand what we are going through. Allah (swt) is so close to us He hears our
thoughts, our reflections, our unuttered questions and our secret du`a’. There may even be times when we have thought of
something we want, but never ask for it. And somehow, Allah (swt) gives it to us. There may be times when we do not even
know what we want, and yet somehow we get that thing we need, sent by the Most High.

Because is He is near – al-Qareeb.

QuranReflect.com