HIDDEN AMONGST THE stern ayat of fasting in surah al-Baqarah, we find a most beautiful ayah.
To enjoy its beauty, we need to understand the words used.
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ
‘And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me – indeed I am near. I respond to the du’a of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So, let them respond to Me and believe in Me that they may be guided.’ (al-Baqarah 186)
Allah ﷻ starts off by using the word ‘idha’. In Arabic ‘if’ can be ‘in’, ‘idha’ or ‘lau’. ‘Idha,’ however, conveys a sense of expectancy and anticipation so that it is translated as ‘when’.
To clarify, consider a mother talking about her son who went to war. There’s a difference between saying, ‘If my son returns’ and ‘When my son returns’. The second shows much more hope and expectation for his return.
So, when Allah is using ‘idha,’ He is starting with a great sense of expectation that He has of us.
Then there is something most unusual about the sentence.
Normally, we expect: ‘When my servant asks about me,’ to be followed by: ‘Then tell them that I am near.’ However, Allah skips ‘tell them that’ and goes directly to ‘I am near.’ This elision (deliberate missing of words) and first-person speech beautifully show Allah’s closeness to us. He eliminates the intermediary, emphasizing the direct relationship between you and Him.
This closeness should make us mindful of Him, as mentioned earlier about taqwa, but it should also encourage us to take advantage of the opportunity.
If Allah ﷻ is so close, then surely, we should seek the chance to call Him. It is like finding that someone who you have only heard about, and who you have always wanted to meet, is close by. You would make the extra effort to meet that person. And this is what Allah is hinting to us.
He continues with ‘ujibu’- ‘I respond.’ This ujibu/respond is different from the later ‘yastajibu.’ ‘Ujibu’ is absolute- Allah will definitely respond to the one who calls him.
And of course, we know that Allah can respond. If all the beings on Earth and in the Heavens were to call Him at exactly the same moment in time, Allah could hear each and every call and respond to each and every call at exactly the same time. This is not hard for Allah to do.
Then pause at the word that Allah uses to describe who He responds to.
Allah does not say that He will respond to the righteous, the scholar, the hafidh, the elderly etc. He says He will definitely respond to the ‘da’i’- the one who calls Him. You could be someone who has forgotten the last time you lifted your hands to Him, you could be the worst sinner, or you could be anyone at all, but Allah is saying that when you call Him, He will definitely respond to you.
And that call does not have to be ten times. Or a hundred times. It just has to be the one. He will respond.
But what does He want in return? For us to respond to Him and start that journey towards Him that will lead to iman and guidance. Like the hadith qudsi:
Allah says: “… Whoever draws close to me by the length of a hand, I will draw close to him by the length of an arm. Whoever draws close to me by the length of an arm, I will draw close to him by the length of a fathom. Whoever comes to me walking, I will come to him running…” (Muslim)
Notice that when it comes to our response, Allah uses ‘yastajibu’. This means that it is expected we will respond, but not guaranteed. It’s similar to inviting someone and them saying ‘in-sha-Allah’, knowing they likely won’t come. Yet, Allah hopes we will call on Him.
It is an ayah worth pondering upon. Truly, Allah loves us! He is waiting expectantly for us to call Him- at any time, from anywhere, in whatever state of goodness or sin and just once is enough. And He is guaranteeing that He will answer.
If we have not raised our hands in a while or are shy to because of our sins, then what better inspiration to do so now and in this month?
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