Actually… it’s not quite a secret.
It’s an instruction, one that I (and every Muslim reciting the Qur’an) have been entrusted with.
I was reciting Surah al-Ḥijr and came across this āyah:
◌ نَبِّئْ عِبَادِي أَنِّي أَنَا الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
“Inform My servants that indeed I, I, am the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.”
( Surah Al-Ḥijr 15:49)
Quick grammar detour (Arabic grammar nerd alert).
Allah says اني and then انا.
Both refer to “I”. But إِنَّ (within أَنِّي) adds emphasis and certainty, meaning “indeed” or “truly.” Then أَنَا comes again, I.
So it’s not just, I am forgiving.
It’s:
Indeed, I, I Myself, am the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
I think it’s so beautiful how Allah emphasises Himself here.
Allah is saying tell My servants that I, their Master, am the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
Emphasising that this quality, being the Most Forgiving and the Most Merciful, is an attribute of Allah.
But not just any الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ, not “a” forgiving one or generally merciful.
The Most Forgiving.
The Most Merciful.
Beautiful, isn’t it?
Anyway, I just wanted to inform you.
Our Rabb, our Allah, is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
So let not these blessed days of Ramadan pass by without seeking forgiveness from Him.
- Bint al-Qalm (عفي عنها)