English Translation of Al-Quran
[39].Surah Al-Zumar [The Groups]
Ayat 56. Lest a person should say: “Alas, my grief that I was undutiful to Allah (i.e. I have not done what Allah has ordered me to do), and I was indeed among those who mocked [at the truth! i.e. La ilaha ill-Allah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah), the Qur’an, and Muhammad ﷺ [SAWW](PBUH) and the faithful believers, etc.]
Ayat 57. Or (lest) he should say: “If only Allah had guided me, I should indeed have been among the Muttaqun (pious and righteous persons).”
Tafseer of Surah Al Zumar Ayat 56 & 57. “Lest the soul should (then) say: ´Ah! Woe is me! In that I neglected (my duty) towards Allah, and was but among those who mocked! Many kinds of sighs and regrets will then assail us. In the first place, we shall see our shortcomings: we were negligent when we should have been serious: we mocked when we should have tried to learn and understand. But it will be too late then to retrieve our position. Ayat 57. “Or (lest) it should say: ´If only Allah had guided me, I should certainly have been among the righteous! ´- In the second place, we might be inclined to say, ‘I wish I had received warning or guidance’. But this would not be true, because the warning and guidance are being conveyed in the clearest manner in Allah’s Revelation. That is the force of ‘lest it should say’. It could have said so, had it not been seen that the objection is clearly anticipated in the call to repent and in the warning about the Hereafter.
English Translation of Hadith
Hazrat Shahr bin Haushab reported: I asked Hazrat Umm Salamah (May Allah be pleased with her), “O Mother of the Believers! Which supplication did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ [SAWW](PBUH) make frequently when he was in your house?” She said: “Messenger of Allah ﷺ [SAWW](PBUH) supplicated frequently: ‘Ya muqallibal-qulubi, thabbit qalbi ‘ala dinika (O Controller of the hearts make my heart steadfast in Your religion).”
[At-Tirmidhi Hadith # 3522].
Lesson: Steadfastness in religion is the conduct of great men, which cannot be acquired without the special Grace of Allah. There are many turns in a person’s life when he becomes slack or negligent in religious matters or when he deviates from the course prescribed by religion. This prayer has outstanding importance for such people who are faced with such a situation. They should recite this prayer very frequently. In fact, they should make its recitation a permanent feature.
