Ramadhan Thoughts - The Supplication of the Opening - Part 1
This is a short series of discussions on the Holy month of Ramadhan, specifically discussing the Supplication of the Opening (Dua al-Iftitah).
In His Name, the Most High
Dedication
This series of posts is dedicated to the heroic children and wider population of both Gaza and Palestine; we pray to God, the Most Sublime that he increases their strength and patience and removes the despots that are committing a genocide against them; and all who support said genocide - in both the East and the West, the North and the South.
Amen
Introduction
Once again, the blessed month of Ramadhan is upon us; this time in the 1445th year of the Islamic (Hijri) Calendar - which is 1445 years after the historic migration of Prophet Muhammad and the early Muslims from the persecution by the despots of Makkah to the city of Madinah (formally known as Yathrib).
This year, I thought it would be pertinent; especially given the genocide in Palestine, and the support of said genocide by countless so-called ‘leaders’ and ‘elites’ of the collective West; that the contents of this supplication be discussed. Perchance we may all - Muslim and non-Muslim alike - learn something and derive wisdom from it.
This specific supplication is generally recited once the fast has been broken (after sunset has completed; and a Muslim has recited the Maghreb prayer and has broken their fast). It is a short supplication by comparison to some of the others; but its contents are profound and deep; with each stanza being an ocean of reflection and movement towards the divine perfection.
Over the course of this series of posts; I hope to go through some of these profound stanzas; discussing their overt meaning; and then delving into the more spiritual, and indeed geopolitical, social and cultural elements of them.
On that note, it is very important to understand that Islam, and indeed every one of the Abrahamic faiths are not just spiritual; they are a combination of all aspects of the human condition; meaning they cover spirituality certainly, and the importance of the spiritual aspect is high; but they also cover the political, economic, social, cultural, psychological and much more. Every facet of the human condition is mentioned - some overtly some more metaphorically.
Without further ado, let us move onto this supplication. I will post the Arabic text of the stanza, then provide both my translation of the given stanza, as well as a brief discussion as mentioned earlier. Where appropriate, I will try to cover multiple aspects of the supplication; with a greater focus on the direct or overt focus of the specific stanza being discussed.
Depending on the length of the discussion; and the length of the stanza (which will inevitably have an impact on the length of the discussion - though sometimes, a stanza of only two words can be discussed at great length; but I’ll not digress here on that - at least for now), we will in some posts discuss but one stanza, and in others more than one.
Finally, as mentioned in the dedication above; please spare a thought for the people of Gaza and Palestine; and indeed, all the truly oppressed people of the world; who are under the yoke of tyranny at the hands of the worst of humanity and their supporters.
Stanza #1
Arabic:
اَللّٰهُمَّ اِنّيْ اَفْتَتِحُ ٱلثَّنَاءَ بِحَمْدِكَ
وَاَنْتَ مُسَدِّدٌ لِلصَّوَابِ بِمَنِّكَ
وَاَيْقَنْتُ اَنَّكَ اَنْتَ اَرْحَمُ ٱلرَّاحِمِيْنَ
فِي مَوْضِعِ ٱلْعَفْوِ وَٱلرَّحْمَةِ
وَاَشَدُّ ٱلْمُعَاقِبِيْنَ
فِي مَوْضِعِ ٱلنَّكَالِ وَٱلنِّقِمَةِ
وَاَعْظَمُ ٱلْمُتَجَبِّرِيْنَ
فِي مَوْضِعِ ٱلْكِبْرِيَاءِ وَٱلْعَظَمَةِ
English:
Oh my God, I begin (I open) my praises (and glorification) of You, with Your [infinite] praise,
(I testify) to Your perpetual guidance of us towards the Truth, by way of bestowing Your (infinite) favours (kindness, mercy, compassion) upon us,
I hereby do testify, that I have complete certainty (without any doubt) that you are the Most Merciful of all who have been merciful toward us,
In all situations of forgiveness, (pardon, compassion) and mercy.
(And indeed, I continue to testify and declare my certainty in Your), being the strongest (harshest) in retribution (punishment),
In situations where such exemplary retribution (punishment) and chastisement is warranted (to the wrongdoers, oppressors and such).
(I continue to declare my certainty in You) being the most Sublime, the most Omnipotent,
In matters of Power (Glory) and Might (Strength).
This is the first stanza (paragraph) of the Supplication; its words are remarkably profound; and indeed, the reader is making a strong series of testimonies; ones that must not and cannot be made lightly or without due reflection.
We can see, here, we are testifying to the awesome and great qualities of God; and indeed, opening this supplication, this discourse with God, by declaring His glory and singing His praises.
What is Supplication?
Before we proceed, its important to understand what a supplication actually is. The word ‘supplication’, is defined in the English language as follows:
The action of supplicating; humble or earnest pleading or entreaty. Frequently in to make supplication.
In Islamic thought, the idea of supplication (in Arabic we use the word الدعاء), this is better translated to be a call; where the supplicant (the one making the supplication) is calling, even speaking to God; and generally, in Islamic thought and lexicography, you will find that the object of the supplication will almost exclusively be God.
In the Holy Quran, God, the Most Sublime, says:
وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ
Your Lord has said, ‘Call Me, and I will answer you (hear you)!’ Indeed, those who are disdainful of My worship will enter hell in utter humiliation.
The Holy Quran, Chapter 40 (al-Ghafir) (The All-Forgiving), Verse 60
The word used in this verse of the Quran, is explicitly the word ‘ ادْعُونِي’ which translates to ‘call me’, where by God is inviting the reader of the Quran - and an important point to note here is that this verse is not explicitly addressing the Muslims or the Believers, rather it is general, which is evidenced by the second portion of the verse; but we’ll come to that shortly, God willing.
When God says, “call me”, he immediately then says; “I will answer you”, so it’s not a call which goes unanswered, or just fades into the proverbial ether; He will answer you; this is His promise; and as has been said multiple times in Quran, God does not break His promise, His word.
This itself requires us to think a little; where - while we are speaking about a supplication; a ‘calling God’ as it were, we are in fact doing this activity as a means of worshiping Him. It should be noted that some translate the word ‘ادْعُونِي’ as “pray to me” - and while technically correct; since from the perspective of Islam calling upon God is a form of worship; the actual lexical meaning of the word is from the base verb ‘to call’.
So, God says to humanity - all of humanity (which will become clearer as we study this verse further); call me, speak to me, talk to me, supplicate to me. He is telling all of humanity that you are NOT alone; that I am here, I want to hear from you, you need but call me, and I will be there, I will reply. He categorically and explicitly says; I will reply to you, I will answer you ‘أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ’.
God will never ‘ghost’ you. He will never be too busy to ‘take your call’, he will never ignore you; you could call upon God, day or night, every day of the week, from the bottom of a well, as did Joseph, or from the top of the mountain as did Khidhr, from the belly of a whale, as did Jonah, or anywhere else; and you will find that He will always respond.
We can see this further evidenced; in the heroic valour and fortitude of the oppressed people of Gaza, we see when the Zionist terrorists bomb their families and homes, kill countless children, destroy hospitals, schools and even murder them as they run to get aid, the people when faced with this monumental adversity; always refer back to God, they always speak to God; who soothes their hearts; and gives them the strength to continue amid this insanity that the collective West is visiting upon them, by way of their blind and rabid support of the Zionist terrorist apartheid entity known as ‘Israel’.
It should be noted; and just based on this simple example of the people of Gaza and their constant reliance on God; it is clear that the Zionists are not people of God in any way; they are not followers of the teachings of Moses, of Jesus or of Muhammad or any other divinely sent teaching; but rather they are the true followers of Satan, and all that stands against God. Because such cruelty cannot be committed by those who truly ally themselves and aspire to become close to and move towards God.
Naturally; that is a sweeping statement; and one that requires further discussion and elaboration; since one might suggest that, when looking at things from the perspective of the Zionist people; they may feel they are themselves ‘oppressed’; and as a result, somehow ‘justified’ in their genocide of the people of Palestine.
This, while used as an ‘excuse’ for the crimes of the Zionist entity and supporters is commonly cited, it has multiple issues within it.
Without going into it in great detail (which would render this document significantly longer than it already is), we can clarify things with a single reference.
It is said that the Zionist people are of a ‘Judeo-Christian’ persuasion; that is to say they profess to follow either the religions and paths provided by either Prophets Moses or Jesus, the son of Mary, may God’s peace and blessings be upon them all.
If we examine the teachings of first Jesus, the son of Mary, the Messiah for all humanity; it is cited in the Bible, in Mathew 7:12:
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Based on this, a devout and religious follower of the Law of Jesus (and indeed Moses and all the divine Prophets), should always treat people as they wish themselves to be treated; the question that then comes to mind, do the Zionists and their allies desire that the world - and not just the world, but God Himself - should treat them as they are treating the oppressed people of Palestine (and across the world who stand in support of the oppressed and are reviled for that reason?). Is this how the profound and blessed teachings of Jesus, the son of Mary - and other Prophets prior and following him - are to be understood?
If one treats another with contempt, with hatred and in a way that is cruel and such; then what will be the result of that? Will that end well? Will that please God, and move such a person towards God?
More so, in the book of Exodus 20:13; it is clearly written that:
Thou shalt not kill
Or if we take the translation as found in the Orthodox Jewish Bible, with the reference Shemot 20:13, it clearly says:
Thou shalt not murder.
Granted; some might decide that there is a ‘difference’ between the meaning of ‘kill’ and ‘murder’ - and yes there is; but the inference is that you shall not kill, you shall not take a life unjustly, you shall not harm; yet we can see, without any doubt, that the Zionists and those who support them, clearly act contrary to this important teaching of both Judaism and Christianity.
For that reason; and countless others that I will not go into here at this time, it is very clear to see that said Zionists, while professing they are followers of the religions given by Moses or Jesus; are in fact not; and their behaviour exposes their reality.
Keep this point in mind; as this will become important in future papers on this supplication; when we are discussing issues such as hypocrisy and corruption; but for now this will suffice, God willing.
Moving on, it is important to understand that above all else; God’s mercy encompasses all things, His mercy is manifest across the universes; those who seek to become close to Him, to move in His direction, must also operate with mercy and compassion.
A clear sign of one who is actively opposing God, and working against God is if said person lacks compassion, lacks mercy. I will come back to this discussion in a future post as this is extremely important.
Suffice it to say for now; those who seek to actively harm the innocent (regardless of which faction, creed, race, culture, etc) said innocents are from; such people who seek to starve them, destroy their homes on top of them, those are not a people with compassion; and are clearly not a people who are moving towards God.
The Zionists (no the Zionists do not represent the Jews or Christian people; both of whom are honourable and have great compassion and mercy and believe in God), exhibit these despicable characteristics; and these are exhibited regardless of whether a person is a ‘Jewish Zionist’, a ‘Christian Zionist’ or even a ‘Muslim Zionist’ (and yes there are ‘Muslim Zionists’). The Zionist mentality is one of great hatred to all who are even slightly different to them; they constantly feel that they should always be seen as victims.
We have seen examples of when the Zionists committing a genocide in Gaza have destroyed a hospital, or a school, or a refugee camp, or anything else; when they are called out on it – what is their standard retort? They declare that they were ‘ fighting Hamas’, or that ‘they are the victims’ and naturally many a time (until they are caught in their lie), they lie that ‘we didn’t do that’.
Countless examples exist; the massacre at the al-Shifa Hospital, the massacre at the al-Ahli Hospital, the massacre at the UNWRA schools and refugee camps, the massacre of Jabaliya Camp, the massacres in Khan Younes and many more besides. The Zionists initially choose to deny, to deflect, to misdirect, to misinform; and when caught out their spokespeople and the media shills they have purchased will do their utmost to declare those who have caught them out as being ‘anti-Semitic’.
I don’t want to digress into the Zionist doctrine of ‘Hasbara’ here – but essentially a doctrine of attempting to render false that which is true; and render true that which is false; but this is what they do.
This is not the behaviour of one who is aware of God, who seeks to move towards God; and regardless of whether the Zionists declare that somehow God became a real estate agent (in the guise of the British I suppose), their belief in God is negligible.
Let’s also be very clear; the British regime were the ones who ‘gave’ Palestine to the Zionists – illegally; since the British were not the owners of Palestine, the people of Palestine were. The British gave away something that they did not own, to another unjustly; and what they gave was essentially stolen property, usurped property, property obtained through injustice, coercion, violence, terror and worse.
The book of Exodus (Shemot as referenced in the Orthodox Jewish Bible), clearly condemns this type of behaviour; the idea of stealing of thieving and it is indeed one of the key cardinal sins (alongside killing/murder):
Thou shalt not steal.
And in Mathew 21:12-13 it is clearly written, and this references the incident of Jesus overthrowing the tables of the money changers at the Temple of Solomon:
And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
This verse itself can be discussed in great detail; not just from a historical perspective; but also from the position of a spiritual and socio-political lesson; but since this is not a Bible Study group, I will refrain from doing so; but the lesson is very clear.
Theft, stealing is wrong at the core from the perspective of divine systems - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; yet the British - who professed to be followers of either Judaism or Christianity - indeed having an entire Church named after them - the Church of England or the Anglican Church - chose, in the subject of Palestine, and in how they treat and treated the Palestinians (and indeed many more, but again, I’ll avoid a digression) acted as thieves, ruffians, robbers and worse; they also operated as murderers, oppressors and tyrants; giving their ill-gotten gains to another people at the expense of the original inhabitants.
Had the British regime had any honour or any real adherence to the divine commandments of God (commandments they profess to abide by), they would never have committed such vile actions; that have to this day resulted in the mass genocide of hundreds of thousands, nay millions of innocents across the world; and indeed the origin of their crime, of this tyranny, was mired in both arrogance - which becomes polytheistic; and thereby again breaking a commandment of God, and negligence of God and indeed of humanity and the milk of human kindness.
It is behaviour that was devoid of any love, compassion, mercy or kindness to any group; and indeed was designed to pit one group against another; as was the approach of Pharaoh outlined in the Quran:
إِنَّ فِرْعَوْنَ عَلَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَجَعَلَ أَهْلَهَا شِيَعًا يَسْتَضْعِفُ طَائِفَةً مِّنْهُمْ يُذَبِّحُ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ
وَيَسْتَحْيِي نِسَاءَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ مِنَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ
Pharaoh exalted himself in the land, and divided its people into factions. He persecuted a group of them, slaughtering their sons, while sparing their daughters. He was truly a corrupter.
It should also be noted that the people of Palestine are made up of those who follow all the great Abrahamic faiths – Judaism, Christianity and Islam and indeed those who follow no faith; but they are the people of that land, regardless of where they might have been displaced to by the tyrants seeking to steal – yes steal – the land from them, and murder them so as to ‘keep them out of the way’.
On that note, it should also be understood, that, the likes of al-Qaeda and its various offshoots, the likes of Daesh (also known as ISIL or ISIS) have no connection to God; to the True God of Adam, Noah, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Jesus or Muhammad (and all other righteous Prophets). But they indeed follow the pathway of Satan, the pathway of chaos and cruelty.
But returning to the subject at hand, the first stanza of this supplication and examining the idea of supplication as per the Quranic verse cited earlier, we can understand that as per His instruction to all of humanity; this supplication, this prayer, this calling out to God, is a form of worship, it is also a means to develop a relationship with Him.
But God, in His infinite mercy goes further; because He knows sometimes it can be hard to talk to God; just like a child, sometimes it can be hard to talk to the parent, especially when you know you’ve done something wrong; or you want something which you feel might be difficult, or perhaps you just feel shy, since you have a certain awe, a certain admiration, a certain respect for your parent; God knows that sometimes we feel shy and are reluctant to speak to Him; so he goes on to say something quite profound; which must be understood in a number of ways.
He clearly says in the second portion of the verse I have quoted above:
Indeed, those who are disdainful of My worship will enter hell in utter humiliation.
How profound is that? Those who refuse to call Him, which by extension is to worship Him; then such people are from those who are the inhabitants of hell; and not just that; they will be humiliated and will enter hell humiliated. May God protect us all from such a horrific fate!
What is Worship?
As per the Oxford English language dictionary, the word worship can be understood thusly:
Reverence or veneration paid to a being or power regarded as supernatural or divine; the action or practice of displaying this by appropriate acts…
Granted, the translation is from the ‘old English’, and in the noun form; the more ‘modern’ translation, which is more as a verb, is as follows:
transitive. To perform, or take part in, an act of worship directed towards (a god, etc.); to venerate with appropriate acts, rites, or ceremonies…
As we can see, the word has a strange meaning in English, whereas in Arabic, the word used is ‘عِبَادَتِي’ and this word is from the root word ‘To be subservient to’, ‘to serve’; and this translation is important.
We can say, that worship is a means of being thankful, of being grateful for the One that has created you and continues to nurture you; to abide by His instructions, His commandments, and to act in a way that would never incur His wrath.
Indeed, given that in Islam, the position of the mother is so profound; there are sayings of the Imams and the Saints of Islam, as well as of Prophet Muhammad that clearly say that:
Heaven is at the feet of your mother
A person will worship someone when they are totally dependent on that person or entity; when the very air they breathe, the food they eat, everything, is dependent on that entity; so in Islamic thought, worship means a lot more than this; it is to be fully engrossed, to be fully in sync with God, to be such that all of your activities, your entire existence is completely intertwined into a continuous act of service, a continuous act of worship to God - as we say in the Supplication of Kumayl:
حَتَّى تَكُونَ أَعْمَاِلي وَأَوْرَادِي كُلُّهَا وِرْداً وَّاحِداً
وَّحَاِلي فِي خِدْمَتِكَ سَرْمَداً
So much so that all my actions and offerings (prayers, litanies) be transformed into a singular constant effort, and that my life become one of constant servitude and service to You.
Therefore, when we speak to God, when we call out unto Him, when we complain to Him, or celebrate with Him, in good times and difficult times, this is all part of our servitude, our worship of Him.
This activity has great and profound benefits across all facets of the human condition.
In these days, we hear of many people who profess that they are ‘depressed’, that they ‘feel lonely’, they ‘feel hurt’ - but the reality is that these - and others akin to them - are symptoms of not talking to God, of not acknowledging God, indeed of not befriending God; because when we remember God, when we - for example - have a difficult time at work, and we choose to say something like ‘O God, why is this work so difficult?!’ - this is talking to God; and we should think about it as such.
Indeed, mark my words here, you will find that you - if you are sincere in your talking to God, and not just being rhetorical or just saying such because ‘it is the done thing’, you will find - without any doubt - that He will respond to you; perhaps your work will somehow become that much more simple for you; that you may get inspiration on how to complete a problem, and indeed, sometimes, it is just that you will get clarity; or feel that your problem or thing you want to share makes you more able to deal with what is happening.
After all, there is the famous saying that ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’ - and who better to share said problem with than God, who will never ignore you, who knows about your problem, even before you could articulate it, and who is the only one who can really provide you with support at resolving it.
With that preamble out of the way; and with us having - God willing - a better understanding of dua’ or supplication, the question that comes to mind is that why do we initiate a conversation, a supplication, a talking to, God by way of singing His praises? Why do we make such strong and deep testimonies; and why do we attest that we have no doubt in His position?
After all, the first words of this supplication; we start with - we open the supplication, we open the conversation with His praises; we then testify; we declare without any doubt that He moves us towards the Truth, that He does this by showering us with His compassion, His mercy, His kindness.
We then attest that we have no doubt - and this is very important - we testify that we have no doubt, we are fully certain that He is the most Merciful in all matters of forgiveness, of compassion, of mercy; and indeed that He is the most firm, the strongest in delivering retribution and punishment of the most severe kind (in this world and the next), in such cases where such retribution, punishment or chastisement are warranted.
We then complete the stanza by continuing to declare our certainty that we have no doubt that He is the most Sublime, the most Omnipotent in all matters related to Power, Glory, Might and Strength.
This is very interesting, if we reflect upon it. Because in initiating the discourse with God in this manner, we are attesting that we acknowledge who He is, that we have no doubt about His justice, about His compassion, about His mercy; and that we - since we acknowledge this about Him, we also do our utmost to abide by such qualities ourselves in our dealings with all.
In the first few verses of Surah al-Baqarah, the Cow, Chapter 2 of the Holy Quran, God even tells us and describes who the Quran will be a guidance for:
ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ
الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ
وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ وَبِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ
أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَىٰ هُدًى مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous.
Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them.
And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter.
These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful.
The Holy Quran, Surah al-Baqarah (the Cow) #2, Verses 2 to 5
Notice that here the word ‘certain’ is also used; that the Quran, the Book revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammad, and indeed what can be called the Final Testament of God’s message to humanity; requires that those who will benefit from it must have certainty.
While here, the verse speaks of those for whom the Quran is a guidance are the righteous; and then when describing the righteous, God indicates that they are certain of the hereafter.
Certainty in the hereafter, requires by extension for one to have certainty in the unseen, to have certainty in speaking to God, and thereby praying, and engaging in the most beautiful and divine dialogue with the Master of the Universes, to have certainty in that which was revealed prior to the Quran, and to show compassion, to give out of that which God has given you.
Sometimes, the idea of ‘giving’ is understood in a very limited manner; some understand it as ‘giving charity’, which by implication means ‘giving money to those who are needy’ - but when God is speaking of ‘give from that which He has provided for you’ - this is far more than just ‘money’, or ‘wealth’. Indeed it is in every manner, since everything we have is a gift from God; it is provided to us by God, regardless of whether it is fiscal wealth, understanding, belief, comprehension, compassion, and more besides.
Nothing we have is from ourselves; except our disobedience and mistakes; and everything we have is from God; therefore, we must also give from all that we are and have.
This idea of certainty is very important; both in the supplication and how it begins, as well as in the Quran. When you initiate a dialogue with God, and you declare your certainty - and said declaration is genuine and meaningful - then, you are declaring that all guidance and understanding, ability and comprehension that you receive from God as the reply to your supplication; is also accepted by you with full certainty.
An important point, that I will not dwell on here but perhaps in a later post we can dive deeper into it; is that in Islamic Theology we are taught that the Quran is when God is speaking to us (and again us here means all humanity, not just the Muslims, but again, I’ll not digress but perhaps we can reflect on this in another post), while the supplication is when we are speaking to God.
In the Quran, we are given multiple examples of supplication, the supplication of Moses, of Joseph, of Jesus and many others; as well as examples of how God expects us to supplicate to Him, and how not to supplicate to Him. But given that from the get-go, God says that this Quran requires one to have certainty in it and the One who revealed it, in order to garner the most benefit from it, this also connects through to how we have begun this supplication with our declaration and testifying of our certainty in God.
The supplication when speaking - in but the first stanza - about opening with the glorification, the praise of God; this falls into that, because when you comprehend, when you realise that everything that you have is all from Him, and nothing is from other than Him, because there is none other than Him; you then understand, that praising Him, opening a dialogue with Him, yes a dialogue with Him (as will become clearer through the course of these posts), requires that you praise and glorify Him, because truly He is worthy of said glorification and indeed much more than this.
As He says in the Quran:
قُل لَّوْ كَانَ الْبَحْرُ مِدَادًا لِّكَلِمَاتِ رَبِّي لَنَفِدَ الْبَحْرُ قَبْلَ أَن تَنفَدَ كَلِمَاتُ رَبِّي وَلَوْ جِئْنَا بِمِثْلِهِ مَدَدً
Say, “If the ocean were ink for the words of my Lord, the ocean would run out, before the words of my Lord run out,” even if We were to bring the like of it in addition to it.
On that note; we will conclude this, the first post of a series, discussing the Supplication of the Opening, we pray that God give us the ability, wisdom, understanding and eloquence to complete this discussion successfully.
And from Him alone is all ability and He has authority over all things.