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responsibilities and the result of their own actions. It rejects the imagination
of determinism, chance, horoscope and fancies of this kind. Next to these two
essential principles (that the duty of fulfilment is due to capacity, and
everyone is responsible for one's own deeds) , seven suplications are asked
Allah from the tongue of the believers. These invocations are indeed, as
instructions for all in general, to teach them what they say in supplication and
what they ask for. At first, it says:
"...Our Lord ! punish us not if we forget or make a mistake. ..."
Therefore, the forgetfulnesses resulted from carelessness are punishable.
Since they know that they are punishable for their own actions, they call Allah
as their Lord, the One Who has a specific grace in their training with a special
cry and say that life, in any rate, is not empty of forgetfulness and mistake.
They try not to commit any intentional sin, but it is Allah Who may forgive them
their mistakes and sins. As to their second invocation, it says :
Our Lord ! lay not upon us a burden such as You did lay upon those before
us. ..."
For their third invocation it adds :
"...Our Lord ! burden us not with what we have no strength to bear... "
This sentence may refer to the divine severe trials, or the hard punishments
of this world and the next, or both of them. In the fourth, fifth and sixth
invocations, they say:
" ...And pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy on us; ..."
Finally, in the seventh invocation, which is the last invocation, here, they
say:
"...You are our Guardian, so help us against the people who are infidels.
"
Thus, their invocations cover the afairs of this world and the next, those
like personal and social successes, divine forgiveness, and the mercy of Allah.
This is an inclusive supplication.
The End of
Sura Al-Baqarah
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