Surah Hud
Chapter 11 · Verse 3 · Revealed in Makkah
“And [saying], "Seek forgiveness of your Lord and repent to Him, [and] He will let you enjoy a good provision for a specified term and give every doer of favor his favor. But if you turn away, then indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a great Day.”
Translation: Saheeh International
Listen to recitation
Mishary Rashid Alafasy
Reflection — Ibn Kathir
Which was revealed in Makkah
Surah Hud made the Prophet's Hair turn Gray
Abu `Isa At-Tirmidhi recorded from Ibn `Abbas that Abu Bakr said, "O Messenger of Allah, verily your hair has turned gray." The Prophet replied,
Reflection — Maarif ul Quran
Out of the instructions given in these verses of the Qur'an, the second one appears in the third verse in the words: وَأَنِ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ (and that you seek forgiveness from your Lord). It means that, in these verses of firm and established meaning, Allah Ta` ala has also instructed His servants to ask for forgiveness and pardon from their Lord, and make their Taubah before Him. Forgiveness مَغفِرَہ (maghfirah) relates to past sins and Taubah (repentance) relates to the resolve of not going near these anymore. And, in reality, a correct and true Taubah is no more than being ashamed of past sins, praying to Allah that they be forgiven and resolving firmly that they would not be repeated in future. Therefore, some righteous elders have said that seeking forgiveness from Allah only verbally - without having made a firm resolution, and the necessary arrangements to implement it, in order to remain safe from future sins - is the Taubah (repentance) of liars (alkadhdhabin). (Qurtubi) Or, as it was said poetically:
مَعصیت راخندہ می آید بر استغفار ما
What does this verse bring up for you today?