A reflection on Surah Al-Hadid's closing verses - revelation, guidance, and Allah's (SWT) bounty that is entirely in His hand.
Surah Al-Hadid closes the way it opened, by turning our attention back to Allah's (SWT) limitless generosity. It is a fitting note for our students to end on too, after a term of hard work: everything good they have gained ultimately traces back to Him.
Racing Toward Forgiveness
سَابِقُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا كَعَرْضِ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ أُعِدَّتْ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ ذُو ٱلْفَضْلِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ
"Race [i.e., compete] toward forgiveness from your Lord and a Garden whose width is like the width of the heavens and earth, prepared for those who believed in Allāh and His messengers. That is the bounty of Allāh which He gives to whom He wills, and Allāh is the possessor of great bounty." (Surah Al-Hadid 57:21)
Allah (SWT) calls believers to race toward forgiveness from their Lord and a Paradise as wide as the heaven and earth, prepared for those who believe in Him and His messengers. That is His bounty, given to whom He wills.
Everything Good Traces Back to Him
The Prophet (SAW) said: "Whoever Allah wants good for, He gives him understanding of the religion." (Sahih al-Bukhari 71; Sahih Muslim 1037) Guidance itself, the very ability to memorise and understand the Qur'an, is part of this bounty Surah Al-Hadid describes; it is not something anyone earns by cleverness alone.
As our students close another surah or another juz', we remind them that the achievement is a gift before it is an accomplishment. May Allah (SWT) continue to pour His bounty on our students, granting them understanding of His religion and a share in the forgiveness and Paradise He describes. Ameen.