3فَسَبِّح بِحَمدِ رَبِّكَ وَاستَغفِرهُ ۚ إِنَّهُ كانَ تَوّابًاAli UnalThen glorify your Lord with His praise, and ask Him for forgiveness; for He surely is One Who returns repentance with liberal forgiveness and additional reward.1/2The order to glorify God with His praise and to ask Him for forgiveness is a warning to the believers that they should never fall into the perilous error of attributing victory to themselves, and that they should always be careful to avoid indulging in sins after a victory. The victory is not their achievement; rather, it is God Who bestows victory on His servants. Moreover, we can put up with hardships and persecutions, but it is more difficult to be firm and unyielding against the temptations of the carnal soul, particularly in times of ease that come after years of privation and persecution. This we can clearly see in an attitude typical of the Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings. While the Muslim army was returning to Madīnah after they had defeated the enemy, the Messenger of God, upon him be peace and blessings, said to them: “We are returning from the lesser jihād to the greater one.” The Companions asked what the greater jihad was, and he explained that it was fighting the carnal soul (al-’Ajlūnī, Kashf al-Khafa’, 1: 424). Secondly, we may have made some mistakes and committed sins on the way to victory. Therefore, we should also seek forgiveness for these. The Qur’ān gives great importance to seeking forgiveness from God, and since we are fallible, we should always implore God for forgiveness. Imploring Him for forgiveness also severs the roots of evil and greatly helps us not to indulge in sins.As pointed out by ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās, a great Companion well-versed in the interpretation of the Qur’ān, this sūrah informed us that the time for God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, to leave the world had approached. The Messengers were sent to convey God’s Message, and God’s Last Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, had completed his mission; so there was no longer any reason for him to stay in the world. This also reminds us that humans have duties in the world, and when a person no longer has anything to do in the world, or when they can no longer serve God and His cause any more, there is no reason for them to stay in the world any longer. ‘Ā’ishah, the beloved wife of God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, tells us about the last moments of his blessed life: I was with him during his last moments. Whenever he was ill, he would ask me to pray for him and, expecting my prayer to be accepted through the blessing of his auspicious hand, I would hold his hand and pray. During his last illness, I wanted to do the same and pray, when he suddenly withdrew his hand and said: “To ar-Rafīq, al-A’lā!” (The All-Exalted Friend, meaning God Almighty) (al-Bukhārī, “Maghazī,” 78; Muslim, “Salām,” 50, 51).