The benefits of the verse: “Our Lord, do not let our hearts deviate after You have guided us, and bestow upon us from Yourself mercy. Indeed, You are the Bestower.”

This verse contains several benefits. First: the prescription of supplicating with this formulation, because it is the supplication of those firmly grounded in knowledge and those of understanding. Among the benefits of this noble verse is the prescription of beginning the supplication with the name of the Lord . Among its benefits is that a person does not have control over his heart; therefore, you ask Allah not to let your heart deviate. Do not be deceived by yourself into thinking you are a believer, for how many a believer has stumbled—may Allah protect us from that—so always ask Allah to keep you firm and not to let your heart deviate. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us: He turns them as He wills. Among the benefits of this noble verse is the indication that the rectitude of the body lies in the rectitude of the heart, for they said: . Among the benefits of this noble verse is that the heart has two states: a state of uprightness and a state of deviation, and a person is compelled to ask Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) not to let his heart deviate so that he may remain upright. Among the benefits of this noble verse is seeking nearness to Allah the Exalted through His blessings, as in their saying: . And among them is praising these noble ones for acknowledging the blessing of Allah the Exalted in their saying: This falls under the saying of Allah the Exalted: . Among the benefits of this noble verse is that purification (takhliyah) comes before adornment (tahliyah). Is this statement known? Purification comes before adornment, meaning the path is emptied of impurities and harm, and then it is purified. Where is this taken from? Then he said: . Among the benefits of this noble verse is that a person is in need of his Lord in repelling and raising, or if you wish, in bringing and repelling, for they asked what? That their hearts not deviate after He guided them, and they asked that He bestow upon them from Him mercy. So their supplication that their hearts not deviate—is this a supplication for repelling or for raising? Pay attention: “Do not let [our hearts] deviate after You have guided us.” If [it is] mercy Now, can we consider this to be seeking nearness through the state of the one being supplicated to? Or do we say that this is seeking nearness through the attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic)? The latter is more apparent, because it has passed us that seeking nearness is divided into six categories. Among the benefits of this noble verse is seeking nearness through the names of Allah, as in His saying: For the implication of Him being the Bestower is that He bestows upon us from Himself mercy. And among its benefits is that a person is in need of the mercy of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and for this reason he asked Allah to bestow upon him from Himself mercy.