Mistakes are part of destiny

No one wants to make a mistake and do himself or others mischief.
However, making mistakes is animportant part of our trial in the life
of this world. Allah created our trial in the life of this world in
this way.Anyone can make a mistake but what is important is that he
repents after his mistake and strive notto repeat this mistake.
Allah reveals in the verses of the Qur'an that human beings are weak
creatures who can forget and be mistaken. A personcan make a mistake
when he does not think something through, ignores something, does not
take the necessary precautions, is overwhelmed by his weak points,
forgets or is mistaken. This is very natural. Howeverthe important
thing ishow the person reactsafter this, rather than the mistake
itself. However big the mistake is, as soon as the person decides to
resign himself and begins to show the attitude hoped to please Allah,
that mistake disappears -by Allah's leave. Almighty Allah reveals as
such in Surah Al- Imran:
" Those who, when they act indecently or wrong themselves, remember
Allah and ask forgiveness for their bad actions (andwho can forgive
bad actions except Allah?) and do not knowinglypersist in what they
were doing." (Surah Al 'Imran, 135)
Allah Creates Everything We Do
Everything a person lives throughout his or her life, everything they
do, every situation they face, allof them are created by Allah with
all of thepros and cons. In the verses it is revealed that not even a
single leaf falls without the knowledge of Allah. (Surah al-An'am,
59). In Surat al-Qalam, it is revealed "Everything they did is in the
Books. Everything is recorded, big or small." (Surat al-Qamar, 52-53).
This means that the personmakes that mistake because Allah wills him
to do so; it is in his destiny to make that mistake. When heacts
according to the Qur'an, something good will happen after that
mistake.
For example, a personmay break a vase when walking by it because he is
not careful enough or does not look ahead. Or he can bump into adinner
plate preparedwith great effort and knock it off a table. Hemay cause
the people waiting for him to delay their jobs because he fell
asleep.Now in all these there is a variety of reasons created by
Allah. Allah is the One Who breaksthat object. Maybe that object would
have caused a conflictbetween its owners or broken in a dangerous way
that would harm someone.Maybe Allah will makea much more beautiful one
to be purchased instead. In the same way, Allah is the One Who makes
the food spill on the floor. Maybe there is an bad ingredient inside
that food and itwould have made someone ill. Maybe that food would
have prevented that personfrom eating something healthier. Also Allah
is the One Who does not wake a person who is late for a job because he
fell asleep because maybehis friends waiting forhim need to be late
aswell. Maybe this will protect them from some danger or maybe bring
the means to carry out a more important job.
If one does not realizethese facts, when he makes a mistake he would
panic and feel anxiety and sorrow. He would feet unease and dismay.
His sadness would increase even becauseof the effect of this situation
on other people and his troubles increase day by day. However, it is
not in line with the moral values of the Qur'an to feel sad, dismay
and troubled because of a mistake, which took place in his destiny by
Allah's will. Muslims overthrow their discomort and anxieties as a
result oftheir mistakes again by turning to Allah and acting according
to the moral values of the Qur'an. They do not fall into depression
like people who do not live by the morality of religion. They do not
feel sadness, sorrow or hopelessness by evaluating their mistakes with
an emotional state of mind. They only experinece a very deep and
strong sense of regret. However this is not anevil kind of regret; it
is a Muslim kind of regret because this feeling of regret helpsthem
hold onto the Qur'an even more strongly. They pray to Allah even more
deeply. Their religiousenthusiasm, determination to live by the moral
values ofthe Qur'an, submission to Allah, faith in the hereafter and
fear of Allah increase tremendaously. They take very sincere decisions
to become better in every way and become more enthusiastic and
energetic by striving more in this way. They know that even if they
could take the time back, they wouldstill make the same mistakes. When
they criticize themselves and feel regret for their actions, they do
not forget that all things have occured according to destiny.
Therefore they do not"live in a sense of guilt" as irreligious people
do. Allah revealed in the Qur'anas such:
"Everything they did is in the Books. Everything is
recorded, big or small.(Surat al-Qamar, 52-53)

It is impossible to claim that a person will never make any mistakes
throughout his life and is complete and flawlessbecause human beings
are created as weak creatures who can make mistakes. Our Almighty Lord
is the One Who is forgiving and accepts repentance. Therefore, a
believer needs to take lessons from the mistakes he made knowingly or
unknowingly or because he followed his inner self. What heneeds to do
is to regret it and follow the truth and submit to our Lord and strive
not to repeat that mistake. Of course he needs to be very careful
about not making any mistakes and commit any further sins and
protecting the boundaries of our Lord. But even if he makes a mistake
it is avery good quality of faith to ask for forgiveness from Allah.
The names of Allah as "The Acceptor of Repentance" (At-Tawwab), "The
All-Forgiving" (Al-Ghaffar), "The All-Merciful" (Ar-Rahman) are
manifested on the believers who regret their mistakes, ask
forforgiveness and turn to Allah.
Believers Take LessonsFrom Their Mistakes
As a result of their faith and fear of Allah,mistakes help believers
become more clean morally. Maybe they make a mistake on one thing, but
they remember that mistake all their lives and avoid making a similar
mistake by taking lessons from it.
However, Allah created human beingsespecially in a character so that
they can use their conscience, feel regret and repent, turn to Him and
ask for His forgiveness and take decisions not to repeat that mistake.
A person must do all he can not to make a mistake; and strive to act
in a very moral way by using his mind, will and conscience to the
end.But when there is a mistake, he needs to act in the way as
described in the Qur'an.
If that mistake has helped the person to better understand his
weakness in the face of Allah's infinite power and his need for Allah,
then this shows that person's sincere faith and fear of Allah. If he
regrets his mistake and fears to be held responsiblein the Day of
Judgment, and if he submits to Allah's mercy and forgiveness, then he
isabiding by the moral values of the Qur'an by Allah's leave. Such a
person prays sincerely so Allah accepts his repentance and forgives
him. He promises to Allah witha true heart not to repeat that mistake.
In one verse, our Lord heralds that He will accept the repentanceof
his sincere servants:
"But if anyone makes repentance after his wrongdoing and puts things
right, Allah will turn towards him. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most
Merciful." (Surat al-Ma'ida, 39)
The Qur'an is the only measure for believers,so their approach to
aperson who makes a mistake is always in line with the moral values of
the Qur'an. Abeliever knows that every person is a human being who is
weak and who can make a mistake easily.He does not forget that Allah
is the One Who creates everything –by Allah's leave- and he can
distinguish a sincere mistake from a deliberate one. When a person is
sincere, hislove or respect would not change because of a single
mistake - by Allah's leave.

Repentance is a blessing that givesrelief to the heart

One of the most important characteristics that distinguishes
unbelievers from believers is that believers repent oftenas an act of
worship. As unbelievers consider themselves faultless and sinless,
they do not feel the need to repent. Believers, on the other hand, do
not want to commit any sins against Allah. However, by their nature,
people can sintemporarily by following their inner selves. They can be
laxin carrying out Allah's commands. But in the end they regret and
turn to Allah and ask for our Lord's forgiveness.
Allah created people as very weak beings. People indulge in negligence
due to ignorance or unawareness; they can be mistaken forgetting even
the subjects they know best, they can think ina wrong or mistaken way,
take the wrong decisions, or act in an unsound manner knowingly or
unknowingly. This is because people have a vicious enemy like satan
who is trying to drag them into rebellion and divert them from the
true path by giving them suggestions. The inner self also commands
evil all the time. People can earn the good pleasure of Allah to the
extent that they can protect themselves from thesetwo negative Powers.
His Highness Master Bediuzzaman says, "Inthese times of distortion and
misery where this world has many captivating attributes, our basic
action point must be to dismiss evil and abandon sins". However no
matter what happens, Allah always guides people to make up for their
mistakes; this guidance is repentance.
It Is a Great Blessing That Our Lord is All-Merciful,
All-Compassionate andKind and Protective toHis Servants
Allah always gives people the opportunity to ask forforgiveness and
repent for their mistakes and sins. A person who sincerely abandons
his mistakes and repents to Allah can hope that Allah will forgive
him. Allah reveals in many verses of the Qur'an that He is
"Forgiving", "Merciful", the "Protector" and "Compassionate". Allah's
names of "At-Tawwab" meaning "The One Who Accepts Repentance" and
"Al-Gaffar" meaning "All-Forgiving" and "Ar-Rahman"
meaning"All-Merciful" manifeston all those who regret and repent. In
one verse Allah heralds His servants by saying, " Tell My servants
that I am the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful." (Surat al-Hijr,
49).
It is impossible to claim that a person has not made any mistakes and
been faultless and perfect throughout his entire life, because people
are created as beings capable of making mistakes. Our Almighty Lord is
the One Who is All-Forgiving and All-Merciful. Therefore, believers
have to take notice of their mistakes, which they made knowingly or
unknowingly by falling into negligence or listening to their inner
selves. They have to regret their mistakes and direct themselves to
the right path and turn toour Lord as soon as possible and strive not
to make that mistake again. Of course a person has tobe careful not to
make mistakes and commit sins and protect the boundaries of our Lord;
but when he makes a mistake in spite of this, it is a great
characteristic ofa believer to ask forgiveness from Allah. Our Lord's
names "The One Who Accepts Repentance" (At-Tawwab), "All-Forgiving"
(Al-Gaffar), "All-Merciful" (Ar-Rahman) manifest on believers who
regret their mistakes, repent and turn to Allah.
Repenting Very Often Is an Important Believer Characteristic
Repenting frequently is a sign of the believer's humility and
awareness of his weakness in the face of Allah. It is a behavior that
pleasesAllah. In return for this act of worship, Allah gives relief
to, lifts the burdens on and opens the minds of those who repent
often.
With Repentance AllahWants People to LearnLessons and Notice Their Mistakes
One of the wisdoms ofrepentance is that thebeliever experiences real
regret and turns to Allah without wasting any time and strives not to
repeat that mistake. Therefore, he repents in a true and sincere
manner. He repents and keeps his word that he will remain onthe right
path until the end of his life. In the Qur'an, the point of view of
someone who sincerely repentsis described in the verse, " Allah only
accepts the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and then
quickly make repentance after doing it. Allah turns towards such
people. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise..." (Surat an-Nisa', 17) In
another verse, Allah reveals how a believer should behave, " Those
who, when they act indecently or wrong themselves, remember Allah and
ask forgiveness for their bad actions (andwho can forgive bad actions
except Allah?) and do not knowinglypersist in what they were doing."
(Surah Al 'Imran Suresi, 135).
Submitting to Allah right after making mistakes and not delaying
repentance is an important point. This is because as Master
Bediuzzaman describes, "(If mistakes) are not erased with repentance,
they turn into a poisonous snake that bites the heart. Once the heart
is stained it becomes open to further stains.So man falls into a
(corrupt) circle. Every sin brings a new one; not only this but also
it destroys the feelings of repentance and regret (jealousy). In the
end the secret behind the verse "Their hearts have rusted" (Surat
al-Mutaffifin, 14) becomes visible."
Of course, even if a person who experiences true regret carefully
strivesnot to repeat that mistake or sin, he can still fall into the
same mistake. This situationshould not lead to thisperson losing his
self-confidence. For every person there is an opportunity to repent
and sincerely submit to Allah until death.
However a person should not be mistaken for the time he has been
given. He should not behave in a ways to abuse Allah's mercy,
forgivingness, grace. He should use the time Allah grants him and find
guidance by repentance and asking for forgivenesswhile there is still
time. This is because faith and repentance at the moment of death may
not be accepted in the sight of Allah. Therefore he needs to behave
like he will die any moment and strive to edify.
It should not be forgotten that a person can make small or big
mistakes throughout his life, but as long as he repents and submits to
Allah Who forgives and accepts repentance and turns evil into good
with a sincere heart, he can hope that his mistakeswill be forgiven.
Allah always answers for repentance. Allah forgives his mistakes and
turns them into good and rewards his good deeds with the best.
Every Mistake Is Created for a Reason
Allah's merciful name is one of the greatest blessings and
conveniences our Lord bestowed on people. It is an ill conjecture that
people fall into hopelessness and think that they will never recover
from their mistakes. A person who ignores Allah's mercy, compassion,
forgivingness torments himself and acts in a way not in line with the
morality of the Qur'an. Mistakes increase the degrees of believers,
who immediately abandons their mistakes and compensates for theseby
displaying the right attitude in line with the Qur'an, in the
hereafter; make them more mature and help His servants better
understand their weaknesses and helplessness. The important thing is
to regret and repent without insisting on one's sins. In the verses,
our Lord reveals that He will forgive those who do good deeds, pay
alms and live the moral values of the Qur'an and take them under His
grace:
"But I am Ever-Forgiving to anyone who makes tawba and has faith and
acts rightly and then is guided." (Surah Ta Ha, 82)
One of the reasons that distract people from the morality of religion
is to see themselves as people "who are compulsive and will never get
better" as a result of guilt due to their sins. Satan constantly
provokes these people who forget the Ar-rahman and Ar-Rahim names of
Allah and that Allah is the One Who accepts repentance and has
infinite mercy and suggests them the idea "you are already a sinner,
it is impossible for you to recover, accept it as it is." Then satan
pulls them into a greater mire with deceptions like "you have sinned
once, it is okay to do it again". He uses the feeling of embarrassment
a person feels in the face of Allah because of his sin and abuses this
feeling to draw that person away from Allah completely.But this
practice is weak like satan's every trick, because when a person sins
it does not mean that this person will not find the right path from
now on. Allah reveals in the Qur'an that He will forgive allwho
sincerely repentsfor their sins, ask for forgiveness and strivenot to
commit that sinagain as such: "But if anyone makes tawba after his
wrongdoing and puts things right, Allah will turn towards him. Allah
is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (Surat al-Ma'ida, 39)

The collection and compilation of the Quran

Part 1: During the Lifetime of the Prophet .
A study of the compilation of textmust begin with the character of the
book itself as it was handed down by Muhammad to his Companions during
his lifetime. It was not delivered or revealed all at once.
The Noble Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad piecemeal over a
period of twenty-three years from the timewhen he began to preach the
Message of Islam in Makkah in 610 CE until his death at Madeenah in
632 CE. The Quran itself declares that Allaah addressed Prophet
Muhammad with what means: "…And We have spaced it distinctly." [Quran
25:32]
Furthermore, no chronological record of the sequence of passages was
kept by Muhammad himself or his Companions so that, as each of these
began to be collected into an actual Soorah (chapter), no thought was
given as to theme, order of deliverance or chronological sequence. It
is acknowledged by all Muslim writers that most of the chapters,
especially the longer ones, are composite texts containing various
passages not necessarily linked to each other in the sequence in which
they were given. As time went on Muhammad would say words to the
effect of: "Put this passagein the chapter in which so-and-sois
mentioned", or: "Put it in such and such a place." [As-Suyooti,
Al-Itqaan fee 'Uloom Al-Quran, p.141] Thus, passages were added to
compilations of other passages already collected together until each
of these became a distinct chapter. The evidence that a number of
these chapters already had their recognised titles during the lifetime
of Muhammad . is thefollowing two Prophetic narrations: "Anyone who
recites the last two verses of Soorah Al-Baqarah (The Cow, chapter 2)
at night, they will suffice him." [Al-Bukhaari] And: "If anyone learns
by heart the first ten verses of the Soorah Al-Kahf (the Cave, No.
18), he will be protectedfrom the Dajjaal (Antichrist)." [Muslim]
At the same time, there is also reason to believe that there wereother
chapters to which titles were not necessarily given by Prophet
Muhammad . An example of this is Soorah Al-Ikhlaas [Chapter 112], for
although the Prophet spoke at some length about it and said it was
equal to one-third of the whole Quran, he did not mention it by name.
[Muslim]
As the Quran developed, the Prophet's Companions took portions of it
down in writing and also committed its passages to memory. It appears
that the memorisation of the text was theforemost method of recording
itscontents as the very word Quran means 'recitation'. From the very
first word delivered to Muhammad by the angel Jibreel (Gabriel) on
Mount Hiraa', namely Iqra' – 'Recite!' [Chapter 96:1], we can see that
the verbal recitation of its passages was very highly esteemed and
consistently practiced. Nevertheless, it is to actual written records
of its text that the Quran itself bears witness in the following verse
(which means): "[It is recorded] in honoured sheets. Exalted and
purified. [Carried] by the hands ofmessenger-angels. Noble and
dutiful." [Quran: 80:13-16]
Furthermore, there is evidence that even during the early days
ofProphet Muhammad in Makkah, portions of the Quran as then delivered
were being written down. When 'Umar was still a pagan, he one day
struck his sister when he heard her reading a portion of the Quran.
Upon seeing blood on her cheek, however, he relented and said: "Give
me this sheet which I heard you reading just now so that I may see
what Muhammad has brought." [Ibn Is-Haaq, SeeratRasoolullaah, p.156].
On reading the portion of the twentieth chapter (of the Quran) which
she had been reading, he became a Muslim.
Nonetheless, it appears that rightup to the end of the life of
Muhammad the practice of memorisation predominated over the writing
down of the Quran and was regarded as more important.
In the Hadeeth (narrations) records, we read that the angel Jibreel is
said to have checked therecitation of the Quran every Ramadhaan with
Prophet Muhammad and, in his (the Prophet ) final year, he (Jibreel)
checked it with him twice. Faatimah said: "The Prophet, sallallaahu
alayhi wa sallam, told me, 'Jibreel used to recite the Quran to me and
I to him once a year, but this year he recited the whole Quran with me
twice. I think that my death is approaching.'" [Al-Bukhaari]
Some of the closest Companions of the Prophet devoted themselves to
learning the text of the Quran by heart. These included Ubayy Ibn
Ka'b, Mu'aath Ibn Jabal, Zayd Ibn Thaabit, Abu Zayd and Abu Ad-Dardaa'
. Abdullaah Ibn Mas'ood collected more than ninety of theone hundred
and fourteen chapters by himself, learning the remaining chapters from
other Companions.
Regarding the written materials, there are no records as to exactlyhow
much of the Quran was written down during the lifetime of Prophet
Muhammad . There is no evidence to suggest that anyone actually
compiled the whole text of the Quran into a single manuscript, whether
directly under the authority of Prophet Muhammad or otherwise.
With the death of Prophet Muhammad in 632 CE, the revelation stopped,
as the Quran had become complete. There could be no further revelation
once its chosen recipient had passed away. While he lived, however,
there was always the possibility that new passages could be added and
it hardly seemed appropriate, therefore, to contemplate codifying the
textinto one harmonious whole. Thus, it is not surprising to find that
the book was widely scattered in the memories of men and in writing on
various different materials at the time of the death of the Prophet .
There were only a few disputes among the Companions about the text of
the Quran while the Prophet was alive, unlike those which arose soon
after his death. All these factors explain the absence of an official
codifiedtext at the time of his death. Imaam As-Suyooti stated that
the Quran, as sent down from Allaah in separate stages, had been
completely written down and carefully preserved, but that it had not
been assembled into one single location during the lifetime of Prophet
Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, [Ibn Is-haaq, Seerat
Rasoolullaah, p.96]
All of it was said to have been available in principle, for the
Companions had absorbed it in their memories and it had been written
down on separate materials. The final order of the various verses and
chapters is also presumed to have been defined by the Prophet while he
was still alive.

The history of the Noble Quran

The Quran is the backbone of Islam. On this Sacred Book of Allaah
depends the Islamic call, state, society and the civilisation of
theMuslim world. It is the last Divine revelation, which was sent down
to Prophet Muhammad , the last and final of all Prophets, may Allaah
exalt their mention. His task was to convey the message of worshipping
the One God, Allaah, without ascribing any partners to Him. The Noble
Quran, which is thesource of guidance and mercy to mankind, is divided
into one hundred and fourteen (114) Soorahs (chapters) of varying
lengths. Ninety-three chapters were revealed in Makkah, while the
remaining twenty-one were revealed in Madeenah.
The first revelation that the Prophet received was Soorat Al-'Alaq,
which was in Makkah where Soorat An-Najm was to later became the first
to be recited openly to the people. In Madeenah, Soorat Al-Mutaffifeen
was the first one revealed after the Hijrah (migration). The Prophet
had to flee to Madeenah to save his own life and the lives of his
followers, upon thecommand of Allaah.
The last verse sent down to the Prophet was thesaying of Allaah which
means: "…This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed
My favour upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion..."
[Quran: 5:3]
Some chapters in the Quran focus on the call toIslam as guidance for
humanity. They focus upon monotheism and the fight against polytheism
and idolatry. Thus, stress is laid on all that is related to faith. In
other chapters, attention is given to legislation, acts of worship,
relationships among people and the laws that regulate matters within
the Muslim community, government, and family.
A number of chapters inform about Resurrection, the Hereafter and the
unseen; others relate the stories of various prophets and their calls
to their people to return to Allaah. We see how theprevious nations
were severely punished when they disobeyed Allaah and denied the
messagesof previous prophets, may Allaah exalt their mention.
In addition, several chapters focus on the story of creation and the
development of human life. In fact, Makkan revelations made the
Muslims' faith in Allaah firmly established. On theother hand,
Madeenan revelations were meant to translate the faith into action and
give details ofthe Divine Law.
Allaah will forever preserve the Quran against all attempts to destroy
or corrupt it. Being guarded by Allaah, it will always remain pure.
There does not exist a single copy with any variation from the
recognised text.
Any attempt of alteration has resulted in failure.
Upon the command of the Prophet his Companions would write down what
was revealedof the Noble Quran. They used, for this purpose, palm
branches stripped of leaves, parchments, shoulder bones, stone
tablets, etc. About forty people were involved in this task. Among
them was Zayd Ibn Thaabit who showed his work to the Prophet . Thus,
theQuran was correctly arranged during the Prophet's life, but it was
not yet compiled into one book. In the meantime, most of the Prophet's
Companions memorised the Quran.
When Abu Bakr became Caliph after the Prophet died, a large number of
the Companions were killed during the War of Apostasy. 'Umar Ibn
Al-Khattaab went to the Caliph and discussed the idea of compiling
theQuran into one volume. He was disturbed, as most of those who
memorised it had died. Then, Abu Bakr called for Zayd and commissioned
him to collect the Quran into one book, which became known as the
'Mus-haf.'
After Zayd accomplished this great task and organized the Quran into
one book, he submitted the precious collection to Abu Bakr who kept it
in his possession until the end of his life. During the caliphate of
'Umar it was kept with his daughter Hafsah who was also a wife of the
Prophet .
During the Caliphate of 'Uthmaan Islam reached many countries, and
readers began to recite the Quran in different ways (dialects).
'Uthmaan then had various copies made and sent them out to the
different Muslim lands, lest these dialects would cause alterations to
the Quran, and kept the original copy with Hafsah . Thus, the Quran
remained preserved and the Caliph was very muchpleased with his
achievement.
Today, every copy of the Quran conforms with the standard copy of
'Uthmaan . In fact, Muslims over the ages excelled in producing
thebest manuscripts of the Noble Quran in the most wonderful
handwriting. With the introduction of printing, more and more editions
of the Noble Quran became available all over the world.