My Lord Allah is Lateef لطيف

 Quran Verse about Al Lateef الطيف 

أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم

وَرَفَعَ أَبَوَيْهِ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ وَخَرُّوا لَهُ ۥ  سُجَّدًا  ۖ  وَقَالَ يٰٓأَبَتِ هٰذَا تَأْوِيلُ رُءْيٰىَ مِنْ قَبْلُ قَدْ جَعَلَهَا رَبِّى حَقًّا  ۖ  وَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ بِىٓ إِذْ أَخْرَجَنِى مِنَ السِّجْنِ وَجَآءَ بِكُمْ مِّنَ الْبَدْوِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ أَنْ نَّزَغَ الشَّيْطٰنُ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَ إِخْوَتِىٓ  ۚ  إِنَّ رَبِّى لَطِيفٌ لِّمَا يَشَآءُ  ۚ  إِنَّهُ ۥ  هُوَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ
And he raised his parents upon the throne, and they bowed to him in prostration. And he said, "O my father, this is the explanation of my vision of before. My Lord has made it reality. And He was certainly good to me when He took me out of prison and brought you [here] from bedouin life after Satan had induced [estrangement] between me and my brothers. Indeed, my Lord is Subtle in what He wills. Indeed, it is He who is the Knowing, the Wise.
[Al Quran: Soorah Yusuf: Verse 100]

My reflection about Quran Verse

SubhanAllah. The part of this ayah which inspires me most is إِنَّ رَبِّى لَطِيفٌ لِّمَا يَشَآءُ meaning -  Indeed, my Lord is Subtle in what He wills. لطيف is one of Allah's names. And I think I need to understand what this name means before appreciating the ayah. The meanings that I found for لطيف are Subtle, Subtly Kind, Most Affectionate, Knower of innermost secrets. When I check the meaning of Subtle in dictionary, it says -so delicate or precise as to be difficult to analyze or describe, making use of clever and indirect methods to achieve something.
SubhanAllah. Allah is truly Lateef لطيف  How hopeless was the case of Yusuf عليه السلام when he was in the prison! Only Allah could take him out of prison. In fact the whole life of Yusuf عليه السلام inspires me so much. It is just hard to imagine how a child is being thrown into the well by step brothers and then spent his prime years in prison for no crime. How strong was his Iman that after spending all these years in prison,  he admits that his Lord is Lateef after realizing how Allah got him out of prison and how Allah brought his parents out of bedouin life and made his brothers bow down to him who were at one time in life were ready to kill him. لطيف is the name which is perfectly suited for this ayah summarizing the major happenings in life of Yusuf عليه السلام. Truly Allah used subtleness taking clever and indirect methods to achieve His plans. I truly appreciate how Allah made these brothers bow down to Yusuf عليه السلام after all the sibling rivalry. Allah is truly Lateef.
In our lives too, things happen all the times. Sometimes we appreciate and sometimes we don’t but all is part of Allah’s plan. Sometimes we appreciate later when we reap the benefits of Allah’s plan. I was planning to write for quite a while and yet I was unable to. Mostly because my 13 month old doesn’t let me write. Today out of nowhere an old friend of mine sent me the email that I wrote 6 years ago and I wonder how in world I had so much time to write a lot. Truly Allah is Lateef who made this friend of mine email me and that inspired me to write again although not that much but still better than nothing. Ever wonder how some friends just tell you something at just the right time and you just get ready to run again. How is all that possible? Only because Allah is Lateef and He achieves His plans without us realizing. When I look at my 13 month old, I also have to admit Allah is Lateef. He is getting teeth. Just imagine, how painful are the implants and yet Allah is giving him teeth without anesthesia without him and us realizing he got so many teeth. MashaAllah, alhamdolillah.

Duaas I made after reading this Quran Verse

رَبِّ زِدْنِیْ عِلْمًا
My Lord, increase me in knowledge.
اے میرے رب ! میرے علم میں اضافہ فرما۔
( طٰه : 114 )
رَبَّنَا عَلَیْكَ تَوَکَّلْنَا وَاِلَيْكَ اَنَبْنَا وَاِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيْرُ
Our Lord, upon You we have relied, and to You we have returned, and to You is the destination.
اے ہمارے رب! تجھ پر ہم نے بھروسہ کیا اور تیری طرف ہم نے رجوع کیا اور تیری ہی طرف لوٹنا ہے۔
( الممتحنة : 4 )

Good deeds do away with bad deeds

Quran verse about good deed


أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم 

Hud 11:114

وَأَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ طَرَفَىِ ٱلنَّهَارِ وَزُلَفًا مِّنَ ٱلَّيْلِۚ إِنَّ ٱلْحَسَنَٰتِ يُذْهِبْنَ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِۚ ذَٰلِكَ ذِكْرَىٰ لِلذَّٰكِرِينَ 

And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approach of the night. Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds. That is a reminder for those who remember.

My reflection

In this Quran verse about prayer, I am reminded about the times when prayers need to be established, that is before sunrise, after sunset and in the night. There is another Quran verse about prayer that reminds about the other two times of the prayer. But this verse also encourages to establish the prayers because prayer is one of the good deeds and good deeds do away with bad deeds. So prayer is a great chance to erase my bad deeds.

Quran verse about those who believe and do good deeds

Quran verse about those who believe and do good deeds


أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم 

Al-Hajj 22:23

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُدْخِلُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ جَنَّٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ يُحَلَّوْنَ فِيهَا مِنْ أَسَاوِرَ مِن ذَهَبٍ وَلُؤْلُؤًاۖ وَلِبَاسُهُمْ فِيهَا حَرِيرٌ 

Indeed, Allah will admit those who believe and do righteous deeds to gardens beneath which rivers flow. They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearl, and their garments therein will be silk.

Al-Hajj 22:24

وَهُدُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلطَّيِّبِ مِنَ ٱلْقَوْلِ وَهُدُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ صِرَٰطِ ٱلْحَمِيدِ 

And they had been guided [in worldly life] to good speech, and they were guided to the path of the Praiseworthy.

There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers

أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم 
Al-Anbiya 21:87

وَذَا ٱلنُّونِ إِذ ذَّهَبَ مُغَٰضِبًا فَظَنَّ أَن لَّن نَّقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ فَنَادَىٰ فِى ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ أَن لَّآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنتَ سُبْحَٰنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ 

And [mention] the man of the fish, when he went off in anger and thought that We would not decree [anything] upon him. And he called out within the darknesses, "There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers."


Al-Anbiya 21:88

فَٱسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُۥ وَنَجَّيْنَٰهُ مِنَ ٱلْغَمِّۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُۨجِى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ 

So We responded to him and saved him from the distress. And thus do We save the believers.

Al-Anbiya 21:89

وَزَكَرِيَّآ إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُۥ رَبِّ لَا تَذَرْنِى فَرْدًا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ ٱلْوَٰرِثِينَ 

And [mention] Zechariah, when he called to his Lord, "My Lord, do not leave me alone [with no heir], while you are the best of inheritors."

Al-Anbiya 21:90

فَٱسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُۥ وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُۥ يَحْيَىٰ وَأَصْلَحْنَا لَهُۥ زَوْجَهُۥٓۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ يُسَٰرِعُونَ فِى ٱلْخَيْرَٰتِ وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًاۖ وَكَانُوا۟ لَنَا خَٰشِعِينَ 

So We responded to him, and We gave to him John, and amended for him his wife. Indeed, they used to hasten to good deeds and supplicate Us in hope and fear, and they were to Us humbly submissive.

Your Companion

أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم 
Qaf 50:27

قَالَ قَرِينُهُۥ رَبَّنَا مَآ أَطْغَيْتُهُۥ وَلَٰكِن كَانَ فِى ضَلَٰلٍۭ بَعِيدٍ 

His [devil] companion will say, "Our Lord, I did not make him transgress, but he [himself] was in extreme error."

Qaf 50:28

قَالَ لَا تَخْتَصِمُوا۟ لَدَىَّ وَقَدْ قَدَّمْتُ إِلَيْكُم بِٱلْوَعِيدِ 

[ Allah ] will say, "Do not dispute before Me, while I had already presented to you the warning.

Qaf 50:29

مَا يُبَدَّلُ ٱلْقَوْلُ لَدَىَّ وَمَآ أَنَا۠ بِظَلَّٰمٍ لِّلْعَبِيدِ 


The word will not be changed with Me, and never will I be unjust

Has not the time came?

Quran verse about those who believe 

أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم 

Al-Hadid 57:16 

أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَن تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ ٱلْحَقِّ وَلَا يَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ مِن قَبْلُ فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْأَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْۖ وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنْهُمْ فَٰسِقُونَ

Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth? And let them not be like those who were given the Scripture before, and a long period passed over them, so their hearts hardened; and many of them are defiantly disobedient.

 My reflections n this Quran verse

 
Many times I recite this ayah and yet it doesn't affect my heart like it affected my heart at the time of this writing. Subhan Allah. When my heart is humbly submissive, I am ready to do anything for Allah but when it is not humbly submissive, I have a delay in doing certain tasks, especially the tasks involving the sacrifice of my ego. I fear that if I don't submit now, my heart will be hardened like those who were given the scripture and a long time passed over them. I wonder what is the difference between me and them? I also have Quran for long time and yet my heart doesn't get always humbly submissive after remembrance of Allah.
 
After reading this ayah I make following duaa.
 
 

اَللّٰهُمَّ اِنِّیْ اَعُوْذُبِكَ مِنْ عِلْمٍ لَّا یَنْفَعُ وَمِنْ قَلْبٍ لَّا یَخْشَعُ وَمِنْ نَّفْسٍ لَّا تَشْبَعُ وَمِنْ دَعْوَةٍ لَّا یُسْتَجَابُ لَھَا

O Allah! I seek refuge in You from knowledge that is not beneficial and from a heart that does not fear, from a soul that is not satiated and from a prayer that is not answered.

اے ﷲ! میں پناہ مانگتا ہوں اس علم سے جو نفع نہ دے اور اس دل سے جو نہ ڈرے اور اس نفس سے جو سیر نہ ہو اور اس دعا سے جو قبول نہ کی جائے۔

( صحیح مسلم، کتاب الذکر والدعاء ، باب فی الأدعیة )

Quran verse about Life of the world


أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم 

Al-Hadid 57:20

ٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَزِينَةٌ وَتَفَاخُرٌۢ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌ فِى ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ وَٱلْأَوْلَٰدِۖ كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ أَعْجَبَ ٱلْكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُۥ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَىٰهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَكُونُ حُطَٰمًاۖ وَفِى ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرِضْوَٰنٌۚ وَمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَآ إِلَّا مَتَٰعُ ٱلْغُرُورِ 


Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children -  like the example of a rain whose [resulting] plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes [scattered] debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion.