Quran Universe
26:51

إِنَّا نَطۡمَعُ أَن يَغۡفِرَ لَنَا رَبُّنَا خَطَٰيَٰنَآ أَن كُنَّآ أَوَّلَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ

Inna natmaAAu an yaghfira lana rabbuna khatayana an kunna awwala almumineena

Indeed, we aspire that our Lord will forgive us our sins because we were the first of the believers."

Word by word
  1. إِنَّاIndeed,we
  2. نَطۡمَعُhope
  3. أَنthat
  4. يَغۡفِرَwill forgive
  5. لَنَاus
  6. رَبُّنَاour Lord
  7. خَطَٰيَٰنَآour sins
  8. أَنbecause
  9. كُنَّآwe are
  10. أَوَّلَ(the) first
  11. ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ(of) the believers
Ash-Shu'ara · 26:51Makkah

Forgive us. We were the first to believe.

Hope at the very end of a life

Their hope
our sinsand the magic we were forced into
hoping for
forgivenessthe first of our people
How much time they had
years to make uptoo late now
a few minutesand full hope

They hoped Allah would forgive the sins they committed and the magic Fir'awn forced them to do. Ibn Kathir says they were the first of the Egyptians to believe. Their whole life of faith was a few minutes long, and it was full of hope.

You think it is too late. Too many years away, too many wrong turns. You will start when you are better. The magicians had minutes and they spent them hoping in Allah's forgiveness. Start now.

I have done too much wrong for too long to be forgiven.

It is never too late to turn. Even minutes of faith are full of hope.

Try this

Ask Allah for forgiveness today in your own words, hopefully, not fearfully.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 26:49)

He said: "You have believed in him before I give you leave. Surely, he indeed is your chief, who has taught you magic! So verily, you shall come to know. Verily, I will cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will crucify you all. (49)They said: "No harm! Surely, to our Lord we are to return. (50)"Verily, we really hope that our Lord will forgive us our sins, as we are the first of the believers. (51)

Between Fir'awn and the Sorcerers

His threats against them resulted only in an increase in their faith and submission to Allah, for the veil of disbelief had been lifted from their hearts and the truth became clear to them because they knew something that their people did not: that what Musa had done could not have been done by any human being unless Allah helped him, making it proof and an evidence of the truth of what he had brought from his Lord. Then Fir'awn said to them:

آمَنتُمْ لَهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ آذَنَ لَكُمْ

(You have believed in him before I give you leave.) meaning, 'you should have asked my permission for what you did, and you did not consult with me; if I had given you permission you could have done it, and if I did not allow you, you should not have done it, for I am the ruler and the one to be obeyed.'

إِنَّهُ لَكَبِيرُكُمُ الَّذِي عَلَّمَكُمُ السِّحْرَ

(Surely, he indeed is your chief, who has taught you magic!) This is stubborn talk, and anyone can see that it is nonsense, for they had never met Musa before that day, so how could he have been their chief who taught them how to do magic No rational person would say this. Then Fir'awn threatened to cut off their hands and feet, and crucify them. They said:

لَا ضَيْرَ

(No harm!) meaning, 'no problem, that will not harm us and we do not care.'

إِنَّا إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا مُنقَلِبُونَ

(Surely, to our Lord we are to return.) means, 'the return of us all is to Allah, may He be glorified, and He will never allow the reward of anyone who has done good to be lost. What you have done to us is not hidden from Him, and He will reward us in full for that.' So they said:

إِنَّا نَطْمَعُ أَن يَغْفِرَ لَنَا رَبُّنَا خَطَايَانَا

(Verily, we really hope that our Lord will forgive us our sins,) 'the sins we have committed and the magic you forced us to do.'

أَن كُنَّا أَوَّلَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(as we are the first of the believers,) means, because we are the first of our people, the Egyptians, to believe. So he killed them all.