When One Ayah Spoke Louder Than a Language I Could Not Understand
A few nights ago, I was listening to a talk from this community . I am Bangladeshi, and I do not speak Urdu properly. Most of the lecture passed over my head. I caught a few words here and there, but I could not follow everything. Then one verse was recited. Rabbana zalamna anfusana wa-in lam taghfir lana watarhamna lanakoonanna mina al-khasireen. Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers. That verse stayed with me. It is the duʿa of Adam and Hawwa after they made a mistake. It is mentioned in the Qur'an. When I later read its meaning carefully, I felt something shift inside me. They did not blame Shaytan. They did not blame each other. They did not make excuses. They said, “We have wronged ourselves.” That line felt personal. Most of us are quick to explain our failures. We blame circumstances, people, pressure, timing. I do it too. But this ayah removes all that noise. It brings everything back to personal responsibility. It teaches honesty before Allah. And then comes the second part of the duʿa. “If You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.” Not just people who made a mistake.Losers. It made me think about what real loss actually means. It is not losing money. Not losing status. Not failing in business. Real loss is living without seeking forgiveness. Real loss is standing before Allah without humility. That night, I understood something beyond language. I could not follow the full Urdu lecture but yes i am understand and trying to undrstand, but the Qur’an does not depend on nationality. Faith is not limited by borders. I am Bangladeshi. But this ayah belongs to all of us. Since then, I repeat this duʿa more often. Not only after clear mistakes, but when I feel distracted, careless, or distant . It keeps my ego small. It reminds me that growth starts with admitting weakness. Sometimes you do not need to understand every word of a lecture. Sometimes one ayah is enough to wake you up.