There is a literal and historical explanation behind every ayah in the Qur’an. Then there is an infinite amount of deeper, metaphorical, and underlying meanings, disclosed only to those who are worthy of its disclosure. This is what makes the Qur’an so beautiful and mysterious. Reading the same ayah at a later time may reveal to you another secret that you didn’t know before.
There is one ayah in Surah al-Anfal that is referring to the aftermath of war. The ayah is as follows:
“…If God knows any good in your hearts, He will give you something better than what has been taken from you, and He will forgive you, and God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [al-Anfal: 70]
The Prophet (pbuh) was commanded to say this to the captives taken in war. However this is also a powerful reminder to ourselves whenever something has been taken from us in the dunya. We may not be captives of war, but we may as well be captives of the dunya and thus a loss in it is devastating for us! May God replace our ‘losses’ with better opportunities and new openings! Ameen!
