The Honour of Prophets — Page 27
27 firm without divine support. Therefore, this is a natural requirement of man for which he has been directed to perform istighfar. It is to this that the Holy Quran refers in the following: 9 ُ هُوَ اَلْحَيُّ الْقَيُّوْم ُ لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا ﷲ اَ In other words, it is God alone who is worthy of worship because He alone is the one who grants life and it is by His support alone that man can survive. That is to say, the emergence of man required two things: a Creator and an All Sustaining Being, so that the former could bring him into existence and the latter would preserve him from corruption. And so it is God who is both the Creator and Sustainer. The attribute of creation was manifested when man was brought into existence, but the divine function of providing sustenance was to work ceaselessly. Hence arose the need for constant istighfar. Every attribute of God bestows a form of grace and istighfar is needed to draw out the grace of God’s support. It is to this that the following verse of Surah Fatihah refers: 10 ُ اِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَ اِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِيْن This means, you alone do we worship and you alone 9 al-Baqarah, 2:256 10 al-Fatihah, 1:5