'Abdullāh Ibn 'Abbās / Muḥammad al-Fīrūzabādī
تفسير : (our lord!) these also say: o our lord! (cause not our hearts to stray) do not make our hearts deviate from your religion (after thou hast guided us) to your religion, (and bestow upon us mercy from thy presence) make us firm in holding to your religion. (lo! thou, only thou art the bestower) to the believers before us; it is also said that this means: you are the bestower of prophethood and islam to muhammad.
Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī
تفسير : our lord, do not cause our hearts to deviate, do not cause them to incline away from the truth, in [their] desire to interpret it, such as is inappropriate for us — as you caused the hearts of those [others] to deviate — after you have guided us, [after] you have shown us the way to it; and give us mercy from you, as a strengthening; you are the bestower.
Sahl al-Tustari
تفسير : our lord, do not cause our hearts to deviate after you have guided us…that is, ‘do not let our hearts turn away from faith after you have guided us with guidance from yourself’; …but grant us mercy from you, ⸢that is, stability (thabāt)⸣ …you are the one who bestows, upon those who return to you in a state of neediness, entreaty and lowliness.then sahl said:the only stratagem (ḥīla) that the servant has is to establish the practice throughout his life of saying, ‘my lord! protect me! protect me! keep me safe! keep me safe! help me! help me!’ god, exalted is he, has said, as he brought you into being, so shall you return [7:29].every person who affirms god’s oneness should know for a certainty that not everyone who loves god (Ḥaqq) is loved by him, for iblīs encountered him with the ⸢outward sign⸣ of love and said, ‘shall i prostrate before one whom you have created from clay [17:61], when you are god, and it is not permissible to worship other than you?’ consequently god cursed him. therefore, not all those who try to draw close to god are accepted by him. nor does god accept the obedience (ṭāʿa) of all who obey him. truly he perceives what is in the conscience (ḍamīr) [of all his creatures]. thus, no one can feel secure that god will not deal with him in the same way that he dealt with iblīs. god cursed him with the lights of his protection (bi-anwār ʿiṣmatihi) such that he was always in reality under his curse, but god veiled him from what had been foreordained [for him] from him, up until the time when he punished him by bringing it to realisation through him. thus, the servant can do nothing except continually [implore] help (ghawth) from god. indeed the messenger <img border="0" src="images/salatonmassenger.jpg" width="24" height="22"> said, ‘o you who make the steadfast firm, make me firm with your firmness (thabāt)! o you whose oneness is unchanging, for there is no god except you, glorified are you! truly i have been among the wrongdoers.’ he wouldalso say: ‘o lord and protector (walī) of islam and its people, make me firm in islam until i encounter you!’ [sahl] said [on this matter], ‘the place of faith in god, exalted is he, is the heart and the place of islam is the breast, and it is subject to increase and decrease.’ his words:
