By Shaykh Abdulbary Yahya
23 January 2026

﷽ 

The story of the man who repented during the drought in the time of Prophet Musa (‘alayhis-salam) always moves me.

It was a time of severe drought. The animals were dying, the trees had withered, and the children were starving. So the people of Bani Isra‘il came to Prophet Musa and pleaded with him to supplicate to Allah for rain. In response, Prophet Musa gathered the people in an open plain and turned to Allah in du‘a, saying, “O Allah, the elders are suffering, the children are starving, the animals are dying, and the vegetation has dried up. Please send down rain upon us.”

But Allah revealed to Musa, “O Musa, among you is a servant who has been disobeying Me for 40 years. Ask him to leave the gathering, and I will send the rain.” Musa then addressed the people and said, “Whoever it is among us who has been disobeying Allah for 40 years, leave this congregation so that we may be blessed with rain.”

Everyone looked left and right, but no one moved. There was one man among them who knew he was the one being addressed. But he was torn. If he stood up and left, everyone would know. But if he stayed, the people would continue to suffer. Overcome with guilt and shame, he lowered his head, covered himself, and began to weep in sincere repentance. He turned to Allah in his heart, repented for his sins, and begged for forgiveness.

Soon after, the rain began to fall.

Musa asked, “O Allah, You sent the rain but no one left the gathering.” And Allah replied, “O Musa, I sent the rain because of the same man, because of his sincere repentance. And just as I concealed his sins for 40 years, do you think I would now expose him in his repentance?”

What a story. What a Lord. 

Allah is not looking for perfection from us. He’s looking for sincerity. And that one man’s remorse changed the outcome for an entire nation. It makes me ask myself: what change could my repentance bring?

We often get caught up in pointing fingers, at governments, leaders, imams, communities, cultures. But rarely do we stop and look in the mirror. The Qur’an is clear: 

So what if the first step to a better Ummah is actually a better me? 

We forget that we’ve been honoured. Allah says:

But being the best isn’t a trophy, it’s a responsibility. It means we carry ourselves with purpose. That we are known not just for how we dress, but how we act.

Being the best means being the best neighbour. The best co-worker. The most helpful classmate. The most trustworthy employee. The one who sees rubbish in the street and picks it up, not because a camera is watching, but because Allah is. 

Our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ used to be known as al-Amin – the Trustworthy – even by those who hated him. Enemies would leave their valuables with him before traveling. Even before revelation, he was the most reliable, the most caring. And when revelation did come, and he trembled from the weight of it, his wife Khadijah (radiya Allahu ‘anha) reminded him of who he was: “You uphold ties of kinship, you bear the burden of the weak, you earn for the one without wealth, you honour the guest, and you aid those struck with calamity.”

That was before the Qur’an was even revealed to him. Imagine what came after.

We sometimes ask, “Why isn’t Allah answering our du‘a? Why is the Ummah suffering?” But the question we should be asking is: are we responding to Allah? Are we returning to Him, sincerely, privately, like that man in the story?

Because Allah says:

He didn’t say the pious, the scholars, the perfect. Just “the one who calls upon Me.”

The Prophet ﷺ said, “Know Allah in times of ease and He will know you in times of hardship.” If we respond to Allah, He will respond to us. 

And where do we begin? The Prophet ﷺ gave us simple, practical steps: 

He said, “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” That’s the foundation of good character, to love, to want goodness for others, not just ourselves. 

He also said, “From the perfection of one’s Islam is to leave what does not concern him.” Prioritise. Focus on what matters. Don’t get lost in gossip, debates, distractions. Do what you can, with what you have.

And he said, “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent.” Your tongue, your words – they matter. Let them be a source of healing, not harm.

Finally, a man came to the Prophet ﷺ asking for advice. The Prophet replied simply, “Don’t get angry.” He repeated it multiple times. Because anger, when unchecked, ruins relationships, clouds judgment, and distances us from Allah.

So we start small. We look within. We take that first step toward change. And we remember that no one else may see it. But Allah does.

May Allah make us among those who embody the Qur’an in character, who respond to His call with sincerity, and who inspire change not just by our words, but by who we are.

O Allah, grant us the humility to see our own faults, the sincerity to repent, the strength to change, and the honour of being among those You love. 

Ameen.

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