مِن قَبْلُ — “from before”
Using مِن with قَبْلُ intensifies the sense of a further, earlier time — “from much before.” Two verses earlier قَبْلُ appears without مِن, so this ayah points even further back than that reference.
إِنَّا كُنَّا مِن قَبْلُ نَدْعُوهُ ۖ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْبَرُّ الرَّحِيمُ
“We used to pray to Him: He is the Good, the Merciful One.”
This reflects persistent supplication and turning to Allah long before the moment of reward.
“We used to pray to Allah and He was good for His promise and gave us much more than imagined in His mercy”.
A concise retrospective of the people of Jannah about their life in the Dunya.
Using مِن with قَبْلُ intensifies the sense of a further, earlier time — “from much before.” Two verses earlier قَبْلُ appears without مِن, so this ayah points even further back than that reference.
نَدْعُوهُ means to call to Him, pray to Him, and supplicate to Him — a posture of worship filled with hope.
إِنَّهُ can begin a new statement: “Indeed, He was Al‑Barr, Ar‑Raheem,” or it can be for ta’leel (reasoning): “Indeed, we used to call to Him because He is Al‑Barr, Ar‑Raheem.” Both readings show hope in His promise and mercy.
In origin, الْبَرُّ refers to land as opposed to the sea: land symbolizes safety and stability; the sea symbolizes risk and volatility. From this, one who is consistently good and reliable is called بَرّ (pl. أَبْرَار).
A key implication: Allah is “good for His promise” — He does not break it. “Verily, Allah does not break the promise” (Aali ‘Imran: 9).
الرَّحِيمُ indicates continuous, enduring giving — His love and care flowing without end, far beyond what can be imagined.
One core implication of الْبَرُّ: when Allah promises, He does not break it — “Verily, Allah does not break the promise” (Aali ‘Imran: 9).
الرَّحِيمُ conveys continuous, forever-giving love and care — beyond expectation.