بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
You hear a sermon emphasizing the importance of repentance and then think to yourself, "I don't remember the last time I repented. Come to think of it, I don't even remember the last time I sinned." What do you tell yourself when these thoughts come to your mind?
You should be grateful that you are still alive and that it is not too late to ask for Allah's forgiveness. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, who necessarily sinless, turned towards Allah in repentance 100 (many) times a day. We have the more reason to do this because each and every one of us fall into sins by day and by night.
Repentance does not require a sin. Nobody ever does what Allah deserves from them even the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. One can only draw closer to Allah if one feels that there is something about oneself that one needs to change. If one feels that everything about one is just fine, then it is not possible to draw closer to the Lord because one is under no pressure to do anything.
The point of repentance, then, is to drive one to Allah Most High. The opposite of repentance is self-satisfaction. Self-satisfaction is a tool that Shaytan uses to reduce one's religious practice. The general rule is that if one is not drawing close to Allah Most High, one is most likely getting farther away from Him.
True repentance comes from inculcating a sense of duty to the Lord. This is realized by training the heart to serve Allah, constantly asking at every juncture of one's life, "What does Allah want me to do right now?" and doing it even if one is inclined to do something else.
The point, then, is not to remember one's sins, but to feel repentant over not giving Allah what He deserves.
We ask Allah to forgive all our sins and have mercy on us. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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