In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "O People, turn in repentance towards Allah and ask for His forgiveness. For myself, I turn to Allah 100 times a day." [Muslim]
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is addressing us, by him saying, "O People." This should resonate in our hearts. It is an address which transcends time and place. The way we receive the address of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) if the iman (faith) is strong, we will receive it with absolute certainty that he is telling us this for our benefit in this life and the next.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is encouraging us to repent and seek forgiveness of Allah often by his example.
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ جَآءُوكَ فَٱسْتَغْفَرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ ٱلرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا ﴿٦٤[Qur'an, An-Nisa 4:64]
And We did not send any messenger except to be obeyed by permission of Allah. And if, when they wronged themselves, they had come to you, [O Muhammad], and asked forgiveness of Allah and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Accepting of repentance and Merciful. (64)
Repentance is to turn away from sins towards obedience and come to the light of faith. By repentance and asking forgiveness of Allah, we are asking Allah to cover our sins (pardon us and protect us from punishment).
Repentance is a means to purify and cleanse our hearts and to prepare to have the slightest good actions affect us positively.
The reality of repentance that takes place in the heart is a blessing from Allah. It is a blessing for someone to turn away from the darkness of heedlessness and move toward the light of being in a wakeful state.
There are four pillars to repentance.
1. Feel remorse for the action committed. Feel remorse for the sake of Allah -- This is the heart and essence of repentance
2. Leave the sin
3. Intend and resolve to never to do it again.
4. Sins which relate between you and another person, rectify that sin with the other person, to the extent possible, if you are able to. If not, at the very least make du'a and do some type of goodness on behalf of the other person and hope that Allah will make other person content in the Day of Judgment.
Say, astaghfirullah. Have a good opinion of Allah that He will accept your repentance.
قُلْ يَـٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ﴿٥٣[Qur'an, Az-Zumar 39:53]
Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful." (53)
وَٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا۟ فَـٰحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ فَٱسْتَغْفَرُوا۟ لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَن يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُوا۟ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١٣٥[Qur'an, AleImran 3:135]
And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allah? - and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know. (135)
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ تُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحًا عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَن يُكَفِّرَ عَنكُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمْ وَيُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ يَوْمَ لَا يُخْزِى ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّبِىَّ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ ۖ نُورُهُمْ يَسْعَىٰ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَبِأَيْمَـٰنِهِمْ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ أَتْمِمْ لَنَا نُورَنَا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَآ ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌۭ ﴿٨[Qur'an, At-Tahrim 66:8]
O you who have believed, repent to Allah with sincere repentance. Perhaps your Lord will remove from you your misdeeds and admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow [on] the Day when Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believed with him. Their light will proceed before them and on their right; they will say, "Our Lord, perfect for us our light and forgive us. Indeed, You are over all things competent." (8)
Abu Hurayrah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet ((Allah bless him and grant him peace)) said, "Allah, the Exalted, and Glorious said: 'A slave committed a sin and he said: O Allah, forgive my sin,' and Allah said: 'My slave committed a sin and then he realized that he has a Lord Who forgives the sins and punishes for the sin.' He then again committed a sin and said: 'My Lord, forgive my sin,' and Allah said: 'My slave committed a sin and then realized that he has a Lord Who forgives his sin and punishes for the sin.' He again committed a sin and said: 'My Lord, forgive my sin,' and Allah said: 'My slave has committed a sin and then realized that he has a Lord Who forgives the sin or takes (him) to account for sin. I have granted forgiveness to my slave. Let him do whatever he likes".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
The last sentence "let him do..". means, as long he keeps asking for forgiveness after the commission of sins, and repents, Allah will forgive him because repentance eliminates previous sins".
Commentary: This Hadith tells us that so long as the heart of a Muslim remains free from willful disobedience of Divine injunctions and he does not deliberately neglect his religious duties, that is to say he goes on committing sins and each time wholeheartedly begs pardon for them, Almighty, Allah will forgive him. The reason being that he is penitent for his wrongs and does not insist upon them for fear of accountability. This condition of his shows that his heart is full of awe and Majesty of Allah and he does not feel any disgrace in showing his utter humbleness before Him. Now this is a merit of the sinful which is pleasing to Allah. Thus, He says that so long as his slave continues submission and prostration He will go on forgiving him.
On the contrary, there is a person who goes on committing sins but he neither repents for them nor seeks pardon for his wrongs; nor has any fear of accountability. Obviously, he is altogether different from the kind of Muslims mentioned before, and he will be therefore treated differently by Allah. The conduct of the former is of a Muslim who, in spite of his sins, is liked by Allah while the second is of that of a rebel for whom He has kept severe punishment ready.
May Allah rank us among the former category of people. May Allah make us of the people of Tawba and who return to our Lord in all of our different states such that we return to our Lord having high hopes in Him and all our sins are forgiven and our sins are erased from our scrolls and the traces will be erased from our hearts so that we can attain His love and closeness to Him.
Ameen.
Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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