Allah has commanded all the believers to repent, as He says:
"...And all of you beg Allah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful." [Noble Quran 24:31]
Allah's Mercy:
You should know that Allah has commanded His slaves to repent sincerely and has made doing so obligatory. He says:
"O you who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance..." [Noble Quran 66:8]
Allah has given us time to repent before the honorable scribes (recording angels) record our deeds. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"The (scribe) on the left hand raises his pen (i.e., delays writing) for six hours [we do not know that this is six hours in our understanding of time] before he records the sinful deed of a Muslim. If he regrets it and seeks Allah's forgiveness, the deed is not recorded, otherwise it is recorded as one deed." [At-Tabarani]
A further respite is granted after the deed has been recorded, up until the moment before death approaches. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"Whoever repents before the death rattle reaches his throat, Allah will accept it from him" (Ahmad and al-Tirmidhi) and "Whoever repents before the sun rises in the West, Allah will accept his repentance" [Muslim]
The Danger of Taking Sin Lightly:
Major or minor sins....all are disobedience to Allah. Anas said: "You do things which in your eyes are less significant than a hair, but at the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), we used to count them as things that could destroy a man."
Ibn Mas'ud said: "The believer regards his sin as if he were sitting beneath a mountain which he fears may fall on him, whereas the sinner regards his sin as if a fly lands on his nose and he swipes it away."
Will these people then understand the seriousness of the matter when they read the following Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him)?
"Beware of the minor sins which are often thought of as insignificant, for they are like a group of people who stopped in the bottom of a valley. One of them brought a stick, and another brought a stick, until they had gathered enough to cook their food. These minor sins, if a person is called to account for them, will destroy him." According to another report, he said: "Beware of minor sins, for they will pile up until they destroy a person." [Ahmad]
Conditions For the Acceptance of Repentance:
The word Tawbah ("repentance") conveys a profound meaning, one which carries great implications. It is not, as many people think, the matter of mere lip-service, after uttering which a person may then continue in his sin. If you ponder the meaning of the ayah:
"...Seek the forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him in repentance..." [Noble Quran 11:3]
You will see that repentance is something which is over and above seeking for forgiveness.
Condition 1:
That the sin should be given up only for the sake of Allah, not for any other reason, such as being unable to do it, or being afraid of what people will say. The one who does not commit a sin because of reasons beyond her control cannot be described as one who repents. So the liar who is robbed of the power of speech, the adulterer who becomes impotent, the thief who loses her limbs in an accident...all of them must feel remorse for what they have done and give up any wish to do it again. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"Remorse is repentance." [Ahmad and Ibn Majah]
Condition 2:
The one who repents should feel that her sin is repulsive and harmful. This means that if a person repents sincerely, she cannot derive any feelings of pleasure or enjoyment when she remembers her past sins, or wish to repeat them in the future.
What Should I Do When I Have Sinned?:
The first is to feel remorse in one's heart and to be determined not to repeat the sin. This is the result of fearing Allah. The second is to undertake some physical action to do different kinds of good deeds, such as praying Salat at-Tawbah (the prayer of repentance). Abu Bakrah said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say:
"There is no man who commits a sin, then gets up, purifies himself, prays two Rak'ahs then asks Allah to forgive him, but Allah will forgive him.'" Then he recited this ayah: "And those who, when they have committed Fahishah (illegal sexual intercourse, etc.) or wronged themselves with evil, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their sins; - and none can forgive sins but Allah - and do not persist in what (wrong) they have done, while they know." [Noble Quran 3:135]
Other Sahih reports describe how to perform the two Rak'ahs which will expiate for sin.
In Summary:
1. She should perform Wudu'. "There is no-one who performs Wudu' and performs it well, but her sins will fall from the washed limbs with the water or with the last drop of water."
2. She should stand and offer two Rak'ahs of prayer.
3. She should not make any mistakes or forget any part of the prayer.
4. She should not let her thoughts wander.
5. She should concentrate properly and think of Allah whilst praying.
6. Then she should seek the forgiveness of Allah.
The result will be that her previous sins will be forgiven, and she will be assured of Paradise.
This should be followed with more good deeds and acts of obedience to Allah. When 'Umar realized that he had made the mistake of disagreeing with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) during the Campaign of al-Hudaybiyah, he said: "Because of that I did many deeds," i.e., righteous deeds, as expiation for that sin.
Think about the example given in the following Sahih Hadith: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"The one who does bad deeds then does good deeds is like a man who wears a tight coat of mail which almost chokes him; when he does a good deed, it becomes a little looser, and as he does more good deeds it becomes even looser, until it falls off him and drops to the ground." [At-Tabarani]
So good deeds release the sinner from the prison of disobedience, and bring her forth into the brave new world of obedience to Allah.
Ibn Mas'ud said: "A man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, I found a woman in a garden and I did everything with her (kissing and fondling) except that (intercourse), so do with me as you will.' The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not say anything, and the man went away. 'Umar said: 'Allah covered his sin. He should have covered it himself.' The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) followed the man with his gaze and said: 'Bring him back to me.' So they brought him back, and (the Prophet (peace be upon him) recited to him: 'And perform al-Salah (prayer) at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night.
"Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e., small sins). That is a reminder for the mindful (those who accept advice)" [Noble Quran 11:114]
According to the report narrated by 'Umar, Mu'adh said: "O Messenger of Allah, is this just for him or does it apply to all the people?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "No, it applies to all the people." [Muslim]
Other Steps to Take:
She should avoid the place where the sin was committed if her presence there will lead to her committing the same sin again. She should shun those who helped her to commit the sin. Allah says:
"Friends on that Day will be foes one to another, except al-Muttaqun (the pious)." [Noble Quran 43:67]
Bad friends will curse one another on the Day of Judgment, which is why when you repent, you should keep away from them, shun them, and warn others about them if they do not respond to your Dawah and advice. You should not let Shaytan tempt you to go back to them on the grounds that you want to advise them, especially when you know yourself to be weak and unable to resist this temptation. There are many cases of people falling back into sin because they went back to the company of bad friends.
She should destroy the Haram things in her possession, such as alcoholic drinks, musical instruments (like 'Oud - a stringed instrument - and Mizmar - a wind instrument), Haram pictures and films, worthless literature and statues.
She should choose righteous friends who will help her, instead of those bad friends. She should strive to attend gatherings where Allah is remembered and where she may gain more knowledge. She should fill her time with worthwhile pursuits so that Shaytan will not find ways to remind her of the past.
She should rebuild her body which has been fed on unlawful things, by obeying Allah and striving to nourish it with only lawful things, so that it will become strong.
Will Allah Forgive Me?:
The guiding principle for us Muslims is to refer to the Quran and Sunnah when we look for rulings, solutions and remedies. When we refer this matter to the Quran, we find that Allah says:
"Say: 'O My slaves who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. And turn in repentance and in obedience with true faith to your Lord and submit to Him..." [Noble Quran 39:53-54]
It is sufficient to quote the words of Allah:
"...and My Mercy embraces all things..." [Noble Quran 7:156]
And the Sahih Hadith Qudsi, Allah says:
"Whoever knows that I am able to forgive all sins, I shall forgive him, and I shall not mind, so long as he does not associate anything with Me." [At-Tabarani]
This refers to when the slave meets his Lord in the Hereafter. Also the Hadith Qudsi:
"'O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and put your hope in Me, I will forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, if your sins were to reach the clouds of the sky, and you were to ask me for forgiveness, I will forgive you and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, if you were to come to Me with sins nearly the size of the earth, and you were to meet Me not associating anything with Me, then I would bring you forgiveness nearly the size of (the earth).'" [At-Tirmidhi]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said:
"The one who repents from his sin is like the one who did not sin in the first place." [Ibn Majah]
The repentance of one who killed a hundred:
The Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
"There was among the people who came before you a man who killed ninety-nine people. Then he asked about the most knowledgeable person on earth, and was directed to a hermit, so he went to him, told him that he had killed ninety-nine people, and asked if he could be forgiven. The hermit said, 'No,' so he killed him, thus completing one hundred. Then he asked about the most knowledgeable person on earth and was directed to a scholar. He told him that he had killed one hundred people, and asked whether he could be forgiven. The scholar said, 'Yes, what could possibly come between you and repentance? Go to such-and-such a town, for in it there are people who worship Allah. Go and worship with them, and do not go back to your own town, for it is a bad place." So the man set off, but when he was halfway there, the angel of death came to him, and the angels of mercy and the angels of wrath began to argue over him. The angels of mercy said: 'He had repented and was seeking Allah.' The angels of wrath said: 'He never did any good thing.' An angel in human form came to them, and they asked him to decide the matter. He said: 'Measure the distance between the two lands (his home town and the town he was headed for), and whichever of the two he is closest to is the one to which he belongs.' So they measured the distance, and found that he was closer to the town for which he had been headed, so the angels of mercy took him." [Agreed upon]
What then can come between a person and repentance? Do you think that your sins are any greater than the sins of this man, whose repentance Allah accepted? So why despair? The matter is even greater than this. Think about the words of Allah:
"And those who invoke not any other god along with Allah, nor kill such life as Allah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse - and whoever does this shall receive the punishment. The torment shall be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace; except those who repent and believe, and do righteous deeds; for those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." [Noble Quran 25:68-70]
"...And all of you beg Allah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful." [Noble Quran 24:31]
Allah's Mercy:
You should know that Allah has commanded His slaves to repent sincerely and has made doing so obligatory. He says:
"O you who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance..." [Noble Quran 66:8]
Allah has given us time to repent before the honorable scribes (recording angels) record our deeds. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"The (scribe) on the left hand raises his pen (i.e., delays writing) for six hours [we do not know that this is six hours in our understanding of time] before he records the sinful deed of a Muslim. If he regrets it and seeks Allah's forgiveness, the deed is not recorded, otherwise it is recorded as one deed." [At-Tabarani]
A further respite is granted after the deed has been recorded, up until the moment before death approaches. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"Whoever repents before the death rattle reaches his throat, Allah will accept it from him" (Ahmad and al-Tirmidhi) and "Whoever repents before the sun rises in the West, Allah will accept his repentance" [Muslim]
The Danger of Taking Sin Lightly:
Major or minor sins....all are disobedience to Allah. Anas said: "You do things which in your eyes are less significant than a hair, but at the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), we used to count them as things that could destroy a man."
Ibn Mas'ud said: "The believer regards his sin as if he were sitting beneath a mountain which he fears may fall on him, whereas the sinner regards his sin as if a fly lands on his nose and he swipes it away."
Will these people then understand the seriousness of the matter when they read the following Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him)?
"Beware of the minor sins which are often thought of as insignificant, for they are like a group of people who stopped in the bottom of a valley. One of them brought a stick, and another brought a stick, until they had gathered enough to cook their food. These minor sins, if a person is called to account for them, will destroy him." According to another report, he said: "Beware of minor sins, for they will pile up until they destroy a person." [Ahmad]
Conditions For the Acceptance of Repentance:
The word Tawbah ("repentance") conveys a profound meaning, one which carries great implications. It is not, as many people think, the matter of mere lip-service, after uttering which a person may then continue in his sin. If you ponder the meaning of the ayah:
"...Seek the forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him in repentance..." [Noble Quran 11:3]
You will see that repentance is something which is over and above seeking for forgiveness.
Condition 1:
That the sin should be given up only for the sake of Allah, not for any other reason, such as being unable to do it, or being afraid of what people will say. The one who does not commit a sin because of reasons beyond her control cannot be described as one who repents. So the liar who is robbed of the power of speech, the adulterer who becomes impotent, the thief who loses her limbs in an accident...all of them must feel remorse for what they have done and give up any wish to do it again. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"Remorse is repentance." [Ahmad and Ibn Majah]
Condition 2:
The one who repents should feel that her sin is repulsive and harmful. This means that if a person repents sincerely, she cannot derive any feelings of pleasure or enjoyment when she remembers her past sins, or wish to repeat them in the future.
What Should I Do When I Have Sinned?:
The first is to feel remorse in one's heart and to be determined not to repeat the sin. This is the result of fearing Allah. The second is to undertake some physical action to do different kinds of good deeds, such as praying Salat at-Tawbah (the prayer of repentance). Abu Bakrah said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say:
"There is no man who commits a sin, then gets up, purifies himself, prays two Rak'ahs then asks Allah to forgive him, but Allah will forgive him.'" Then he recited this ayah: "And those who, when they have committed Fahishah (illegal sexual intercourse, etc.) or wronged themselves with evil, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their sins; - and none can forgive sins but Allah - and do not persist in what (wrong) they have done, while they know." [Noble Quran 3:135]
Other Sahih reports describe how to perform the two Rak'ahs which will expiate for sin.
In Summary:
1. She should perform Wudu'. "There is no-one who performs Wudu' and performs it well, but her sins will fall from the washed limbs with the water or with the last drop of water."
2. She should stand and offer two Rak'ahs of prayer.
3. She should not make any mistakes or forget any part of the prayer.
4. She should not let her thoughts wander.
5. She should concentrate properly and think of Allah whilst praying.
6. Then she should seek the forgiveness of Allah.
The result will be that her previous sins will be forgiven, and she will be assured of Paradise.
This should be followed with more good deeds and acts of obedience to Allah. When 'Umar realized that he had made the mistake of disagreeing with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) during the Campaign of al-Hudaybiyah, he said: "Because of that I did many deeds," i.e., righteous deeds, as expiation for that sin.
Think about the example given in the following Sahih Hadith: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"The one who does bad deeds then does good deeds is like a man who wears a tight coat of mail which almost chokes him; when he does a good deed, it becomes a little looser, and as he does more good deeds it becomes even looser, until it falls off him and drops to the ground." [At-Tabarani]
So good deeds release the sinner from the prison of disobedience, and bring her forth into the brave new world of obedience to Allah.
Ibn Mas'ud said: "A man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, I found a woman in a garden and I did everything with her (kissing and fondling) except that (intercourse), so do with me as you will.' The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not say anything, and the man went away. 'Umar said: 'Allah covered his sin. He should have covered it himself.' The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) followed the man with his gaze and said: 'Bring him back to me.' So they brought him back, and (the Prophet (peace be upon him) recited to him: 'And perform al-Salah (prayer) at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night.
"Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e., small sins). That is a reminder for the mindful (those who accept advice)" [Noble Quran 11:114]
According to the report narrated by 'Umar, Mu'adh said: "O Messenger of Allah, is this just for him or does it apply to all the people?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "No, it applies to all the people." [Muslim]
Other Steps to Take:
She should avoid the place where the sin was committed if her presence there will lead to her committing the same sin again. She should shun those who helped her to commit the sin. Allah says:
"Friends on that Day will be foes one to another, except al-Muttaqun (the pious)." [Noble Quran 43:67]
Bad friends will curse one another on the Day of Judgment, which is why when you repent, you should keep away from them, shun them, and warn others about them if they do not respond to your Dawah and advice. You should not let Shaytan tempt you to go back to them on the grounds that you want to advise them, especially when you know yourself to be weak and unable to resist this temptation. There are many cases of people falling back into sin because they went back to the company of bad friends.
She should destroy the Haram things in her possession, such as alcoholic drinks, musical instruments (like 'Oud - a stringed instrument - and Mizmar - a wind instrument), Haram pictures and films, worthless literature and statues.
She should choose righteous friends who will help her, instead of those bad friends. She should strive to attend gatherings where Allah is remembered and where she may gain more knowledge. She should fill her time with worthwhile pursuits so that Shaytan will not find ways to remind her of the past.
She should rebuild her body which has been fed on unlawful things, by obeying Allah and striving to nourish it with only lawful things, so that it will become strong.
Will Allah Forgive Me?:
The guiding principle for us Muslims is to refer to the Quran and Sunnah when we look for rulings, solutions and remedies. When we refer this matter to the Quran, we find that Allah says:
"Say: 'O My slaves who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. And turn in repentance and in obedience with true faith to your Lord and submit to Him..." [Noble Quran 39:53-54]
It is sufficient to quote the words of Allah:
"...and My Mercy embraces all things..." [Noble Quran 7:156]
And the Sahih Hadith Qudsi, Allah says:
"Whoever knows that I am able to forgive all sins, I shall forgive him, and I shall not mind, so long as he does not associate anything with Me." [At-Tabarani]
This refers to when the slave meets his Lord in the Hereafter. Also the Hadith Qudsi:
"'O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and put your hope in Me, I will forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, if your sins were to reach the clouds of the sky, and you were to ask me for forgiveness, I will forgive you and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, if you were to come to Me with sins nearly the size of the earth, and you were to meet Me not associating anything with Me, then I would bring you forgiveness nearly the size of (the earth).'" [At-Tirmidhi]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said:
"The one who repents from his sin is like the one who did not sin in the first place." [Ibn Majah]
The repentance of one who killed a hundred:
The Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
"There was among the people who came before you a man who killed ninety-nine people. Then he asked about the most knowledgeable person on earth, and was directed to a hermit, so he went to him, told him that he had killed ninety-nine people, and asked if he could be forgiven. The hermit said, 'No,' so he killed him, thus completing one hundred. Then he asked about the most knowledgeable person on earth and was directed to a scholar. He told him that he had killed one hundred people, and asked whether he could be forgiven. The scholar said, 'Yes, what could possibly come between you and repentance? Go to such-and-such a town, for in it there are people who worship Allah. Go and worship with them, and do not go back to your own town, for it is a bad place." So the man set off, but when he was halfway there, the angel of death came to him, and the angels of mercy and the angels of wrath began to argue over him. The angels of mercy said: 'He had repented and was seeking Allah.' The angels of wrath said: 'He never did any good thing.' An angel in human form came to them, and they asked him to decide the matter. He said: 'Measure the distance between the two lands (his home town and the town he was headed for), and whichever of the two he is closest to is the one to which he belongs.' So they measured the distance, and found that he was closer to the town for which he had been headed, so the angels of mercy took him." [Agreed upon]
What then can come between a person and repentance? Do you think that your sins are any greater than the sins of this man, whose repentance Allah accepted? So why despair? The matter is even greater than this. Think about the words of Allah:
"And those who invoke not any other god along with Allah, nor kill such life as Allah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse - and whoever does this shall receive the punishment. The torment shall be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace; except those who repent and believe, and do righteous deeds; for those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." [Noble Quran 25:68-70]
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