Tags
Abu Hurairah, Abu Umamah, Aisha, Allah, Almighty, Almighty ALLAH, Anas, Anas ibn Malik, Bukhari, hadith, HEREAFTER, ISLAAH, ISLAM, Muhammad, Muslim, paradise, Prophet, Quran, REPENTANCE, SAHABAH, Sunnah, The Glorious Quran
In the name of ALLAH the most kind the most merciful.
Salutations be upon the beloved messenger of ALLAH Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him in abundance).
ALLAH the Almighty has said in the glorious Qur’an,
“So will they not repent to Allah and seek His forgiveness? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” (5:74)
The beloved messenger of ALLAH the Almighty (peace and blessings be upon him) has said,
“The one who repents from sin is like the one who has no sin.” (Ibn Majah)
The Definition of a ‘Sin’.
A sin is an act either said or done by a person contrary to its prescribed manner with regards to a certain religion or the natural displeasure of an existing-being.
This means that a person who follows a religion is compelled by the laws of that religion to stay within its limits and never to exceed the boundaries that have been set. The one who fails to adhere to its rulings has done a great injustice and gone against the laws of that religion resulting in the displeasure of the deity which makes one eligible of incurring a ‘SIN’.
A sin is usually seen to be connected to an action carried out contrary to ones religion. This is in-effect correct yet questionable to restrict it just to this as there are many people who do not have a religion so are they sinless?!
Therefore it is safe to say that even actions that are done contrary to the liking of an ‘existing-being’ not just the human-being is a ‘SIN’ as such an action has gone against the natural forms of happiness causing displeasure and discomfort to another human or an ‘existing-being’ such as an animal. Which in a case of one who follows a religion would be a sin anyway as they have broken the rule of saving other beings from harm.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“There will come a time when holding on to your Iman (belief) will be like holding on to hot coals”
(Thirmidhi)
Today we live in a world which is full of temptation, full of desires and full of sin. It has become very difficult for a person to safe guard oneself from what the world throws towards ones direction. We live in such an era, such a society that promotes ‘New Experiences’ or ‘Living life to the full’ and comments as such. Staying away from the temptations of this world is not as easy as just saying ‘Don’t sin’ or ‘I won’t sin again’ and leaving it to that.
People say the world has changed but the truth is the world has not changed. The world is exactly the same. The sky is the same that was above the heads of all the prophets and our pious predecessors such as the likes of the companions of the beloved prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). The earth is the same ground on which the prophets walked on. The companions (May ALLAH the Almighty be pleased with them all) also took steps on this very same earth we roam around in today.
So what has changed?!
ANSWER:
US!!! THE PEOPLE!!!
We as humans have extended our hands to freedom and liberation that today wherever you cross your eyes and wherever you may be, temptations fill the air and atmosphere.
Today we have become advanced in technology. Computers having the best specs and running the best software’s, cars faster than ever, planes lighter than ever, buildings taller than ever seen before. We have changed and catered the planet to fit into our needs rather than us fitting in to its natural being and sufficing with the essentials to get us by.
Without a doubt, we have achieved the peak of excellence when it comes to the materialistic side of the world but at the same time, in addition to the doors of sins that were already present, we have opened new doors to lust, passion, greed and jealousy as never seen before.
So now that sins of every kind engulf us, how do we come out victorious??!
ANSWER:
*THROUGH STRUGGLE AND PERSEVERANCE.*
We must exert much effort first and foremost to refrain from sins and not to go near those acts which will bring about the displeasure of ALLAH the Almighty or the displeasure of any being. As the displeasure of others brings about the displeasure of ALLAH the Almighty.
As mentioned in the previous posts, we all have trials and tribulations of our own. Some of us may be indulged in gambling, others in alcohol. Some of us may be involved in intoxicants others in something else.
The point to always remember is that we are all sinners and we will sin. But the road does not end there. Once we have sinned we need to exert effort first and foremost in wiping that sin away and then carrying on the struggle to be the best being that we can be.
For example, you fall down in a pit of mud, will you stay down and let that be the end of it or will you get up, wipe the mud away, clean yourself and continue undertaking the journey that you were doing before that accident?!
When our clothes get dirty do we leave the stains on our clothes and keep spraying perfume on top of them or will we wash the clothes first then put perfume and nice fragrances on?!
Similarly my dear humble readers, we all sin but we need to wash our garments (i.e. Our souls) first before we put perfume on them. We need to wipe the slate clean. We need to wash our sins by repenting for our mishaps and then put perfume on which in this case is doing good deeds.
The prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings he upon him) has mentioned,
“The one who repents from sin is like the one who has no sin.” (Ibn Majah)
Why? Because he or she has got rid of the traces of that sin and washed away the effects of that sin by repenting.
Let’s take the example of snow!….
When we walk in snow we leave traces of our footprints on the ground. We can tell that someone just a few minutes ago has walked on the same path that we are treading on and those who come after us will acknowledge that someone has treading the path they are on and that being was you. However, when it rains the traces of those footprints are washed away and a person who comes on that very same road after a rainfall will not know that you have or had walked there.
Similarly my dear humble readers, when we sin the effects of that sin are still evident on our souls and they rub off on our character and manners towards one another. Just like walking in the snow we keep walking forward but we are leaving behind footprints (i.e. Evidence of Sins).
Thereafter, when it rains (i.e. When you have repented and the mercy of ALLAH the Almighty comes into play) all our footprints and steps we had taken are washed away in such a way that just as evidence of us walking along that path have vanished, in the same way our sins have been washed away that ALLAH the Almighty makes the angels who write our deeds, our limbs with which we use to sin and also the the place where we carried out the sin forget we ever committed that sin.
My dear humble readers, life is too short. Very short. Yes we all sin. It is in our nature. ALLAH the Almighty has created us in such a way that we are prone to sin and so we will sin. But the problem lies in sinning intentionally and not rectifying the mistake by asking for forgiveness as this is a sign of pride and arrogance which ALLAH the Almighty hates.
We need to turn back to our creator and submit our body and soul to him before it’s too late. We need to cleanse our souls before death reaches our throats.
ALLAH the Almighty is merciful that he don’t care how much we sin.
ALLAH the Almighty says,
‘O son of Adam, as long as you call on to Me, I shall forgive you of what you have done, and think nothing of it. O son of Adam, even if your sins were to reach up to the clouds in the sky, and then you were to ask for My forgiveness, I would forgive you and think nothing of it. O son of Adam, even if you were to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth, and then you were to meet Me after death, not worshipping anything besides Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as the earth.’” (Thirmidhi)
ALLAH the Almighty says in the glorious Quran,
“Indeed good deeds expiate bad deeds” (11:114)
It does not stop here! Not only does ALLAH the Almighty forgive our sins but when we repent ALLAH the Almighty favours us by changing our bad deeds into good deeds. So we all need to repent.
The prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to repent a hundred times a day and he was free from sins. So how many times a day do we need to ask for forgiveness as we are drowning in sin?!
The only thing our creator ALLAH the Almighty wants from us is that we turn back to him in repentance and wipe away our sins. This is for our own good.
A person who does not ask for forgiveness becomes hard-hearted and a wretched individual who cannot see pass his own selfish needs and desires.
*STEPS TO PURIFYING OUR SOULS*
There are four main steps one must take to repent:
1) Stop the sin.
2) Regret deeply and truly for the sin committed.
3) Return to ALLAH the Almighty for forgiveness.
4) Make a strong resolution never to return to that same sin again.
Abu Huraira (May ALLAH the Almighty be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
“Verily, when the believer commits a sin, a black spot appears upon his heart. If he repents and abandons the sin and seeks forgiveness, his heart will be polished, but if he increases in sin, the blackness increases. That is the covering which Allah has mentioned in his Book: Nay, but on their hearts is a covering because of what they have earned.” (83:14)
(Ibn Majah)
Look around you my humble readers, why do you think that there is so much hatred, violence, corruption, disputes and bloodshed?
Why have people adopted traits worse than animals?
ANSWER:
Because they have failed to repent for there sins.
Today we are alive and have a chance. Let’s grab this chance and earn our paradise. Let’s make the most of our lives by living a life which is in accordance to the teachings of Islam. Let’s change our destiny for the better.
O humble readers, Repent today! Repent!
The past is the past. Change your future!
Ask for forgiveness and keep moving forward in life. Whenever you fall down by sinning don’t worry! Just get up again asking for forgiveness and keep moving on. If you fall again repent again. Keep this cycle running.
I have heard many people complaining,
“What’s the point, I ask for forgiveness and do the same sin again. Then I ask again and I sin again!”
To them I say that ALLAH the Almighty says,
” I do not get tired until you get tired”. (Bukhari)
ALLAH the Almighty uses metaphors for our understanding. Without a shadow of a doubt ALLAH the Almighty is free from all weaknesses.
What is meant by this quote is that as long as we keep asking ALLAH the Almighty for forgiveness he will forgive us. If we get tired asking him we have caused destruction to ourselves as ALLAH the Almighty is always ready to help his servants but we got to call on to him and seek his pardon.
There are many verses in the glorious Qur’an regarding ALLAH the Almighty’s forgiveness, closeness, help and support, forbearance and mercy. I cannot go through all of them in this single post.
But what I will say is that all of us need to repent and keep moving forward. This world will be here after we have departed from it so don’t chase it. Focus on what counts and do the best that you can and be the best that you can be. Let no one tell you any different.
Remember….
The past is tainted but the future is spotless.
So make the most of your life with what you can taking the hereafter into consideration at all times.
I end this post by saying all praises are due to ALLAH the Almighty and peace be upon all his beloved honourable prophets especially our beloved master Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him in abundance).