I WANT TO REPENT
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]
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