Virtues And Conditions Of Tawba

[Snowflake]

VIRTUES AND CONDITIONS OF TAWBA

Allah Ta'aala says, "SEEK FORGIVENESS FROM YOUR LORD, FOR HE IS OFT FORGIVING; HE WILL SEND RAIN TO YOU IN ABUNDANCE, GRANT YOU INCREASE IN WEALTH AND SONS, AND BESTOW ON YOU GARDENS AND BESTOW ON YOU RIVERS [OF FLOWING WATERS]." [71:10-12]

NOTE: From this ayah the Ulama have deduced that through tauba Allah Ta'aala will cause the rain to fall according to its necessity and He will hold back drought and there will be Barkat in ones wealth and off-spring. However, by the unconceived wisdom of Allah Ta'aala events may prove to be contrary but in most cases this is the system of Allah Ta'aala. By virtue of tauba and abstinence of sins all calamities are removed from the earth. [Ma'aariful Quraan]

On one occasion four people came to Hazrat Hassan Basri [rahmatullah alai] 'With their grievances. One complained about drought. The second about poverty. The third about not having children, and the fourth about poor irrigation. He advised each of them to make Tauba and Isthighfaar. When he was questioned about why different complaints were given the same prescription, he recited the above ayah. [Mazahir]

Nabie [salalahu alaihi wasallam] said, "A [sincere] repenter is the beloved of Allah Ta'aala, and a true repenter is like one who has never committed a sin."

In another Hadith Nabie [salalahu alaihi wasallam] said, "For one who continuously seeks Forgiveness from Allah Ta'aala, He will create a way out of every difficulty, a relief from all anxieties and He will supply him provisions from sources which one cannot conceive. "

NOTE: "Continuous Tauba" means;

1. Whenever sins are committed or adversities experienced one hastens towards Tauba.
2. One makes Tauba and Istightaar part of ones daily routine.

Not a moment of ours pass in which we are not in need of repentance. Nabie [salalahu alaihi wasallam] said, "Gladtidings are for him who finds excessive Istighfaar recorded in his Books of Deeds."

Excessive Tauba and Istikhfaar results in a bond between the servant and Allah Ta'aala. The more the Tauba the greater the bond. This in turn strengthens one's Yaqeen in Allah Ta'aala which creates a quest for self reformation and fear for Allah in one's heart. Hence, Allah Ta'aala says;

"And for those who fear Allah, He prepares a way out,and He provides for him from [sources] he never could imagine." [65:2,3]

CONDITIONS OF TAUBA
Islaam compels us to repent from every sin committed,if however one repents from a particular sin abiding by all the conditions of Tauba forgiveness will be granted. [Ma'aariful Quraan]

Hazrat Allie [radhiyallahu anhu] was asked as to what Tauba is. He replied, "It is a combination of six things,

1) To regret over ones sins.
2) To make Qadha of any Fardh or Wajib one had foregone.
3) To return the property of others which one usurped.
4) To seek forgiveness from the aggrieved if one has harmed him physically or verbally.
5) A firm resolution not to embark on sin in future.
6) Just as one has witnessed himself disobeying Allah Ta'aala he now beholds himself in His obedience. [Ma'ariful Quraan]

ACTIONS OF THE REPENTER
Tauba is a combination of good actions carried out by:

1. The heart.
2. The tongue.
3. The limbs.

GOOD DEEDS OF THE HEART
Tauba consists of much more than a verbal exercise. In fact the condition of the heart of the repenter is the foundation of Tauba which is motivated by humility. Humility inspires the following conditions;

1. Tauba be made only because of the fear of Allah, bashfulness for Him and in honour of His Majesty i.e., no personal motive be pursued when making Tauba.
2. Absolute shamefulness and sincere regret over past sins.
3. A desire to abstain from inward and outward sins in the future.
4. A firm resolution not to embark on a sin in future.
5. Fear of Allah Ta'aala's punishment.
6. Hope for His forgiveness. [Ihyaa/Daleelul Faliheen]

GOOD DEEDS OF THE TONGUE
To seek forgiveness with the tongue e.g. to say Astaghfirullah is among the good deeds of the tongue. It is best that it is accompanied by submission of the heart, sincerity and enthusiasm. However Istighfaar without the presence of the heart is not void of benefit for certainly it is better than backbiting or vain talks.

Someone once complained to Abu Uthmaan Maghrabi [rahmatullah alai] that sometimes his tongue engages in the recitation of the Quraan and Zikr of Allah Ta'aala while his heart remains negligent. He replied, "Be thankful to Allah Ta'aala when a portion of your body is engrossed in virtue and the rememberence of Allah Ta'aala because it is not engaged in evil." [Ihyaa].

Rasullulah [salalahu alaihi wasallam] said, "Shaitaan said to Allah Ta'aala, "O My Lord, I swear by your Honour I will continually deviate man so long as their souls are within their bodies." Allah Ta'aala replied, "I swear by My Honour and Grandeur I will continually forgive them so long as they make Istighfaar". [Ibne Katheer]

GOOD DEEDS OF THE LIMBS
Salaat

Hazrat Abu Bakr [radhyallahu anhu] relates that Nabie [salallahu alaihi wasallam] said, "Whoever after committing a sin performs a perfect Wudhu then stands up and offer two Rakaats Salaah after which he repents to Allah Ta'aala, Allah will forgive him." Thereafter Nabie [salalallahu alaihi wasallam] recited the Ayah of the Quraan, "And those who having done evil, or wronged their souls, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their sins-and who can forgive sins except Allah-and will not knowingly persist in the wrong they have done." [3:135]

Hazrat Anas [radhiyallahu anhu] states that when this ayah was revealed Shaitaan wept [Ibne Katheer]

Charity

Sins earn the wrath of Allah Ta'aala while charity cools His anger. Nabie [salallahu alaihi wasallam] said, "Verily charity cools the anger of Allah Ta'aala ".

In another Hadith Rasulullah [salallahu alai wasallam] said, "To feed the poor makes forgiveness Wajib."

In one Hadith Nabie [salallahu alaihi wasallam] said, "Three things make forgiveness Wajib; 1) To keep a Muslim happy, 2) To remove his hunger, 3) To remove his difficulties. [Fadhaile Sadaqaat]

QADHA OF FARDH AND WAJIB
Allah Ta'aala has made certain Ibadaat either Fardh or Wajib upon every Muslim, eg. Salaat, Fasting in Ramadhaan, Zakaat, Qurbani, etc. Non performance of these obligations is a sin. Together with Tauba Qadha of these obligations are necessary. If one had been negligent about these Ibaadaat he will have to carefully scan through his past life and calculate the number of Faraaidh missed from the day he had attained puberty to his present age and make Qadha of them; eg. Zaid is twenty four years old. He attained purberty at the age of fourteen. Since then he had not been performing Salaat at all. Hence Zaid will have to make Qadha of ten years fardh and Witr Salaah. i.e. he will have to perform 3 650 of each of the five daily fardhs and Witr. One should keep the presence of Allah Ta'aala in mind when calculating and seek His assistance and Guidance to accomplish this task.

Similarly, one would have to ascertain the number of fasts one missed and make the Qadha of each one.

In the case of unfulfilled Qurbani one will have to give Sadaqa to the equivalence of an animal for each years Qurbani missed.

Unfulfilled Zakaat for each year must be calculated and paid. If one cannot evaluate the correct amount due, he should try and recall, bearing Allah Ta'aala and the Akhirat in mind.

VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS
On the Farewell Hajj Nabie [salallahu alaihi wasallam] said, "O mankind, your blood, wealth and honour are Haraam upon each other". [Bukharie]

If one violated the rights of others then together with Tauba, compensation for the transgression becomes necessary.

If wealth was usurped,it has to be paid in full to its rightful owner. In the case of goods the actual stolen property, if still in existence, must be returned; otherwise its equivalence or value must be replaced. If its owner is deceased then his lawful Islamic inheritors should be given the goods. In the case where the owner or his inheritors cannot be traced the goods or its value must be given in charity on his behalf. Nabie [salalallahu alai wasallam] said, "Whoever owes his brother anything, be it his honour or wealth should have it redeemed in this world before the day on which neither gold or silver will have no monetary value i.e. The Day Of Judgement. On that day the aggressor's good deeds will be transferred to the victim in lieu of his rights. When the aggressor has no more good deeds left, the victim's evil deeds will be transferred to him."

The author of Mazahir relates, "After the death of a saintly person another pious person saw him in a dream." He asked, "How did Allah Ta'aala deal with you?" The saint replied, "Without doubt Allah Ta'aala, through His Grace, forgave me; but I was questioned to the minutest detail to the extent that one day while fasting, I was sitting at a friend's shop. At the time of Iftaar I picked up a grain of wheat. I broke it and when I was about to eat it I realised that it did not belong to me so I put it back into its place. Allah Ta'aala even questioned me about breaking this grain and a proportion of my good deeds were taken away from me." [vol 5]

Allah Ta'aala bestowed upon Hazrat Isa [alaihis salaam] the miracle of bringing the dead back to life. Once at a grave, he called its inmate. By the Qudrat of Allah Ta'aala his life was restored. When he stood up, Hazrat Isa [alaihis salaam] asked him his identity. He replied, "1Iwas a porter. Once while transporting wood for someone, I broke off a small piece to use as a toothpick. Since the day I died I have been taken to task for this." [Ghunya]

If one afflicted physical pain to another then it becomes incumbent to seek forgiveness from the aggrieved.

In the case of backbiting, slander, etc. one will have to ascertain whether it reached the ears of the victim. If it did not then tauba will be sufficient. If it did then together with tauba seeking forgiveness from the victim becomes necessary. If however the victim is ill mannered and fears mischief from him then one should call upon Allah Ta'aala to forgive him. Rasulullah [salallahu alai wasallam] said, "The expiation of backbiting is to make Istighfaar on behalf of the one about whom one had spoken evil by saying," O Allah! forgive him and us." [Ref: Roohul Ma'aani, Bayaanul Quraan]

SINCERE TAWBA
Allah Ta'aala says; "O YOU WHO BELIEVE! TURN TO ALLAH WITH SINCERE REPENTANCE IN THE HOPE THAT YOUR RABB WILL REMOVE FROM YOU YOUR EVILS AND ADMIT YOU TO GARDENS BENEATH WHICH RIVERS FLOW [i.e. Jannah]" (66:8)

Hazrat Umar and Hazrat Ubai bin Ka'ab [radhiyallahu anhuma) described "Sincere Tauba" as, "To repent from sin and not to return to it just as milk cannot return to the udder."

Hazrat Hassan Basri [rahmatulla alai] defined it as, "The repenter regrets over the past and pledges not to return to sin."

Hazrat Kalbi [rahmatullah alai] says, "It is to seek forgiveness with the tongue, regret with the heart and abstain from sin with the limbs." [Daleelul Faaliheen]

source:http://www.alinaam.org.za/library/duaa/tawbah02.htm

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