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Arabiya
12-18-2006, 11:37 PM
:sl:
i didn't know where to put this.. looked at all the sections.. so sorry if it seems in the wrong place (?) :cry:
I typed this up, it'd a good read :D so read on inshallah!

Ever muslim would have repented in their lives- for repentance is required for all sins- great or small. We would have all made mistakes- many in which we regret, for we have been created in weakness and imperfection, and so error is part of our nature. Allah (SWT) ORDERS all believers to repent:

“And turn all of you in repentance to Allah, O believers, that you may succeed.” 41

He also WARNS:

“And whoever does not repent-those are the unjust”

Repentance is called TAWBAH in Arabic, which literally means “turning back”.

Allah (SWT) truly accepts and forgives a true servant who turns back to Allah, seeking refuge in his forgiveness. This is the reason Allah has named Himself (at-tawwab) (the constant acceptor of repentance)

Ignorance and denial are the two major barriers that prevent return to your deen and your lord. A true repentance is the knowledge and admission of your sins, knowledge of the consequences of sin- both in this world and the next- and that alone will make one most anxious to escape the result of his carelessness.
Where else can we find refuge and protection from that except our lord? Subhanallah. We should consider deeply the reason behind how we fall into committing sins, and the truth is, is that we- at least temporarily, forgot Allah. Subhanallah… Sins put a distance between the soul and Allah. When a servant forgets their lord, and drifts away, Allah removes his protection from that soul, leaving him to depend only on himself. If we had just remembered our lord at the time of temptation, we would have retrained Allah’s protection from sin. Subhanallah…
So do you see how weak and hopeless we are without our lord? All the other days… we have been secretly protected by Allah, do we not take that for granted? Shouldn’t we hang on to that and appreciate it so much more? But when we fall deep, drown, slip away, get caught up, go out your way, you are left for the first time without Allah’s protection… and you see how powerless we are? Just to protect ourselves at the time we are most vulnerable to shaytaan’s whispers… and we cannot do it. We cannot grasp tightly to our deen and iman fast enough. So my people, appreciate how much your lord protects you, pray that he carries on doing so, pray he keeps you on the straight path, pray that you keep away from sins, whispers of shaytaan, and janham- but approach ajr, good deeds, jannah, and the acceptance of Allah and our parents.
Every moment of our life, we are in two states. Either we remember and hold fast to Allah, and so placing our soil under his custody, or we forget, breaking away from the protective custody of Allah.
A true believer would be able to recognise and stop a slip into any sin, usually before long. No sooner has he committed the sin that he feels pain. Pain so tight it rips your chest. Pain so strong it makes you cry. Pain so right- it makes you regret.
Even the pleasure expected from that sin which initially tempts a person, eludes him, and can only find true sadness at the realisation that Allah has left him to himself- almost abandoned him, like we almost abandoned our lord.
Astagfurallah, but there are certain souls however, which find pleasure in disobedience, those who follow the path of shaytan, who desire the unlawful, who has ignorance concerning Allah- who he has disobeyed, and has ignorance of the hereafter- acting like paradise is not what they want. These people will be doomed to the hellfire. Subhanallah, this shows a conscience which is lifeless and devoid of function. When unawareness has reached such a degree that it finally becomes persistence in sin- becoming blind, and even insisting upon it. He allows that soul to fall deeper into sin until it reaches the state that has been described in the quraan:
“No, but stain has covered their hearts from that which they have earned” 46

The prophet (PBUH) also explained “When the servant commits a sin, a black mark is etched onto his heart, but if he ceases and asks Allah’s forgiveness, then his heart is wiped clean. If however, he repeats it, then the black stain increases until it eventually envelops the heart. This is the stain which Allah has mentioned in his books”

The stain can often be describes as sin upon sin, which blackens the heart until no light of truth can penetrate into it, and until the soul subsequently rejects truth and guidance all together.
Yallah, I hope none of us have reached that point, and I hope we never shall, because it is a point that I never wish to encounter inshallah and would rather be dead before so.
Yet… repentance is STILL possible! Subhanallah! Allah provides us with hope:

“Say, O My servants who have committed excess against themselves, do not despair or Allah’s mercy. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins, for it is He who is the Ever-Forgiving, Merciful.”

In repentance, you must turn to Allah, and acknowledge the fact that the erring soul has been very distant from Him. Such a soul has been a prisoner of its enemy, Shaytan, due to each and every one of us, letting our guards down, and our unawareness of Allah.
Repentance demands great effort and consciousness, and has certain conditions: REGRET & REMORSE:
: This must place the acceptance and satisfaction which allow the continuation of a sin. You must feel a pain in your heart… at the loss for which you were personally responsible- a loss which could have been prevented. The loss of Allah’s protection. You must also consider the damage it has cuased on your soul, and the severe penalty of the hereafter- which can only be avoided through Allah’s mercy. The pain should be prolonged in sorrow and weeping. Regret, and desepretely seeks some means to amend the situation.
CESSATION: repentance is not possible if you are still doing the sin. Even if small, a small sin will increase until it carries the weight of a great sin. You must promise to never return to the sin again, and avoid the error.
APALOGY: You must seek forgiveness in repeated prayer and supplication, humbly admitting to Allah your weakness, your need for His mercy and protection, and the seriousness of what you have done. Begging for forgiveness and acknowledging how useless, powerless, hopeless, we are without our lord and his protection.
RECTIFICATION: Amending the relationship between you and Allah, and you and your soul. The conditions of regret, cessation, and apology are the only requirements for forgiveness. However, you can undertake extra deeds for the pleasure of your lord :D such as additional prayers, charity, fasting etc.
The best deed that can be done is benefiting others in some way ( :D like I am doing now, inshallah)
If the determination to reform is weak you will see the sadness fade away, the pleasure felt in remembering the sin, and the certainty that he has repented and does not increase in righteousness. The repentance is not accepted either in this circumstance.
A true repentance will show in the way there is extreme caution to avoid anything leading back to that sin or something similar, sadness which brings tears, and remorse which prevents pleasure in any of life’s activities. A heart gripped by fear and shame, and a body burdened under the weight of guilt…. And finally, the realisation that the person is definitely better than he was before the sin was committed.
Allah best loves this specific state where there is longing of His servant for Him and for His acceptance after we have experienced its loss, and the great need of us returning to him.
From our mistakes we learn lessons and become aware and sensitive ( we should have anyway!) the believers soul is then purified by Allah’s forgiveness and acceptance, and our new character (inshallah) is improved by our lessons we gained through our experience.
Subhanallah how we are comforted and relieved when we acknowledge that in His mercy, Allah has made us aware of our sin so that we may repent, and after our efforts of repentance and righteous deeds, we can trust that the past is no longer a barrier between yourself and the pleasure of Allah- who says:
“Indeed I am the perpetual forgiver of whoever repents and believes and does good and then is rightly guided”
Our new relationship with Allah reflects and affects all aspects of our life, and our eagerness to preserve that close tie keeps us constantly ON GUARD.
We should always seek forgiveness:
“Verily does Allah love those who constantly repent and those who purify themselves”
Repentance from sin is a steppingstone to continued righteousness-a return to inner harmony and to Allah.
“---I seek refuge in you from the evil I have done. I acknowledge before you your favour upon me, and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me. Indeed, there is none who can forgive sins except you” 61
Repentance is a new beginning, no soul should ever despair-no matter how great the sin is- for Allah is near, ever-ready to receive repentance, willing to forgive, inviting all to forgiveness with the words:
“Say ‘O My servants who have committed excess ( sinned) against themselves, do not despair of Allah’s mercy. Certainly does Allah forgive all sins, for it is He who is the Ever-Forgiving, Merciful.”63


Jazakullah Khair, :w:
-Arabiya
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