Stories of Repentance.

THERE IS HOPE UNTIL THE VERY END


One day, as Ali bin Abi Taalib and al-Hussain bin Ali were walking together, they heard a man supplicating to Allah. The man was begging Allah to forgive him for his evil crimes. His sincere tone and eloquent words aroused the interest of Ali, who turned to his son and said, "Do you not hear the man who is so very contrite because of his sins? Go catch up with him and call him."

When al-Hussain caught up with the man, he saw that he was clean-looking, clean-smelling, with nice clothes and altogether handsome- except that he seemed to be paralyzed on the right side of his body. Al-Hussaid said, "Answer the summons of the Leader of the believers, Ali bin Abu Taalib."

Dragging his right side, the man followed al-Hussain back to where Ali was waiting for them.

"Who are you and what is your story," asked Ali.

"My story is that of a man who did not fulfill the rights of others and is now being punished for that," said the man.

"And what is your name?" asked Ali.

"Munaazil bin Laahiq," said the man.

"And what is your story?" asked Ali.

"I was famous among the Arabs for my frivolous and sinful exploits. Merciful and kind, my father would constantly admonish me and advise me to mend my ways. He would remind me of Allah's punishment, saying, 'My son, do not go against He who punishes with the Hell-fire!' When he would persist in advising me, I felt his voice grating on my nerves. I would get so frustrated that I would beat him with harsh blows. In response to my blows, he one day said, 'By Allah, I will fast withoug breaking my fast and I will pray without stopping to sleep.' He fasted for an entire week, but seeing no change in my behavior, he climbed a camel and set off to perform Hajj. His parting words were, 'I am going to the House of Allah, and there I will seek help from Allah against you.' When he reached Makkah, he embraced the curtain of the Kaa'ba and supplicated against me, asking Allah to make me paralyzed on one side of my body. By the One Who raised the sky and sends down the rain, no sooner did my father finish his supplication than I became paralyzed on my right side, which became like a piece of wood. Anyone that would then pass by me would point to me and say, 'Allah answered his father's supplication against him.'"

"What did your father do then?" asked Ali.

"O Leader of the Believers, after he became pleased with me, I asked him to go back and invoke Allah on my behalf. He agreed to do so. I walked alongside him as he rode on his camel, until we reached a place called the Valley of Arak. When we reached there, a group of birds flew away from a tree, their sudden movement frightened the camel. As the camel raced off in a state of fright, my father fell off it and died."

It was certainly late for the man, but not too late, and so Ali advised him to continue to supplicate and to repent for his past misdeeds. Ali then parted from the man, but before leaving him, he taught him the supplication that a person in distress should say. [The narration does not specifically mention which supplication it was that Ali taught the man.]

THE NOBLE QURAN


One year, when al-Asma'i was on his way to perform hajj, a bedouin carrying a large sword and a long spear confronted him. It was quite obvious that he was a highway robber. He came near al-Asma'i and instead of fleeing or attempting to escape, al-Asma'i drew nearer to him. He extended greetings of peace to the robber. The latter responded and then asked, "Where are you from?"

"I am a poor man on a journey," was al-Asma'i's reply.

"Do you have anything with you?" asked the robber.

"Yes, I have with me the Quran," answered al-Asma'i.

"And what is the Quran?" asked the robber.

"It is the speech of Allah 'Azza wa Jall," said al-Asma'i.

"And does Allah have speech?"

"Yes," replied al-Asma'i.

"Then let me hear some of His speech," said the robber.

Al-Asma'i recited the following verse:


وَفِي السَّمَاء رِزْقُكُمْ وَمَا تُوعَدُونَ

And in the heaven is your provision, and that which you are promised

[adh-Dhaariyaat : 22]


When the robber heard these words, he began to cry, and threw down his sword and spear, and said, "Perish the highway robber, who seeks sustenence on the Earth, when it is really in the heavens!"

Al-Asma'i was very much pleased to see the quick transformation of the robber. On the following year, when al-Asma'i went to perform Hajj again, he saw the former robber- whose face now had the signs of faith written on it- clinging to the curtain of the Kaa'ba. It was late in the night and he was saying, "O my Lord, the eyes are sleeping and every loved one is with his beloved. The gates of all kings are now closed, but Your gate is open to those who ask of You. Would that I knew whether You accepted this night of worship from me..."

A TONGUE THAT REMAINS MOIST WITH THE REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH


When passing through a mountain pass, a bedouin once came across an old man who was blind and who seemed to be afflicted with various ailments all over his body. It was clear that he was wasting away. He was even paralyzed and was constantly forced to remain in a seated position. The Bedouin could clearly hear him say, "All praise is for Allah, Who has kept me safe from ailments with which He has tesed many among His creation; and He has indeed preferred me over many among those that He created."

"My brother!" exclaimed the bedouin. "What have you been saved from? By Allah, I think that you have been afflicted with every single kind of ailment!"

"Go away from me," said the old man, as he raised his head. "Do I not still have a tongue with which I can pronounce His Oneness, and with which I can remember Him every single moment? And do I not still have a heart with which I can know Him?"

These words of the old man were enough for the bedouin to repent to Allah for his sins and ask Him for forgiveness.




RACE TOWARDS REPENTANCE!

Wanting to advise his son al-Hasan, Ali ibn Abi Taalib said, "My son: Beware of three, be in harmony with three, be modest before three, race to three, flee from three, be in disagreeent with three, fear three, and hope of three."

"O my father, please explain," said al-Hasan

"Beware of pride, anger, and the base kind of ambition. Live in harmony with Allah's Book, His Messenger's sunnah, and the lives of His righteous slaves. Hurry away from sinning, race to repentance and sprint forward in the pursuit of knowledge. My son, flee from lying, treachery and transgression. Be in disagreement with evil and its people, hypocrisy and its people, and foolishness and its people. Fear Allah, fear the company of those who do not fear Allah, and fear the evil speech of your tongue. Hope for Allah to forgive your sins, to accept your deeds, and to accept the intercession of your Prophet."

REPENT THROUGHOUT THE DAY


Talq bin Habib said, "Indeed, the rights of Allah are too great for His slaves to be able to fulfill them. And indeed, His favors and blessings are too many for them to be able to enumerate them. Then [the only way to safety] is for you to wake up every morning and repent for your sins, and go to bed every night and repent for your sins."




PREVENTION IS THE BEST REMEDY


Al-Hasan once said, "O son of Adam, to abstain from a sin is easier for you than curing it later on through repentance. How can you be sure that you will not commit a deed so grave in its wickedness that the door of repentance will be closed before you?"





HE BROUGHT ME TO THEM SO THAT I CAN REFORM MY CHARACTER..


Al-Fudayl bin Iyaad was famous for his piety and worship, but he was not always a practicing Muslim. In his early years, al-Fudayl was an infamous highway robber; he would prowl in the night for victims on the road from Abiward to Sarakhs. Between these two cities was a small village in which lived a girl that al-Fudayl was in love with. One night, out of desperation to be with her, al-Fudayl climbed the wall of her home. As he was climbing over it, he heard a voice recite:


أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْ تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ

Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe to be affected by Allah's Reminder?

[al-Hadeed : 16]


At that moment, al-Fudayl answered, "O my Lord, the time has indeed come." He returned from where he came and sought refuge near a traveling party on the main road. They were busy engaging in a serious discussion. al-Fudayl heard one of them say, "Let us continue our journey now." Another answered, "No, not until the morning, for al-Fudayl is lurking on the road somewhere out there, just waiting to rob us."

Having heard the entire conversation, al-Fudayl thought to himself, "I go around in the night to sin, while a group of Muslims remain here because they fear me. Indeed i feel that Allah has brought me here to them only so that I can reform my character. O Allah, I indeed repent to you.."

OLD AGE


There was a young man among the children of Israel who worshipped Allah for twenty years. He then disobeyed Allah for twenty years. Then, one day, looking in the mirror, he noticed the whiteness of his beard and was taken aback by what he saw. He said, "O my Lord, I had obeyed you for twenty years and I then disobeyed you for twenty years. Now if I return to You, will You accept me?"

He then heard a caller say, "You loved Us and We loved You. You left Us, and so We left you. You disobeyed Us, and so We gave you respite. And if you return to Us, We will accept you."




THE EVER-LIVING NEVER SLEEPS


Both of them lived in a small town that was populated by only tens or hundreds of people. He was in love with her, and so when he saw her walking alone one night, he followed her until he had her cornered. When he came near to her, he said, "Woman, I crave for you."

She said, "First go and see if all the people are asleep."

Very pleased at her response, he walked around the town and returned. "Everyone is asleep," he said.

"What about Allah Azza wa Jal?" she asked. "Is He sleeping at this hour?"

"Woman, what are you saying?" he exclaimed. "Indeed, Allah does not sleep: neither slumber nor sleep overtake Him."

"The One Who hasn't slept and doesn't sleep sees us, even if people don't see us," she said. "Do you not fear He Who neither sleeps nor is heedless of anything that happens?"

The man left her alone with tears flowing from his eyes, having nothing in mind except the desire to repent to the One Who neither sleeps nor is heedless of anything that happens.

THE HALLMARKS OF A SINCERE REPENTANCE


Shaqiq said, "Weeping over past misdeeds, being afraid of perpetrating a sin again, forsaking the company of evildoers, and adhering to the company of the righteous- these are the hallmarks of a sincere repentance."



MY LORD, HERE IS MY FORELOCK IN YOUR HAND



As two servants of the ruler, an-Naasir, were talking to one another, one of them said, "I wonder what the ruler is doing today?" The other said, "I never saw him more afraid and sincere than he is today. He is by himself, wearing course clothing and sitting down on dirt. He is crying out loud and acknowledging his sins. I heard him say, 'My Lord, here is my forelock in Your Hand, if You are to punish the people, and You are All-Wise and All-Just, then how will I, with all of my sins, escape your punishment?'"

At that moment, Mundhir bin Sa'eed was passing by, and he heard what the ruler's servant said. Mundhir looked at him and said, "O young servant, wear a raincoat back with you, for if the mighty one on earth becomes fearful of Allah's punishment, then the All-Mighty One in the heavens will have mercy on His slaves [and bless them with rain and sustenence]."

The Advice of al-Khidr


Shaikh al-Ghazaali reported that Musa asked al-Khidr to advise him. He said, "Be someone who constantly smiles, and not someone who is constantly angry. Be someone who benefits others, and not someone who harms others. Refrain from argumentation. Do not walk around without purpose. Do not laugh without a reason. Do not disparage wrongdoers by mentioning their mistakes to them. And cry over your misdeeds, O son of 'Imraan."



The Advice of al-Hasan


al-Hasan once wrote the following short letter to Umar bin Abdul Azeez:

"Fear what Allah told you to fear. Take what is in your hands, and use it for what is to come. At the moment of death, sure news will come to you and peace."


Umar wrote back, asking al-Hasan to advise him some more. Al-Hasan wrote back:

"Indeed the terror of the Day of Resurrection is greater than you might think. Indeed, frightful matters are near at hand. You will have to face all of that, either by facing it all and being saved, or by facing it all and being destroyed. Know that he who takes account of his own deeds will succeed, and that he who is negligent in this regard will fail. Whoever looks at the outcomes of his actions will be saved, while he who obeys his desires will be misguided. Whoever is patient and forbearing will gain profits. Whoever remains awake and vigilant regarding his deeds will be safe, whoever is safe reflects, whoever reflects sees, whoever sees understands, and whoever understands knows. Then if you slip, return and repent. And when you are remorseful, then refrain [from sins]. When you are ignorant, ask. And when you are angry, restrain your anger."

REPENTANCE IS SWEET


A tyrant ruler once left his castle to walk around the streets of his realm in order to enjoy himself. As he was walking, he came across a number of gardens and decided to enter one of them. After spending a short while looking at the garden's beautiful trees, he became thirsty, and so he asked the owner of the garden, who was sitting nearby, for a drink. The owner told him that though there was no water nearby, the ruler was free to take a pomegranate and quench his thirst with that. The ruler agreed, and when he took his first bite from the pomegranate that was given to him, he was amazed to see how wonderfully and almost unnaturally sweet it was. He said to himself, "This pomegranate is indeed wonderful."

He decided to evict the owner and take possession of the garden. But first, he wanted to make sure that all of the pmoegranates of the garden were equally wonderful and sweet, and so he asked for another one. When he began to eat a second pomegranate, he was shocked to see that it was very bitter and foul tasting.

He asked the owner if it was from the same tree as the first pomegranate. "Yes," said the owner.

"Then how come it is not as sweet as the first?"

"O leader, perhaps you intended to do some evil, which caused its taste to change," said the righteous garden owner.

"By Allah, the man has spoken the truth," thought the ruler. He repented from his intention to usurp the garden, and decided he wanted to enjoy another pomegranate, and so he asked for one. When he tasted it, it was even sweeter than the first one he had eated. What is more, it was from the very same tree.


وَأَنِ اسْتَغْفِرُواْ رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُواْ إِلَيْهِ يُمَتِّعْكُم مَّتَاعًا حَسَنًا إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى وَيُؤْتِ كُلَّ ذِي فَضْلٍ فَضْلَهُ وَإِن تَوَلَّوْاْ فَإِنِّيَ أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ كَبِيرٍ

And seek the forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him in repentance, that He may grant you good enjoyment, for a ter appointed, and bestow His abounding Grace to every owner of grace

[Hud : 3]

IT IS INDEED YOU WHO IS THE RIDER, AND I WHO AM THE FOOT TRAVELER


One year, Ibrahim bin Adham decided to perform hajj on foot, walking from his homeland to Makkah. As he was leaving his homeland, a man riding on a camel passed by and said, "O Ibn Adham, where are you going?"

"I am going to perform hajj, if Allah wills," said Ibrahim.

"Then where is your mount, Ibn Adham, for the journey is long," asked the man.

"I have many mounts that I ride upon though you cannot see them," said Ibrahim.

"If I am afflicted with a calamity, I ride on the mount of patience. If I am given a blessing, I ride on the mount of thankfulness. If something that is decreed happens to me, I ride on the mount of contentment. And when my soul invites me to satisfy some lust or desire, I reflect on how the time I have left on earth is less than the time that has already gone by."

"You are indeed traveling by the command of Allah," said the man. "Then, by Allah, it is you who is the rider, and I who am the foot traveler."


THEN HOW WILL YOU WITHSTAND THE FIRE OF THE HEREAFTER?


Abdullah bin Marzuq, who was a close friend of the ruler al-Mahdi, was drunk one day and consequently missed the congregational prayer. His female servant came to him with a piece of burning wood and placed it on his leg. He jumped up with an expression of pain on his face.

"If you cannot withstand the fire of the earth, then how will you withstand the Fire of the Hereafter [which is 70x more intense than the fire of this world]?"

Having understood the point of the painful lesson, Abdullah bin Marzuq repented. Thereafter, he performed his prayers on time and gave away a great deal in charity. After some time passed, al-Fudayl ibn Iyaad and Ibn Uyaynah visited him, and just by looking at him and the furniture of his home, they noticed a drastic change in his lifestyle. They asked, "No one forsakes something for Allah except that Allah compensates him with something equal or better, so what did Allah compensate you with for what you abandoned?"

"Contentment for the situation I find myself to be in," he said.

A VISIT TO THE GRAVEYARD


Once, when Maimun bin Mihraan and Umar bin Abdul Azeez were visiting the graveyard, Umar began to cry. Turning to Maimun he said, "O Abu Ayyub, hese are the graves of my fathers from Banu Umayyah. When I see their graves now, it seems as if they never participated with the dwellers of the wold in their pleasures and lives. Do you not see how they are beset by trials? The insects are feeding off of their bodies..."

Umar then began to weep until he fainted. When he regained consciousness, he said, "Let us go, for by Allah, I do not know of anyone who is more blessed than he who comes to these graves, yet is saved from the punishment of Allah."




THE RANKING OF A PERSON WHO REPENTS


Bakr ibn Abdullah al-Muzani is the narrator of this story:

There was once a butcher who fell in love with the daughter of his neighbors. One day, the girl's parents sent her on an errand to the neighboring town. Seeing that she was alone, the butcher follwed her until she reached a seculeded place, where he made his presence known to her. When he tried to seduce her, the girl said, "Do not do so! Indeed, I love you even more than you love me, but I fear Allah."

The butcher's jaws dropped and he said in self-reproach, "You fear Allah and I don't!" He left her alone and repented for his intentions.

On his way back, he became extremely thirsty. He soon came across a Prophet from the Prophets of the Children of Israel. Noticing the expression on the butcher's face, the Prophet asked, "What is the matter with you?"

"Extreme thirst," said the butcher.

"Let us go supplicate to Allah for rain."

"I have no good deed that makes my supplication worthy of being answered," said the butcher.

"Then let me invoke Allah while you say 'Ameen' to my invocations," said the Prophet.

He then began to supplicate, and the butcher said, 'Ameen,' after each of the supplications.

Suddenly, a cloud appeared, rain fell from it into the nearby town, after which it approached the two men. Wherever the butcher walked, the cloud followed after him, instead of hovering over the Prophet.

"You claim that you have no good deeds," said the Prophet. "Yet despite the fact that it was I who suplicated while you said 'ameen' the cloud shaded the city and then it followed you. What is your story?"

The butcher the told him what happened with his neighbor's daughter.

"One who repents to Allah has a ranking that no other person can achieve," said the Prophet.