13 years ago
by Yasir Qadhi
Bismillah.
The topic of good akhlaaq is a very important topic. Consider that the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said:
"The only reason I have been sent is to perfect good manners."
Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala starts off Surah Al-Qalam, an early Makkan surah revealed to defend the status and honor of Prophet Muhammad sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam by saying:
And indeed, you are upon a noble conduct, an exemplary manner (Al-Qalam 68/4).
This exemplary manner is high akhlaaq. Of the things that Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala praised the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam for was that he had good akhlaaq, or good manners. This shows us the importance of good akhlaaq; in defending the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam, one of the first things that Allah mentions is his good akhlaaq.
There are numerous Quranic aayaat referring to having good manners. Allah says:
Worship Allah, and do not associate partners with him. And be good to your parents, and the relatives, and to the orphans, and to the poor people, and the neighbor that is close to you and the neighbor that is not close to you, and your companion on the journey.
Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala says in another aayah:
Command my servants to say that which is best.
Say good statements. Allah describes the Ibaad-ar-Rahman, the servants of Allah, as those who walk with humility and humbleness on the face of this earth. They are not arrogant. This is from the characteristics of the believers. Allah hates arrogance in all of its forms. Allah hates kibr and pride in all of its forms.
There are many blessings and benefits of having good akhlaaq. I will summarize some of the blessings of having good akhlaaq and its benefits according to the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam and the Qur’an. I will mention eight of these blessings, though of course there are more.
Blessing #1:
Having good akhlaaq is one of the themes found continually throughout the Qur’an and Sunnah and this is the first aspect that proves the importance of good akhlaaq. Good akhlaaq is part of the comprehensive advice that the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam would give. In one hadith he said to Muadh:
"Fear Allah wherever you are, follow up an evil deed with a good deed, and meet with the people, interact with the people, with good akhlaaq."
Three phrases, but so beautiful and comprehensive.
In another hadith a person came to the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam and asked him for some advice. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam responded:
"Be firm, be perseverant, be straight in your following of Siraat al Mustaqeem. Let your akhlaaq be good to the people."
The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam also said:
"Have fear of Allah, and do not trivialize anything of goodness, even if it is that you take from your bucket of water and pour it into your brother's bucket."
And he said:
"Even if you were to meet your brother with a smiling face, do not trivialize it."
The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam also said,
"If someone curses you or tries to find fault with you, in a matter that does not exist in you," or in other words he accuses you in a fault that you do not have, then, "do not find fault with him in a matter that he does have."
So even if he lies about you and slanders you, do not point out the mistakes he himself has. He, sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam, went on and said:
"Leave him, because the evil of that deed will be against him, and the good will be for you."
In another place he said:
"Do not ever curse any person."
Blessing #2:
Nothing is a greater blessing, after of course having eman. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said:
"The best blessing that a person can be given in this life is akhlaaq."
The best blessing that a person can be given, far greater than any money, wealth, status, family and children, or anything of this world, is that of good akhlaaq.
In another hadith he said:
"Mankind has not been given anything better than good akhlaaq."
In yet another hadith he said:
"I command you to be of good akhlaaq,"
Meaning good manners and characteristics.
"And also, remain silent for long periods of time, because by Him whose hand is in my soul, the creation cannot beautify themselves with anything better than these."
You cannot beautify yourself with anything better than good akhlaaq.
Blessing #3:
The rewards of having good akhlaaq are greater than, or at least equivalent to, the rewards of extra and continual worship. The rewards that a person brings through good akhlaaq cannot be brought through worship of Allah. Or even if they are to be brought about through the worship of Allah, they will be brought at a very heavy price. Through akhlaaq, a person can obtain a lot of blessings he would not otherwise be able to obtain. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said:
"A person can reach the level of a person who prays all night and fasts all day just because of his good akhlaaq."
Who amongst us fasts every single day and prays every single night? Nobody. Yet, if we have good akhlaaq we can reach the level of the person who does this.
In another hadith the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam mentions the reward for one who is a musaddat, the one who is always trying to fill in the gaps between other Muslims by being social, friendly, and having good akhlaaq. He says:
"The Muslim who is musaddat reaches the darajat as-sawwam al-qawwam."
Sawwam is the one who continually fasts and the qawwam is the one who continually stands in prayer. So the Muslim who is very social, has good akhlaaq, and is fulfilling the rights of his brothers reaches the level of the one who continually fasts and prays just because of his good akhlaaq. This is the way that we can earn extra thawwab.
How few of us pray tahajjud and fast the voluntary fasts? Yet, if we want to be amongst those who obtain good deeds, all we have to do is be amongst those of good akhlaaq.
Blessing #4:
Having good akhlaaq is a sign of one's strong eman.
Akhlaaq is that it is a sign of the perfection of one's eman. This is a very important point that should not be trivialized. A person who does not have good akhlaaq does not have strong eman. It is that simple. It does not matter what label or what status he assigns himself. It does not matter what he says or what he boasts about himself; if a person is coarse, arrogant, and vain, then this person is not a good Muslim. Even if he fasts and prays, he has not perfected his eman nor is his eman strong. Whereas the person who performs the minimum wajibaat, or what is obligatory upon him, and he is of good akhlaaq, then he is far better than a person who might pray more and fast more than him but his akhlaaq is bad. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said:
"The people (or the Mu'mins) who have perfected their eman most perfectly, are those who are best in akhlaaq."
And in another narration:
"The best of the Mu'mineen are the ones who are best in their akhlaaq."
And he also said in the same hadith:
"The best of you are those of you who are best to their wives."
This is an important point to ponder over, why is it that the best of you are those who are best to their wives? It is because it is very easy to show good akhlaaq to your neighbor that you meet once a day, or to your coworker that you are with for a few hours every day, or to your relative that you meet once a year, or to any other person that you occasionally meet. It is very easy to show good akhlaaq to such people. But when you show good akhlaaq to your wife, the one you eat with, drink with, sleep with, and wake up with then you have really reached the height of perfection of good akhlaaq.
Your wife is your life partner; she shares everything with you. The man is the one who is in charge of the woman as Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala said. So when the man can show good akhlaaq to the one who is under him, his family and children, his wife and children, then this shows that he has reached the height of akhlaaq.
In another hadith, the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said:
"The best Mu'mins are those who are best in their akhlaaq, those whose shoulders' are trodden over."
What does this mean? It is an expression in Arabic meaning that they are humble. Anyone can come and trample over them but they will remain quiet and humble. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said they are those who are friendly and respond to friendliness. They are those who achieve ulfa, meaning a sense of brotherhood and friendship. Those who give that sense and who achieve it too. And then he said there is no good in one who does not show this concept of ulfa, nor does he receive it from others. So the mu'min is one who is friendly to the other people. And when other people show friendliness to him, he responds in friendliness as well. He does not respond in arrogance, sarcasm, or in looking down on them or in testing them. This is not the way of the mu'min. The mu'min is one who is genuinely friendly from his heart, genuinely wanting good, and desiring the best for himself and his Muslim brothers.
Blessing #5:
Akhlaaq is very beloved to Allah; he loves good characteristics and hates evil characteristics. In one hadith, the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said:
"Allah is beautiful and loves beauty, and He loves noble akhlaaq (ma'ali akhlaaq) and He hates, he despises lowly characteristics."
He, sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam also said:
"Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala has containers on the face of this earth, and the containers of your Lord are the hearts of His servants."
The hearts of His servants act like containers of Allah meaning that they fill up with the mercy, love, and knowledge of Allah. These servants of Allah act like containers to the mercy of Allah."The most beloved of these containers are the ones that are the most soft, and the ones that are most gentle." These people with soft hearts and gentle natures are the ones whom Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala loves the most.
That is why the opposite is also true. When a person becomes of a coarse heart, of a vulgar nature, always criticizing, always arrogant, always being sarcastic, always looking down at people, a person does not wish to be around him. These are the people whom Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala hates, no matter what they call themselves, no matter how much they fast and pray.
Blessing #6:
Good akhlaaq is the heaviest thing on the Day of Judgment on the scales. Good akhlaaq is the heaviest thing that will help a believer on the Day of Judgment when the scales will be weighed. Every single person's good deeds will be placed on the right side of his scale, and his evil deeds will be placed on the left hand side. And as the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam told us:
"The heaviest aspect, the heaviest matter [that will help a believer] that will be in the meezaan, on the scales on the Day of Judgment, is good akhlaaq."
You cannot get something better than good akhlaaq. Therefore, even if a person has not fasted the voluntary fasts, prayed a lot of nafl or Sunnah prayers, or has left a lot of good that he could have done, then there is one way to make that up on the Day of Judgment – by having good akhlaaq. This is a great blessing that should not be trivialized.
Blessing #7:
Good akhlaaq ensures that person is close to the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam on the Day of Judgment and in Jannah. The better a person's akhlaaq is, the closer he will be to the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam on the Day of Judgment and also in Jannah. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said:
"Those of you who will be closest to me on the Day of Judgment will be those who have the best akhlaaq."
So if you wish to be close to the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam and enjoy his company on Yawm al Qiyaamah and in Jannah, then one of the ways of achieving that is through good akhlaaq.
In another hadith the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said:
"Those who are most beloved to me, and the closest to me in the Hereafter, are those who have the best akhlaaq amongst you." These are the people that will have the, "closest seats to me."
And the opposite is also true. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said:
"And the people who are the most hated by me and the ones who are the furthest from me in the Hereafter are those who have the worst akhlaaq."
The people with the worst akhlaaq will be the farthest away from the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam. And he described them by saying:
"Atharta'oon, al mutabayhaqun, al mutashaddaqoon."
All of these three words have the same characteristics in that they are vulgar, crude, and coarse in their manner of talking. They are arrogant and look down upon people. They have bad akhlaaq and they show it to other people. These types of people will be the worst and the most hated by Allah and the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam, and will be the furthest from him on the Day of Judgment.
Blessing #8:
Good akhlaaq is so powerful that this, along with the taqwa of Allah, is the primary factor that will cause people to enter Jannah: taqwallahi, wa husnal khuluq. Akhlaaq is one of the primary factors that will cause people to enter Jannah. Someone asked the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam, "What is the one characteristic that will cause the most amounts of people to enter Jannah?" What is the one characteristic that will cause the most number of people to enter Jannah?"
The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam responded, "To have the taqwa of Allah and to have good akhlaaq."
These two come together – tawheed and akhlaaq; worship Allah properly and treat mankind properly. When taqwa of Allah and husnal khuluq are combined, then it becomes the one characteristic that is the primary cause for most of mankind to enter Jannah.
These are eight blessings and characteristics that I have mentioned, and of course, there are far more than these.
PART II
Having good akhlaaq is easy and difficult at the same time. On the one hand it is easy because you do not have to spend a lot of time and money, but on the other hand, it is difficulty because you have to control yourself; keep yourself in check and guard yourself. In finding this middle path to good akhlaaq, it is very important to avoid two extremes. Some people, and alhamdulillah this is very rare amongst the Muslims, but common amongst the non-Muslims and other religious movements, emphasize akhlaaq more than their worship of Allah. You will find that the Christians say, "Oh, as long as I'm good to them, as long as I show peace and harmony to society and culture and nature, then it doesn't matter, even if I commit major sins or shirk, as long as I'm good to everyone else."
So this person has taken the akhlaaq of mankind and given that in preference to the worship of Allah. If a person leaves the wajibaat, for example the five prayers, then do not think this person is going to enter Jannah just because he smiled at his brother. The fact that he left the prayer is a major sin and in fact it might be a type of kufr to leave the prayers. Yet, a person might trivialize it on the pretext of, "Oh, I'm being good to other people and that is what's most important." No, you must perform the wajibaat.
All of these ahadith apply only when you have done at least the wajibaat. Say the five prayers, fast in Ramadan, give the zakah, and then show good akhlaaq. Then you might be rewarded more than the one who fasts and prays and has bad akhlaaq. But do not leave that which is obligatory based on the pretext of being good to others.
The other extreme is that some ignore akhlaaq completely. And unfortunately this is the extreme that is more common amongst the Muslims, especially those who might be calling to the correct methodology and correct creed, the creed of Ahlul Sunnah Wal Jam'a. Those of this extreme think that just because they have arrived at the correct beliefs in Allah, the correct beliefs of the Qur’an and Sunnah, and the proper methodology of worshiping Allah and calling to that worship, then they can ignore all of the aayaat and ahadith about akhlaaq. This then causes them to be arrogant, look down on, trivialize, backbite, and stab others in the back. This is not the way of the believer. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam was not of this character. So these segments of society, although they have given importance to tawheed and aqeedah, at the same time completely neglect and ignore being good and having true brotherhood. In reality, this is a sign of a weakness in eman.
It does not matter what they say or what labels they put on themselves. If a person has bad akhlaaq, if he is arrogant, vulgar, and foul-mouthed, then this is not a person with strong eman. If people do not want to be around him, and he is always criticizing everybody else, then this person is not a person with strong eman. This is the other extreme. You have to avoid both of these two extremes. The middle path is that we worship Allah, the way that He deserves to be worshiped and also to have good akhlaaq with all the Muslims.
That is why it is important to have akhlaaq along with knowledge, because knowledge tells you what to do and when to do it. Without knowledge, a person will not know how to act in every single situation. Accordingly, the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said:
“The best of you in Islam, the best of you that have converted to Islam, are the best of you in akhlaaq as long as they have knowledge.”
Without knowledge, akhlaaq is not that powerful. But when a person combines knowledge and akhlaaq, then this is the height of eman. And that is why, when the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam combined both of these to their perfection he was the most knowledgeable of Allah, he had the most fear of Allah, and he was also of the best of akhlaaq.
Allah describes the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam in the Qur’an:
Had you been coarse and vulgar, of a harsh characteristic, of a hard heart, then the Sahabah would have left you.
So Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala tells the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam that even though he is the Prophet of Allah, and the Sahabah are the best of all of society, if he had bad akhlaaq, the Sahabah would have left him.
Imagine if a da'ee, a caller to the way of Islam, has bad akhlaaq. No one will take from him. Not even his family and relatives will take from him, much less society, if he has bad akhlaaq. And this shows that perfection comes about when a person combines akhlaaq with knowledge. When one exists without the other, then this is a sign of imperfection, a sign of deficiency.
We have to avoid the two extremes. The first one is to emphasize akhlaaq with mankind and to ignore the worship of Allah. The other extreme is to ‘supposedly’ perfect the worship of Allah yet have bad akhlaaq with mankind. This scenario cannot exist.
PART III
Akhlaaq is of three types. The first type is the most important type, and that is your akhlaaq with Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala, your characteristics and your manners with Allah. What do you think of Allah? What are your hopes with Allah? How much do you fear of Allah? How much do you love Allah? Love, fear, and hope are the primary components of tawheed. Your love of Allah, your fear of Allah's punishment, and your hope in Allah's mercy. How have these three been perfected in you? How much are you shy and embarrassed of Allah? How much do you desire Allah's reward? How much do you love Allah? What is your akhlaaq with Allah? This is the most important.
The second type of akhlaaq is akhlaaq with the creation, akhlaaq with the Muslims, akhlaaq with the non-Muslims, and even akhlaaq with the animals. Each one has its own chapter of akhlaaq. How do you deal with them in each situation and circumstance? This second type of akhlaaq is not as important as the first. The first is the most important. After the person has done the first, with tawheed and with worshiping Allah the way He deserves to be worshiped, he then moves on to the second, which is basically akhlaaq with the creation all around him.
The third type of akhlaaq is the akhlaaq with one's own self. Yes, you even have to have akhlaaq with your own self. Your body has rights over you. Your spiritual body, your soul, and your physical body all have rights over you, so you have to show your body and soul its rights as well. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam once told Salman al Farsi to tell the following to one of the companions:
"Tell him that your body has a right over you, your soul has a right over you, and
your family and wife have a right over you. So give everyone the right that it has over you."
Give everything its right. So the third type of akhlaaq is the akhlaaq one has with one's self.
When we understand these three types of akhlaaq, akhlaaq with Allah, akhlaaq with creation, and akhlaaq with one's self, then we will appreciate the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam's hadith:
"I have only been sent,"
Meaning the only reason Allah has sent me,
"Is so that I may perfect good akhlaaq."
Akhlaaq with Allah, akhlaaq with other creation, and akhlaaq with one's self.
We pray that Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala grants us knowledge, grants us akhlaaq to preach to and call to act upon that knowledge, resurrects us along with the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam, grants us his shifaa'a, and grants us Jannah because of our deeds and because of the forgiveness of Allah.
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*via www.khutbah.com
It is not necessary that you get a dream or even a "feeling." Rather, the istikhara is a prayer that Allah guide you towards that which is best (khayr) for you. If you do the prayer of guidance (istikhara) with the proper manners, the most important of which is to truly consign the matter to Allah and suspend your own inclinations, then Allah will make events unfold in the direction that is the best for your worldly and next-worldly affairs.
In general, when it is not possible to perform the istikhara prayer itself
(such as when one is out on the road, or in one's menstrual period), it is recommended
to simply read the dua itself. [Radd al-Muhtar]
The istikhara prayer may be made for a specific matter or be made for a general
seeking of all that is best. Some scholars, including Imam Abd al-Wahhab al-Sha`rani
and Ibn `Arafah before him saw this kind of istikhara prayer as being superior.
Others, including Shaykh Ibn al-Arabi, recommended performing a general istikhara
prayer for all that is good every day, ideally at the time of the Duha prayer
(after sunrise).
Imam al-Nawawi mentioned that before the istikhara prayer, one should seek
advice (istishara) from those whose knowledge, wisdom, and concern one is confident.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytami and others mentioned that one of the benefits of this is
to further distance oneself from the desires of one's own egotistic inclinations.
It is recommended to open the dua of istikhara [below], with praise of Allah
and sending blessings on the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace), and
to close it in this manner, too.
Like other duas, it is recommended that one face the qibla.
It is disliked to 'hasten' in seeking the answer to one's istikhara, like
other duas, because the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) said, "Your
prayers are answered, unless you hasten, saying, 'I prayed, but no answer came.'"
One should be pleased with what Allah chooses for one, and not seek to follow
one's whims after the answer to one's supplication becomes clear.
(taken from: http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?ID=1056)
How To Pray Istikhara Prayer
According to a
traditional report
transmitted on the authority of Muhammad ibn
al-Munkadir, it was Jabir ibn 'Abdi'llah (may Allah be well pleased with
him and with his father) who said:
"Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to teach us how to seek guidance in choosing the best option available in a practical enterprise [al-istikhara fi 'l-amr], just as he would sometimes teach us a Chapter [Sura] from the Qur'an. :
"'If
one of you is
concerned about some practical undertaking, or about
making plans for a journey, he should perform two cycles of ritual
prayer [rak'atain], not as an obligatory observance [farida], but
voluntarily. Then he should
say:
'"O Allah, I ask You to show me what is best, through Your knowledge, and I ask You to empower me, through Your power, and I beg You to grant me Your tremendous favor, for You have power, while I am without power, and You have knowledge, while I am without knowledge, and You are the One who knows all things invisible.
Allahumma inni astakhiru-ka bi-'ilmi-ka wa astaqdiru-ka bi-qudrati-ka wa as'alu-ka min fadli-ka 'l-'azim fa-inna-ka taqdiru wa la aqdiru wa ta'lamu wa la a'lamu wa Anta 'Allamu 'l-ghuyub :
O Allah, if You know that this undertaking is in the best interests of my religion, my life in this world, and my life in the Hereafter, and can yield successful results in both the short term and the long term, then make it possible for me and make it easy for me, and then bless me in it.
Allahumma in kunta ta'lamu anna hadha 'l-amra khairun li fi dini wa dunyaya wa akhirati wa 'aqibati amri wa 'ajili-hi wa ajili-h :fa-'qdir-hu li wa yassir-hu li thumma barik li fi-h :
If not, then turn it away from me, and make it easy for me to do well, wherever I may happen to be, and make me content with Your verdict, O Most Merciful of the merciful.'"
wa illa fa-'srif-hu 'an-ni wa yassir liya 'l-khaira haithu kana ma kuntu wa raddi-ni bi-qada'i-ka ya Arhama 'r-rahimin :
 |
| Make the Right Choice! |
(excerpted from: http://www.al-baz.com/shaikhabdalqadir/Books_and_Text_of_Wisdom/Special_Prayers/Salat_al-Istikhara/salat_al-istikhara.html)
By : Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah
The state of repentance, tawbah, is at the beginning, the middle and the end of all states of submission to the will of Allah. The servant who seeks the pleasure of Allah never abandons tawbah. He remains in the state of tawbah until his death. Whatever his state of belief, the servant makes tawbah his constant companion. Thus, tawbah is at the beginning and at the end of his servitude to his Creator. His need for tawbah at the end, just as at the beginning, overrides, and supersedes all other needs.
Allah says: "And turn to Allah altogether (make tawbah), O you who believe so that you may succeed," (24:31)The verse above is contained within a Madinan Surah (revealed after the migration to Madinah), in which Allah addresses the people of emaan, who are the best of His creation. He calls upon them to make tawbah "turn in repentance" to Him after they had already believed, gone through hardships, trials of faith, executed patience, migrated and performed jihad. Allah then made success conditional on perfecting such tawbah, as the effect is often conditional on the cause. No one can hope for success, except: those who make tawbah.
Allah says: "And those who do not make tawbah are indeed the dhaalimoon (wrongdoers)." (49:11)
Allah
divides His servants into two categories only: the repentant and the
wrongdoers. There is no third category. Allah calls those who do not
make tawbah, "dhaalimoon" (wrongdoers and transgressors) and no one is
more of a wrongdoer and a transgressor than a person who does not repent
for his evil actions. This state is a result of a person's ignorance of
his Lord and the rights due to Him, as well as, his own defects and the
evil of his deeds. The Prophet, sallallahu alayeh wa sallam, is
reported to have said:
"O people, make tawbah to Allah. By Allah, I make tawbah to Him more than seventy times each day." (Bukhari)
His companions used to count for him in each congregation his saying one hundred times:
"My Lord, forgive me and accept my repentance, for You are At-Tawwab (the One who accept repentance), Al-Ghafoor (The Oft Forgiving)."
The
Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, is also reported to have said:
"No one will be rescued (on the Day of Judgment) by his deeds. They (his companions) asked even you Messenger of Allah? He said, even me, unless Allah would grant me His mercy and Grace."
May
Allah's blessings and peace be upon His Messenger, the most
knowledgeable among His creation of Him, His Rights, His Greatness and
what servitude He deserves. He is the most knowledgeable of servitude
and its requirements and the most committed in servitude to Allah.
The Starter (Fatihah) of Tawbah
Tawbah is the return of the servant to Allah. It is also his turning away from the path of those with whom Allah is angry and those who are astray. This returning cannot be done except by Allah's guidance to the Straight Path. The servant will not attain guidance except through Allah's help and the servant's submithrough tawheed. Suratul-Fatihah explains this concept in the most complete and eloquent manner.
Whoever appreciates Surat-ul-Fatihah and gives it is right estimate, through knowledge, contemplation upon its facts and by living its directives, will realise that one cannot recite it, with the true recitation of a servant, unless one makes sincere tawbah. The perfect guidance to the Straight Path cannot be attained with the indifference to sins or the persistence on sins. Indifference to sins negates the knowledge of guidance. Persistent sinning negates the intention and the will of the servant. Thus, tawbah will not be valid except after one recognises the sins, admits to them and seeks to rid oneself of their evil consequences.
Seeking Refuge from Sin
The first aspect of tawbah, then, is to see how one was taken away from seeking the pleasure of Allah, by committing sins. Next, one has to recognize that Allah didn't safeguard him from sin. One should also ponder how happy one was while sinning and being persistent on the sin, while knowing with surety that Allah ever watches over whatever is done in the heavens or on the earth. If the servant had sought refuge in Allah, he would not have gone away from the guidance of obedience,
"And whoever holds firmly to Allah, then he is indeed guided to a Right Path." (3:101)
If one's holding onto Allah is firm, one would never be forsaken by Allah,
"And hold firmly to Allah, He is your Mawlaa (Protector) and what an excellent Mawlaa and what an excellent Naseer (Helper)." (22:78)
In
other words, whenever we hold firm to Him, Allah will become our Protector
and He will support us against our nafs (inclinations) and the Shaytan.
These two enemies, the nafs and Satan, are the ones that do not leave
the servant for even a moment. Their enmity is more harmful to the
servant than the enemies from without. Attaining victory over such
enemies is more difficult, and the servant's need for such a victory is
far more important. The degree of help rendered to defeat these enemies
is dependent upon the degree of our dependence and holding onto Allah.
If we do not hold firmly to Allah, we will go away from Allah's
protection. This is indeed the true loss. Allah could have aided us in
staying away from sins, however, because we deserted Him, we were
allowed to listen to any obey our nafs. If He wished to protect us, the
sin would not have found a way to get to us.
When the servant becomes heedless of the consequences of sin, he finds pleasure when he satisfies unlawful desires. This pleasure in disobedience is evidence of his ignorance of the Greatness of the One of disobeys, and his ignorance of the evil consequences of sins and evil actions. His pleasure with sin has concealed all of this from his sight. In fact, his pleasure with sin is more harmful to him than perpetrating the sin itself. The believer can never have any pleasure from sin. He cannot have complete satisfaction with it. On the contrary, he would not even pursue it, except with grief in his heart. But the intoxication of the desires obscures one from feeling this remorse. When the heart becomes empty from such grief and one is happy with sin, then one should question his faith and weep for the death of his heart. If one were alive, he would be sad for the perpetration of any sin, big or small. The evil effects of sin, more times than not, go unnoticed in us and in our brothers and sisters in Islam. Diligence in constant self-evaluation is necessary in leading us away from sin and its destructive ends. One can do this by focusing on the following.
When the servant becomes heedless of the consequences of sin, he finds pleasure when he satisfies unlawful desires. This pleasure in disobedience is evidence of his ignorance of the Greatness of the One of disobeys, and his ignorance of the evil consequences of sins and evil actions. His pleasure with sin has concealed all of this from his sight. In fact, his pleasure with sin is more harmful to him than perpetrating the sin itself. The believer can never have any pleasure from sin. He cannot have complete satisfaction with it. On the contrary, he would not even pursue it, except with grief in his heart. But the intoxication of the desires obscures one from feeling this remorse. When the heart becomes empty from such grief and one is happy with sin, then one should question his faith and weep for the death of his heart. If one were alive, he would be sad for the perpetration of any sin, big or small. The evil effects of sin, more times than not, go unnoticed in us and in our brothers and sisters in Islam. Diligence in constant self-evaluation is necessary in leading us away from sin and its destructive ends. One can do this by focusing on the following.
1. The fear of dying before making tawbah.
2. Remorse about the good that was missed because of the disobedience of Allah.
3. Working seriously on regaining what has been missed.
If one becomes completely heedless then one becomes persistent, which means constant disobedience with the intention to perform the sin again and again. This by itself is another sin that could be far greater than the first. Part of the punishment for sin is that it leads to a greater sin, then another, and so on until it completely and certainly destroys the person if he does not repent.
Persistence on sin is another sin. Not attempting to rectify the sin means persistence on it and satisfaction with it. This is the sign of ruin. Worse than all of that, is the commission of sin in public when we are sure that Allah watches and sees everything from above His Throne. If we believe that Allah watches us, yet we proceed to commit sins publicly, this is a great contradiction. But if we don't believe that He watches us, then we are completely out of the realm of Islam.
There are two considerations for a sinner: lack of embarrassment from Allah knowing that Allah's sight watches over all, and lack of fear to go out of the deen. Therefore, one of the conditions of the acceptance of tawbah is that a person should firmly believe that Allah was watching and that He will always watch over him. He sees everything during the perpetration of sins.
The reality of tawbah is to return to Allah is not sound or complete without the knowledge of the Lord's names and attributes and their manifestations within Himself and in the world. The repenting servant should know that he was running away from his Lord, captured in the grip of his enemy. He didn't fall into the claws of his enemy except as a result of his ignorance of his Lord and his daring to go against Him. He should know how and when he became ignorant, and how and when he was captured. He should believe that tawbah requires great determination and complete awareness to rescue himself from the enemy and be able to return and run back, to his Lord Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim. He should realise that returning to his Lord is actually turning away from the road of destruction, where his enemy had taken him. He should know the number of steps taken away from his Lord and the efforts and obstacles that he must strongly work on to get back to the Straight Path.
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