DR SHABBIR ALI KHAN

REPENTANCE IN RAMADAN




Allah Says (what means): “And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers that you might succeed” [Quran 24:31]
And also (what means): “O you who have believed, repent to Allah with sincere repentance” [Quran 66:8] Therefore, repentance is not only requested from one who has committed a sin, but rather it is demanded from all people including the believers who wish to win the great prize of Paradise as well as being prosperous in this life.

One of the great blessings of Allah upon His slaves is that He left the door for repentance open for those who wish to repent and return to Him. Allah made repentance the new dawn that indicates the start of a new day for the journey towards the Hereafter.

Abu Moosaa Al-Ash`ari, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) said: “Allah, the Exalted, will continue to stretch out His Hand in the night so that the sinners of the day may repent, and continue to stretch His Hand in the daytime so that the sinners of the night may repent, until the sun rises from the west”. [Muslim].

Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) said: “He who repents before the sun rises from the west, Allah will forgive him”. [Muslim].

`Abdullaah Ibn `Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, reported that the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) said: “Allah accepts a slave's repentance as long as the latter is not on his death bed (that is, before the soul of the dying person reaches the throat)”. [Ahmad and At-Tirmithi].

Know that the month of Ramadan is a great opportunity to repent and return to Allah, and it is a chance to renew the pledge with Allah. On the other hand, one must be careful lest Ramadan passes him by without him utilizing the season and without being one of those whom Allah forgave their sins. Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with them, reported that the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) said: “May Allah humble the one who lives long enough to witness Ramadan and passes the month without being forgiven”. [At-Tirmithi].

Beloved brothers! This blessed month is the month of the Qur’aan, kindness, repentance, expiation of sins, the descent of mercy and elevation of ranks … So let us rush in repentance to Allah, because the believers will not find comfort except in Paradise … let us take refuge from Allah with Allah and repent to Him before our sins destroy us … let us wake up from our deep sleep as the days pass by very rapidly … let us strive not to be of the deprived ones by undermining the pleasure of Paradise … let us rush and repent and make up for what we have missed out on.

The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) whose sins have been forgiven repents to Allah and asked for forgiveness multiple times in a single day. Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) saying: “I swear by Allah that I seek Allah's Pardon and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.” [Al-Bukhari].

Al-Agharr Ibn Yasaar Al-Muzani, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) said: "Turn you people in repentance to Allah and beg pardon of Him. I turn to Him in repentance a hundred times a day". [Muslim].

Let us follow the example of our beloved Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) and let us not delay our repentance and let us abandon using the term: “I will do it later on”, and remember that life is nothing but an illusion.

O you who has wasted yesterday and is waiting today … you are killing yourself with sins … repent to your Lord and regret your shortcomings … if you cry and humble yourself before your Lord and ask Him to forgive you, He will accept you and be happy with your repentance.

Indeed Allah is pleased with the repentance of His slaves. Anas Ibn Maalik, may Allah be pleased with him, the servant of the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) narrated: The Messenger of Allah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) said: "Verily, Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His slave than a person who has his camel in a waterless desert carrying his provision of food and drink and it is lost. He, having lost all hopes (to get that back), lies down in shade and is disappointed about his camel; when all of a sudden he finds that camel standing before him. He takes hold of its reins and then out of boundless joy blurts out: 'O Allah, You are my slave and I am Your Lord'. He commits this mistake out of extreme joy" [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Do you see how Allah is pleased with the person when he turns to Him in repentance? Who are we for Allah to rejoice for our repentance? We are nothing but weak creatures of His who possess no power. On the other hand, He is The All Powerful, Almighty, The King and The One Who controls the Heavens and the earth.

Let us not give up on the mercy of Allah … we must know that there is no sin too great for Allah to forgive, and that a slave never turns to Him in repentance sincerely, but He will accept and forgive him, as He is The Oft Forgiving and His mercy has encompassed everything.

Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) said: “Allah, the Exalted, has said: `O son of Aadam! I forgive you as long as you pray to Me and hope for My forgiveness, whatever sins you have committed. O son of Aadam! I do not care if your sins reach the height of the heaven, then you ask for my forgiveness, I would forgive you. O son of Aadam! If you come to Me with an earth load of sins, and meet Me associating nothing to Me, I would match it with an earth-load of forgiveness`” [At-Tirmithi].

When you turn to Allah repentance, never go back to committing the same sins again, as this is one of the most destructive disasters. Never go back after having been blessed and rescued by Allah, because returning to sins after having been rescued has severe consequences. Remember that fasting is not merely refraining from eating and drinking, and that you must shun all sins ands rush to Allah in repentance.