Download PDF: Riyaadus Saaliheen – Hadith #13-14 (Importance of Seeking Repentance)
The conditions of making Taubah
Imam Nawawi – may Allah’s mercy be upon him – explains that, “It is Waajib to seek repentance for one’s sins. If this sin is between a creation and His Creator then there are three conditions attached to this:
- One should refrain from committing this sin (in the future).
- One should show genuine remorse.
- One should make the firm intention that he or she will not commit this sin again.
If one of these conditions are not fulfilled, then the repentance of a person would be considered as incomplete. If this sin or transgression has been committed against another person, then there is also a fourth condition which needs to be fulfilled.
- If one has transgressed against another person, he should fulfil the rights of that person whom he has transgressed upon. If he has robbed that person of his wealth etc., then he has to return that wealth. If he has sinned against a person by accusing him wrongfully or committing any other transgression against that person, then he should seek pardon and forgiveness from that person.
In whatever condition, it is Waajib to seek repentance for one’s sins and transgressions all the time. According to the Jurists, if one had sought pardon for certain sins, then it would be considered as fulfilled, however, if there are certain other sins for which he has not sought pardon for, then this would be considered as necessary actions or acts that still need to be completed and fulfilled. There are many proofs for this in Islamic law.
Three Divine commands of the Allah Almighty
Surah Nur, verse 31, the Allah Almighty declares:
وَ تُوۡبُوۡۤا اِلَی اللہِ جَمِیۡعًا اَیُّہَ الْمُؤْمِنُوۡنَ لَعَلَّکُمْ تُفْلِحُوۡنَ ﴿۳۱﴾
“And repent to Allah, (O Muslims) all together, haply you may get prosperity”.
Hadrat Allamah Ismail Haqqi – may Allah’s mercy be upon him – has explained that, “Allah Almighty has commanded every Muslim to make Taubah. The reason is that the nature of a human being is weak and even though he may strive to do something, he will always commit some mistake.”
Imam Qushayri – may Allah’s mercy be upon him – has explained, “The person who needs to make Taubah, the greatest is that person who does not think it is necessary to make Taubah. This verse proves the Divine Fairness of Allah Almighty because He has commanded all Muslims to make Taubah so that those who are guilty do not become embarrassed (thinking that only they are being targeted). If Allah Almighty had only addressed this to the people who are guilty, then they would become extremely embarrassed and disheartened. It is hoped that as Allah Almighty in His Infinite Mercy does not embarrass the guilty in this world, in the same manner, the guilty would not be embarrassed in the Hereafter.” (Tafseer Ruhul Bayan)
The Divine Mercy of the Allah Almighty cannot even be imagined. There are times when parents become so angry with their children that they even refuse to speak to their children for the rest of their life, yet, Allah Almighty, in spite of our daily transgressions, continues to give us the opportunity to make Taubah and does not allow us to lose hope or feel that we have no option available in seeking His Divine Mercy.
In Surah Hud, verse 90, Allah Almighty declares:
وَ اسْتَغْفِرُوۡا رَبَّکُمْ ثُمَّ تُوۡبُوۡۤا اِلَیۡہِ ؕ اِنَّ رَبِّیۡ رَحِیۡمٌ وَّدُوۡدٌ ﴿۹۰﴾
“And beg forgiveness of Allah, then turn towards Him”. No doubt, my Lord is Merciful, Loving”
In Surah Tahreem, verse 8, Allah Almighty declares:
یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا تُوۡبُوۡۤا اِلَی اللہِ تَوْبَۃً نَّصُوۡحًا
“O believers! Turn towards Allah in such a way that it may become an admonition for future.”
The Importance of Seeking Repentance:
عَنْ اَبِیْ ہُرَیْرَۃَ رَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُوْلَ اللہِ صَلَّی اللہُ عَلَیْہِ وَسَلَّمَ یَقُوْلُ:وَاللہِ اِنِّیْ لَاَسْتَغْفِرُاللہَ وَاَتُوْبُ اِلَیْہِ فِیْ الْیَوْمِ اَکْثَرَ مِنْ سَبْعِیْنَ مَرَّۃً۔
(بخاری،کتاب الدعوات، باب استغفار النبی فی الیوم واللیلۃ، ۴/۱۹۰، حدیث:۶۳۰۷)
Hazrat Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that he heard the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – to have declared that, “I swear by Allah that I make Taubah and Istighfar in the court of Allah over 70 times every day.”
عَنِ الْاَغَرِّ بْنِ یَسَارِ الْمُزَنِیِّ رَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہُ قَالَ:قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللہِ صَلَّی اللہُ عَلَیْہِ وَسَلَّمَ:یَااَیُّہَا النَّاسُ: تُوْبُوْا اِلَی اللہِ وَاسْتَغْفِرُوْہُ، فَاِنِّیْ اَتُوْبُ فِی الْیَوْمِ ِالَیْہِ مِئَۃَ مَرَّۃٍ (رَوَاہُ مُسْلِمٌ)
(مسلم،کتاب الذکر والدعا والتوبۃ والاستغفار، باب استحباب الاستغفار والاستکثار منہ، ص۱۴۴۹، حدیث:۲۷۰۳)
Hadrat Sayyiduna Asgar bin Yasaar – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has declared that, “O People seek repentance with Allah and seek His forgiveness, without doubt I seek repentance with Allah a hundred times a day.” (Muslim Shareef)
What is meant by Taubah?
In the “Umdatul Qari” there are many views of the ‘Ulama which are found such as:
- According to some ‘Ulama, Taubah means the displaying of remorse.
- Some are of the opinion that it signifies the firm commitment not to commit this act or sin again.
- Some believe that it signifies the refraining from all sins.
- Some are of the opinion that it entails the above three points or it is a combination of the above three.
- Allama Johari has explained that to turn away from sin is the name (or meaning) of Taubah.
The sign of true Taubah!
Hadrat Sayyiduna Abdullah ibne Mubaarak – may Allah’s mercy be upon him – has explained that there are six signs of true and sincere taubah. They are:
- One has to feel genuine remorse for past transgressions.
- One has to display a firm commitment not to perform that same sin or transgression again.
- Where one has been guilty of any shortfall in any Fard act, one needs to fulfil that quickly.
- If one has transgressed the rights of another person, he needs to fulfil those rights.
- If one’s body has become fat with Haraam wealth and earning, he needs to boil this fat with regret and sadness so that the skin becomes attached to the bone. In other words, he becomes so thin that it looks like he is only bones in appearance. Thereafter, whatever meat or muscle appears in his body, it should be from clean and Halaal wealth.
- As he experiences happiness when his desire is fulfilled, in like manner, he should experience happiness in obeying the rules of Islam. (Sharah Bukhari)
The difference between Istighfaar and Taubah
Mufti Ahmed Yaar Khan Na’eemi – may Allah’s mercy be upon him – explains that, “By Istighfaar is meant seeking forgiveness for one’s past sins and Taubah means to make a promise not to sin or transgress in the future or to verbally make a promise not to commit that sin in the future.
‘Istighfaar’ is extracted from the root word ‘Ghaf run’ which signifies ‘concealing something or to cover up something.’ Since by making Istighfaar, one sins and transgression become concealed, hence it is called Istighfaar.
‘Taubah’ means ‘to appeal or to turn away.’ In other words, a person would appeal to himself not to perform that act of transgression again. Hadrat Sayyiduna Junaid Baghdadi – may Allah be pleased with him – has explained that, “The highest form of Taubah is when the heart completely forgets or ignores the desire of committing a sin.” (Miraatul Manaajih)
What is the wisdom behind the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – making Taubah?
In the previous narration, we read that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – used to seek repentance sometimes seventy times a day or even a hundred times a day and we know that Taubah is made by that person who commits a sin, while the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – is Masum or sinless! As a matter of fact, we cannot even count the amount of sin and transgression committed by others which have been pardoned through his Wasila and blessed personality.
In Surah Fatha, verse 2, Allah Almighty declares:
لِّیَغْفِرَ لَکَ اللہُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِکَ وَ مَا تَاَخَّرَ
“(So) That Allah may forgive the sins of (those) before you and of (those) after you on account of you”.
When we know this, what therefore is the wisdom in the blessed Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – seeking Taubah, the Ulama have given different explanations of this.
He seeks Taubah admitting that he cannot truly fulfil his right to worship Allah Almighty!
Haafiz ibn Hajr Asqalani – may Allah’s mercy be upon him – explains that, “Making Taubah signifies that a sin has been committed even though the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – is pure of all sin. As a matter of fact, he is Sayyidul Masumeen, the leader of those who are sinless, the Angels and the Prophets. The ‘Ulama have explained this in various ways:
- Allama ibn Battaal – may Allah’s mercy be upon him – has explained that, “The people who perform the most amount of worship are the Prophets. They are consistently giving thanks to the Allah Almighty and yet, in spite of this, they feel they have not done enough (to show gratitude to the Allah Almighty), in other words, they admit that they are not able to truly fulfil the rights of Allah Almighty and because of this, they consistently make Taubah to Allah Almighty.” (Sharah Bukhari)
- Imam Mohammed bin Mohammed bin Mohammed Al Ghazzali – may Allah’s mercy be upon him – explains in his “Ihya ul Uloom” that, “The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – is continuously being elevated (spiritually) and raised to new heights and status (even now at this very moment), and when this happens, he seeks Taubah from his previous (spiritual) state.” (Fathul Bari)
- Allama Badrudeen Aini – may Allah’s mercy be upon him – explains that he used to make Taubah as a mark of humbleness and humility.
- He has also mentioned that this was done to educate his Ummah. (Umdatul Qari)
For the Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, Taubah was a form of Ibadah!
Mufti Ahmed Yaar Khan Na’eemi – may Allah’s mercy be upon him – explains that, “Taubah, Istigfaar, like Salaah and fasting was a form of Ibadah for him. This is the reason that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – used to perform Taubah and Istighfaar in abundance and since the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – is Masum (sinless), sins never even appeared near him! The great Sufis explain that, “we commit sin and then perform Taubah, while (these blessed creation, the Prophets), perform Ibadah and make Taubah.” (Miraatul Manaajih)
The Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – is actually a means of security and protection for the Ummah!
The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has explained that, “The similarity between me and you is like that person who are started a fire. When the fire brightened everything around, then the various insects began to fall into this fire and this person strives to save them from falling into the fire. However, they overtake him and fall into the fire. In like manner, I am holding you by your shoulders (from falling into the fire of Hell), (and some of you) are falling into it.” (Bukhari Shareef)
For every Prophet there is a special Du’a
The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has stated that, “For every Prophet, there is a special Du’a and every Prophet had asked this (Du’a) in this world and I have saved it for the Day of Judgement for the intercession of my Ummah. In Sha Allah, it will be for every follower of mine who did not commit Shirk.” (Muslim)
The reward of five Salaah is fifty Salaah!
Hadrat Sayyiduna Anas bin Maalik – may Allah be pleased with him – explains that on the night of Me’raj, fifty Salaah was prescribed upon the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, but because he continued to implore Allah Almighty to lessen this, it eventually became five daily Salaah. It was then declared to the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him-, “O Muhammad! Our declaration does not change, for these five (Salaah), you will get the reward of (having completed) fifty Salaah”. (Tirmidi Shareef)
No one is like the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him
Hadrat Sayyiduna Anas bin Maalik – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – once prohibited the companions from keeping fast without Sehri and Iftaar. When they explained that they also saw him do this, he answered, “Who among you is like me. Without doubt, My Lord sustains me with food and drink.” (Bukhari Shareef)
His Prophetic mercy upon the Ummah
When the 97th verse of Surah Ale Imraan was revealed wherein Muslims were commanded to perform the Hajj if they had the means, there was someone present who asked whether this was to be performed every year. The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – remained silent on three occasions and when he finally answered, he declared, “If I had said yes, then Hajj would have become compulsory upon you every year.” (Tirmidi Shareef)
My intercession is for the major sinners in my Ummah!
The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him has also declared that his intercession on the Day of Judgement would be for the major sinners among his Ummah. (Tirmidi Shareef)
The awe of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – and panic of Abu Jahl!
It is said that Abu Jahl who was once responsible for an orphan, however, he stole the wealth of this orphan. This orphan then approached the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – and pleaded for help. Everyone knew even at that time that this was that court of mercy, where no one left empty-handed and no one left without help and assistance. The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – then immediately approached Abu Jahl and demanded that the wealth of the orphan be returned. Abu Jahl did not even utter a single word. He immediately returned the wealth of the orphan.
After the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – had left, his friends asked Abu Jahl why he had displayed so much of fear and awe, he replied, “When I saw him coming, I could see two dangerous spears suddenly appear on his right and left and I realized that if I did not obey him, I would certainly be killed. Hence, I felt there was no other safety than obeying his command”. (As Seeratul Halbiyah)
How many times a day should you forgive your servant!
Our leader and master, the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – never once hit his servant or slave. Aside from hitting them, he never once even allowed anyone to even scold his servant. Someone once appeared in his court and asked how many times they should forgive their servants. They asked this question three times and finally he answered, “Forgive them seventy times a day.” (Mihkaatul Masaabih)
The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – as a mercy upon animals!
There is no doubt that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – was created as a mercy for every creature on earth. How was it possible that this Prophetic mercy could not be enjoyed even by animals who were creatures that could not even speak. It was not possible because Islamic history has many examples where the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – came to the aid of these animals! At the same time, besides being a source of mercy to these animals, he also advised people not to over-burden and abuse these animals.
The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – also advised people to pay special attention to the needs and comforts of these animals and he himself displayed this in many of his actions. He advised people not to unnecessary hit animals, not to cut the flesh of animals who were still alive, not to hit them on their mouths, not to use them without reason, not to make animals fight against each other, not to place such heavy loads on them which they could not manage to carry and to feed and allow them to drink when necessary. He prohibited all of these unfair actions.
Even animals came to his blessed court seeking help and assistance and their problems were eliminated. We will present a few examples in this context.
- His mercy for a deer
Hadrat Sayyiduna Zaid bin Arqam – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates: “One day in the blessed company of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – we were passing by the camp of a Bedouin. We saw that a deer had been tied next to the camp. When the deer saw the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, it immediately pleaded, ‘O Prophet of Allah! This person has captured me and brought me from the wild where I have two babies who are also still in the wild. I have milk which is becoming hard and neither does this person slaughter me so that I could be relieved of this suffering and nor does he release me so that I can go and feed my babies and return.’
“The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – asked, ‘If I release you, will you feed your babies and return?’ The deer replied, ‘Yes O Prophet of Allah! I will most certainly return and if I do not return, may Allah Almighty punish me as He will punish that person who accepts un-Islamic taxes (from people).’
“The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – then released the deer and it hastily ran into the wild and a few minutes later, it returned. The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – then secured it at the same place near the camp.
“At the same time, the Bedouin arrived carrying a water container. When the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – saw him, he asked him to sell the deer to him. He replied, ‘O Prophet of Allah! I am happy to present this deer to you as a gift.’ Thereafter, the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – released the deer.”
Hadrat Sayyiduna Zaid bin Arqam – may Allah be pleased with him – further narrates that, “By Allah! I saw this deer returning to the wild while reading the Kalimah and the Tasbeeh.” (Dalaa’ilun Nubuwah)
His mercy for a camel
Hadrat Sayyiduna Ya’la bin Marrah Saqafi – may Allah be pleased with him – relates that, “I was once blessed with being in the blessed company of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – on a certain journey. On this journey, I saw three amazing incidents.
“(Firstly) on the way, we saw a camel that was being used to draw water and nourish a certain area. When the camel saw the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, it began to wail in a high pitch voice and lowered its neck until it reached the ground. The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – remained next to the camel for a few moments and called the owner of the camel and asked him to sell the camel to him. The person replied, ‘O Prophet of Allah! We are prepared to give this (camel) as a gift to you. (However), this (camel) belongs to such a family who besides this camel have no other source of livelihood.’ The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – declared, ‘This camel has complained to me of being given very little food and extra work. Therefore, you should behave kindly to this (camel).’ (In other words, give it food properly and do not unduly overburden it with hard work).
“The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – then continued on his journey. At one spot, he decided to lay on the ground and have a short rest. While he was resting, a tree suddenly tore through the ground came near him and created a shadow over him. After a few minutes, it returned to its original place. When the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – awoke, I related this strange incident to him. He replied, ‘This tree had requested Allah Almighty to convey its Salaam to its Prophet. (Hence) it had been granted this request and therefore it appeared (near me) to convey its Salaam.’
“We then passed by a valley where a lady brought a child and presented this child to the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. This child was suffering from epilepsy. The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – then softly took hold of the child’s nose and whispered, ‘Get out! I am the Prophet of Allah!’ On our return, when we inquired from this lady about the condition of the child, she replied, ‘I swear by that Allah Almighty who has indeed sent you as the true Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, after you had left, we have never seen any problems (in this child).’” (In other words, we have never seen any signs of sickness in this child). (Musnad Imam Ahmed)
Such is the mercy of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – that he could not stand to see the suffering of anyone. We can see from these incidents that even animals and trees enjoyed the mercy of his special being and at the same time, he warned people against abusing animals. Such is the miracle of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – that he could even understand the language of every creation. The moment he saw anyone in trouble, merely by one single sight of his mercy, the trouble of that person was removed. If a major sinner came to him, again with one vision of mercy, he had the power to remove this evil trait from the person. May all of us also enjoy this special mercy of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. Ameen.
The benefit of Istighfaar!
Hadrat Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas – may Allah be pleased with them – narrates that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has declared that, “A person who has made Istighfaar or (seeking pardon for his sins) compulsory upon himself, Allah Almighty will remove all of his concerns and will give him peace and from lack of sustenance He will give him sustenance from such a place where he cannot even imagine.” (ibn Maja Shareef)
Hadrat Sayyiduna Zubair bin Awwaam – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has declared that, “Whosoever wishes that his Record of Deeds should make him joyous, then he should increase in Istighfaar.” (Majma’us Zawaa’id)
The immense benefit of Sayyidul Istighfaar!
اللَّہُمَّ اَنْتَ رَبِّی لَا اِلَہَ اِلَّا اَنْتَ خَلَقْتَنِیْ وَاَنَا عَبْدُکَ وَاَنَا عَلَی عَہْدِکَ وَوَعْدِکَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ أَعُوذُ بِکَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ اَبُوْئُ لَکَ بِنِعْمَتِکَ عَلَیَّ واَبُوْئُ بِذَنْبِیْ فَاغْفِرْ لِیْ فَاِنَّہُ لَا یَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ اِلَّا اَنْتَ۔
Hadrat Sayyiduna Shaddaad bin Aus – may Allah be pleased with him – has narrated that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has declared that, “Whosoever has recited this during the day with Imaan and certainty and then passed away before the evening, he is a person of Jannah. And whosoever recites this in the evening with Imaan and certainty and passes away before day break, he is a person of Jannah.” (Bukaari Shareef)
Important points to bear in mind.
- There is tremendous benefit in making Taubah as this brings with it immense benefit.
- Through Istighfaar, the sins of a person are removed, Allah Almighty becomes pleased with the person and this is also the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him.
- We should perform Taubah and Istighfaar at least seventy times a day which is a minimum amount.
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Riyaadus Saaliheen – Hadith #13-14 (Importance of Seeking Repentance)
Download PDF: Riyaadus Saaliheen – Hadith #13-14 (Importance of Seeking Repentance)
The conditions of making Taubah
Imam Nawawi – may Allah’s mercy be upon him – explains that, “It is Waajib to seek repentance for one’s sins. If this sin is between a creation and His Creator then there are three conditions attached to this:
If one of these conditions are not fulfilled, then the repentance of a person would be considered as incomplete. If this sin or transgression has been committed against another person, then there is also a fourth condition which needs to be fulfilled.
In whatever condition, it is Waajib to seek repentance for one’s sins and transgressions all the time. According to the Jurists, if one had sought pardon for certain sins, then it would be considered as fulfilled, however, if there are certain other sins for which he has not sought pardon for, then this would be considered as necessary actions or acts that still need to be completed and fulfilled. There are many proofs for this in Islamic law.
Three Divine commands of the Allah Almighty
Surah Nur, verse 31, the Allah Almighty declares:
وَ تُوۡبُوۡۤا اِلَی اللہِ جَمِیۡعًا اَیُّہَ الْمُؤْمِنُوۡنَ لَعَلَّکُمْ تُفْلِحُوۡنَ ﴿۳۱﴾
“And repent to Allah, (O Muslims) all together, haply you may get prosperity”.
Hadrat Allamah Ismail Haqqi – may Allah’s mercy be upon him – has explained that, “Allah Almighty has commanded every Muslim to make Taubah. The reason is that the nature of a human being is weak and even though he may strive to do something, he will always commit some mistake.”
Imam Qushayri – may Allah’s mercy be upon him – has explained, “The person who needs to make Taubah, the greatest is that person who does not think it is necessary to make Taubah. This verse proves the Divine Fairness of Allah Almighty because He has commanded all Muslims to make Taubah so that those who are guilty do not become embarrassed (thinking that only they are being targeted). If Allah Almighty had only addressed this to the people who are guilty, then they would become extremely embarrassed and disheartened. It is hoped that as Allah Almighty in His Infinite Mercy does not embarrass the guilty in this world, in the same manner, the guilty would not be embarrassed in the Hereafter.” (Tafseer Ruhul Bayan)
The Divine Mercy of the Allah Almighty cannot even be imagined. There are times when parents become so angry with their children that they even refuse to speak to their children for the rest of their life, yet, Allah Almighty, in spite of our daily transgressions, continues to give us the opportunity to make Taubah and does not allow us to lose hope or feel that we have no option available in seeking His Divine Mercy.
In Surah Hud, verse 90, Allah Almighty declares:
وَ اسْتَغْفِرُوۡا رَبَّکُمْ ثُمَّ تُوۡبُوۡۤا اِلَیۡہِ ؕ اِنَّ رَبِّیۡ رَحِیۡمٌ وَّدُوۡدٌ ﴿۹۰﴾
“And beg forgiveness of Allah, then turn towards Him”. No doubt, my Lord is Merciful, Loving”
In Surah Tahreem, verse 8, Allah Almighty declares:
یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا تُوۡبُوۡۤا اِلَی اللہِ تَوْبَۃً نَّصُوۡحًا
“O believers! Turn towards Allah in such a way that it may become an admonition for future.”
The Importance of Seeking Repentance:
عَنْ اَبِیْ ہُرَیْرَۃَ رَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُوْلَ اللہِ صَلَّی اللہُ عَلَیْہِ وَسَلَّمَ یَقُوْلُ:وَاللہِ اِنِّیْ لَاَسْتَغْفِرُاللہَ وَاَتُوْبُ اِلَیْہِ فِیْ الْیَوْمِ اَکْثَرَ مِنْ سَبْعِیْنَ مَرَّۃً۔
(بخاری،کتاب الدعوات، باب استغفار النبی فی الیوم واللیلۃ، ۴/۱۹۰، حدیث:۶۳۰۷)
Hazrat Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that he heard the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – to have declared that, “I swear by Allah that I make Taubah and Istighfar in the court of Allah over 70 times every day.”
عَنِ الْاَغَرِّ بْنِ یَسَارِ الْمُزَنِیِّ رَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہُ قَالَ:قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللہِ صَلَّی اللہُ عَلَیْہِ وَسَلَّمَ:یَااَیُّہَا النَّاسُ: تُوْبُوْا اِلَی اللہِ وَاسْتَغْفِرُوْہُ، فَاِنِّیْ اَتُوْبُ فِی الْیَوْمِ ِالَیْہِ مِئَۃَ مَرَّۃٍ (رَوَاہُ مُسْلِمٌ)
(مسلم،کتاب الذکر والدعا والتوبۃ والاستغفار، باب استحباب الاستغفار والاستکثار منہ، ص۱۴۴۹، حدیث:۲۷۰۳)
Hadrat Sayyiduna Asgar bin Yasaar – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has declared that, “O People seek repentance with Allah and seek His forgiveness, without doubt I seek repentance with Allah a hundred times a day.” (Muslim Shareef)
What is meant by Taubah?
In the “Umdatul Qari” there are many views of the ‘Ulama which are found such as:
The sign of true Taubah!
Hadrat Sayyiduna Abdullah ibne Mubaarak – may Allah’s mercy be upon him – has explained that there are six signs of true and sincere taubah. They are:
The difference between Istighfaar and Taubah
Mufti Ahmed Yaar Khan Na’eemi – may Allah’s mercy be upon him – explains that, “By Istighfaar is meant seeking forgiveness for one’s past sins and Taubah means to make a promise not to sin or transgress in the future or to verbally make a promise not to commit that sin in the future.
‘Istighfaar’ is extracted from the root word ‘Ghaf run’ which signifies ‘concealing something or to cover up something.’ Since by making Istighfaar, one sins and transgression become concealed, hence it is called Istighfaar.
‘Taubah’ means ‘to appeal or to turn away.’ In other words, a person would appeal to himself not to perform that act of transgression again. Hadrat Sayyiduna Junaid Baghdadi – may Allah be pleased with him – has explained that, “The highest form of Taubah is when the heart completely forgets or ignores the desire of committing a sin.” (Miraatul Manaajih)
What is the wisdom behind the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – making Taubah?
In the previous narration, we read that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – used to seek repentance sometimes seventy times a day or even a hundred times a day and we know that Taubah is made by that person who commits a sin, while the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – is Masum or sinless! As a matter of fact, we cannot even count the amount of sin and transgression committed by others which have been pardoned through his Wasila and blessed personality.
In Surah Fatha, verse 2, Allah Almighty declares:
لِّیَغْفِرَ لَکَ اللہُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِکَ وَ مَا تَاَخَّرَ
“(So) That Allah may forgive the sins of (those) before you and of (those) after you on account of you”.
When we know this, what therefore is the wisdom in the blessed Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – seeking Taubah, the Ulama have given different explanations of this.
He seeks Taubah admitting that he cannot truly fulfil his right to worship Allah Almighty!
Haafiz ibn Hajr Asqalani – may Allah’s mercy be upon him – explains that, “Making Taubah signifies that a sin has been committed even though the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – is pure of all sin. As a matter of fact, he is Sayyidul Masumeen, the leader of those who are sinless, the Angels and the Prophets. The ‘Ulama have explained this in various ways:
For the Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, Taubah was a form of Ibadah!
Mufti Ahmed Yaar Khan Na’eemi – may Allah’s mercy be upon him – explains that, “Taubah, Istigfaar, like Salaah and fasting was a form of Ibadah for him. This is the reason that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – used to perform Taubah and Istighfaar in abundance and since the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – is Masum (sinless), sins never even appeared near him! The great Sufis explain that, “we commit sin and then perform Taubah, while (these blessed creation, the Prophets), perform Ibadah and make Taubah.” (Miraatul Manaajih)
The Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – is actually a means of security and protection for the Ummah!
The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has explained that, “The similarity between me and you is like that person who are started a fire. When the fire brightened everything around, then the various insects began to fall into this fire and this person strives to save them from falling into the fire. However, they overtake him and fall into the fire. In like manner, I am holding you by your shoulders (from falling into the fire of Hell), (and some of you) are falling into it.” (Bukhari Shareef)
For every Prophet there is a special Du’a
The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has stated that, “For every Prophet, there is a special Du’a and every Prophet had asked this (Du’a) in this world and I have saved it for the Day of Judgement for the intercession of my Ummah. In Sha Allah, it will be for every follower of mine who did not commit Shirk.” (Muslim)
The reward of five Salaah is fifty Salaah!
Hadrat Sayyiduna Anas bin Maalik – may Allah be pleased with him – explains that on the night of Me’raj, fifty Salaah was prescribed upon the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, but because he continued to implore Allah Almighty to lessen this, it eventually became five daily Salaah. It was then declared to the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him-, “O Muhammad! Our declaration does not change, for these five (Salaah), you will get the reward of (having completed) fifty Salaah”. (Tirmidi Shareef)
No one is like the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him
Hadrat Sayyiduna Anas bin Maalik – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – once prohibited the companions from keeping fast without Sehri and Iftaar. When they explained that they also saw him do this, he answered, “Who among you is like me. Without doubt, My Lord sustains me with food and drink.” (Bukhari Shareef)
His Prophetic mercy upon the Ummah
When the 97th verse of Surah Ale Imraan was revealed wherein Muslims were commanded to perform the Hajj if they had the means, there was someone present who asked whether this was to be performed every year. The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – remained silent on three occasions and when he finally answered, he declared, “If I had said yes, then Hajj would have become compulsory upon you every year.” (Tirmidi Shareef)
My intercession is for the major sinners in my Ummah!
The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him has also declared that his intercession on the Day of Judgement would be for the major sinners among his Ummah. (Tirmidi Shareef)
The awe of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – and panic of Abu Jahl!
It is said that Abu Jahl who was once responsible for an orphan, however, he stole the wealth of this orphan. This orphan then approached the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – and pleaded for help. Everyone knew even at that time that this was that court of mercy, where no one left empty-handed and no one left without help and assistance. The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – then immediately approached Abu Jahl and demanded that the wealth of the orphan be returned. Abu Jahl did not even utter a single word. He immediately returned the wealth of the orphan.
After the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – had left, his friends asked Abu Jahl why he had displayed so much of fear and awe, he replied, “When I saw him coming, I could see two dangerous spears suddenly appear on his right and left and I realized that if I did not obey him, I would certainly be killed. Hence, I felt there was no other safety than obeying his command”. (As Seeratul Halbiyah)
How many times a day should you forgive your servant!
Our leader and master, the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – never once hit his servant or slave. Aside from hitting them, he never once even allowed anyone to even scold his servant. Someone once appeared in his court and asked how many times they should forgive their servants. They asked this question three times and finally he answered, “Forgive them seventy times a day.” (Mihkaatul Masaabih)
The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – as a mercy upon animals!
There is no doubt that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – was created as a mercy for every creature on earth. How was it possible that this Prophetic mercy could not be enjoyed even by animals who were creatures that could not even speak. It was not possible because Islamic history has many examples where the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – came to the aid of these animals! At the same time, besides being a source of mercy to these animals, he also advised people not to over-burden and abuse these animals.
The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – also advised people to pay special attention to the needs and comforts of these animals and he himself displayed this in many of his actions. He advised people not to unnecessary hit animals, not to cut the flesh of animals who were still alive, not to hit them on their mouths, not to use them without reason, not to make animals fight against each other, not to place such heavy loads on them which they could not manage to carry and to feed and allow them to drink when necessary. He prohibited all of these unfair actions.
Even animals came to his blessed court seeking help and assistance and their problems were eliminated. We will present a few examples in this context.
Hadrat Sayyiduna Zaid bin Arqam – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates: “One day in the blessed company of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – we were passing by the camp of a Bedouin. We saw that a deer had been tied next to the camp. When the deer saw the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, it immediately pleaded, ‘O Prophet of Allah! This person has captured me and brought me from the wild where I have two babies who are also still in the wild. I have milk which is becoming hard and neither does this person slaughter me so that I could be relieved of this suffering and nor does he release me so that I can go and feed my babies and return.’
“The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – asked, ‘If I release you, will you feed your babies and return?’ The deer replied, ‘Yes O Prophet of Allah! I will most certainly return and if I do not return, may Allah Almighty punish me as He will punish that person who accepts un-Islamic taxes (from people).’
“The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – then released the deer and it hastily ran into the wild and a few minutes later, it returned. The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – then secured it at the same place near the camp.
“At the same time, the Bedouin arrived carrying a water container. When the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – saw him, he asked him to sell the deer to him. He replied, ‘O Prophet of Allah! I am happy to present this deer to you as a gift.’ Thereafter, the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – released the deer.”
Hadrat Sayyiduna Zaid bin Arqam – may Allah be pleased with him – further narrates that, “By Allah! I saw this deer returning to the wild while reading the Kalimah and the Tasbeeh.” (Dalaa’ilun Nubuwah)
His mercy for a camel
Hadrat Sayyiduna Ya’la bin Marrah Saqafi – may Allah be pleased with him – relates that, “I was once blessed with being in the blessed company of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – on a certain journey. On this journey, I saw three amazing incidents.
“(Firstly) on the way, we saw a camel that was being used to draw water and nourish a certain area. When the camel saw the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, it began to wail in a high pitch voice and lowered its neck until it reached the ground. The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – remained next to the camel for a few moments and called the owner of the camel and asked him to sell the camel to him. The person replied, ‘O Prophet of Allah! We are prepared to give this (camel) as a gift to you. (However), this (camel) belongs to such a family who besides this camel have no other source of livelihood.’ The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – declared, ‘This camel has complained to me of being given very little food and extra work. Therefore, you should behave kindly to this (camel).’ (In other words, give it food properly and do not unduly overburden it with hard work).
“The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – then continued on his journey. At one spot, he decided to lay on the ground and have a short rest. While he was resting, a tree suddenly tore through the ground came near him and created a shadow over him. After a few minutes, it returned to its original place. When the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – awoke, I related this strange incident to him. He replied, ‘This tree had requested Allah Almighty to convey its Salaam to its Prophet. (Hence) it had been granted this request and therefore it appeared (near me) to convey its Salaam.’
“We then passed by a valley where a lady brought a child and presented this child to the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. This child was suffering from epilepsy. The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – then softly took hold of the child’s nose and whispered, ‘Get out! I am the Prophet of Allah!’ On our return, when we inquired from this lady about the condition of the child, she replied, ‘I swear by that Allah Almighty who has indeed sent you as the true Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, after you had left, we have never seen any problems (in this child).’” (In other words, we have never seen any signs of sickness in this child). (Musnad Imam Ahmed)
Such is the mercy of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – that he could not stand to see the suffering of anyone. We can see from these incidents that even animals and trees enjoyed the mercy of his special being and at the same time, he warned people against abusing animals. Such is the miracle of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – that he could even understand the language of every creation. The moment he saw anyone in trouble, merely by one single sight of his mercy, the trouble of that person was removed. If a major sinner came to him, again with one vision of mercy, he had the power to remove this evil trait from the person. May all of us also enjoy this special mercy of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. Ameen.
The benefit of Istighfaar!
Hadrat Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas – may Allah be pleased with them – narrates that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has declared that, “A person who has made Istighfaar or (seeking pardon for his sins) compulsory upon himself, Allah Almighty will remove all of his concerns and will give him peace and from lack of sustenance He will give him sustenance from such a place where he cannot even imagine.” (ibn Maja Shareef)
Hadrat Sayyiduna Zubair bin Awwaam – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has declared that, “Whosoever wishes that his Record of Deeds should make him joyous, then he should increase in Istighfaar.” (Majma’us Zawaa’id)
The immense benefit of Sayyidul Istighfaar!
اللَّہُمَّ اَنْتَ رَبِّی لَا اِلَہَ اِلَّا اَنْتَ خَلَقْتَنِیْ وَاَنَا عَبْدُکَ وَاَنَا عَلَی عَہْدِکَ وَوَعْدِکَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ أَعُوذُ بِکَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ اَبُوْئُ لَکَ بِنِعْمَتِکَ عَلَیَّ واَبُوْئُ بِذَنْبِیْ فَاغْفِرْ لِیْ فَاِنَّہُ لَا یَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ اِلَّا اَنْتَ۔
Hadrat Sayyiduna Shaddaad bin Aus – may Allah be pleased with him – has narrated that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has declared that, “Whosoever has recited this during the day with Imaan and certainty and then passed away before the evening, he is a person of Jannah. And whosoever recites this in the evening with Imaan and certainty and passes away before day break, he is a person of Jannah.” (Bukaari Shareef)
Important points to bear in mind.
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Hadeeth & Commentary
Forgiveness, Hadeeth, Istighfar, Repentance, Taubah