Download PDF: Riyaadus Saaliheen – Hadith #15 (Taubah Attracts Allah’s Mercy)

The Divine Mercy of Allah Almighty which descends upon the person who makes Taubah!

عَنْ اَبِیْ حَمْزَۃَ اَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِکٍ الْاَنْصَارِیِّ خَادِمِ رَسُوْلِ اللہِ صَلَّی اللہُ عَلَیْہِ وَسَلَّمَ وَرَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللہِ صَلَّی اللہُ عَلَیْہِ وَسَلَّمَ:’’لَلّٰہُ اَفْرَحُ بِتَوْبَۃِ عَبْدِہٖ مِنْ اَحَدِکُمْ سَقَطَ عَلٰی بَعِیْرِہٖ وَقَدْ اَضَلَّہٗ فِیْ اَرْضٍ فَلاَۃٍ

(بخاری، کتاب الدعوات، باب التوبۃ، ۴/۱۹۱، حدیث: ۶۳۰۹)

وَفِیْ رِوَایَۃٍ لِمُسْلم لَلّٰہُ اَشَدُّ فَرَحًا بِتَوْبَۃِ عَبْدِہٖ حِیْنَ یَتُوْبُ اِلَیْہِ مِنْ اَحَدِکُمْ کَانَ عَلٰی رَاحِلَتِہٖ بِاَرْضٍ فَلاۃٍ ، فَانْفَلَتَتْ مِنْہُ وَعَلَیْہَا طَعَامُہٗ وَشَرَابُہُ فَاَیِسَ مِنْہَا، فَاَتٰی شَجَرَۃً فَاضْطَجَعَ فِیْ ظِلِّہَا وَقَدْ اَیِسَ مِنْ رَاحِلَتِہٖ ، فَبَیْنَمَا ہُوَکَذَالِکَ اِذْ ہُوَبِہَا قائِمَۃً عِنْدَہٗ ، فَاَخَذَ بِخِطَامِہَا ، ثُمَّ قَالَ مِنْ شِدَّۃِ الْفَرَحِ’’اللہُمَّ اَنْتَ عَبْدِیْ وَاَنَا رَبُّکَ‘‘اَخْطَاَ مِنْ شِدَّۃِ الْفَرَحِ

(مسلم، کتاب التوبۃ،باب فی الحض علی التوبۃ والفرح بھا، ص۱۴۶۹، حدیث:۲۷۴۷)

A servant of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – namely 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 – has declared that, “Allah Almighty becomes more happy with the Taubah of a person than that person who has lost his camel on a barren land and suddenly finds it.”

(In the Muslim Shareef) the following words appear, “When a person makes Taubah, Allah Almighty becomes even more happy than that person among you who goes to his animal (means of travel, horse, camel etc.) and he finds his animal is lost. And on his animal is his food and water and he becomes hopeless in recovering his animal. He then lays down under the shadow of a tree and suddenly he finds his animal standing next to him. He then grasps the reins of the animal and with extreme joy he screams, “O Allah! You are my servant and I am your Lord.” (In other words, in extreme joy, his words become opposite). (Muslim Shareef)

A person in this state will not be held accountable!

When a person utters such words in extreme stress, in extreme surprise or due to some other reason, a person is not in his senses and utters such words (which are against Islamic Law), he will not be held accountable. In like manner, if a person utters such words as a moral of some incident or story or for some religious benefit, even in that instance, a person will not be held responsible. However, if a person utters such words as a joke or he tries to impersonate someone else or he utters this in useless speech, then in this instance, the person will be held accountable. (Fathul Baari)

What is meant by Allah Almighty becoming joyous or happy?

Allama Badrudeen Aini – may Allah’s mercy be upon him – explains that, “In the above Hadith Shareef, the happiness and joy of Allah Almighty is to be understood in its metaphorical sense. It actually means the Divine Pleasure of Allah Almighty. In other words, Allah Almighty becomes extremely pleased with the Taubah of a believer.” (Umdatul Qari)

Explaining this Hadith Shareef, Mufti Ahmed Yaar Khan Na’eemi – may Allah’s mercy be upon him – says, “In this instance, by Divine Happiness is meant Divine Pleasure. The reason is that in a technical sense (according to Islamic law), Allah Almighty is pure of such attributes as joy and extreme happiness. It must be remembered that being pleased is something else and intention is something else. Allah Almighty is pleased with a person’s Imaan (faith) and his gratitude displayed.

In Surah Zumar, verse 7, He declares that:

وَاِنْ تَشْکُرُوْا یَرْضَہُ لَکُمْ

“But if you are thankful, then He is Pleased with it for you.”

The Divine Pardon of Allah Almighty

  1. Hadrat Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has declared that, “If you continue to commit sin until it even reaches the heavens, then you make Taubah, (still) Allah Almighty will accept your Taubah.” (ibn Maja Shareef)
  1. Hadrat Sayyiduna Abu Zarr Ghiffaari – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has conveyed this message from Allah Almighty, “O My servants! I have prohibited oppression upon Myself and have also made it Haraam among you. Therefore, do not oppress each other. O My servants! All of you are misguided except those I have given guidance to. Seek guidance from Me, I will give you guidance. O My servants! All of you are hunger stricken, except those I have fed. Seek sustenance from Me, I will sustain you. O My servants! All of you are naked except those I have covered. Seek covering from Me, I will clothe you. O My servants! You commit sin day and night and I forgive sins. Seek forgiveness from Me, I will forgive you. O My servants! You cannot harm Me so that I can be harmed and you cannot give Me profit that I can profit. O My servants! If all of those in the past and the future and if all of men and Jinn become as one pious being, there will be no increase in my Kingdom. O My servants! If all of those in the past and future and if all of men and Jinn become as one sinful being, still too, there would be no decrease in My Kingdom. O My servants! If all those in the past and the future and if all of men and Jinn join at one place and ask Me and I fulfil the request of each one, still too, there would be no decrease in My Divine Bounty. (In fact) it will be as less as a needle which dropped into an ocean. O My servants! It is your actions which are counted and you will be repaid in full for it. Therefore if there is good in it, give thanks to Allah Almighty and if it is something else, then you should only admonish yourself.” (Muslim Shareef)

Hadrat Sayyiduna Sa’eed – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that when Hadrat Sayyiduna Abu Idris Kho-laani – may Allah be pleased with him – used to recite this Hadith Shareef, he used to actually stand up on his knees.

The most noble of sinners!

Hadrat Sayyiduna Anas – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has declared that, “Every person is a sinner and the best of sinners are those who make (consistent) Taubah.” (ibn Maja Shareef)

Lessons learnt from this:

  1. A person who sincerely makes Taubah enjoys the Shadow of His Mercy.
  2. Taubah is a means of pleasing Allah Almighty.
  3. If a person utters words not becoming of a Muslim and it sounds like Kufr then as long as that person did not do so deliberately, he will not be condemned as a Kaafir. (Bahareh Shariah)
  4. One should never give up hope on the Divine Mercy of Allah Almighty.
  5. The Du’a of an oppressed person or a person in dire problems, his Du’a is quickly accepted.
  6. One should make Istighfaar as one’s daily reading as this eliminates a lot of difficulty and creates a lot of good for a person.
  7. The amount of humility and guiltiness in making Taubah and reading Istighfaar determines its great potential.