What
does repentance mean exactly?
The
Holy Prophet Muhammad (saww) said: “There
is a medicine for each pain; and the medicine for sins
is repentance”. (Wasa’il
al-Shi’ah, vol.11, p. 354)
Repentance
to one who has adopted and filled one’s heart with
fate, is of the most importance, for during the believing
man’s (or woman’s) mission during this short
transitory journey to the eternal hereafter, we may encounter
obstacles that may mislead us, we may make mistakes, we may
make wrong turns, we may indulge in our animal desires, we
may forget or ignore others rights, we may make crucial faulty
steps, etc… For a regular true believing human being,
who is not gifted with the blessing of infallibility from
ALLAH (swt) may accidentally or even purposely (May ALLAH
forbid) stumble into any of these traps. Therefore in ALLAH’s
(swt) Mercy and Forgiveness gave to man a most incredible
gift that can return his state (his polluted soul) back to
what it was before he committed the sinful act (clean and
unadulterated), this incredibly great generous gift is the
gift of Repentance.
During
our stay in this transient life, our most important mission
is to seek closeness and nearness to our most Glorious Creator
the Most High ALLAH Azz wa Jall, to seek human perfection,
to collect the most good deeds for our salvation, improve our
knowledge of the soul and intellect, to perfect our worship,
to strive in the way of ALLAH (swt), to complete our obligatory
duties, to be good to our parents, to keep up good ethics and
morality, to protect our faith against all enemies, to do good
and forbid and avoid evil, etc.. However, if we look carefully
at all these crucial issues, all of them can be stopped or
altered by the horrible effects of sin. Avoidance of any illicit
and illegal acts is obligatory and a must, but sometimes we
may slip and fall somewhere during our Islamic mission to salvation,
eternal felicity and bliss. And since ALLAH (swt) never decrees
on man something he cannot support and endure. ALLAH
(swt) says: “ALLAH
desires ease for you, and HE does not desire for you difficulty”. (The
Holy Qur’an 2 Al-Baqarah-185). That
is exactly why ALLAH (swt) decreed upon man the great blessing
and favour of repentance. Therefore
ALLAH (swt) opened to all mankind the door of the exalted favour
of repentance. ALLAH (swt) says: “And
if you would count ALLAH’s favours, you would not be
able to number them. Surely ALLAH is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”. (The
Holy Qur’an 16 Al-Nahl-18)
Imam
Ja’afar As-Sadiq (a-s) said: “As
for repentance of the common man, he washes his inward
being with the water of regret, in constant recognition
of his wrong action, having regret for what he has done
and fear for what remains of his life. He does not think
that his wrong actions are insignificant, for that would
lead him to laziness; his continued weeping and regret
for what he has missed is in itself an act of worship”. (Masbah
Al-Sharia’t wa Maftah Al-Haqiqat by Imam Ja’afar
Ibn Muhammad As-Sadiq (a-s) Section 12.)
In
other words mankind’s mission is well defined for him
by the Holy Qur’an and in the Hadiths of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (saww) and his Ahlul-Bayt (a-s) and Islam is the perfect
system for all mankind; it also protects mankind against sins
and cures him of his mistakes and sins like a medicine does
for the sick person. This medicine in the case of moral errors
or sins is Repentance. Mankind strives to perfect
himself, therefore obviously he is not in the state of infallibility (exception:
the Holy Prophets (a-s), the Holy Imams (a-s) and those ALLAH
(swt) chooses) and
we can understand that since man in his weakness will slip
and make mistakes and fall into sinful acts. ALLAH (swt)
says: “ALLAH
desires that HE should make light your burdens, and man is
created weak”. (The
Holy Qur’an 4 An-Nisa’-28). So
ALLAH Azz wa Jall in HIS Mercy and Generosity gave to man repentance
as medicine to cure his soul (heart) against the ill effects
of sins. If the true believing men and women did not have repentance
to turn to when weakness overtakes them and they stumble into
transgression and err, their morality would slowly get crushed
in the total lost of hope of salvation, their very soul would
deteriorate under the enormous sorrow of drifting away from
ALLAH (swt), their existence would no longer have any logical
and true meaning and their existence would be confined to endless
grief and gloom with nothing to wait for after this transient
life except torturous pain and Hell fire. This would result
in nothing else but a society ruled under chaos and no hope
of any kind whatsoever.
Therefore
we must absolutely turn to ALLAH Azz wa Jall with our hearts
(soul) filled with pure regret and at all times. We must feel
the overwhelming pain of the sins we committed and beg ALLAH
(swt) to forgive us and to give us protection and remembrance
of HIM and of our deaths, in order to prevent us from repeating
these ugly, polluted and filthy actions, that only lead mankind
to destruction and eternal pain and punishment. Repentance
is indeed a glorious blessing that when performed in pure sincerity
cleanses mankind and gives us the greatest hope and strength
to abstain from sins and to fight all sorts of evil in our
passage though this transient life.
ALLAH
(swt) says: “And
most surely I am most Forgiving to him who repents and
believes and does good, then continues to follow the right
direction”. (The
Holy Qur’an 20 Ta-Ha-82)
Are
we the only ones responsible for our sins and Can we truly
be forgiven for all our sins?
- Are
we the only ones responsible for our sins?
“Yet
surely your Lord, with respect to those who do an evil
in ignorance, then turn after that and make amends, most
surely your Lord after that after that is Forgiving, Merciful”. (The
Holy Qur’an 16 Al-Nahl-119)
Let
us take a quick look at how man alone is responsible for his
evil deeds (sins) and how they will affect his destiny. We
know without a doubt that man is one being and only one being,
however, we can divide man’s ‘SELF’ into
two distinctive properties; animal property (this consists
of man’s physical needs and desires). And his human
self (the spirit of man, his celestial essence) that makes
him different and superior to all other creation. This is a
special gift given only to man included in this celestial gift
is such attributes as; intellect, reflection, wisdom and freewill. ALLAH
(swt) says: “So
when I have made him and have breathed into him of MY Spirit,
do ye fall down, prostrating yourselves to him”. (The
Holy Qur’an 15 Al-Hijr 29) Yes,
these attributes determinate man’s destiny, they open
to man free will and choices possible all within the ordainment
and command of ALLAH (swt). In other words causation and the
law of casualty are a law of ALLAH (swt) since ALLAH (swt)
is the creator and controller of all creation and existence.
When ALLAH (swt) created man HE gave him the gift of HIS Spirit
giving man a free will and an intellect to reflect and to strive
on the right path and to the destination of nearness of ALLAH
Azz wa Jall.
Let
me explain this in an example of a man who is walking in a
field, he comes to two paths, now this man can only take on
of these two paths, one path has many poisonous snakes and
scorpions on it and has many fruit trees on it, the other path
is clear but with nothing on it. Man has to choose which path
to take, he has the option of one of the two, however, depending
on his choice, his destiny may be very different, but both
paths lead to an ultimate destiny which is the creation of
ALLAH (swt). If the man chooses the first path, he may nourish
his hunger, but perhaps at the price of being stung, bitten,
or poisoned. If he chooses the second he may be safe and perhaps
he will find food on its course further away or perhaps he
will encounter a wild beast that will chew him up.
See
with intellect, man has the free will to choose his path, however,
the end result is ALLAH (swt)’s choice. This is true
belief in Tawhid, for anyone who believes in the One Creator
of all existence and HIS Divine Justice and Mercy, will believe
that man’s will to choose is without any compulsion and
that the end result is only the choice of ALLAH (swt), for
ALLAH (swt) created all, therefore all destiny is HIS and all
destination leads to HIM on the Day of Judgement. Anyone who
believes that ALLAH (swt) pushes man to do evil deeds is 100% wrong
and is not a Muslim and not a believer in Tawhid. Anyone who
believes man controls all around him and his destination 100% and
that ALLAH (swt) has no control over his creation is also a
non-believer in Tawhid and in ALLAH (swt). ALLAH (swt)
says: “ALLAH
creates whatever HE wants (out of what was recorded previously)
and records whatever HE wants (that was not recorded previously)
and with HIM alone is the Mother Book”. (The
Holy Qur’an 13 Al-Ra’d-39)
All
thanks and Praises are to ALLAH (swt) who gave man the option
of choosing a good and prosperous direction for himself, for
only the human being may strive in order to achieve nearness
and closeness to ALLAH (swt). When ALLAH (swt) made man his
vicegerent on earth he gave him the responsibility of his own
conduct and behaviour, therefore only man is responsible for
his own sins. In no way can he carry the burden of another,
nor can he blame anyone for his ill conduct, his filthy behaviour
and his destructive desires. In other words man’s free
will to choose also causes him to be responsible for himself
and his actions and no one else. Therefore we must at all times
behave in a good manner and conduct ourselves in the upmost
highest human virtue possible.
ALLAH
(swt) says: “WE
have shown man the right path. Now it is up to him to
be grateful or thankless”. (The
Holy Qur’an76 Al-Dahr-3)
Imam
Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a-s) said: “Even
if ALLAH (swt) had not threatened for disobeying him, people
must not disobey HIM in order to be grateful for HIS blessings”. (Nahj
Al-Balaghah Maxim no. 290)
- Can
we truly be forgiven for all our sins?
“And
HE it is who accepts repentance from HIS servants and
pardons the evil deeds and HE knows what you do”. (The
Holy Qur’an 42 Ash-Shura-25)
Man
has the ability to accomplish good deeds and to strive in
the right path, but man is also weak as we have already mentioned
above, so ALLAH Azz wa Jall sent upon all men the blessing
of repentance. Nevertheless only man’s true repentance,
regret, fear of ALLAH (swt)’s anger and the pain of
HIS punishment, repentance towards those we wronged, a deep
remorse and shame in the heart, the agony of distancing
ourselves from ALLAH (swt) by committing sins and not to
repeat the evil deed in question will bring FORGIVENESS.
‘A
woman came to the Prophet Muhammad (saww) and asked: “If
a woman kills her child can she seek pardon?” The
Holy Prophet (saww) replied: “By
ALLAH (swt) in whose control is the life of Muhammad (saww)
even if this woman has killed seventy Prophets and then
feels remorse and repents truthfully and full heartily
and ALLAH Azz wa Jall is convinced of her sincerity and
the truth of her repentance shall be accepted. And her
sins would be pardoned. Surely ALLAH (swt) is oft forgiving
and forgives, ever so beyond measure. Verily one who truly
repents sincerely is; as if he has never committed that
sin”’. (Liyali
Akhbaar)
If
we meditate on the above Hadith and the above quoted Qur’anic
verse, we can understand that forgiveness is possible for any
sin; however, the sinner polluted and evil infected heart must
be purified and cured before he can expect any kind of forgiveness.
For the action of sinning is an extremely dangerous virus that
attacks man’s heart (soul) without any pity or mercy.
It is man’s desires, when not controlled, that push man’s
tyrannical self to get the best over his human self (spirit)
and that opens his soul to disgusting and vile sins. Then Shaïton
steps into man’s conscious and soul and drags him down
into the most horrid and repulsive place, shutting down his
heart and pulls him ever so far away from the Forgiveness and
Mercifulness of ALLAH (swt). The sinner is then a completely
chronically sick soul, who has lost all touch with reality
and goodness; his journey is one of doom and destruction, moving
ever so closely to the fires of Hell. He is like the one who
is sick and knows the cure, but chooses to suffer in anguish,
ignoring his condition until there is no longer any hope of
a cure for his illness.
Consequently
it is truly a matter of man’s sincerity and truthfulness
of the heart that will determine his chances of forgiveness.
For example; there are people who fast during the Holy month
of Ramadan, but during the other 11 months live in sin and
evil, they turn away from good deeds and worship. Every year
they repeat the same sins and every year they fast thinking
it will clean away their filthy hearts. Can we say that this
man’s true inner self is a reflection of his
fasting during the 30 days of the month of Ramadan or of
the evil and vile sins committed the other 11 months of the
year? This is like those who are very rich and live like
tyrants and despots all year round then rush to do Hajj every
year, thinking this will clear away all their evil deeds.
This is like a very ill patient taking only one aspirin thinking
it will cure him instead of getting full and effective medical
treatment. The man, who truly repents, works hard, strives
on the path of ALLAH (swt), deeply regrets his ugly actions
and does not return to them and then only he can count on
Divine forgiveness from ALLAH Azz wa Jall. For ALLAH (swt)
knows all that is true and false in our hearts (souls). We
must not forget that it tells us in the
Holy Qur’an:
“HE
knows what you do”. (The
Holy Qur’an 42 Ash-Shura-25)
“And
ALLAH knows what you do openly and what you hide”. (The
Holy Qur’an 5 Al Ma’idah-99)
“And
your LORD is not heedless of what you do”. (The
Holy Qur’an 11 Hud-123)
“And
HE it is WHO takes your souls at night, and HE knows what
you acquire in the day, then HE raises you up therein that
an appointed term may be fulfilled; then to HIM is your
return, then HE will inform you of what you were doing”. (The
Holy Qur’an 6 Al-An’am-60)
“And
ALLAH knows what you conceal and what you do openly”. (The
Holy Qur’an 16 An-Nahl-19)
“And
your LORD knows what their hearts conceal and what they
manifest”. (The
Holy Qur’an 28 Al-Qasas-69)
“And
certainly WE created man, and WE know what his mind suggests
to him, and WE are nearer to him than his jugular vein”. (The
Holy Qur’an 50 Qaf-16)
So
we can very easily understand that our true inner intention
is what will be revealed to our eyes on the Day of Judgement,
it is our true inner intention that determines if we are sincere
in our repentance or not and only ALLAH (swt) knows this, and
HE will Judge with the highest and purest justice, for HIS
Justice is Divine Justice. Indeed the sinning man is only fooling
himself with his empty promises and idle talk. The truthful
man, who wants to end his evil deeds in true repentance and
does not return to them, is allowing his heart to be cured
and with the Mercy and Forgiveness of ALLAH (swt), his repentance
will be a new weapon and a guiding light for him on his journey
in this transient life leading to his ultimate destination:
Death and then to the Hereafter. Logically there is no doubt
that the door to repentance which leads to salvation is open,
however, how many people are truly entering this door? We
will Insha’ALLAH answer this question further in this
study.
Must
man repent within the time of this transient life?
We
now know from the last section of this brief study, that man
can determine whether he will obtain a good destiny or a bad
destiny, depending on his behaviour and deeds. In other words
man’s destiny is determined on the results of his deeds.
And through the course of history is destined by the Divine
Will, man being of a free will is not eradicated.
ALLAH
(swt) says: “Surely
ALLAH does not change what is in a people, until they change
what is in themselves”. (The
Holy Qur’an 13 Ar-Ra’d-11)
The
purpose of man’s passage in this transient life is to
accumulate truthful knowledge, good deeds and actions, to perfect
himself and to attain the nearest position to ALLAH Azz wa
Jall possible, and man’s test is to prove his unconditional
and undying love for ALLAH (swt), to fight against the evil
forces of the Shaïtins, to combat his idle desires from
corrupting his soul, to abstain from sins that do nothing else
but guarantee his doom. So when man does slip he must (in order
to purify his soul) repent immediately, the reason being that
man does not know when death will take him and this transient
life is for planting the seeds for the harvest in the Hereafter.
In other words, this life is for good actions and the Day of
Judgement is for recompense. Man will not have the chance to
repent after his death as he enters Barzakh.
Imam
Ja’afar As-Sadiq (a-s) said: “Delaying
repentance is a sort of arrogance; continuation of delay
results in confusion and astonishment; excuses in front
of the Almighty ALLAH is total destruction; instance for
sinning is due to feeling secure against the Divine punishment;
except the people who are losers, no one feels secured
against it”. (Bihar
al-Anwar, vol. 73, p. 365)
Only
the one with a purified and clean heart (soul) can accomplish
the entrance to Paradise on the Day of Judgement and the only
way to clean and purify the heart is through repentance. And
repentance must be done in this transient life before man meets
his death. In fact, this was one of the very important messages
that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saww) taught to the Ummah,
he (saww) would constantly tell his followers the importance
of repentance, that it was a command upon all mankind to be
done in this transient life, so one can receive the Mercy and
Forgiveness of ALLAH Azz wa Jall and in order to obtain salvation
on the Day of Judgement.
Imam
Ja’afar As-Sadiq (a-s) said: “The
Holy Prophet (saww) used to repent seventy times a day
without ever committing any single sin”. (Al-Kafi,
vol. 2, p. 450)
What
is the behaviour of a repented person?
Imam
Amir-Ul-Mumineen Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a-s) said: “Whenever
one repents and ALLAH (swt) accepts his repentance, ALLAH
will employ his body parts to cover up his sins. ALLAH
(swt) will employ the places where the sins were committed
to hide the sin and will make the guardian angels who record
the sins forget them”. (Mishkat
ul-Anwar Fi Ghurar il-Akhbar. Hadith # 528)
The
Holy Prophet Muhammad (saww) said: “Whenever
you repent, ALLAH the Almighty will be pleased just as
you get happy when you find something you have lost”. (Mishkat
ul-Anwar Fi Ghurar il-Akhbar. Hadith # 529)
“O
ye who believe! Turn unto ALLAH in sincere repentance!
It may be that your LORD will remit from you your evil
deeds and bring you into Gardens underneath which rivers
flow”. (The
Holy Qur’an 66 At-Tahrim-8)
A
man who has truly repented with his heart’s intention
and sincerity and his repentance is accepted becomes a transformed
being. The heavy load that was pulling him down to the abyss
of doom and destruction is lifted from his spirit, his mind
and his body. For one who is infected with sins is spiritually
sick, mentally sick and physically sick and only a true repentance
can clean, purify and cure all of his illness. A man who repents
begins his inner Jihad against those evil desires that haunt
his own soul (heart). The one who repents is like the one who
has not sinned, therefore he protects his new well being with
all the effort he can possibly give and with the Mercy and
Guidance from ALLAH Azz wa Jall his success will lead him to
eternal felicity, happiness and bliss.
The
Holy Prophet Muhammad (saww) said: “Sorrow
is repentance” (Tuhaf
Al-Uquul, Maxims of the Prophet (saww) # 154)
The
above Maxim is short but has a big meaning; a major part of
repentance is an extreme feeling of regret, remorse and sorrow.
The man, who truly repents, lives with the haunting pain and
horror of his evil action. His nights are filled with the fear
of punishement and of disappointing his most beloved Creator
ALLAH (swt) until the day he feels no doubt that his evil deeds
have been forgiven. In fact, he longs so much to be forgiven,
he prefers any kind of punishement in this life, than that
of the Grave (in Barzakh) or on Judgement Day. For a man who
does get his repentance accepted and is forgiven has a whole
new outlook on life. (We
will go deeper into this subject in the next section: “What
are the inner dimensions and benefits of repentance?”)
Logically
a man, who is repented, is like he who has undergone a miraculous
re-birth. Consequently he strives to be the best human being
that he possibly can, after all the remorse and sorrow he suffered
from the evil and painful effects of his sins, he rejoices
in his newly re-found inner peace and satisfaction. The one
we will now call the ‘repented’ is
the one we see and we find him to be a man of pure faith, generous
heart, dedicated worshipper, helpful brother (or
sister however, we have been using the masculine pronoun in
this study in order to simplify),
cheerful companion and gentle adviser. The reason for this
is simple for; faith, generosity, worship, helpfulness, good
character and gentleness are all attributes of the sinless
or of the repented. In other words, those whose hearts are
pure, intentions sincere and light up the room when they inter
it, are the true winners. The repented are those who regret
their past, wrong deeds and now stand firm to protect the blessing
of Forgiveness that ALLAH (swt) in his Enormous Generosity,
Mercy and Graciousness, has Bestowed on them.
Imam
Ja’afar As-Sadiq (a-s) said: “One
who repents a sin is like one who has not committed any
sin, but one who continues to commit sins while he has
repented is making a fool out of himself”. (Mishkat
ul-Anwar Fi Ghurar il-Akhbar. Hadith # 540)
Imam
Ali Ibn Musa Ar-Rida (a-s) said: “The
Prophet Muhammad (saww) said: A believer near ALLAH (swt)
is like a close angel. A believer near ALLAH (swt) is greater
than this and nothing is more beloved to ALLAH (swt) than
a repentant believing man or a repentant believing woman” (Uyoon
Akbar ar-Rida, p.198)
Imam
Amir-Ul-Mumineen Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a-s) said: “Repentance
is regretting in the heart, asking ALLAH Azz wa Jall for
forgiveness by the tongue, giving up sins by the organs
and intending not to come back to sins again”. (Bihar-ul-Anwar,
vol. 78 p. 81)
What
are the inner dimensions and benefits of repentance?
“Except
him who repents and believes and does a good deed; so these
are they of whom ALLAH changes evil deeds to good ones;
and ALLAH is Forgiving, Merciful. And whoever repents and
does good, he surely turns to ALLAH a goodly turning”. (The
Holy Qur’an 25 Al-Furqane-70-71)
Unlike
the materialist point of view on human evolution, Islam believes
with pure unadulterated conviction that humanity is always
progressing on the path of perfection. Islam at its base has
a Divine doctrine that guides man on the very straight path
that leads to salvation. The point of view of the current secular
materialism vision that this life is the only life, pushing
man in an existence of fear and doubt, with absolutely no hope
of any solace, obliged to bow down to the despot tyrannical
rulers in today’s governments, a world where profits
come first and the human being way down the list of importance.
Islam’s view (as
per the Holy Qur’anic verses and the teachings of the
Holy Messenger and Prophet Muhammad (saww) and his Ahlul-Bayt
(a-s)) however,
is a complete human approach to human kind and the life in
this transient life, it promotes and pushes man to achieve
his true potential of higher being, encouraging him to strive
on the path that leads to purification and perfection, which
will transport him after his demise in this transient life,
to a lofty position near his most beloved and only god; ALLAH
(swt). By understanding this perfect system (Islam), we can
understand the colossal importance of repentance. For repentance
is truly one of the major keys of this doctrine, in other words:
should man slip and fall on an icy surface (fall into error
and sins), repentance is the helping hand to help pick him
up to continue his transitory journey to human perfection.
Therefore man does not consider his chances of success to arrive
at the doors of eternal felicity and bliss, annulled only because
of a slip. This is a proof of the indescribable Mercy, Generosity
and Forgiveness of the Most High ALLAH (swt). And it also opens
a new door for us to enter and to investigate and this being
the inner dimensions and benefits of repentance.
The
Holy Prophet Muhammad (saww) said: “ALLAH
(swt) is happier with the repentance of HIS servant than
a sterile man when begetting a child, than a lost one when
finding his destination and than a thirsty one when reaching
a drinking fountain”. (Mizan
al-Hikmat, vol. 1, p. 338)
Many
of the schools of psychology in the secular world, that explore
human behaviour, are inclined to ignore the deeper esoteric
nature of man, when in reality it is this esoteric nature that
differences man from all other living organism. In reality
these schools of thinking see man only as an animal, who is
under the command and control of his base desires. They do
not base any of their research on the inner developments of
man in accordance with his spirit. For it is his spirit, that
will lead him to self perfection. Islam in its perfect dogma
explores and bases man’s conduct on his inner essence.
So man is seen as a human being, encouraged to grow spiritually
and intellectually, in Islam both man’s individual life
and social life are in relation to his inner human perfection.
With
such an absolute probe into man’s essence, needs and
desires, Islam has a means (an
aid/tool) for
every single part of man’s existence. Repentance is one
of these very important tools, repentance works on many fronts
of man’s well being for this transient life and for his
Hereafter. In fact man’s science is not developed enough
to even be able to scratch the surface of all the true benefits
repentance has for the human soul. Until now, we only know
some of the inner dimensions and benefits, from which our research
and sciences have been able to detect and confirm. Only ALLAH
(swt) knows all of the benefits and inner dimensions of true
repentance.
“The
Knower of the unseen! So HE does not reveal HIS secrets
to any” (The
Holy Qur’an 72 Al-Jinn-26)
We
can, however, say in a nutshell, that when a man truly repents
for his wrong action, many actual, genuine, indisputable and
factual transformations come over him, from the source of his
inner spirit which is purified and cleansed by the wonderful
Mercy and Forgiveness of ALLAH Azz wa Jall. At that moment
man returns to his social duties refreshed and contented, which
in return reflects on his personality and his new need to perform
good duties for the advancement of human kind, he becomes a
better human being, a better father, a better son, a better
husband. He then becomes an excellent example for society in
general, his heart becomes filled with goodness and honesty,
therefore his surroundings appreciate him, this opens many
doors of opportunity for him and most importantly this leads
him on the Straight Path wanting nothing else but closeness
and nearness to ALLAH (swt). He then strives and works very
hard for the purpose of closeness to ALLAH Azz wa Jall and
that in return gives him many blessings, good deeds and heavenly
rewards in this life and for the Hereafter, which provides
him with the best of positions in Paradise after the Day of
Judgement Insha’ALLAH.
Imam
Ali Ibn Hussayn Zaynul-A’abideen As-Sajjaad (a-s)
Said: “So
he stood before Thee pleading, his eyes turned toward the
ground in humbleness, his head bowed before Thy might in
lowliness; he revealed to Thee in meekness those secrets
of his which Thou knowest better then he; he numbered for
Thee in humility those sins of his which Thou countest
better than he; he sought help from Thee before the dreadful
into which he has fallen in Thy knowledge and the ugly
which has disgraced him in Thy judgment the sins whose
pleasures have turned their backs and gone and whose evil
consequences have stayed and stuck fast. He will not deny
thy justice, my God, if Thou punishes him, nor will he
consider Thy pardon great if Thou pardons him and hast
mercy on him, for Thou art the Generous Lord for whom the
forgiveness of great sins is nothing great!” (Taken
from: “As-Sah’eefat-ul-Kaamilat-us-Sadjjaadeeyah” Dua’a
# 31 “In mentioning and asking for Repentance”)
So
we can clearly see that the scope of the inner dimensions and
benefits of repentance is unlimited in the goodness that it
provides. Imagine how man would be without the blessing of
repentance, he would live in despair, misery, gloom and desolation.
Man would then have no hope of salvation; no hope of bettering
himself and that would lead him to sinking deeper into chaotic
sins and vice, until he would have no other option but to commit
suicide in order to escape the horrific pain and suffering
that is his existence, however, in reality this would only
lead him to the abyss of Hell Fire.
Imam
Amir-Ul-Mumineen Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a-s) said: “There
is no intercessor more successful than repentance”. (Ibid).
In
Conclusion:
In
this brief study, I did not want to go too deep into scientific
terms and I did not want to move away too much from our main
subject repentance, so that all can understand and so that
the study would not become too long. Anyhow we can come away
from this study understanding the extreme importance of repentance,
how it is a vital part of man’s spiritual and psychological
well being. It is without a doubt a tool for mankind to perfect
his humanity and is most definitely a key to Paradise. Insha’ALLAH
we will not only use the information in this study theoretically,
but practically as well. We are the most blessed people on
earth, we are Muslims and we are blessed with the gift of the
Holy Qur’an and the knowledge of it properly taught to
us by our beloved Holy Prophet Muhammad (saww) and his Saintly
Ahlul-Bayt (a-s). That is why we must live by these Divine
teachings and must conduct ourselves in the best possible manner,
always working and striving to perfect ourselves in order to
be closer and nearer to our LORD and CREATOR; ALLAH (swt).
And with this, I pray ALLAH (swt) will be satisfied with our
efforts. May ALLAH Azz wa Jall bless us all, guide us all,
protect us all, and forgive us all. Very special thanks and
may ALLAH (swt) send the best of blessings to my very dear
brother Mohammad Al-Khafagy at
AlHawra.Com and
his family. And also to all my brothers and their families
at: Al-Hawra Zainab (a-s) Foundation and Masjid.
Brother
Ali Ja’afary Stump. |
