Introduction
Scholars have made mention that it is our duty to repent for every wrong action. As Muslims and as humans our Eman(faith) is never stable. Along the line our Eman may become weak, we may be overwhelmed by our desires. Shaytan may make sin attractive for us until we commit that sin and fall into that which Allah has forbidden.
But does that mean we are doomed? with a smile on my face, I say NO! Because Allah is Kind to His slaves, and His mercy encompasses all things. Whoever repents after doing wrong, Allah will accept his repentance, for Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. When you go through verses of the Qur’an that talk about repentance they are a lot of them. Alhamdulillah for the Deen.
“But whosoever repents after his crime and does righteous good deeds (by obeying Allaah), then verily, Allaah will pardon him (accept his repentance). Verily, Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
[Surah al-Ma’idah 5:39]
“O you who believe! Turn to Allaah with sincere repentance! It may be that your Lord will expiate from you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise)”
[Surah al-Tahreem 66:8]
Between You and Allah
If it is a type of disobedience that occurs between you and Allah and does not involve the right of another human being, repentance has 4 main steps:
- Stop the sin / Refrain from the disobedience.
- Regret deeply and truly for the sin you committed.
- Return to Allah for forgiveness.
- Make a strong intention never to return to that same sin again.
If one of the above is lacking, then your repentance is not sound.
Between You and another Human
If the sin you committed involves stepping on the rights of another human being, then repentance has 5 main steps:
- Stop the sin / Refrain from the disobedience.
- Regret deeply and truly for the sin you committed.
- Return to Allah for forgiveness.
- Make a strong intention never to return to that same sin again.
- Discharge the Duty of the person.
The first four are the same as before with an addition of the 5th point. You must return the infringed rights back to the individual to whom they belong. Seek their forgiveness and make peace with them.
I Committed the Sin Again 😥
We all make mistakes in our lives and we all commit sins. We are all human and sometimes tend to lose the path for a while. With many of us, our repentance begins strong, but then slowly we get weaker and fall back into committing the sin only a short while later. So, to ensure that we stay true to our repentance and keep our promises to Allah, We need to dig deeper and find the root of our sin and stay away from it at all costs to the best of our ability.
The source of your sin maybe a friend, a certain place that you go to sit, at your computer alone, or watching tv alone. So just think and try to find a way that helps you use these resources for good rather than evil. It is always good to try and have people around you when using these resources so that you feel stronger and surround yourself with people who remind you to stay on the right path, for it is always easy to stray when you are alone and vulnerable.
Do not despair. Strive to leave that sin completely and the doors of forgiveness are always open for you. So long as you’re still breathing, then keep repenting.
No Sin is Small
Once you repent and turn to Allah genuinely your heart becomes softer and your interactions with others become gentle, over and above that you become a better person. I wrote an article on the Impact of sins which I believe would be beneficial too if you could spare a moment to read.
Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi wa salam said: “Every son of Adam sins, and the best of those who sin are those who repent.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
No sin is small or negligible. That small sin that we think is insignificant, we do not take into account, we do not repent or feel bad about it, can gradually lead us to major sins. To help the situation you can set yourself a program for learning Islamic knowledge, do a lot of naafil acts of worship, especially voluntary fasts, for this is an important means of resisting temptation and reducing desire. And also strive in making dua and ask Allah to help you get rid of these small sins that can pile up to be major sins.
Conclusion
Once we commit a sin we should hasten to repent because delaying repentance is in and of itself a sin for which repentance is required. You should keep away from places of sin because being there may make you fall into sin again. You should keep away from those friends that help you to commit sin and go for righteous friends who will help you against your nafs (self) and who will be an alternative to bad company. And also do a lot of good deeds, because good deeds cancel out bad deeds.
I ask Allaah to benefit you by these words and to guide our hearts. And may Allaah to give us the strength to do that which He loves and is pleased with. May He accept all our repentance and grant us his forgiveness.
You can read my post on Renewing your Eman I believe it will be of help connected to this Topic. JazakAllah Khair for stopping by.
