Repentance

Ramadan: The Way to Repentance

The greatest benefit that accrues to Muslims in the blessed month of Ramadan is turning in repentance to Almighty God, Allah, self-evaluation, and evaluation of one’s personal history. In Ramadan, the door of repentance is wide open, the grace of our Lord is guaranteed and His favours are bestowed abundantly. Yet, where are those who repent and seek their Lord's forgiveness?

In the Qur'an, Almighty Allah advises,
(Say, "O my servants who have acted extravagantly against their own souls, do not despair of the mercy of Allah; surely Allah forgives the faults altogether and surely He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.") (Az-Zumar 39:53)

This month, Ramadan, is the season of repentance and forgiveness. It is the month of tolerance and clemency. Indeed, it is the most precious and cherished of all times.

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said,
"Allah stretches out His hand during the night so that the people may repent for the faults that were committed from dawn until dusk. He stretches out His hand during the day so that the people may repent for the faults that were committed from dusk to dawn. He would continue to accept repentance until the sun rises in the west (i.e. on the Day of Resurrection)." (Hadith reported by Muslim)

Surely our sins are many, yet Allah's compassion is even more; our misdeeds are great, but His mercy is greater; the mistakes we commit are huge, yet His forgiveness is more huge. Glory be to the One Who continues to give us while we always do wrong and forgive us when we repent. Out of His sublime generosity and mercy, He does not withhold His favours no matter how many errors His servants commit.

Allah says in the Qur'an,
(And those who, when they commit an indecency or do injustice to their souls, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their faults, and who forgives the faults but Allah? And who do not knowingly persist in what they have done.) (Ali `Imran 3:135)

True believers do not ever persist in wrongdoing.

They commit sins and mistakes, yet they subsequently acknowledge their errors and seek forgiveness. Having repented sincerely, their sins are pardoned by the Most Merciful Lord.

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) reportedly said, "What a loss it would be for the one who witnesses Ramadan and does not attain forgiveness!" (Hadith reported by Al-Bazzar).

Verily, it is a rare opportunity, and we should strive for achieving the benefits of it.

Should they avoid major sins, the believers will have all the sins, shortcomings, and faults that they have committed throughout the year forgiven and rectified during this noble month.

In a hadith qudsi (Divine Hadith), Almighty Allah was quoted by the Prophet as saying, "O My servants, you sin night and day and I forgive all sins, so seek My forgiveness and I will forgive you" (Hadith reported by Muslim).

Of course, it is natural for human beings to err. However, some of us do not repent, do not turn to Allah and seek His forgiveness. Unfortunately, there are some of us who persist in doing wrong. Those are the ones who are forsaken and denied guidance.

Thus, Allah proclaims in a hadith qudsi, "O son of Adam, if you call upon Me and ask Me, I shall forgive you and I do not care (about the enormity of what you have done)" (Hadith reported by At-Tirmidhi).

And in the Qur'an, Almighty Allah says,
(It is He Who accepts repentance from His servants and pardons bad deeds and knows whatever you do.) (Ash-Shura 42:25)

Opportunity From the All-Merciful
O fasting people, this month is our opportunity for sincere repentance. These days are our best chance which we should accept and benefit from. Take the initiative with sincere repentance before your high spirit becomes lower. Do not take lightly any sin, for you, certainly, shall be accounted for all what you have done, and your final deeds shall be of crucial importance in deciding your judgment. Many people observed fast with us last year and passed away to their Lord, to Whom belongs all authority and Who is the Swiftest of Reckoners. They all have gone along with their deeds and left behind their traces.

Additionally, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said, "By Him in Whose hand is my life, if you were not to commit sins, Allah would sweep you out of existence and He would replace you by people who would commit sins and seek forgiveness from Allah, so that He may pardon their sins." (Muslim)
When will we truly repent and return to our Lord if we fail to do so in Ramadan? There are some Muslims who fast in Ramadan, rectify their lives and attain peace of mind, yet as soon as this blessed month is finished and the fasting is over, they return to their old ways and undermine what was repaired in Ramadan. They breach the covenants that they took during Ramadan. Their entire lives are thus spent in building and destroying and pledging and betraying.

In a Qur'anic verse, Almighty Allah warns,
(And be not like her who breaks and completely untwists the yarn that she [herself] has spun and made strong.) (An-Nahl 16:92)

Many of our righteous predecessors used to cry for the elapse of Ramadan when it ended. They would feel sorry for and regret its departure. Given the great progress they could achieve during these precious times, purifying their hearts and illuminating their souls, they would be sad when that great season came to an end.
O Allah, guide us to the straight path and grant us what you have granted our righteous predecessors!


Reference: IslamOnline.org
`A'id Al-Qarni
Da`iyah and Scholar — Saudi Arabia

Sheikh `A'id Abdullah Al-Qarni is a prominent Saudi scholar and da`iyah. He has his doctorate in Hadith. He has made many audio lectures and a number of TV programs