The scholars said that repentance is obligatory from every sin. If the sin is between the servant and Allah Almighty with no human involved, it has three conditions:
First: One must give up the sin;
Second: One must show remorse for committing it;
Third: One must resolve never to do it again. If any of these conditions is missing, one’s repentance is invalid.
If the sin involves the right of a human, the above three conditions for repentance apply in addition to clearing one’s liability from the right of that human. For example, if one owes money or so, he must pay it back; if it is defamation or so, one should let him reciprocate or ask for his pardon; and if it is backbiting, he should ask for forgiveness, and he must repent from all sins. If he repents from some sins, his repentance is valid according to the scholars of Sunnah, but he is still held accountable for the remaining sins. There is a considerable amount of evidence from the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the consensus of Muslims on the obligation of repentance:
Allah Almighty says: {And turn to Allah in repentance all together, O believers, so that you may be successful.} [Surat an-Nūr: 31] He also says: {And seek your Lord’s forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance} [Surat Hūd: 3] Allah Almighty also says: {O you who believe, turn to Allah in sincere repentance.} [Surat at-Tahrīm: 8]
In addition to the three conditions of repentance that the author (may Allah have mercy upon him) mentioned, the following are added:
Repentance should take place in its proper time; and this is of two types:
The first type: the time related to each person individually; it must be done before death.
The second type: the time related to people in general, based on the saying of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): "Hijrah (migration) is acceptable as long as repentance is acceptable, and repentance is acceptable until the sun rises from the west." [Narrated by Ahmad] As soon as the sun rises from the west, repentance becomes worthless.
1) The verse shows the obligation of repenting from sins, the excellence and reward of repentance, for Allah loves the repentants.
2) Repentance is a cause for success, which is why a true successful person is the one seeking and committing to a means leading to success.
13/1 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) saying: “By Allah! I ask Allah for forgiveness and repent to Him more than seventy times a day.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
14/2 - Al-Agharr ibn Yasār al-Muzani (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “O people, seek repentance from Allah and seek His forgiveness. Verily, I seek repentance from Him one hundred times a day.” [Narrated by Muslim]
1) The obligation of repentance because the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) commanded it: “O people, seek repentance from Allah,” and he always hastened to repentance. Doing so reflects compliance with the command of Allah Almighty and the command of His Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), in addition to following the Messenger’s example.
2) It shows the tremendous dedication of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) to worship his Lord and make sincere repentance to Him.
3) An aspect of the Prophet’s guidance is to teach people both verbally and in practice.
4) One of the etiquettes of the preacher is to be the first to comply with the very command he is preaching people about as well as to be the first to refrain from what he advises people to abandon.
15/3- Abu Hamzah Anas ibn Mālik al-Ansārī (may Allah be pleased with him), the servant of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah is happier with the repentance of His servant than one of you is with finding his riding camel after having lost it in a desert.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
In a version narrated by Muslim: “Allah is happier with the repentance of His servant when he repents to Him than one of you who was on his camel in a waterless desert and then it broke away from him whilst carrying his provision of food and drink and he lost hope of finding it. So he went to a tree and lay down in its shade, hopeless of finding his camel. While in that state, he all of a sudden finds it standing before him, so he takes hold of its rein and then out of intense joy he says: ‘O Allah, You are my servant and I am your Lord.’ He makes this mistake out of intense joy.”
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rein: the rope used to lead the camel.
1) Encouraging repentance because Allah loves it and is pleased with His servant when he repents.
2) The love of Allah Almighty for the repentance of His servant is in the servant’s interest, because Allah loves to forgive and pardon. To Him, pardoning is more pleasing than punishment, thus He is happy with the repentance of His servant.
3) Establishing the attribute of happiness to Allah, the Exalted; for indeed He shows happiness, anger, love, and hate. But: {There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.} [Surat ash-Shūra: 11] It is a happiness that befits His Majesty and Glory, and it does not resemble the happiness of creatures.
Unlike the individual who intentionally or mockingly utters a word of disbelief, the individual who inadvertently or mistakenly utters it is not to be held accountable for it; which is a reflection of the mercy of Allah Almighty. This is similar to the situation of the man who said: “O Lord! You are my servant and I am Your lord.”
16/4 Abu Mūsa Abdullah ibn Qays al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah Almighty stretches His hand during the night so that the sinners of the day may repent, and He stretches His hand in the day so that the sinners of the night may repent. He keeps doing so until the sun rises from the west.” [Narrated by Muslim]
1) Allah Almighty accepts repentance from the servant even if it came late (not immediately after committing the sin), which is a reflection of the mercy of Allah Almighty towards His sinning servant.
2) Allah Almighty loves repentance, and therefore He accepts it from the servant and stretches His hands for it.
3) Hastening to repentance is one of the causes to earning the pleasure of Allah with His servant.
17/5 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever repents before the sun rises from the west, Allah will accept his repentance.” [Narrated by Muslim]
1) One of the conditions of repentance requires its occurrence within its general legitimate time frame, based on the Hadīth: “(The time for) Repentance does not end until the sun rises from the west.” [Narrated by Ahmad]
2) The sun rising from the west is one of the major signs of the Final Hour, following which no soul will benefit from its faith if it had not believed before or had earned through its faith some good.
3) The faith that benefits the believer is voluntary faith, whereas the faith expressed after the advent of the warning signs is of no benefit because it is generated by dire need. An example is what Allah Almighty said about Pharaoh: {... until when he was drowning, he said, “I believe that none has the right to be worshiped except He in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am one of those who submit to Allah.”} [Surat Yūnus: 90]
18/6- Abu ‘Abdur-Rahmān, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah accepts the servant’s repentance as long as the death rattle has not yet reached his throat.” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi; and he classified it as Hasan (sound)]
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1) Repentance is worthless at one’s deathbed, thereby, on an individual level, it must be made before the time of death.
2) Faith due to dire need at one’s deathbed is worthless because the servant is witnessing death already. So, the believer should take advantage of his life before death takes him by surprises.
19/7- Zirr ibn Hubaysh reported: “I went to Safwān ibn ‘Assāl (may Allah be pleased with him) to ask him about wiping over the leather socks. Safwān asked me: ‘What brought you, Zirr?’ I replied: ‘To seek knowledge.’ He said: ‘Indeed, the angels lower their wings for the seeker of knowledge out of pleasure with what he seeks.’ So I said: ‘There is some doubt in my heart concerning wiping over the leather socks after defecation and urination, and you were one of the Companions of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), so I came to you to ask you: Did you hear him mention anything concerning that?’ He said: ‘Yes, he used to order us when we were traveling to not take off our leather socks for three days and nights except from Janābah (major ritual impurity), but not from defecation, urination, and sleep.’ I said: ‘Did you hear him mention anything concerning love?’ He said: ‘Yes. We were traveling with the Messenger of Allah when a Bedouin man called him with a very loud voice: “O Muhammad!” So the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) answered him in a similar voice: ‘Here!’ So we said to him: ‘Lower your voice for you are in the presence of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), and you have been forbidden from this.’ He said: ‘By Allah, I will not lower (it).’ The Bedouin said: ‘A person loves a people but he is not on the same level with them (in terms of deeds)?’ The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘A person is with whomever he loves on the Day of Judgment.’” He continued to speak to us until he mentioned a gate in the direction of the west whose width is traveled – or a rider would travel its width – in forty or seventy years.” Sufyān (one of the sub-narrators) said: “(It is) in the direction of the Levant (west of Madīnah), Allah created it the Day He created the heavens and the earth, open for repentance. It shall not be closed until the sun rises through it.” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi; he classified it as Hasan Sahīh (sound and authentic)]
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1) The excellence of knowledge as well as seeking it. The beneficial knowledge is what is contained in the Qur’an and the Prophetic Sunnah, and seeking it is considered a form of Jihad for the sake of Allah Almighty.
2) As for the statement that “the angels lower their wings for the seeker of knowledge, out of pleasure with what he does,” we believe in its literal meaning because any statement reported from the Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and has been verified as authentic must merit our compliance. We are to believe in it without skepticism or hesitation. It is quite often that the Prophet’s practice and the truth do not conform to personal opinions and desires.
3) Wiping over the leather socks is one of the distinctive practices of Ahl-us-Sunnah, as it is established by the concurrence of multiple Hadīths reported form the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him).
4) A believer who loves a people of faith becomes one of them even if his deeds are comparatively less.
5) The encouragement in the great testament that “a person is with whomever he loves on the Day of Judgment.” It is obligatory to love people of knowledge and faith and to dislike people of disbelief and aggression.
6) An indication of the blessedness of the land of the Levant is that Allah Almighty created the gate of repentance in the direction of the Levant.
20/8 - Abu Sa‘īd Sa‘d ibn Mālik ibn Sinān al-Khudrī (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Among those who lived before you, there was a man who had killed ninety-nine people. He asked about the most knowledgeable person on earth and was guided to a monk. When he went to him, he informed him that he had killed ninety-nine people and asked if his repentance could be accepted. The monk said, ‘No,’ so he killed him and made him the hundredth. Then he asked again about the most knowledgeable person on earth and was guided to a scholar. He informed him of his hundred murders and asked if there was a chance for his repentance to be accepted. The scholar said, ‘Yes, and who could place a barrier between him and repentance? Set out to such-and-such for there are people who worship Allah, the Almighty, so join them in their worship, and do not return to your land, for it is a land of evil.’ The man set out and when he was halfway there, death came to him. The angels of mercy and the angels of torment disputed over him. The angels of mercy said: ‘He came with a repenting heart to Allah, the Almighty.’ The angels of torment said: 'He has never done anything good in his life.’ An angel then came in the form of a human being and they agreed to take him as an arbitrator. He said: ‘Measure the distance between the two lands and see to which one he was closer.’ They did that and found him closer to the land he was traveling to, so the angels of mercy took his soul.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
In another authentic narration: “He was one span closer to the land of piety, so he was considered one of its people.” In yet a third authentic narration: “Allah, the Almighty, ordered this land (evil place) to move away and this land (good place) to move closer and said: ‘Measure the distance between them,’ so they found him to be one span closer to this one (the good land), so he was forgiven.” In another narration: “He directed his chest towards it (the good land).”
1) The excellence of knowledge and its holders. Unlike the devout worshiper who lacks knowledge, a scholar guides people and does not make them despair of Allah’s mercy.
2) It shows how a person’s environment affects him in terms of being righteous or corrupt. An environment of righteousness encourages the believer to do good whereas an evil environment weakens the believer or discourages him from doing good altogether.
3) A sincere intention complements the deed of the believer even if he had not done it.
4) It shows the vastness of the mercy of Allah towards His servants as He opened the gate of repentance to excessive sinners and accepted their repentance.
5) Whoever sins then feels remorseful for what he committed, his remorse is proof of the validity of his repentance, based on the saying of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): “Remorse is repentance.” [Narrated by Ahmad]
A killer is liable for three rights:
The first right pertains to Allah, the second to the killed, and the third to the relatives of the killed.
As for the right pertinent to Allah, He forgives it through repentance.
As for the right pertinent to the killed, the repentance of the killer does not waive this right because it is no longer possible for the killer to obtain pardon from him. He will answer for it when Allah judges between him and the killed on the Day of Judgment.
As for the right of the relatives of the killed, the repentance of the killer is not valid until he surrenders himself to them, after which they either pardon him or ask for retribution or for bloodmoney.
21/9- ‘Abdullah ibn Ka'b ibn Mālik, who was his father’s guide after Ka'b lost his sight, reported that he heard Ka‘b ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrating the story when he failed to accompany the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) in the battle of Tabūk. Ka‘b said: “I never stayed behind in any expedition that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) undertook except the battle of Tabūk and the battle of Badr. As for the battle of Badr, nobody was blamed for remaining behind as the Messenger of Allah and the Muslims, when they set out, had in mind only to intercept the caravan of the Quraysh. Allah made them confront their enemies unexpectedly. I witnessed with the Messenger of Allah the night of ‘Aqabah when we pledged our allegiance to Islam, and it was dearer to me than participating in the battle of Badr, although Badr was more well-known among the people than that. And this is the account of my staying behind in the battle of Tabūk. I was never stronger or with better means than at the time of this expedition, and, by Allah, I had never before possessed two riding-camels until the time of this expedition. Whenever the Messenger of Allah decided to go on a campaign, he would not disclose his real destination till the last moment (of departure). But on this expedition, he set out in extremely hot weather; the journey was long and the terrain was waterless desert; and he had to face a large army, so he informed the Muslims about the actual situation so that they should make full preparation for the campaign. The Muslims who accompanied the Messenger of Allah were large in number but no proper record of them was maintained (meaning a written record). Ka‘b (further) said: Few were the persons who chose to remain absent believing that they could easily remain undetected unless revelation came from Allah relating to them. The Messenger of Allah set out on this expedition when the fruit were ripe and their shade was sought. I had a weakness for them. The Messenger of Allah and the Muslims made preparations. I also would set out in the morning to make preparations along with them but would come back having done nothing and would say to myself: ‘I have means enough (to make preparations) as soon as I like’. And I went on doing this (postponing my preparations) till the time of departure came and it was in the morning that the Messenger of Allah set out along with the Muslims, but I had made no preparations. I would go early in the morning and come back, but with no decision. I went on doing so until they (the Muslims) hastened and covered a good deal of distance. Then I was about to march on and join them. I wish I had done that! But it was not destined for me. After the departure of the Messenger of Allah, whenever I went out, I was grieved to find no one like me (who stayed behind) except confirmed hypocrites or weak men whom Allah had exempted (from marching forth for Jihad). The Messenger of Allah made no mention of me until he reached Tabūk. While he was sitting with the people in Tabūk, he said, ‘What happened to Ka‘b ibn Mālik?’ A man from Banu Salimah said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, (the beauty of) his cloak and an appreciation of his finery have detained him.’ Upon this Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him, ‘What a bad thing you have said! By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, we know nothing about him but good.’ The Messenger of Allah kept quiet. At that time, he (the Messenger of Allah) saw a man in white in the distant mirage and said, ‘Be Abu Khaythamah,’ and it was Abu Khaythamah al-Ansāri. He was the one who had given in charity a small measure of dates and was ridiculed by the hypocrites. Ka‘b continued: When the news reached me that the Messenger of Allah was on his way back from Tabūk, I was greatly distressed. I thought of fabricating an excuse and asked myself how I would save myself from his anger the next day. In this connection, I sought the counsels of every prudent member of my family. When I was told that the Messenger of Allah was about to arrive, all the wicked ideas vanished (from my mind) and I came to the conclusion that nothing but the truth could save me. So I decided to tell him the truth. It was in the morning that the Messenger of Allah arrived in Madīnah. It was his habit that whenever he came back from a journey, he would first go to the mosque and perform two Rak‘ahs (of optional prayer) and would then sit with the people. When he sat, those who had remained behind came to him to present their excuses and take an oath before him. They were eighty-something men. The Messenger of Allah accepted their excuses at face value and accepted their allegiance and sought forgiveness for them and left the true intentions in their hearts for Allah to judge, until I appeared before him. When I greeted him, he smiled a smile of an angry person then said, ‘Come forward.’ I went forward and sat in front of him. He said to me, ‘What kept you behind? Had you not purchased a riding animal?’ Ka‘b said: I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, by Allah, if I were to sit before anybody else, a man of the world, I would have definitely saved myself from his anger on one pretext or the other as I have a gifted skill in argumentation, but, by Allah, I am fully aware that if I were to put forward before you a lame excuse to please you, Allah would definitely provoke your wrath upon me. If I speak the truth, you may be angry with me, but I hope that Allah would be pleased with me (and accept my repentance). By Allah, there is no valid excuse for me. By Allah, I had never been stronger or wealthier than I was when I stayed behind.’
He said: Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah said, ‘As to this one, he has spoken the truth, so get up (and wait) until Allah gives a decision about you.’ I left and some men from (the tribe of) Banu Salimah followed me. They said to me, ‘By Allah, we do not know that you committed a sin before. You, however, showed inability to put forward an excuse before the Messenger of Allah like those who stayed behind him. It would have been enough for the forgiveness of your sin that the Messenger of Allah would have sought forgiveness for you.’ By Allah, they kept on reproaching me until I thought of going back to the Messenger of Allah and retract my confession. Then I said to them, ‘Has anyone else met the same fate?’ They said, ‘Yes, two men have met the same fate. They said the same thing that you said and were given the same order that you were given.’ I asked, ‘Who are they?’ They said, ‘Murārah ibn Rabī‘ah al-‘Umri and Hilāl ibn Umayyah al-Wāqifi.’ They mentioned two pious men who had taken part in the battle of Badr and in whom there was an example for me. He said: So I did not change my mind when they mentioned them to me. The Messenger of Allah forbade the Muslims from talking to us, the three aforesaid persons, out of all those who remained behind from that battle. So the people avoided us, or he said: they changed their attitude towards us, until the very land (where I lived) appeared strange to me as if I did not know it. We remained in that condition for fifty nights. As for my two companions, they remained in their houses and kept on weeping, but I was the youngest and strongest of them. So I would go out and attend the prayer along with the Muslims and roam the markets, but none would talk to me. I would come to the Messenger of Allah and greet him while he was sitting in his gathering after the prayer, and I would wonder whether he even moved his lips in return of my greeting or not. Then I would perform prayer near him and look at him stealthily. When I was in prayer, he would look at me and when I would cast a glance at him he would turn away his eyes from me. When the harsh boycott of the Muslims to me continued for a (considerable) length of time, I walked and I climbed upon the wall of the garden of Abu Qatādah, who was my cousin and the most beloved of all people to me. I greeted him but, by Allah, he did not return my greeting. I said to him, ‘O Abu Qatādah, I adjure you in the Name of Allah, are you not aware that I love Allah and His Messenger?’ I asked him the same question again but he remained silent. I again adjured him, whereupon he said, ‘Allah and His Messenger know better.’ My eyes flowed with tears, and I came back climbing down the wall. As I was walking in the market of Madīnah, a man from the Syrian peasants, who had come to sell food grains in Madīnah, asked people to direct him to Ka‘b ibn Mālik. People pointed towards me. He came to me and delivered a letter from the King of Ghassān, and as I was a scribe, I read that letter whose purport was: ‘It has been conveyed to us that your friend (the Prophet) was treating you harshly. Allah does not make you live in a place where you feel inferior and your right is lost. So, join us, and we will console you.’ As I read that letter I said, ‘This too is a trial,’ so I put it in the furnace and made a fire burning it. When forty of the fifty days had elapsed and the Messenger of Allah received no Revelation, there came to me a messenger from the Messenger of Allah and said, ‘The Messenger of Allah commands you to keep away from your wife.’ I said, ‘Should I divorce her or what else should I do?’ He said, ‘No, but only keep away from her and don’t have sexual contact with her.’ The same message was sent to my two companions. So, I said to my wife: ‘Go to your parents and stay there with them until Allah gives the decision in my case.’ The wife of Hilāl ibn Umayyah came to the Messenger of Allah and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, Hilāl ibn Umayyah is a helpless old man who has no servant. Do you disapprove if I serve him?’ He said, ‘No, but he should not have any intimacy with you.’ She said, ‘By Allah, he has no such desire left in him. By Allah, he has been in tears since (this calamity) struck him.’ Some members of my family said to me, ‘Why don’t you seek permission from the Messenger of Allah in regard to your wife, for he has given permission to the wife of Hilāl ibn Umayyah to serve him?’ I said, ‘I would not seek permission from the Messenger of Allah regarding her for I do not know what the Messenger of Allah might say in response to that, as I am a young man.’ It was in this state that I spent ten more nights and thus fifty days had passed since he forbade people from talking to us.
After I had offered my Fajr prayer on the early morning of the fiftieth day of this boycott on the roof of one of our houses, and had sat in the very state which Allah described us (in the Qur’an): ‘My very soul seemed constrained and the earth seemed constrained to me despite its vastness’, I heard the voice of a proclaimer from the peak of Mount Sal‘ shouting at the top of his voice: ‘O Ka‘b ibn Mālik, rejoice!’ I fell down in prostration and knew that there was (a message of) relief for me. The Messenger of Allah had informed the people that Allah accepted our repentance when he offered the Fajr prayer. So the people went on to give us glad tidings and some of them went to my companions in order to give them the glad tidings. A man spurred his horse towards me (to deliver the good news), and another one from the tribe of Aslam came running for the same purpose and went up the mount. His voice reached me before the rider did. When the one whose voice I had heard came to me to congratulate me, I took off my two garments and gave them to him for the good news he brought to me. By Allah, I possessed nothing else (of clothes) except these garments at that time. I borrowed two garments, dressed myself and went to the Messenger of Allah. On my way, the people were receiving me in batches and congratulating me saying: ‘Congratulations for Allah’s acceptance of your repentance.’ I entered the mosque where the Messenger of Allah was sitting amidst people. Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydullah got up and rushed towards me, shook hands with me and congratulated me. By Allah, no person stood up (to greet me) from amongst the Muhājirūn except him.” Ka‘b said that he never forgot this good gesture of Talhah. Ka‘b further said: I greeted the Messenger of Allah and he said with his face beaming with joy, ‘Rejoice with the best day you have ever seen since your mother gave birth to you.’ I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Is this (good news) from you or from Allah?’ He said, ‘No, it is from Allah.’ And it was common with the Messenger of Allah that whenever he was happy, his face would glow as if it were a part of the moon and it was from this that we recognized it (his delight). As I sat before him, I said, ‘As part of my repentance, I will give up all of my wealth in charity for the sake of Allah and His Messenger.’ Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah said, ‘Keep some of your wealth with you, as it is better for you.’ I said, ‘I shall keep my share from Khaybar.’ I added: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Verily, Allah has granted me salvation because of my truthfulness, and therefore, repentance obliges me to speak nothing but the truth as long as I live.’" Ka‘b added: “By Allah, I do not know of any Muslim whom Allah has helped to tell the truth more than I since I said this to the Messenger of Allah. By Allah! Since the time I made a pledge of this to the Messenger of Allah, I have never intended to tell a lie, and I hope that Allah would protect me (against telling lies) for the rest of my life. I hope that Allah would save me (from trials) for the rest of my life.” He said: So Allah, the Exalted, revealed these verses: {Indeed, Allah has turned in mercy to the Prophet, the Emigrants and the Helpers who followed him in the hour of hardship [at Tabūk]... } he recited until: {... for He is All-Gracious, Most Merciful to them. And [Allah also turned in mercy] to the three who stayed behind, until the earth became constrained to them, despite its vastness... } until: {... fear Allah and be with those who are truthful.} [Surat at-Tawbah: 117-119] Ka‘b said: “By Allah, since Allah guided me to Islam, there has been no blessing more significant for me than this truth of mine which I spoke to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), and if I were to tell a lie I would have been ruined as were ruined those who had told lies, for Allah described those who told lies with the worst description He ever attributed to anybody else. Allah Almighty said: {When you return to them, they will swear to you by Allah so that you may leave them alone. So leave them alone, for they are evil. Their abode is Hell, as a recompense for what they used to do. They will swear to you in order to please you. Even if you are pleased with them, Allah will not be pleased with the rebellious people.} [Surat at-Tawbah: 95-96]
K‘ab said: The matter of us three persons was deferred as compared with those who took an oath before the Messenger of Allah and he accepted their allegiance and sought forgiveness for them. He deferred our case until Allah, the Exalted, gave the decision therein. Allah Almighty said: {And [Allah also turned in mercy] to the three who stayed behind} The verse does not mean by "left behind" our staying behind from Jihad, but that he left our case behind and deferred our matter as opposed to those who took oath and presented excuses to him so he accepted them. [Narrated by Al-Bukhārī and Muslim]
In another version: “The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) set out for the battle of Tabūk on Thursday, and he liked to set out for battle on Thursdays.” In another version: “He (the Messenger of Allah) used to come back from travel only during daytime in the forenoon. When he arrived, he would first go to the masjid and pray two Rak‘ahs then sit down.”
Caravan: camels loaded with supplies.
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Confirmed hypocrite: disparaged with hypocrisy.
The beauty of his cloak and an appreciation of his finery have detained him: boasting with one’s clothes and showing them off.
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Sal‘: the name of a mountain in Madīnah.
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1) It is permissible that an individual informs others about his negligence and shortcomings in obeying Allah and His Messenger, and what he went through as a result. The purpose is to offer warning and advice, and to point out the ways of goodness to be followed and the ways of evil to be avoided.
2) The individual should firmly seize any opportunity to do good. If Allah Almighty opens a door to do good for a person and he does not go through it, Allah may punish him by not offering him another opportunity; or worse, he may become afflicted with preoccupation with what harms him.
3)The legitimacy of not greeting a sinner to discipline him if this would be of benefit (in reforming his condition). It is also permissible to reprimand one’s friends for the purpose of disciplining them.
4) Sins cause feelings of alienation in a person’s heart. However, the intensity of such feelings depends on how alive the believer’s heart is.
5) Destroying what is feared to harm one’s religion. The advice for the believer is to remove from his house anything that might lead him to commit sin lest he weakens and commits it.
6) The absolute best day of a person’s life is the day Allah accepts his repentance and forgives him.
7) Whoever feels remorse for a sin, Allah will guide him to repentance and help him fulfill it.
22/10- Abu Nujayd ‘Imrān ibn al-Husayn al-Khuzā‘i (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: “A woman from (the tribe of) Juhaynah came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and she was pregnant as a result of adultery. She said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I have done something that makes me liable to receive Hadd (a prescribed corporal punishment), so apply it on me.’ The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) called her guardian and said to him: ‘Be kind to her, and when she gives birth, come to me.’ He did so and the Prophet of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) commanded that her clothes be secured on her and that she be stoned to death. He then offered the funeral prayer over her. ‘Umar asked him: ‘O Messenger of Allah, you pray over her even though she committed adultery?’ He said: ‘Indeed, she has made such a repentance that if it were to be divided among seventy people of Madīnah, it would be enough for them all. Has she found something better than offering her life to Allah, Glorified and Exalted?’” [Narrated by Muslim]
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1) It is obligatory to stone the married adulterer. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) did this stoning and so did the rightfully guided Caliphs after him. This punishment is out of the mercy of Allah Almighty to purify his slave from the sin.
2) The recompense for a deed is of the same nature as the deed. Since the adulterer’s whole body indulged in sin, it is wise that the whole body suffers punishment for the sin just as it received pleasure from it.
3) It is permissible that a person admits committing adultery to be purified through the prescribed corporal punishment, not to expose himself or to brag about his sin.
11/23 - Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “If the son of Adam were to own a valley of gold, he would desire to have two valleys. Nothing can fill his mouth except dust (of the grave), and Allah accepts the repentance of whoever repents.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1) The human nature cherishes piling up wealth, except the one who purifies himself and reminds it that it will meet Allah Almighty.
2) Repenting to Allah Almighty is a cause for quitting sins and for contentment with the provision that Allah alloted for His servant.
3) Allah erases sins through repentance even if they are related to the financial rights of others, on condition that they are paid back to their rightful owners.
24/12- Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah, Glorified and Exalted, laughs at two men, one of them kills the other, yet both enter Paradise. This one fights in the cause of Allah and gets killed. Then Allah accepts the repentance of the killer, so he embraces Islam and dies as a martyr.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1) The residents of Paradise are cleansed from spite and grudge to the extent that the killer and the one he killed both enter Paradise without harboring any grudge or hard feelings for each other, and it is in this respect that Allah Almighty laughs at them (in a way that befits His Majesty).
2) Just as "embracing Islam wipes out the sins that preceded it", so does "repentance abolishes the sin committed preceding it." Hence, the believer should always be keen on renewing his repentance.