SALVATI'ON ITHROUGH REPENTANCE

(An Is,l,amicView)

by

Abu Arrreesuah BilalP'hili ps

INTBRNATIONAL ISLAMIC PUBLISHING HOUSE

Conte'D,ts

.

i

T'n.sliteration

iii

C'.a:pter Oue: DeliDition C~ha'pter TWlo: Conditions:

1. Remem brance of' Allaah

2. I mmediacy

3. Cessation

1 22 22 28

31

Kaffaarah

35 37 38 46,

.50 53 6.5 67 71 79 84

,5. Sorrow

6. RighteousDeeds 7,. Time Frame

C'hapter' F •• r: Pra",er,s o'r'R,epentaoee Prayers from the Our'aan Prayers fromthe Sunnah

I.dex of Hadeeths,

il

BiibliOilrapl1y

FORE,VVORD

The subject of sa]lva tion is one of'particular concern toall who believe in God, because it is ultimately the goa] which we all seek, AU sane human beings are' conscious of their numerous sins. and most of those who believein Godrealize that theywill be: held to accountfor their sins Consequently, those who are awareof God desire to be: free of 'tbe consequences of 'sin ~ Cor, .. respondingly an religious systems offer man one method or another by 'which hie rna)" be re leased from the burden of his sins. Most: methods of absol ution may begenerally grouped under the: banners of two opposing, camps: those: who hold that salvation iSI guaranteed by 'faith alone and tbose who assert that it can only be achieved by deeds ..

This is ii, vier)' vital topic' w'hich every individual must come to grips with wi thin his lifetime because his ul ti mate well-being depends solely on. his arrival at its reality. Recently after being involved j,n some heated discussions on this issue t I wanted to provide the opposing sides 'with some readingmaterial reflecting the Islamic viewpoint. 'which. combines both. salvation by fa,~,th and salvation 'by deeds in a 'trul:y unique manner, However, I was surprisingly unable to find any definitive work in English on the subject, Shortly after my unsuccessful search. I stumbled upon a sixty-page booklet i:n Arabic on the topic called ~ Repen .. tance to Allaah1." by Dr. Saalih Al-Sadlaan .and immediately.

- '.

decided to translate 'It 'in order tOI fiU 'this gap . A'lter readi.n.,g it;

however, ] realized 'that its, contents 'were di'r'ected only to Muslims, while what was needed was, something more comprehen .. sivewhich would touch 010 some of the issues ef contention and, which wou.l!d be of common mterest to people of various religi-

l $laalih ibn. Ghaan-im AI~SadlaaA. Qt~ Taw,bah elatJ .Alla.a·h'. (Riyadh: Daar M.~·,aadh;. 2nd. ed., .9.8).

.' -I"

ous backgrounds 0' Consequently, I decided to use Dr . At-Sadlaan';,s wOirk (may Anaah reward him for his1effort)" as a fOiunda .. tion from w'hich I have a nempted to present this vital topic in a somewhat cornparati ve Islamic perspective ~

In order to further serve MusUmreaders" as well as en llghte n non-Muslim, readers, I have included a chapter dealing with most of the Islamic rulings concerning the ;3uCtS ofpenance, and another in which I have collected some prayers of repentance from both the Our aan and the statements, of 'the Prophet Muhammad I{ Iii, ),.

Throughout this, work, I have quoted ;1100:8 with Our'anie ver .. sea :many explanatory statements of Prophet Mu~ammad ( 11 ), all of which I have tried my utmost to authenticate according to. the j udg,e'ments, of the current experts iot'he fie.ld,t in order to ensure the accuracy of my presentation .. However, since no human effort is perfect, I ask Allaah's (God's) pardon for' any inadvertent mistakes herein, and I pray that thi.s book be of benefit to all whoread it and distributeit. as it has been fo:r me in preparing it.

I would likre to thank brother Iftekhar Mac'keen, of Sri Lanka, who painstakingly typed the manuscript from my handwritten copyc,' and prepared the Index, of B.,deetlJs~ Furthermore" I also

, ,- --' - II .

ask God to accept this, work and add it to our scale of good

deeds; and give us' the strength and courage to act Ion the knowledge contaiaed jln it alwa:ys.And success is with Allaah, the Almighty, alone,

Abu Amecnah 'DUal Philips Ri:yadh, Saudi. Arabia, Sha'baan 1410IFeb-Marc:h. 1'990

C,HAPTER [ONE: D[EFINITION

According to modern English usage, repentance is the action or process oif turning from sin and the dedication of self to the: amendment of one's life. It also means to feel regret and sorrow ~ as it comes from 'the Latin poenitere e~to regret, H "to be: sorry,,).2 This roughly corresponds to the Arabic equivalent Tswbah, derived from 'the verb ;.,,;;;. ~G' Taaba Yaloobu';[ which Iiterally means "to ret,urn,,';,3 In an Islamic Icon .. text, ToW'b,ahre'ers to theact of leaving: 'what God has prohibited and returning to what He hascommanded.fThe "return" is emphasized over the "turning", because of the fundamental principle In Islaam which states that man is born sinless, in a state of submission to God knownas 'the Fitrah,. One 0;,( the Prophet Mu~amm,ad's ( _ ) compamons, Abu HUl'ayrah, reported that he said,

'-Ev[ery child is born in.a state of Fltrshl, then hi's plarenu make him a Jew orr a Christian .. It is like' thle way you help animals gi ve b[,irt,". DQ' you fin:d' among their of/sp'rin'8 a branded one untilyou b,and th,e'm yourselves?5

]We,oster',s HfW CoUe,iate DictiolPlarYJI (Sprillgfie:~d." Mass" USA: G&CMer~ riam Company, 1'976[)" p, 9·8()~1.

2 W.L. Reese, Dictionary of' Philosophy and' R,eiigio[n,. (New Jersey:

H;um,anitites Press Ine., 19'80)r~ P'. 4-9.0.

3 E. W. Lane, Arabic'·,En,gitsh Lexricon, (Cambridlg~, England: Islamic Texts Society Ine., 1984); vol,. 1, p. 3,2.1.

,4 Miuhammad ibn 'AUaan as-Slddeeqee •. Dalee! (l1.FQali~'eelJ,. (Cairo: A:I-, J:lalabee Press, Final ed., 1911). vol, 7" p. 78 ..

.sCO.b~icted. byal .. Bukhaaree (Mu'ha'mm:a.dM.uh.siDi Khan; Saldh, al .. B .. d,harl, Arable-Engtish (B.eirnt: Dar A~ Arabia, n.d.), \I"ot ,8, ,pp .. 389-90, mo. 597) and Muslim (Abdul[ Hamid Siiddi[qi. Sa#lihMuslim. English. Trans. (Lahore:

S,n. :M u hamID:ad .Ashir,af, 197'61), 'vol .• 4; p, 1398. ~ nlOI. 16423 .

.. I .. ,

-

Through sin man tum'S aW'aJ,yfrom God, and by repentancehe

- - - =

turns from 'sin and returns to the path of God. Hence, repen-

tan ,c' ,e· ,;"E'- - -I'e-an" 's' b. y'." which m' 'a(' ,i ·1' '-" _., to"~ .. ' . ' -'fC '"' 'h:'1 -: ··11("" '.' d t, .- ,~,;:J' a m".,I,· .' / '.,,'._ ", .. _" may SILnve 10 pun-'J ,,~mse ,an .. ,

return to his original sinless state ofthe FiIT.hi,

By the 'Mercy and Grace orf Almighty God", AUaab.:1 the act of repentance is itself an act of worship through which man may earn his own salvation. Thu.s,.n the final book of revelation.the Our'aan.? GOld commands aU of the believers to repent:

_'_-.'.:-.- .. J. ,.!.,,,.-.~,~I!.' ...•. -- ... 't; .... it.'. -: '.- ... ~'~ . .,..-- •. -'~,-I# .... ,".- .... t·-: ~. ".c,' .. ~.: ~\'J-1. - .~ .. ;"." '"'' .......

_....~'... ..., .. ,iI! -·- ... u '1 " ..

• '. ~ .--;,. _ .• ),..:..... I A..,;..) , "'~oIUoI' I,' '~.J,.J •

. ~ ,; _-, ~~-,,!,' ,_ P'". ., f: ,-";';J'J

'it',And turn ;aU of'you j,n repentanee 'IoAllash, Ob beUev .. ers in Dirtier that you may be su,ccessfut u]

Thelast messenger of Allaah (II ) not on,~,y'compUed with this command, but he also urged his followers to turn regularly 'to Anu,ah in, repentance. ,A,'1 ... Agharr 'ibn Yasaar I.l- Muz:a:l1I,ee reported that on one occasion the ProphetI • ) said:

~'O'h: people, tum to',Allaah in repe'n:lrlunce end seek His forgille-

l The Arabic word wbiiCb means the one and lonly true God who alone should be worship'ped. MOist commonly 'Written. uAUah'" lind pron,ounced ~! A] .. law".

,111'-1 J.

2 The Arabie: word ,~,tI_;J' tQu,.~aQirl (alsowriil,en Our'anand K,o~an)

U~,endl,'Y means "the re:adingol' reeital, n Itis the namle given by: God to the last book 01• divine 'rev,elation eenveyed by angell Gabri,eil j,1iI Arabie to the fina~Prophet ,of God, 'MiLiI~,ammad ibn ~ AbduUaab ( 11:), II wascompl!e'~ely. reeorded and memorized byt,hehophefs compaolions and followers. dUrinl th.e Prophet's I( 1i)1 n~et'ime. and hasreDlained ullchangedl over the i,Rlller .. vening fourteen centuries until today . The Qur'aan is the direct 'Word ofOod al1d :is disUnictlly diftere:nt from the divinely inspirled sta,1~:rnents o,ftne Prophet ( 'II ) known, as I!adeelh,l w:hIcbi we:'re alsol meticulousl,Y ,memorized add recorded,

's·' .. '.' .... ..... _.( -) 3

. _:__oo~ah an .. Noor .. 24,1::_1,.

..2 ..

ness, for su,r,ely I make repentance one' hundred times every dQy~ n J

By sincerely obeyi!og God's command to turn to Him in repentanee, the penitent 'sinner embarks on an 8:Ct of worship w'b:ich is SOl great that it can totallyabsolve bim of his si ns. Abu 'Ubaldah ibn ~,Abdunaah reported that Allaah's Messenger ( fi ) said:

"One who repentsfrom sin' is like' one without sin:" 2

The avenue 'of repentance has been lope ned for man in spite of his sinless original, state. because h, is a part of his filature tOI commit errors, These mistakes are a natural consequence of his aod~Sivenfllee~w'U!I, and the finite attributes with whIch he was endowed, Thus. the Prophet ( .: ) was reported by Anas ibn Maalik to have sa,id,:

• ~ A.ll,o! AQ',d,am' s tI'escenden,ts conslll.ntly esr, but tn,e best of those whO' ,constaNtly errare those who cO,N,stantly repem. .. 3

Allaah deliberatel created man 'with a:n inclination 'to do wrong, because paJidoning those who turn repentant is achannelthrough wh'ich AUaah 's divine attributes of Mercy and For .. aliveness, are made manifest. The: Prophet ,Mubammad (Ii )

•

informed, his followers of thisimportant fact of life in oneof his

statements quotedby both Abu ,Ayyoub and Abu. Hurayrah:

~ 'l/.,ou .did not commit .sins~A llatl'hwDuJ.'d' sweep Yl?,U out of ex is-

•

1 Co,~h~ctedb,MusUm I(Sahih Muslim I (En:~ish Trams.). 'lot ,4. p, 1.418. no.

6523. See also 'S.M .,M:adaniAbbasi ~ Riyiddh~us-S.e:heen, (A:Jabic~E,n.glish).

}

vot 1.1, p. 10~ no. 14.,

2 CoUectedi b.y Ibn Maa:j:a.h. It IS, authenUcalled (1!tatJlII) by Naa,.irud-DeeIR alA~baa.nee iJ;li ~a~ee~! SNr:lan Ibn Mtmjah't(Riyadh: Arab BUfe-a11J of Edw.c3J'lion forttie GulifStates~ ls~ ed., 1986l~ vol, 2, p, 4t8~, no . .3427"

3. CO[~ected by Ibn Mujahtlt-Tinnidbee, A9mad and ad-D:aarim;ee. It is au~hemtica.t:erd (l;IasQ1I) by al~Atb.aanee im ,~a~ee~! SiummlbnMaajah" vel. 2~ ".418, no', 3428"

.. 3 ..

tence andreplace )",ON by another people wh,Qwoul'dCtommit sins, as/c'Ailaalfs /orgivtft,ess and He would forgive them. ,,1

Theprocess of falling into error, realizing, the mistake and seek.jog, God 's forgiveness is also a channel for man's spiritual growth. 11: develops man 's love for the Almighty and increases his respect and consciousness of God when he turns to Him in humili ty a,nd devotlonvConsequendy, the first man and first Prophet of 'God, Aadam, along with his wifie Hawaa (Eve)' set the example for aUmanki:nd with, regard to human faUing" its solution aadthemagnificence (magnanimitylcf God's Grace, The story of Aadam's fallinto sin is mentioned in many places in the Our'aan with varying degrees o,f detail :in order to emphasize the different lessons to be learned from it. The very first mention of the s tory stresses the faUi bilityof man and A'llla,ah '9, readiness, to forgive him. 'I t is as follows ~ _,

...... '.J ."' ji, · '.I~ ' .. / /. ·'.t.~.··.···_: . .t ~.", J) .. ) :. :.i~\·.· ~ .. #' ~ .•. ,to"' / c. ".' ·".1:·'~1 ; .. > .. Ji\ , '\6 , \.::J.~ / .. - .

t· ,"'.~ .. ~,....... . J ' ~ ~"I!! . .. . ·'1 s- ~

T~ \,,1M 4,,,::'> "Ii"" _ J...I;, "'II· .' ' ... ' ·II",~· -., _ . ::1lJ~ I·, .. -~ . -,. .~, .. :_,' •••

, - --.~ - - J -",,_ ;,~. 'J" - L, II!,---_· '. - .,-. l II!!II'-:.J

"We1 sai,d: '0 .Aa.clam! Y'(Ju and. your wife, may d.well i.n Ille garden, and .at o,t th,e bountiful things in i. as you wish, bUll ,do not come l1,earth:is,tree and become oftbose who traoslress.'!'

l Collie. eted tF Mu-I'm (:Sahi~ M·,·l·'_ (. -E~:- -;-nC"h~, Trans .)-., V~I'~ ,4 - - 114"~_7

. _.ery _. S.L .. _.Tt .. us 1m _ D,gt __ S. .1i_.S... o~.. • pp. Jl ..J'tJ _ ,

nos .. 6620-2:).

l lotlle QUI'~alllil ,AUaah sometimes uses fheplural PlOllil,oun ~~W,e" in rcefelience to Himself though He has strongly affiml.edHis unique Umily. It is used according to Arabic g;r,ammar amd syntax toindicete His maj:esty .andh.on.or. wlhi!le the ·sin,lolar 'pFClm)UI1 ls u$elcl to imlpl, intimlaliCl; closeness,

·4 ..

""'Then Satan OIUSeli tbem both to slip' r-rom it and pushed, '~hemolut of the state i.whichl tl1ey wer,e. We said, "'Get down as enemies anton'l yo.rsely'a. The' earth 'ftl'iII be a pllace of'settlemeat fOor ),'OD and pro'VisioB 'for a while,.' ,,',

""e''''!:-: ~J)I .. ~ iE, ........... ' ;'; ... ~ -s-. -.... ,Il" .. -:: ..........

_ III I F ,..- -, .f"'" '--. _ _ r, I '. ,_,' 'I!'" _ ,. I ,'II" _ filii II!II

~111-(~i'\\ .... ,AI',~'-'bi ..... ' '.~.--."I''''·''' .. 'r··,.)J.". 411~

1"·U ""~:.:r-,, ~;.. ., s ... ....,~'.Jv,..;. ._~

"Then Aadam tarne. smmew'o,r;cls fro .. his Lord and He pardoned hlim,~ For' surel,)' He is tl'le 'Ort .. FOIFigiving: •• d ,tll,e' 'Most M:el"clnd,."· I

Aadarn and Eve sought forgivenessfrom God for their error of disobedj.en,ee, a,ndi by the: Grace of God, they werle forgiven, They were responsible for theirmistake and they turned directly to AUaah in repentance using wordswhich Hie mercifully taught them, and forgiveness WI'S, granted to them. Therefore.accordingto the final scripture to, mankind, the sin of Aadam and Eve was not inhe:ril:ed 'b:y their children" nor by subsequent generations of their descendants. Allaah forgave them, as He will 'forgive anyone whoturns to Him repentant.When a person commlits a sin, by disobeyi'nil: the commandments of God, he is responsible before Allaab for his sin, amid" as such" be has to shoulder fuU 'res,ponsibHi.ty for it by h.im:self. The personal aceountability fOlr sins is, ,8 basic concept taught by all the Prophets of God t and it is, restated throughout tbe Our'aan in order to urge manto turn directly' 1)0' his Lord.

-5,·

""Whoev,er earas a sin o:oly ear.RS it against hi,mself and Allaabl is all KnlO'wing". 81'1 Wise,.,,·1

ll..' "' .•.. "' .. .I~ .. ;iI' ).}'" .' " "' .• _ .;. E "" .. "" ".' .' "" ~ J. ~"'" ."' ...., -

\ ,,' , H •• ' •• ,...:t ~ ,~ .• ~~. . ~-"'I

~ ~ . .JJ.J ~J~~ ~".;1 lJ ' ~.~ .. ' .I --,--~ '..- -;,..;-' - JI.J

_~ ~ -~._J~" _- I~ .'-

,',' Each soul only 'earns: sin agaias:t itse:llf and no bear·er of Iburdells m.ay :shoul.derthe' burde'D of (Illilt) of another .. " ,.2

No man wiU be held responsible for the sin of another ~ 110:r can he carry the sin of others" even if be wished to .. In spite of the distortions and changes which have taken place in the Scripture s of the Old Testament, there remains within them.ito this, day. a clear testimony to the fundamental principle of individual responsibility for sin:

"''The soul that 5ianetl1l" die same :sball die., The'soll shaD mot bear ·the iniquity oftibe fatber.· The j1llSlice ofth.e jlUt :sb.all be upon Idim ,and ·lhewi.ckedness of the wicked. ,shall be upon. him." (lbeehiel 1:8: 20)]'

. Allaah is pleased when a sinnerturns to Him. in repentance" because' He created man with a natural tendency to err, in order that he would repent and be forgiven from AUaah 's mfinite mercy .Hence ~ when man turns to 'God in repentance ~ heis ful .. · filling God's wish, as weU as a. part of the reason for his creation .. Repentance then becomes an act of righteousness and worshipl

] 8100rah an-Nisaa (4): 111.

J;: Soorah a:i,-An~aam (6)~ 164,

31 Holy Bible,;' Revis<ed Stand'am Version~ (New York: Thomas Nelson. and sons, lst ed, , ) 95l)..

greatly pleasing to Alleah. In the Qur'aan, A.lIaah explicitly slays:

""Surely AIIs,ahloves tbose who IcoRsbDItly turd 10 Dim :in repe:.lance and those who keep the'IBselves, pare. ",~,

The Prophet ( _ j also emphasized this 'point on several occasions, among. them is one reported by Anasin which he quoted tbe Prophet ( iI:) as sayina:

~~Allaah is more de,l,ighted with the repentance of His servant than one of you who su,d,denly finds his camel' laden wi,tli supP'/ies after IOs,ing it ;n Ifl barren land, ul

Not only is repentance desirable and e-veryone urged to turn to. the: Creator on bils, ,or her own behalf, but 'there are also no barriers between the repentaat sinner and God what-so-ever. Whoever turns to God in true repentance win be pardoned. The door 'D!f salvation through repentance is wide open for all who truly' seek to enter. Ibn 'Abbaas and Anas both, reported that Allaah "SI Messenger ( II: J said:

~"If one ofAad,,'ml~s descendents had a v'aUey a/gold, he 'Would' wis,h for 'w.o' valley.s" for nothing wUI end' his gre,ecP exceptthe dirt (of.hts grave), B'uIAllaahp,ardon:s whot'v'ef' repents. n4,

il Sooraba.~Baqafah (2):222"

2~ Collected by al-B'1l1kh,aan:!.e (StJ,hih .al'~B,u,k,harij (A:rabic-,En;gJlish)" vol. 8,p. 214" no. 321) and M'U'slim (Saldh Mu's:lim (Engllish Trans.) vol, 4" p. 1434., ne. 6611)1. See also, RlY'(ldh-us.,Saleh,'el1l(Arabi:c: .. EngHshl. Viol. 1, pp. 10-1l" DiO" 15.

3, The Arabic literaUy states ;'no'ltdng wU~ ,t'iU his mouth".

" COUe-tte:dl by al-Bu,th,aaree~ S'a',ihal'~B'ukhari. (Ar,a'bic-E.nglish). vol. 8, pp .. 296-7, nos, .444 & 446),M.us~im (Sahl:h Muslim (English Trans.), vel. 2, p. 4:1.5,. no. 341 J) and fl10m Abu Hu'rayrah by Ibn Ma,aj:ah,. Ibn Maajah '5 aarra- ~

It should " however, be emphasized 'here that t according, to the fin,al authentic scripture, no one can absolve anyone else of their sins. besides, God. Only Almighty GoOd, Allaah, alone can" forgive the sins of man, for it is He alone whoknows pertectly the intentions, of man, 1'[ is He who granted man free ... will and He alone who wiU judge reward and punish man accordingly, This reality is reiteratedthroughout the final Scripture 'in order to helpmanavoid the sa tanic trap of idols try.

,,- ~,..: /'." -r!. J.J .. «» .>>

.:i\ ~ l'tr / , d:l",Jl \..r!: ;'!I~ J

",And wbo forgives sins, besides, AUaah?"[

""It is He who aeeepts repentance from Hi:s serv_'ts.,,2

The Prophet ( iI: )~ in turn, du.tif'uUy' echoed this precept i.n his teachingsv For example, in an informal prayer wbichthe Prophet (Ii ) taught Abu Bakr, one of his closest followers, the following s ta tement can be found:

"Allaahumma inne dli, olamtu nafsee dllulman KClrth.eerDQ, wa ItA," y,aghfl,r,N,dh -d~lun,oobQ illaa ant"

(O.h A llaah I TrulyI have wronged m yselfmuch, _d n,one can forgi'F. si", ,except YOII.)"tl

This direct approach to repentance is consistent with the unita ..

- lion ls 8uth:ntic8'te:di i'n ~Q~'et" Slu.naH 1"'11 MllIJjtlh~ \"01. 2" p. 415, no, :3413,.

See also R'iyalrJh-us'-Saleheen (Atabic-ERg~ish). vol. l , PI'. 27~:28. no. 23..

I Soorah Aa,. -lmraan (J); 13S. 2 Soorah ash-Shooraa ·(4:2): 25.

J Collected by al .. Bukha:aree; MtI~slim, at~Tiirmidhee and 1:00 Maajall. See Sahlih al·B',ukhari,' (Ar,albic~Enllish)~ vat I, p, 442t no, 7961" and Sahih ,Muslim (English Trans.), ''101 .. 4, PP'. 1419,-20~ no. 6533).. See pages for the fun te:xl of til is, pray e r .

..8·,

ria:n concept of worship [Tawheed ,al- 'Eb.a,dah) as taught by aU of 'the prophets of' God. The essence of their message WII'S to w,or:ship God alone and avoid the worship of God's creation, Allaah says in the Our ~ aan:

"" Veriil,y" We h,avlesenf t. ,ever" nation. messenger (say .. , i!ftl): .i'Worship ,Allaab. aad avo:id false lods." ft' I

Verse four of the first chapter of the Our'aan, kn ow DI as alFQ,tilrihah (the Ope ning) 'I 'which every Muslim is req uired to' recite twice or more in each of the five daUy obligatory prayers, reads as follows:

"'You, alone d,owe wor"-hip and from You alOrDf do, we

seek help.u 2 -

A clear statement 'that an forms of worship should be directed to the only One who can respond, Allaah, Anyone or ,aolyt,hing called on besides Allaah is a part of His erie a don '. and ~ in fact. cannot help or protect us in any way. Allaah, Most Great and Glorious. states in, the' Our'aan:

.. t:! J! ... ,1~'~:: .. .!. ~ r ::P~ ,.S (' -:. t -' _ .>. »» '::-:f ,~~ lJI.' .... ·:·· -_ .' · .. ·.·-·., .. .J:U:~I'/J,J~~~:---'ll

",, Do ,.ou wors;bi,p besi,d,e,s, AlIaahlhat wll:i,ch caanot he'I, or harm ,you?'" ,]

I Soora'h an ... Na~l (16):,36. 2 Soorah a.~-Faatjl)ab (1):.4 .

.3 Seorah al-Anbiyaa (21): 66.

"'Veril.y, those 70U call on liJes.ides,t\.Uamare only slaves like yo,unelves:.," 1

Th;e Prophet Muhantmad ( '. ),' like the prophets before him, also confirmed the concept 'of unity of worship in his teachings. ·AbduUaah ibn 'Abbaas reported 'that o:n one occasion the

Prophet ( '. ) told him:

"lf you as'k lnprayer, ask onty Allaah; and '!you seek help" seek it onl Y from Allaah. n :2

Thefact that lome prayers to others, besides ,AUa,ah appearto be answered does not mean that those called on besides Allaah are actually answering them. Some of'the prayers of those who pray to stones, trees, animals I' the sun and the planets also seem to be answered, otherwise those who worship' them would not loontinue to pray to these o,bj'ects. This is, an aspect 'of Alll:a,ah's Supreme Mercy" whereby He grants favours. even to those who worship others besides Him. However, only the prayers of the true believers are aU answered, B,ut, they are ans,wered in, such a. way that externally the answered prayers of the believer appear Httle different from those of the idolator. The last Prophet of God ( • ) informed his followers about this, fact as, follows:

UAny man who' calls on A.llaa.h in prayer wUI be answered. It is eimer grtJ!ntled to' him in advance in this l:ije:, or ssored aW,d, for

I Soo,rah all~A'raaf (7')::1'94.

2 Collected by at-Tiinn~dhee: allo auth.e:nticated by al-Albaanee in ~i~ee~ SU,Ran (Jt~Tirmidhe'e" (Beirut: Arab Bureau of Edlwe8,ti,Qn fOf'the Gullf'ltates. Ist, ed .• 1988). vol, 2, pp, 308~19'. no. 2043. See •• SIO Ezzeddin Ibrahim and Denys Jo;hn:son-D,avi'e.s~ AI1~Nawawit$ Forty Hadithl (E:mgHsh~Atabic), (D;ama,sC'us" Syria,: The Holy K,tuan, Publis,hing Houlse. t976)., PiP" 168·70,00,. 19.

himfor Ih~e ,n,extl'ife; as longas he' does notprayfi rsomething sinful lor the' brce,akin~& ,of family ties, and as Ions a he is not impatient." Whit,,, the' companions o{' 'hie Prophet ( ~ i )askful him how is on!€ ,impatierflt, he said: "~By ,"yin'g: "~I calied on my Lord

and He did not Q'nswer m~yp,aye'r lor me'., ~ , ~ i ~

The prayers of the believers are not all answered in this life" otherwisethe test of behef in God wi thou t seeing, Him would become meaningless, Idolaters would aU g~ve UPI their false gods

i.f it became known, as itwould, tha t an prayers of believers in the One true God are granted in this life. Furthermore, prayi ng only to the true God would not be the act of fai th tha tit is when - some prayers app ear not 'to beanswered,

Some who call on others lin pra.yer besides Atlaah argue that they are a'et,ually calling, on Allaah, but only through someone dose to Him like a prophet mystic saint, pir, shaykh, guru, etc. However, 'the verses oftbe Qur'aan and the statements of the' P'llophet ( ,_ ) are very clear that only Allaah is. to be caned o:n in prayer .. And, furthermore, the Prophet ( .: ) removed any remaining, shadows of dou bt forthose si ncerely seeking the tnnb when he sa.id::

"Calling in prayer (Du'a'a),is worship. U 1

• Reported. by Abu Hurayraband collected by at-Timndhee and authenticated by 111 .. Albaanee in Saheeh ,sunQ'I1! fJ'I'-'Tirmid1ru, \101. 31~n, .. 188" 11,0. 2852.

. I I 'II r

See also Sdki' QI~B'u'k'I"Qri" A Ii.albic'·Enlglish,) I, vat 8" p. 236,~, mo. 352 a.md s'ahih

M,ltsiimJ (EmgHsh Trans.), vol. ,41, p. 1430, no. 6,59.5 for a sl10rtened version of 'the same Hadee'lh •

. ",

2 R,elPorledi by an .. Nu~maan ibn Basheer and coUelcted by Abu Daawood (Ahmad Hasan.SuJlanA,bu .DoW-us. [English Trans.), (Lahore: Sh. Mluha,mmad Ashraf'. 1984)" Viol", 1, ·P'., liS' . no. 1474), ,at~:Tirmidhele. allNa,s,aa·ee'., Ibn Ma,ajlih and Abmad, Authenticated by a,i-A~baanlee in his,

. . ,~

a:ollih.ent.i,c:at,IJon of MiSihkaatu'I-Ma~aabe't!~'j (Beirut: al·Ma,t'tab al-lslaamee,

2nd ed., 197'9) '! VQlII.2" II'. 693". no, 223, I. The oUlerfulrr al:ion ICO lleeted by a t-

,_ -

.. 11,,,

That is, to call on anyone other than Allaah in pray,er is to WOfshi them.which is the greatestsin a man may commit" lash .. Shirk al-Akbar (Major Shir:k).U i.s a sin sogreatthat if one dies with ,0.'· ·U·· t reoen tina from ··if he ·w.· ... t·11 not be 41\0" rsiven an dwill n ,0. ·t·

JI __ ~ '-,,"_' '_._ ,_- J ~r~ LL ;, L " '. ,~ ~ 1,1 ,,~ .. ' __ '" ,u" -_-"-_ 1/._.1_ e- _' ~ _' 1!t!Il. '. ,.',.' J L I 1', __ , '_

attain salvation. Allaah warnsm.a:nkind i:n the verses {)I£ 'the Qur'.aan asfollows:

"Surrlel:y' Allaa,h, does, : •. ot fOirlive t:ba.t partners be! give. to Him, but He·forlJirveswhom He wish:es fOF anyl:b:i,RI: less than t.at." 1

"Veri." AJI.a.ab will, make Jlsradise [orbid,d,en, for whoe¥e,r gives. partneris to AUilall alii. ,his abode will be H,ell,~ Anid.tbewrongdoers,wiU hllv'el1,o belper;s.~" 2

Consequently, in the Q'U.f~ aan, Aflaah clarified tothe Prophet ( ~), for the benefit of the believers, that forgiveness andpardon belongs to Him alone:

_ Tiirm'idhee f[iom Abu Hurayrab in which the Prophet ( _ )1 was reported to ba,v,e said:

~~C(JUing inp,rayer ~js Ith'e esS'eIlC,€ (Mullhl:lI) of '~tN'rsh.ip'J'~s not aut:henUc tI;Jw/,ee/) as,it 'has in itsehain of marra tors Ibn LuhaJ~ah who bad an extremely poor memoir,y" See a~~·A[baane:e~s .Mishka,(lit,ul~MQ~~abee~, vot :;t p. 69~. ftu. 2.

l Sioor:ah an-Nisaa (4):4:8'& lUi 2 Soo'rah aJ~Maia'~dah (!f):72.

..12: .. ,

"Tile Deckionis DOt yours (OlbMul}ammad)"

Wllet:her H· 'p .. a.r.dn.s' tlte··m. Ar' -P·.U-."IS- I'" -elb-L'-:-m '·-r

_'_,_ _ _'!I!iO' ,I '_ . _ v. ___'- _ W'_. . . Ile!lll .'. ,e I I, 10,

indeed they are transgressoJ'l, .. " 1

And the Prophet ( ) conveyed 'that message tobis famUy, his, foUow,ers, and his people, Abu Hurayrah reported that OiD one occasion the Prophet (II ) said:

HO,' tribe of ~Abd' .ManaQf, Oh claN of 'A bdul .. M,u,r,alib " secure deliverance{or yourselves from Alltlah.Olh mother of az-Zu,bayr ibn al~,~Awwaam (aun: of AIlII.II's M,es:senge'r " II' JI, Oh ,Pa-timan: aa,ughte" of Mul]ammad! 'secure: deliverence for your .. seives from AllaQ'h, lor 1 cannot avail yO'u at aliagainstA,llaah.. Yo,u can both ask me from my property w'lul,tever y,ou wisi«: '" Z

True repentance bas to be addressed directly tQi Glod alone and it must be realisedthet 110 'one besides AUaah can absolveman olf his sins, This is a fundamental aspect of'the meaning ofrepentanee as taught by the prophets. of God .. If it is not observed, repentance does not take place e. Instead of repentance being an a.ct of righteousness, when it is given to others besides Allaab, it becomes, the gravest sin I' the major cause for the eternal damnation of the soul.

One of themain methods, employed by the satanicforces to misI,u.id,e those be.Ueving in God, is 'to delude them into thi.nking that they cannot approach God directly, d.ue to their sinful state. 'Under theguise Qif religiouswisdom they confront, man. wi.th his jO.Dumerablle sins, and hisinability to stop.eommitnng them" and thereby caase himto faU into despair and hopelessness. In this state man, either lives up re.ligion altogetherand slides com ..

1 Soorah AaJ'lmraan, ,(3):128.

2 Co~~,ected bYl1-Bukbaaree (SIh,ih a.l-,8u.khtlri. (Ar,abto-EOjglish). vol. ,4. p. 479, no. 128) and Muslim (Sa'hih Muslim (EngHsh. 'Trans .. ), voL 1, p.I36, no. 402).

ple~tely into a. life of sin, or be seeks aaotherpath forforgiveness throughw'h:tch he can feel, assured of salvation regardless ol:f his sine ... If he chooses, the latter option, ,gods or mediating saints are deceptively presemed to him .a.s g]lu,aranteed channels of salvadon due to their so:pposedspecialJ'1elation.s:bip witb. God. He is further falsely infoemed thai mere beliefie these intermediaries and dependance 0111. them. win assure him oft:heir interce.s,si!on in the next Ufe. And to emphasize their importance ~ it is 'lastly claimedthat without the in'lierc~e,ssion of these higher spirits no ordinary man can be saved,

Such paths wUl appear very attractive to those ignorant oftbe true 'teach.iogs of God t because these paths demandvery lit.ne of theirfollowers ~ beyond fait!h in them .. Consequently " righteous deed's become insi .. gnifieant and these who stress the need for good works are of lien scorned and derided as 'being overly ritualistic and lacking in realfaith .. To protect the believ ers from these satanic traps, Allaah bas severely warned mankind about losing hope in God.

... ",.I J. .•.. ;Al.!!>.:: •. ~\ ::i .. ·-:"'.r \" .. ~."'.-.' ,1\..... . .•.. -==_ .. - ". ."'. _- ''''. ....,.~ '~ .. "". I.' '. -;.,',.!,

~. -I ' .. ..oIH -w·~.~"· ... .t t

I' . , - ,,~' .',' .. :, ,_ -_' ,I - .-- L!I'wJ

- - _:. _ -, ...... 1e:!_I .. ", -. - ..... :I .'.

"No, one despairs, of Allaall':s m.ercy except those' wbo, bl'¥em8,r.itll .,,]1

"He: said: 'A..Rdwho despairs of his, Lord "8 mere,' except t~hose who 10 as;lr.ay?" ,,'2

] Soor,ah You.suf (12)::8,1.. 2 Soorah al ~l;Iij:r (15): 56.

"Sa,y, 'Oh RI.y le~"antswlto, haye transeressed, agains1t their sou.d:Do Rot despair of .~11aah "s, mere", for AUaah fOqives all :sinl. He Is indeed, Oft Fol"Iiving, MestMerciful. 'I " I

The evolution olthe principle of repentance in Christi.anity is a classical example ofignoraece and despair used by evil forces to

lead large masses, of be lievers into idolatry. "

Atonement in 'the Old Testament was an annual ceremony designed to cleanse 'the temple, priesthood, and 'people of their sin's while 'flenewin;g the'i:r :s'peciai relationship wi'~h God, 'The ritual inc:l,uded fasting and sacrifice ~ The ceremony continues to be observed within Judaism, stressing confession and repenJanice of sins on Yom Kippur, a da,y set aside as the hoUest day

f th .- 2

01 'I _ ~ e ye:ar,.

In order 1,0 ,justify 'tbe heretical belief in the incarnation o;:f 'God as Jesus Christ and his apparent death 0,0 the cr'05,S,~ Paul fn his letters to the Galati,ans and Romans argued that atonement by lawrequiled complete obedience for which man W',ss incapiable ~ He proposed, instead, that Christ's death had ;1 redeeming power ,pro'vidiol, atoneme:nt for sinners who believed in him. 4 The Paohne view thatman's sinprevents hi,m from approaching God and, that he can only be reconciled through Christ's, saerifi-

.~ Soorab az:~Zumar ,(39),:53 ..

1 ,D,icliollary of Philoso,p,hy an:dR,e/igion'l p, 38. 3, Dictionary ~f Philos;op,hy ami; R,eligion'., p, 275. 4, Ibid., p. 38~

.. 15·,

cia~. death I 'was further developed by the Christiantheclogian Irenaeus (12.5 .. 202 IC.E.)tIB·lshop of Lyon" who developed around it thefirst s,y:stem ofCatholic belief. 2 Another Christian theologian, Augustine of Hippo, (3.34~4310 le.E,.), developed doctrines of the FaU" IOriginal Sin and Predestination .holdingthat by heredityman is tainted witb the sin of Adam 's fallfrom God's Grace and that God has iru:;xpUcab~,y chosen some persons to be saved, the rest being consigned to everlasting damnation. 3 Thus, man w,asinherently evil and sinful "and only Christ ~sac .. rific:io:g himself for mankind, could (in the words ofSt. Anselin) completely satisfy God's JIDS! punishmentfor man's sins against God .. St. Augustine further taught that justifi1cat.i.QiD. (absolution from sins) occurs by means of grace originating, in God but infused through sacramental channels." St. Thomas Aquinas (1225 .. 1274), the leading Christiantheolegian of'the M.iddle

] John R. Hinnels. D'i€:'ti,o.nary of Rleligioll's. (England: Peng,'Uin Books Ltd ..

1984)~ p .. 282.

:2Dkf,~(JnQry .flf .Philosophy &: R'e.ligion~ PIP!. 159-60. 3 D'i'Cr/iol1ary of .Religio.ns+p. 54 o.

4 D';'Clion'ary of ' Ph i/o so ph, and R!',lig,ion~".2jS.

It should be noted thattbere was resistence a.mongsome Cbri:stian scholars to. tlire'se devetepme mls.. F orex.s!m:ple .tbe B;ritis:httJeologian ~~e~ agius 1(360- 421 eE) wassihocked by the mOf,allaxness he o'Dserved io Christiam Ro!me when he came there near the ooglinming althe 5th Century .I.R his opimi.omthe doctrine of man's tOla].y depra.vity (origiim,al sin) had permitted an evasion of m;or,a~ respom:Siibilit.y. HIe: argued. 'tlhal abi~i.ty I.imits obl~gatiolil aad thus.jhers can be no siim where tbe 'will is norfree. ComsequenU:, ~ he Uphif~d mamtsfree wm and rejeeted the doctrine ofthe oriigimal sin, 'e~cept in the sense that Ad,am has fJfovided ms:a had exampl.e aOidinflu.enoe, He .abo considered 8,aoe an. aid. but, wi:tb. or without h. the hillman wUlmust takethe inici;a(ive in. moving toward salvaticn. SL AU,gnsti.me declaredPelagius' Y~eWli heretical and Il,ad them conde milled at tile Councils, 10iC Carthagl in 416, and 41.8" B, an

.. 16 .. ,

Ages, upheld St Augustine's view 'which: bad by then become a basic unehallengeable doctrine.

There evolved in the church. along 'with these doctrines, a sacrament known as penance :fo,r the expiation of sins after baptism, Inthe early centuries, penance was elaborate , severe, public, and allowed only once in a lifetime'. The act of penance consisted of three steps:

contrition:: sorrow that one has sinned coupled wi th an inten tion to abstain therefrom in the future;

cOD!fession:: acknowledgement of one's sin to a priest;

satisfa,ction: carrying ou t 'works ofpenance assigned by one 'sconfessor.

Upon completion of the three steps" absolution is granted by the priest indilcating,tbe sinner's reconciliation with God. The Roman Catholic Ch urch held that without the: sacrament of penance, even perfect contrition is insufficient to reconcile the sinner with God, and that with the sacrament even imperfect contri tion is sufficient, 2 That is, the ritual became more: impor ... tant than the sincere intent of the sinner to repent.

Originallythe works of penance ordered by the priests were very severe: later they were commuted 'to simple prayers or even casb 'payments. During the Middle Ages wben the sacrament of penance W,IS reduced toprivate confessions to a priest

- im.:periaJ edlict of 418~ it was, decreed lha't Pelagius, and Coelestius (his most 'n,o'~ed 'foUow1er) be bannedal~on:s, witb. a~1 who subKribed tD'their dOctrine's" and that their properties be:c:onfiscated. (Dict'iotltJry of Pldl'osophy tI'nd Reli· giQ,n. p, 42:t)"

] n-·" -. . . ·I'R {' " 24€'IJ

_:_ · .. ,CllonarJ'O') .. ··e'8iorrs" p. . .. ,7' •

.2 Dic,t;o,ul'':,' o[ PhUo'so",hy an'd' Religion t, p,. 421.

·1",.,

(from 121Sat least once at year for Western Christians), anew means of salvati OlD called 'Papal j,ndulgence's'apP,eared. The indalgenceswere letters of credit supposedly drawn on the superabundant merits available in, the virtues of JesusChrist and the Saints" to compensate for inadequatemerit on the part of an individual. 1

Tile sales, of indulgen,cers, by 'pardoners' provoked M,artin Luther (1488-1540) to write his. ,Ninety-fillie Theses, against Catholic fi~ual whi:ctJ, precipitated the Reformati,olo2, a, general revolt against the Papacy, His key doctrines we:r,e that the authority of the Bib~,e is supreme over church tradition and 'that justification is by grace through faith alone, not: by wDlrk:s.3 Luther also opposed free wilt It was his viewthat man possesses some freedom in matters that do not pertain to salvation, but he has 010 freedom to 'save, himself, 4

From this point onward the Pauline doctrine of "justification by faith~'" became, feu the protestant branch olf IChris,lian.l ty, its 'car" dinal doctrine. Conseq uemly, in bothmajor branches of Christianity, repentance directly from God has been blocked by mediators, and those who subscribe to its teachings have tragicaUyfallen into theworship of God's creatlon while sincerely and. fervently believing, they are ;actuaUy worslhipping.the Creator.

J TIII:e .Peniut!ntia:ry - 3,llso ,caUed ,Or,and Pelliitenti!r), ·~is a cardiinal pre:siding over a trihuII:ail,of the Roman Curia (Pap\a~ Court)ooncerned. with dispensa-. tionsandi.lil!dlll~gence.s,. The peni.le;ntiary (with lower case p')1 iiI .aJfloffiJcerlo a R.oman CadulUc diocese v,estedMth po,wer from the bisno,p'l,o absolve sins in eases reserved to him. (Web;sre,.~s New Cotlegioll!' .Dictio.na'1" p. 841).

:2 .D'irl'joRar-y of.R·eligion" pp. 2"~,'O. ~. Ibtda,.p, 194 ..

" Dictionary ofPhiloso1!hJ and R'el~gicm, p!~ 321!

·18 ..

Within most branches of'mystic movementsamcng Muslims, the Christian concept cd God's i.n.accesslbUity tOI the common man due to his sins has also taken root .. According to mystic te.a;chings",t:be ~ 'saviour' figure, represented by t.be leading so called saint, occupies the fictitious offi.c!e of al: ... GhaW':th alA ~ii.Ham (or IGha'm-e~Aza:m lit. the greatest source of succor) .. It is believedthat, due to the ,Ghawth :', elevated status., he is, eapable of shouldering a portion of the sins of the believers .. ·~ Thus. in. times of distress or need"mysU.~s and their followers openly can on these "sai:nts" by their m'~,tlles or names IUc"e: Mu.~yud .. Deen orrAbdul-Oaadir, etc .. ,. believing that they can save them, Thi:s, state of degeneration of faith was prophesied by the last messenger of God ( • ): as follows:

U]t:OIU wllIJ~()llow Ih,e path! of those before you, in~c.h lOy ifU:h and step ,by step, so ,muel" so' tlUJt :if they' e,Htered' tJ li,fzard"s hole Y'O',U will follow them in th:e,re also." We'(ltne Prophet'» companions] Qsk,e,d, HO'h Imesse!n,ger ofA'u,aa.h. Dt.J' "those before you ~t refer to th'e Jew.sandlhe Ch,'s,ttans'?'U He rep'lied.~ U Who else (if not them)?"2

This is notto say that Islaam teaches that salvation may only be at:t:ain,ed thr,ough m,an 'sworks i Such. a concept is totally false ,. as it negates, God's. role in man's destiny altogether, Salvation by deeds alone i!8 the basis of the Karma3 conceptof Hindu ismand

~ fnc.yc/operiil of IS/rlm:,! p, 629'. See alsol 'Alee nm,'Uthmaal1a.I ... Hujweeree~ Kw;ihfal~,MQh/,()()b!l:ram;. by NJ~C:boh;on (Lomdon:: 'Luzac, re'p.['976), p. 214.

2: eo~~ected hyMu:s~hDfrom botlh. Abul Sa'eed al-Khudree :and'A!:aa Ibn Yasaar (SQ,ftih Muslim: I(Enll~sh TriO'S.) •. 'VoL 4. p, 1,403., nes, 6448 and 6449).

3, Karma primalrily means actioa ~ work Of deed, 1.1:111 :its secondarysens.e :it slgrdlii,cs the ~'effect' of' aD. aeuoe, or the Sll. total of '~effeC'ts,' 'llf past actions. Thill,S. it is, s:l;ated 'in Ihe 'Chandolya ~Vedia)tha.t 1I),()5!e whosep.ast deedshave belen good win afte:t death be: reborn from rile womb ola. B,rahman wo.man, wibereas tb:o:~e whose deeds hlavle been evil wHI be r:ebornfro:m. the womb of a.m lo:ut:caSlle.woman (See, D,icti'(J.'Ul1:Y ol'lfeU,ions,!p" 180) ..

.. I' ..

its offshoo,ts. Thereligion of Allaahteaches that it is only by the Graeeand Merey !of God that a:nyone wlU atta:hl paradise. AUa"ab stated in the Our'aan:

_'.!!ll .. '.,1 .•... ~ , : , •.. ''''.' .. '.~ : ".·."1·' •. ~".". I -, ." £#.--.'. ',,". '.}I,.~ , ,,,,. .. '#' ~.,J '.-.'.#'_ .••. ~ ' ~ - J! ..•. ' ' ;;J GJ'-.~.- .. " •

.. ~.\ - . I.' ..' ! - ... • '. I J..:.i' . ~

..0\1'." .l~ III..&.., J.......... ., ,~l·' .... ~U '. _ ,- ,~l .- ~ .. . J.,

'",."J ~ fI} 'V~ - ,...".:..0'" .~ .' ~... i ,'.' .,:..r

'J. .' J "f.l J.r ~.·· .. ' ~ .. < .to.

~~.dIL., .. ",.,.~ ," •.. ,_

._ ,- '~~ C-~I - ,oJ - -;j,W"- ,,-~~,,-~

"Wer,e it notf.r Allaa:h '5 Gl'8ce andM,erc!' 0:0 you all, nane of yea would ha,ve! ever bee8,me p.rillied;, but Allalh purifies.bum Hepleases~ An,dA!llaul hears ,and knows alt,'''~

Abu Hurayreh and I~ Aa'eshah both related that Allaab's Messenger ( II ) said:

"Do ,good' deedsp',op,erly, slrllcerelY(l,nd motlerQtel,~ and reioice, jar ,no one's deeds will pu.t him in ptlradlse,,!:' The" asked, "Not ev'enyout Ol,n Messenger of,A.liall'h?!t~ He repilied,'~Not evenme uI1'I'eS.sAl'l(.l!llll besttu,/<s His ptJlr,dor2' end .me'TCy 011 m!,e,."t2:

There is .bowever~a direct link between faith; righteous deeds a.rJld. divine: Grace. G'Dd 'smercy is not arbitr,ary in t:h at it would cause a disbelieving levi 1 wretch to enter paradise while caesing a. righteous and noble believing soulto enter Hell, Such a state of' affairs would d.eny man's free will and makethe D'a:y of Jndgemem jneaniaglessv Allaab's wisdom and justice work alonl with His grace and mercy.

There is an aspect of His, infinite mercy which covers all ereatures, deserving or undeserving, though the greater part is reserved as 'Grace lor the righteous believers in the nex,t nfe.

1 Soorah an~NlOo:r (24):2J .

2. Collb.~cted by ;al~Bukba:aree rSahfih .al~B!lIlk,hari (Arabic-English), vo], 8, p. 315,~ no. 414, -see also p.313" mo. 470) .

Abu Hurayrah quoted AUaab's Me:sseol,er i( Ii: ) as sayin:g:: urh,e day' when Alldah crested m.er:cy He ,",Q'de It in' one hUH,dre,d P'S"!. Ninrety~nill!eparts He kept with Hims,elf Q'n:d one pan He se'n,' to al'l ,Hls cred'lures. "~'I

The keys to entering paradise through AU,aah's mercy and grace are: none other than; sincere faith in the one true God whoalene deserves man's worship and devotion: and the performance of righteous. deeds prescribed by God, This has been neatly summed. up by Allaeh in the fo,'Uowingveirses,:

"TImse wh.. rejedfaith willi, sutter fr8m th8Irejet:'"' tiol., 'while' tll.se wb.abeli,eve ,.nd work rilhCmusness, have prepared for t'hemselv'e5 I(p'.aces in pandise)" in order that He IDay :r,eward, tJbosewho belie.'1 and work rilbte •• sne,ss ou't of H:is grace .... For, sUirely He does: not love tbose~ wbo reject faith." :2

1 CoUected b, al~Bukh;aaree fSQ.~ih al'~Bukh(1rl 'fAmbic~EngUsh). \lot :8. p. 3IUi,no.4116,)..

:2; Soor,ah ar~Room (3i!l):'44~5.

CHAPTER, T"W'O: C:ONDI'TION,S

Althougb repen tance is fundamentally a personal pact between the sinner and AUaah, somebasic procedural snide,l:ines have been set by Musim scholars down through the ages, These recommended prn:u;;,eduresare not human obstacles which intrude into the process, but are:" i:nstead,,,k:ey factors gleaned from the texts ofthe Final Scripture and the teachings of the finial Prophet ( II ) which have to be observed to insure real sincerity andthefulfillment of God's rights as weU as those of rn13U. The desired result is, Allaah 'sforgiveness ~ His pardon and sbsolutioe from the consequences of the sin. For this 10 take place ~ the repentance must first be acceptable to God, Consequently", the guidelines actuallyrepresent the necessaIY OODditionswhich must be met in orderfor the act of worship of God though repentance to be valid. However, ahhougbrepent:ance has been commanded by AUaah, it should nut. be forgorten that." it. is not He who needs our repentance" but we who need His remission" Thus, Tiawbah has beeri legislated primarily for man 's benefit: for his sp'iritu.al growth through rising above sin andthe remembrance of 'God.

There is in all forms of worship training for the soul in overcomingits lower desires and abstaining fromevil, but the greater goal which ensures all of nun and much more is the remembrance of Allaah,

"' IA .. ,_" ' .•... ' ''' .. ",.,~ . .Ii, , " •.. - ' •. r.

~ II', ~. t ..." It ...

~I '+'J_. .. I.~

...

• 'Verily regallar prayer pRvents sllamer.,.. speech an,d. ulljus,'lIeeds, b.!t the remembrance of' Allaahis the peates;t." I

Thus, the: ultimategoal ofworship is theremembrance ofGod .. Because" it is in God-consciousness I( Taqwaa) that all righteousne:s:s lies ..

"VerUy, [ aim Allaah, tbere is no gndi besldes Me, so worshlip M.e :and establish J'1elularprayer for My remembrance,. ,,2

And, furthermore, the greatest benefit thatmanmay gain in this life, can (lilly be obtained from theremembrance of Allaah; that of true peace, traaquilityand contentment of the heart.

"Without liuB,bt, i,l, is lin the:r,ememberance of Allam thaltlhe be'arts find "est .. ",3,

Itlollows,then " that the; greatest tragedy that can happen. in a man's life is that he turn away from the remembrance of God .. For, when. he forgets AUa.ah ~ he: degenerates 'into ,m slave of his, own base desires whose Ufie becomes characterized by evil and corruption '.

11 Soorah a~.~,· Alnkaboot (29) :45:. 2: Soorah Taa-Haa (:20),:·~ 4.

l Soorah ar .. Ra'd (lJ)!:2:S.

, 'And whoever turns ,awaytnJm My' l'Iemem,birane:e will .a've a ~etched 'life and We wit.1 :raise him up blind. '011 the' DB,Y of' Judgem,ent." 1

Satan's goal is to cause man tOo forget God in order that he will fall into sin and become one IOf his slaves. Allaah exposes Satan's plot ;3S foUo'ws,:

''Salo hal let 'the better of them Lnd caused tll1em t .• fOl"l,et the f'eDlembrance of' AUull,. Those arlt the' party of Sa.tan,., TrailY 'tbe par~y of Satan are the real 1000rs.'" ,2

Conseq uently, the forces, of evil constantly striveto block man from the a,w:areness 'of God using Instruments of intoxication, addiction and the crazed delight of getting something for nothing. This is the main reason for their prohibition according tOI thle following, Our' anic ~Ierse:

"'Sal-'n"s plaa Is to i - ~-i'leeDmityand :hatred a1nt,oDg, you wi'lh int8xi,cantsaad ganllJling, ,Bud hin.der youl

1 Soorah Taa Haa (201): :1:24. 2Soora,hid .. M:ujaada~ah (58): 191•

-24-

from the R:membrance of AlIaab and regular pra:yer ij WID ),'OU n,olttben a,ltstaln?'" I

Allaah, in. turn I commands the believersto remem her Him as much as possible wi·thin a. normal pattern 'Of Hfe" for it is some .. th:ing we constantly fall short of.

"Ob 'believers! Reme:mber AllaahaReB .• " 2:

Hence, real repentance must be closely linked witb the remernbrance of Allaah, In fact" it should begin from the: point at which OIDe becomes conscious olf God. Among, the q ua1iti,es by' which AUa:ah describes tbose whose repentance is accepted is that of:

"Tbase wh.o" h.aving done som.ethi.g, shameful Qlr (hBV!in;r:) 'W'roaged tkeir OWlli sauls, rem,ember.tlllas,IJ' and. immediatley as:k :forgiveaess for th,eir sins .• " 3

And, as is, a conditlon in an acts 01' worship, repentance must be done strictly for the pleasure of Allaah alone, for only Hie can pardon the sins Q1f man. God says:

",.. ",.,iI,," ... .J~~,{,I ·"1 ........ .:; "_'11. .~_ ........

;0,' ,II -I'~. ',~,.I_·'r " I' -.r ,r

~~ \ ~ ~. d' ~~~.-.-l ~ lt~v:. ~J'

.. -

1 Soorah ,all .. Maa~idah, (5') :'91. 2 Seorah al-A~zaab 0:3):41.

3 Soorah Aal'~[mraan (3):135.

"'TJ,lley we're ,only com,m8ll1dedCo, 'W,orship,Allaah making the lielilion, silncernl' for :Him, al,one. "I

~l-1'4,~~\~;';.·~-:

1;, • J _ " .. v J

" A.nd who fOligives: ,SilAS besides, AlIaah?,,·2

That is, themotivati ng force behind true repentance should be the love ofAllaah and a w'ish to glor:ifyand exalt Him. This love should be accompanied by hope: for the rewards, which Al!laah has promised and fear of the punishments in store for those 'who transgress His laws, It should not be driven by a desire to curry the favor of others or earn their admiration and praise .' 'Nor should it' be to achieve some worldly goal like I. job orawife, Jundub reported that the Prophet ( ~ )1 said:

~ ~Whoeve'r liN/arm's lathers' sbout his good d'e:e,ds to wi,ril the'ir'p"aise or does them in. public for acclaim, wil I be exposed by Allaoh. 1.'3

Repen ranee done for show will not be accepted by A llash. In fact, such an act becomes. ,3 sin" for which repentance is also needed.

I b · A\ '1'[ h a d tumine ' H' ,~ , h

' I I', .-'1_ '-~'-. -:-1.~1. '.".'_ ,_",.~ --;-",1' ,,' -. I,~' ,",- : '-'-i-i: - ".-:- ,- ~_" -1-- '",- --'11._'-,- _ .. --"-~;:

n .remem enng __ iaan an- turnmg to ~ nm In repentance" t e

sinner has to acknowledge his errors. However, his confession Oil' sins should be' to the One God who alone can forgi ve them, and not to any human intermediary. Allaah gives. hope to those who confess as follows:

- ~'.. - ~. . "'.' .,;; "' ~.... .. ,. - .;1... J.' ~. Jj .•.. 1b.J;_ - " -.". ~... ".". - '''' . ." ' ......•....... '.-.'.' "". - '

"iII' , ,,<iF \':;0'..- ". It· .\:.1' '-I' 'IF .... I . . .. -0,0 ~ "_.. ~ - ~ ~

~\'~~r~~J*\;~~l .',. ~y'~.~flllcJ~l.J,

" '~~; - ~

'.... '~ » ".' .. ( .. ~.(''?.' ~ .•.. :.'.'. ,..,. .. -!.- ,1

. r~~,dll,v~·.;.I-,~.Y" .. ulll

I 'I

1 Soorahal-Bayyinah (9:8):5.

,2 S:orah Aal ~.Imr,aaJl, (3): 135.

3 Collected fuy.al-Buk.haaree (S€lh,ih al-B~khari, (Ar.abic-EnIJi1ish)!, vot 8~ P .. 3,34,. no .. SU6'),.

-,26~

"There are others who ackoowled.ge their' :sins but h.a,v,e mixed.a good deed witb .another whieb 'W,IS evil~ PerhapsAllaah wDI p·ardon, them 'I 'or AlIaaJb is Oft ... Forgiving, M'ast Men:iful.:"~

And in one of the mostimportant prayersfor repentancetaught b~ the Prophet ( iii ) tOo hiscompanions is thefollowing phrase:

A,boo ~u taka bl' ni'matik« alayya aboo'u bi dhambee faghfl.rlee i"] acknowledge before' You Your blessings bestowed on) me and J confessto You my sins" 30 forgive me.)~··'l

If Allaab has seen. fit to cover a man's sins, he should keep them 1.0 himself, unless he is, earnestly seeking atonement through legal punishment. Abu Hurayrah reported Allaah 's Messenger

,.

as saying:

U AU the people of my Ummah may be' pardoned lor their sins except those who publicize them; u)

The act of Tawboh' must also be performed wbile maintaining full consciousness of AUa:ah throughout. For, acts of worship' done in apurely ritualistic manner, wherein words are uttered quickly, limbs moved reflexively and mindlessly, are unaceeptable to God and are of no benetlr to man, Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet ( II: ) emphatically stated this point as follows:

J Soorah at-T,awbah (9):102.

2: CQUe<:ted. by aI .. ·B'lll~haaree (Sflh.ih al~,lJ'u;;k;har; (Ar,abic~EnIUsh). \lot .. 8. PPI. 21:2~3, D.O. 318) and at-Tlrmidhee from Shaddaad ibn Aws .. and by Abu D,aawoodfr,o,mB'lIlr,a:,ydah ,(Sunan Abu Dawu.d' '(English Trans.) ~ vot. 3. p. 1.407, n e, .5(52).

), Collected by Muslim (San ill, Musli:m (English Trans.) .. \loil. 4. p, 1539. no" 7124).

27

. ·,'-

,t Calion AJlaah in prayer confident that it wiU be answered. But know thaI Allaah does not a,nswe,' th,e pray,e,r of an ,unmill~fiul, inanentive heart. u~.

When oneis aware of one 's actions, they become deliberate land can be directed correctly, but in an unconscious state they become meaningless. Consequently according, to divine law (Shoree' a'II:) man is aot judged sinful for errors committed while in ,1\ 'state ofsleep or unconsciousness" as a child prior to pube-rty , in ill state ofreal insanity" aswell IS those genuinely done mistakenly or due to forgetfulness.? Though" in some cases compensation ma.y still have 'to be paidto those affected.

l., ,I,MMEDIAC'Y

Once the believer has remembered Allaah and realized his sin, he is now' ,obBied to turn to God in repentance immediatel y , without any hesitation or delayal, if he sincerely wants to repent, Thepostponement of Towbah is tbe result of either a deliberate desire 'to prolong 'the illicit pleasure derived from the sin" or doubt on the part of an ignorant sinner whether or not Allaah would accept repentance from him, In the fi'fst case the sinner has, compounded his 'Sin and should seek forgiveness 'for

I Col'iecte.d by at- Tirmidhee a,md: ,aut.belilldClh~d l1jiUa",) by ,a~,~Alb,aaftee in S'aheen ,SUtl'tJ,N at- Ti'rmidhee, vel, 3. p, 1M. no. 21'66.

'f! !!' II "

2 A,I-Tirmidrb,ee and l.bn Maajah both collected Hade,eths 'ill wbich ~AJee

~

reported l,ba't the Messenger oif Allaa.'h said: •• The pen isratsed from Ohe

,reoord) o/"ht'iee: the :iJ,'ee:p"'r wl'dU'f awakes., the cn'~ld,u,ntilhf'blecomeS'Q'1,(}uth tlnd ,the ,instl"" until' h, becom'el SGIU!. "', (.Authentitc,lt.ed by al~Albaanee in $G,!le,t~ SUDan at- Tir,"i:dhee~ vol.. 2. p. 64,. no. 1150 and ~QIJ"ee~ Sun tin Ibn Md.ajah, votl, p, 341~, no. 1660')' Ibn, Maajah also collected a l;Iadee,th in which Abu Hurayrah reported AII'laah 's messtmger ,( iii "as sayi,ng:, U Verily Alldah has' excused "1:1 .fOl.lOW!,7' from ge,Nuine mis,~akes, lor:get/uin,ess ,and w#UZr th t!)" h'tllVie b ee» JfJ.~c,ed to' do,.·" (A utlile:m tica teid], by al- Allba:ane e im ~a,~ee~ SUJtQIJ Ibti~ MQlJjah, vol. 1, p. 347, DO. 1,662;).

h.is, delayal !" while in thesecond case he; needs to be informed that 'no sin is 'too great for AUaah to forgive, 'if he earnestly . repents. Allaah has Ie mphasize d the need. for a quick response to s,j,n in the foUowing'Quf'a,nic verses:

"'SrU~e1y Alaah willi I\orli'Y2 'those who do sins i. ign,ol":ance aud soon' turn, lin repelltance~., 'These' AUaalh will forgive" :[or A,llaah is aU~knowinl, ail: .. Wile~"1

"H.'en ilill '~be raee for Iu,rgiveliless fraiDI yOOlI"'

Lo' - -d" '" 2,

_rl,_ -

The longer one delays the Ta wba,h", the more dlifficul t it will become to do 'so' " because: the sin will have, a greater opportunity tOI 'take root in the: heart, and the desires will he~ g:h;en a, b:1,g,ger chance to rationalize the sin and overcome the conscience. In ' most cases, a sin may be identified immediately based on the God-givenawareness of good and evil with which each soul was. created, This reality has been clearly stated by Allaah in the P:i,n:a'~ Revelation:

/' .. "'" I~"" .. ' ' ~ ".· f .. : 'e. ' '.' '~ ""' ' ~ ' ' "'.''' ''

'I .... },., '" '", , .. _ ,. !jjl'-~ ~ "'ll'~ - . r. ;' . ., - v: ' ; .'

~ ;AJ J \AI"'~'I~ WI '" ~< I ~~~JW7"'_'1

l Soorahan~Nisaa (4)1:1'7. See a~so Soorah Aal 'Imraan (3)::1.35 .. 2' Soo:rah A.al ~:Imraan, (3)~ttl.

-29~

"By 'ille ~soulllnd the 'One wh,o 'proportioned It, Ihu ins,:pired ittol w~o,ng and right."'·

The Prophet ( _ ) further elaborated on this principle in his teaehings, An-Nawwaas ibn Sam'asn reported that AUa,ah's, Messenger ( :. ) said:

~!RiB:h,teousn:e;ss is good character Q'n,d sin ;S'w,hal' WJ1v'ers in your souland about which' you would notlike people to discovel,_u2

On another 'occasion. 'Wa,abis:ah ibn. Ma' bad said:

. .'

UI came to' Arllaah~'sMesS'eng,er ( iii ) and hit said: "Have' y,ou come to ask aboutrighteousne.s.s?' "sai,d: "Yes''',. He said, 'Consut: you, heart, Righteousness is what 'he soul and hear" let!l at B,d'S,' with., land sin is wha; 'wavers in the soul and' the heart ellen though p,eo:p,le give ylou a ruti,"! in fen/our ofU, agQ~in land a;gain.' ",'3

And based 0:0 this principle the Prophet ,(. ) further advised hisfollowersto avoid the doubtful .. Al-Hasan ibn "Alee related

.

that hie memorized the foU-owing statementfrom AUaa,h '5 Mes .. senger ( fI,)::

,r Lea 1/,' the' d,oublfullor that" which is not. ,14

There is really no excuse for deferring TQ~wbah to. a later date,

I Soorah ash-Shams (91).= " & 8:.

:2 canceled b,Muslim, i(Sahih M'msUm (En-llish Trails .. ); "lot 4·, p. 13,58t no. 61.9:5) and at-Tirmidhelc,. See ,a~5o Al1-N.w,awi~,' F,orty HQtli'h~ (EnSUs'hArabie), pp., 9O-1~ no. 21.

3, C'o.lected b,A,~mad and ~.d .. Daarimee~ U has beenauthm:nlii<:atedi by al, ..

Allbaanee in his authentication ,of,Mishkaah ,al-M~abee~) (Beirut:. ,a.-Mak~ tab al-Islaamee, 2nd ed., 1979), vol. 2, p'., ;345, no, 2774, ftn,. 3. See a~soAnNlJ'wlrlwi's Fon, ,Had'i'h~ (En8lisb~Arabicl~ pp, 4()..4't '1,0.27'"

4 COUected b" ;an-Nasaa'eeand at- Tirm.idhee and authenticated by alAlbaanee in,$aheeh Su"anQt-Tirmidh:e:e~ vol, 2, p. 309,. no. 2045. See dso

~! i! -.

A,n-,NawQwits ,Forty Radilh; (EosUsb"Ara'b:ilc), PI'" 5:2~:3, no" 1.:1.

especially eonsidering the uncertainty of the future" wbich Allaah so' oftenemphasizes in the Qur'aan,:

"No soul kovwI what :it willi earn tomorrow Ro,r does:

it Im,ow in whllt pari:: of thee.rtb U will, die. ":~

Consequently, the believer who is sincerely seeking God's pardonwill not delay 1,:111. the least, bUlwiU turn: to the Ofr-Forgiving Creator as soon as be realizes that be has fallen into sin, The speed at wh:i,ch he turns back to Allaah wiU be a measure of his smeerity and the levlc1 o;f h.i:s, faith.

3~ CESS:Al~ION

The immediate turning in repentance has, to be accompanied by an, immediate abandonment of the sin for which, forgiveness is SOlulht. Si,D!cer-e repentance cannot :possibly take p,I,I,ce whUeone wUUngly and knowinglycontin ues to commit the sin. If the sinner is not preparedto cease doing wrong. 'without delay, he is really notprepared to repent. A.nd" anyverbal expression of' repentance or spoken request for forgiveness without absti .. nence win only be Oil a min.d~,ess ~ ritualistictype, wbi,ch is, i,Dv:alid due 'tal lack of sincerity, Allaah, Himself has made His granting of forgiveness dependant upon the cessation, of the sinful 3.Ct for which repentance is made,

I Soorah Luqmaan en );:34.

..31 ..

"Anllfor these who,d" notk.owingly persis!' in the ,,"roaR tbey lIave done Is I, reward ,0,' fOfl',leness from dleir Lerd, " ]

The pre .. requ ls I te for absolution canalso be found mentioned in ma,ny of theteachings of the Prophet Muhammad I( JI: )i~For example. Abu Hurayrah reported that on one occasion the: Messenger of Allaah ( ..) said:

~., Wh,f;"n a believer eommitsasin a block. spot appears ,on his heart. If he repems. d,,;sls:, and' esks /orgiv,eness.t hls heQ'~t Is pO'l'is,N'ed clean .. But if.h,e does more s'insJ the spots increase. That is rh.e rust whic.h Alla'ah memions in Hls Boo/e I' By n:omean~;! .Butrust :has cOiver,ed their hearts from t:he (sins,), 'they do,~d; ~! 3

Thus, it may be saidthat Tawbai« from a particular sin without immediate absttnenee from that s,in is nottrue Tawbah ~ but a poor imitation of i.t. 'which. wUI not be acceptable t:o Allaahand which will not absolve the penitent. of his sin, 'This type of rep entanee resembles the sacramental approach to penance found in some branches ot Christianity and it gives the sin ampletime to lodge itself more firmly in the heart. The abandonment of iniquity wiU become progressively more cI.i,fficuU to accomplish as time passes and the wUI to resist becomes weaker and weaker. T.hilswilla.lso affect: one's ill:'t,empts to repent from other Sd.DI5 and a pattern offalsehood with oneselfis likelyto develop, And, as the: sinner becomes increasingly una ble to desist from minor sins, :it wUI alsoaffect his ability tOI abstain from major sins, If the cycle continues, bis bean becomes increasingly covered inthe rus·t of sin which ·wU~ ,Irad!u.ally form a veil of darkness blocking

1 Soorah Aa~ 'Imraan (3)::135-6,.

2 C~oll,eded by AQmad alnd Ibn M,aaj ah and authenticated by .al~~A~baaIDJee in ~D,,~e~ SU'l1an Ibn M·fMl.iah~ vol 2. p, 411' .• :00.3422.

J Soo~ahal~MIIJl:faffifeel (83) ;.14.

-32-

him fromthe ligh,t of truth and faith. His organs IQf sigbt land hearing w:ln 'simuhane,ou,sly be veiled frQim the truth and be 'win have an aversion to being around righteous people or to hearing words of righte{)u,s:nes5. Though such a person ma,y still cl,aim to

- -

bea be Ii ever, criUci:sm and slanderwill form, the basis of h,iscon"

versation 'when be speaks, about religion and the' religious, and praise and :admira,donw~U characterize hi,s talks about the: disbe .. lievers and the world of disbelief ~AUaah has amp,ly described such individuals at the beginning of the Our'aan in stark contra:5,'t to thetrue believers:

"As: 1m thOle 'who reject fai,tb, iI, is tb,e ,same' wllether YODI WiarD them or Y'OB dOR.oitwarn them;: they willi not IWlieve., Allaah has set Ii sell 00, their bealris, and onl Iheirhearing aod eyes is, • veil. Tbe.re wm befOF' them ;8, grave pe'naJiCJ'~ Amolllthese' people~ ar:e some wbol sa)': 'W'I belie,e in A.llalh and, 'the Lui Da,), , " but Oaey d. IRol r,u.ly believe. Tbey attempt 10 decei~,e A,II.ah aod,lbe beUevers: but they o'nly deeel'Yle themselves: w,llthoD' realizln,g :11." ~

A.I] excellent example of the prineiple of repentance and eessali,oo of sin. can be found in the Qu,r"anic treatment of thegrave sin of dealing in j,nt!erest(Ribaa).,

3."Ii· e- '

. ~)~

"'AllRBkhas permitted Iwade, _d torbidlden iBlerest. Tllose who desist aRel"' recei¥~g diret;tion tro.their Lordi 'I 'wiD be, pardoued lor what, toa .' place! In th,e past" aDd their ease is for ADaah (10 jud.ge~). But, whoe1rer retBlmsto iii: will be! elernal iJnbbitaBts of Ithe H,ellft r ,eii"']

Those w.ho continue to disobey God's command fall into 'the cl ut,ch1es of Slitan and deV'i,otUsl,y try' torationalize their persistent rebellion against the divine law, Allaah describes, them in. the Our'aan as follows;

'. 'T'hose who, consuDle intenst. stand like~t"ose tbrown down, :in a 'fit froBl the toucb of' SataR, ibeeR,De the, say, 'Trade Is just likeinlerest." ~,,2

Trade and interest do have similarities, but the harm, to society i:n tbeir diffe.r,e:n.ces, isenoughthat Allaah has madetrade allow .. able and interest not. In fact. all prohibited things share similarities with tbeir eouaterparts among the permissible things. In the same way that beef is. similar to pork and &Jape juice is similar to wilDe ~ but one is, permitted by G,od for eon- . sump:tion and the other j,5 not. Thus; theessence o,f tbe iss,Dle is not our individual perceptions of what is beneficial and harmful, but what Allaah. the Creator of aU thingscknows ro be more

t Soorah al-Baqarah (2):27.5. 2 Ibid.

harmful than beneficial . Allaah then continuesto exhortthe believers to repent and abandon the sin totaUy:

"0, believe'n!FearAllaah and give D,P lheremainiol tnter'eI!t if ywtruly believe. "I

"1.':' - ,d:' , '. -~I" ," ,.001-:' bl' - Ii ....... -0' deelaRel O~..-'DU bw

Y.H 0 _, WID, "IL ~ _ __ _ y ._~

Allaah lind .Ris Messe.Dger .• , B,ut if you repeot,the! capi;tal of YfJ.rwealrth lis youo,.Oo not be UnjlBst and, you will nOitbe delll,with unjustly. ",,2

4!~, EXONERATIO:N

If,tbe sIn forwhic,h repen tanrce Is SQugh t involves the violation of the rights, of other' human beingsvtbese rights must be restored for absolution to be granted, Property acquired illegally must be returned and honor restored where violated, because Allaah will not accept the: prayers, of one' who lives off stolen property. Abu Hu.ray.~ah narrated from AUaah ~s Messenger ( 'I ) that:

IIHe mentioned the case ofadtshe've.lled and dustyman on' a long jo'u~fley who raises his hands.up eo' th,e skY' s,oying.; On. Lord! oh Lordl But ,Ills (OIOla, drlin.k And clothing Q'f,e runlawful and ,he is

l Sooifah al-8,a:qarah €2:) :278. l Ib~lc!I., (2) ~2'9'.

-35 ..

nousished unl,awfully, so how can he be answeredr'" Furthermore. any unfulfilled riabtswiU 'be taken from the wrongdoer's scale of good deeds Q1n. the Day ofJ udgement when no one can, ,afford to spare any righ.teouSID,ess w'bich is in, their favour. Abu Hu rayrah a~.so reported that the Messeng,e,r (If Allaah ( • ) said:

,r'Wh,oever has wro,ngled his brother with re,ard to' h,is hORO,' or anything else, should seekhis pardon now' before the time when ne'ith,er deenars nor dirham'S will be a/any benefit. At tntJ't ,time, if he has go!o"d deeds, an amouru of them e'q·uo.l to th,e wrongwi.ll be' taken; but Itt he has none, sins IT(J,m the wronged person wi,ll be put 0''" him, n:2

Mn this life, the violation of' human rights also exposes the sinner to, calami ties resulting from the prayers ofthese who have been wronged. Ibn ~ Abbaas related that when the Prophet (. ) sent Mu'aadh ibn Jabal toYemen be told. him:

! 'Beware of the curse of one who Is oppressed ~ fO'r s.rArely the,r:e is no veil between him and Allaah. ",3,

Consequendy, sineere repentance can nO'1 take pl.ace wi'tb:i,n a context of continued oppression and violation of the rights of others, If the owner of property isunknown or unavaileble ,it. shonld be g~ven to the next of kin, if known, or d,Qro:ated to, the poor, if neither the owner not hisrela.tive:s are known, The repentant sinner must, at aU costs clear hi'mself of any illeliaUy

l Co~~ected b, .Muslim fSahih ,MflSlim (EO(llish Tlia:ns.), vat 2,. p. 486 no. 221.4), at- Tirmidhee ~ A~:mad amd. ad- Dsarlmee. See also .A1I1-N:awaw,i"s .Forty Ha.d!i.th, p. 50~ no .. 1ft

2 CQiUected 1O,all·Buldl,a;ar,ee (.StJ"'ii~ al~BNkharl., (A.tabic .. Snlls'h) t vot 3,,1" 3,11 ,.no. 629').-

J Ibid,., vol, 3~ [p. ]'76~'. 0:0. 628.

obtained possessions or honor violations like slander, backbitinglor false rumours; especially those for which he is seeking . absolutioa.

~' S'O'··R"R"·'·O'IW·

L~I.I 1.-.· - _,_L._.."_',-'" '.,:, .. ::'

It is also essential that the penitent feel deep sorrow and regret for his traasgression-Remorse is, the foundation lof the: act of Tawbah. Without it, repentance becomes a meaningless, ritual devoid of' 'any sincerity and substance, The sinnerw ho repents w~tbou t self-condemna tion. secretly relishes the memories of his sin while: outwardly pretending to give it up .. As long as the violation of God's law is not given up inwardly.~ the sinner will soon return to, the sin. ~arwbah without remorse 'will also, be devoid of

...

consciousness and fear of God, and thus, will likely be for some

materialisticgoal .. For example. ,I position requiring that one holding itabstain from certain vices mayesuse those who apply for it to hypocritically eschew these vices while ~ harboring in their hearts a secret love for 'them .. Since such a form. 0,' repentaaee lacks the initialingredient of, sincerity, it will lik,ely be transformed into a sin and held a.g.ainst itsperpetrator.

The primary role of regret in repentance wa:sempha:sized by the Prophet (. .) in such a w:ay as 11:0 leave no doubt about it. Ibn M:a",qal said:

"Tcame With my father to' .: Al,dull'tlah andheard h:i'm ,say :~lheard A.lIaah's .Messenge,r ( II,) say: 'Remorse is repentance. ~ My luther asked him, 'Did yo,uQctual'l'y hear th,e Prop'he,t ( • ) sa»: 'Remorse is repenlan-ce?J' He repl'ie'!d,.'Yesr "1

There should also bea firm intent not to repeat tll.e sin again for the remorse to be real, For, how can someone feel :sorry about

~

1 Co~~ecte!d bN,' .,' 'Ibn M.aa.I1,ab and auUlenticated by al-Albaanee in Saheeh ,Sultan

,1 ~ ~,. ~I

111" Maaj'Q#I,vol. 2, p.418~ nOI.3429.

something, wrong, they have done while planning to do it again in the future. Sorrow. In such ,8 case" 'would only be: 8 show ,for the benefit of others", it could not possibly be: due to a, conscious rec .. ognitionof sin and the fear of God. True sorrow win produce a strong and sincere desire: not to repeat the cause of the sorrow. This does not mean that jf someone repeats a sin" the original repentance was not sincere and w,as not aecepted.Jt is possible for one to slip, in times ofweakness backintothe same sin, but it wouldnot be tothe same degree nor wlDuld it take the same, Iength of time to, realize the sin" remember AUaah and abandon it. If one fans back into the same sin to the same degree or to a worse degree, the sincerity of the origjn/al repentance would then become doubtful, as it did, not appear tOI have had any effect on the sinner's spirit.

".' RIGHTEOU'S DEEDS

True Tawbah' is not only expressed in feelings from the heart and words on the lips, but also in the penitent individual's actions. Hie should be driven by his desire for absolution. to correct whatever wrong he: has done andmake amends, AUaah promises '~O pardon those who are :50 inclined.

M .. '. "'. '."". J..~f~ ."". , ·.1..... . ""'f.' . 'I.~ '1: ..e: .. 4J l~.· ~ -. '.'" ~ .. ' ""'.'. / ~

_ .... \i~'~ .J\.;d" ·U'_~'~'{'~ . • L-,..·

),as;-~' c:-~.:., .... ~Y ~,' -_ .;0 "r .... -~ ... ~V"

- _ ,,'

I!J! 'f>

...... !!"'Ji

"'If' B'ny 0'" )'IOU does e'"vil in, ignorsaee. tben repents and mllk'es' lJIIJen'ds,. He is Oft,!!Oforgi .•. inl, M'ost Mer'·

J'£":OI' ",,] CII,' ._.

If 'the truth were :sinfuUy concealed or lies disseminated to' others, repentance must be accompanied by an. open declaration of the 'truth for it tOI be valid .In reference to those who hid knowledge about ProphetMuhammad ( Ii ), and lslaam 'which

was contained within the scriptures of the Old and New Testament', J\,Uaah pronounces 'His curse on, t,hem"as well. as the curse of the angels and aU mankind , with rhe following excepdons:

~ In Deuter,omomy 18: 18 of the Ol~d Tesilamlent. P1rophet MOlt$ spokeabeut a, prophet ~o be sent b, God from among the brethren of the Jews w'niOwould be like Moses" De~te(1onom.y ,33: 1 .. 2 speaks of God (ie, God's re:vellation)1 oomingfrom Sinai (refereaee Ito Prophet Moses,~.risi:li1lg 'from Seif' (near J!erusalem.~refere:nce toPIi,uplhet Jesus) and. shining forth from IParan (Genesis, 2hZ1 idcJlllifies Pali'in1JaS the: pll,alce wlilellC' Ishmael settled ie.Mak~ k]ith in Arabii,11 thus ;r!eflerence~o Pro'P,h,etMu~amm,ad [ _ n. Isaiah ,42: 1 .. 13 speaks of'the belovedof'Gcd, His eteet messengerwho wmlbringdowlFI a law arw:aited in the isles among ~Iil.c descf'fIJdamts· ofl<!e'dar (Genesis :2S; 13 idenU'fies 'Ke"clar as the second 8.0.0 of Ishmael, the aneestor of Prophet Mu~am-

mad] II O·

lm Habakkuk ,3: 3 Dlemtion is made of God (God"!!; help) cOlmin,1 from, Te'rnan (an Oasls 'North ofM.adeenlah accordii:m,g to J. Ha:stin~fsDrict,tonQr, of the Blibie), and the ho~y one cOrmimg from. Paran. U nder persecution ~,Pfophet. Mu:~ammad ( il, )1 'lII,igrated from Matk:ah (P.a,IiD,n) 'to Mardeenah (T:e;"man)' w[her,e he: 'ound sup"ort. Vivid, deta,Us: of the misration ca.1I also be'ound in Isaiah. 21:13-17 as weU as the Battle of Badr in which the few m~armedfaith· full m.iTaclllolUsly defflnlled the mighty men of Ke'dar.

nle New '~e:sta~e,nl Gospel ,of John! cbapt.ers 1.4, 15 and Ui 'report Jesus, speaking about the ~~,Piara,d'e'lie~~ r(cotnforlier) to come after b~s depamare who wO'uld ~ +s;peak nOla: o:f Ihimsielf t but wbisitsoeve r h:e shall Ile:ar. t hal ,Iud 1 he' 's!peak" (JObn 16:t3)., 'Though !Laler Cllldslians cllabned the··Parac.i:e'le"' to be: the HoI, Spidt~ h~sliory shows that m,ll1I¥ earl¥ rC1h.ristiafl:s understood the Paracl,te'ID, be a m.am and lU)'t :a, spirilt ..• as t her-e werre a m.un'ber of eceasions in 'which. tb~se who claimed to be the a.wailed PQMclete found follower:s. (See' Jamal B:ad:awi~ Muhammad' iN .the Bib,le, (Hatifax .. Nova ScoHa:lslamic In~ormaliom f'oundla'tion~ n .. d.), 'PP'. 3""5).

"Exel]pt tho5ewho repent, make amends a,D,d 'Openl1 dee'aR (the' ,t~lIth)lljbose I willi fargiT1e" for I am the Otl .. ,Relurni.g." the' Mo,st Mereiful~" ~

Real Tuwba,h win not only cause thewrongdoer to, renounce the, sin. '(110m which he is seeking absolution, but it should alsomotivate him to vol unsarily perform additional deeds, of righteousness, The: spiritual change which takesplace during true repentance should be translated into righteousactions as a positive replacement in the soul for the iniquity wh.:i,ch it bas, abandoned. Because ot the Importaace of good deeds to the process of repentance, Allaah has incl uded it among the condi tions for perdorrend release from the conseq uences oif sin, Allaah emphatically states in the Final Revelationtha t ~

"Whoever repents .ad does: g,ooo has. truly repented to Allaab.' '12

"SuNly I willi repea.ledl.y forgive those who repent, believe and. do righteous deeds, and the.n accept righ.t guidance~ ,,3·

For example, the: acceptance of Islaam is an act ,of repentance wherein one turns from alife of error tothe dear path of 'God. Howevercthe Prophet ( 115 ) explsined that the: declaration of faith erases ian previous siins,onl'y if it is followed up by good

l Soonn al,~'Baqarall (2):: 160. 1 SoonhFluqa.an (251):71.

~ Soorah Taa Haa (20)::62.

deeds as prescribed by Allaah, otherwise the convert is still held tOI 8ICCOu,nt lor earner sins, Ii Abdullaah ibn Mas~oud said:

"Some people asked A,Il'aah"s Messenger::IOh Messeng,er of Allu,uh! Will we be held responsibi« for what we' di,d during the J_llll'eey. (time o.f ignorance beiore embracing lslaamf!' He replied, fWhoever does good deeds in lslaam will not be' held to account, but, one whiG does evil will be eeeountable for Ih~e time before IS/Ram and after. j "'I

Furthermore, Allaah promises to rewardthose who repent and do righteous deeds with additional good in place of their past evil deeds, and grant them on top of that paradise as their ultimate reward. AlIaah says:

"E"cept these who re,pent, beUeve and do rilll'teous deeds;. 'those are the: .nes 'wboseevU deeds Aillash willi. repl-ee wUh good, and Allaab is O'R,,,,':orl.i.vj1n,l, Mo,sl:

Merciliul." 2

/ ... ' r:: .. i" ~I

...

"E,xeept those, w'ho' repent" beneve' aDd do rig;hteous; deeds,; those are tll.e' lones wllo will ,enterparadi.se w'ithout being wronled In tbe .least.,n3,

1 Collected by al-Bukhaareeand M,usUml (Stlhih M,uslim (En!glish Trans.), vol, E. pp, 68~9'~ nos. 21" ,and 218.)1,

2 Soomh Farqaan (25:)1:710.

3 Soo:rah M,a.ryam. (19'):60.

-41-

Without such a positive transformation, tbe sinner's sorrow and regret maty merely lead hi,m into a. state of extreme depression, In this weakened eondition, he, then becomes susceptible" once again" to' thewhisperings and proddings of the devils from within and without And, ultimately, the forces of evil may cause him, to fall into further transgression .. Therefore, the sincerely repentant should deliberately seek our all possible avenues O'£' righteousnessto avail himself of AUaah's G'ra,c,e, whereby He bas vastly multilplied the val ue of good deeds, 'God £I "'" idi In th -~, 'Q-'1u'r' I;l 0, '0' '.

"'~,Jij' .. , I., ;.' '\.ii' ", ,,-_ UU J!i!

"W.,Dever d,ues agoud deed will have Ilbe rewalrd 01 ten"while be wrho does a sin wUI only be recompensed

•·k' Outilit'D a'nd ",'L,o, '·'11 0' ot be ~--~o' ng""A ",'~

I ' ... ".II.::!" I , I,IJ!I!!liy WI. .1 I ' ' ,'., , .•• , w., , .• , .• ~.

Abu Hurayrah quoted AUs,ah's Messeng,er ( II ) as 'saying: ~·Who.ever intends' to do good, but does not do it hasone good deed recor'tietl t01l1im. If h,e inten:ds to do' B,ood and does it.t ten to set'en hundredgood deeds are recorded for him. W:htle hewho imends to' do evil, b,UI does not, noe.nt.ry isrecorded. [the does it, I'h,en it is recorded. "2

This divine favor of increase in the effect of righ .• eous deeds gracefully helps man erase his many sins, if he acts w:i.sely. AUalah s.a.ys in the Final Revelation:

I. Soorah al-Aa'aam (6): 116(J.

2 Na:rra.ted by Ibn 'Abbaas and ooUected ~Iy :al-Bukba;aree (Sal,eeh, al .. B'ukh(Jri (Arabk-Eng~ish) vol 8~ p, 329tflO. 499) and MusUm (Sahm:Muslim~ (English Trans, .. .) viol. 1 ~ pp .. 75~6t,l;o. 237)..

"Ve~ good ,deeds ense evil. deeds. This is .~JI1ind,er fer those 'who :r-emember ('Ibeir 'Lord),,;l

The Propbet ( _: ) 'was also reported to have said"

"Fear Alls,tlh wherever you m,ay be, ./ollo'w an B'VU deed .'ith a good one and. it will' erase it~ and t,ell' peopll'ewel' . .I"!!

By tollowing, 'such H, 'path 'the chances of eamin& God '5 forgiveness will be greatly improved according to the Final Scripture:

"" -:; .. ~-~ ~,',~f ,~;I. ,~,,~ .. tt:"~ J;-;'-;~~,. ; ~',' lre~qr'''~ ---',- ~JI."",C;' 'j

"B,ut wboev'er does, wroDg and substitutes INd inl plaee 01 evil" truly IlUD Oft-Ilo:rgivinc, Mos't M'erei ... Jul. ",3

AUa:ah bas also seen fit t'o make the R1.ajorrig;h,t1eous deeds enj'oined ornthebe:lievers a, source of expiation for sins. Because these foundational 'pillars of Islaam are designedto train the believer in, righteo.usne,!us" when tbey are performed according to, both the letter and the -spirit of 'the law, they become good deeds of the highest order capable ot cleans:ing the 'true believ .. ers of many of thei.r sins.

WUdoa (AbludoD,)1

,!It

Abu Hurayrah reported that Alla,ah':s .Messenger'( II' ) said:

UWhen Q' servant (o,f GOld) 'washes hi« face, every sin he' con,t,mp,tated *ith his' Boyes w'ill be WtBh,(ul Q'W~1 alo'nr with tll:e Ilast drop of WQ'te,,; when ,IJewuhe, his' hands,. e;pe,ry sin "hey commit-

, Soomh Hoodl(tt):ll4r ..

2 CODecled b, at ... Tinni,dhee and ,8uthen,ticated b:y a'l-Alb.anlee in ~(I~lee,~ SRndn at- Tirmidh"" vot 2~ p. 1":1 't no, .. 16,1:8,. See AII~.Naw.Qw'i';' ,Forty l!adi'h~ (Arabic--EolgliSh) PP'. 66.-7, no, 18.

3 Sootah an,-NaJml (21)d 1 '.

..43 ..

te'dwill bewashe,d off from, ,his h(Ullds with 'hie lastd"op o/' Wia,te,.,~ andwhe» he washes'his feet, every s,in towerds which,his feel' have' wd,lked wiill' be weshed QWdY with: .t.e last drop of ~ater. So that he. comes out pure'{l'rom all sins. ,,:~

~aah(P!orm81 Pnyer)

Humraal1, reported on the authority of 'Uthmaan ibn ~ Affaan that he beard Allaah '5 Messenger ( .) say:

'~;Theobliltl,tory p"ayer~' of the o,tI,e who prope',,'y performed WUdoo (a:bil,uriol1') as A ll(JltJ'h the EXdltede'njo,ined' on him, w,iil be (I'll ,e~piatio,n for si'ru2 committed between them. H3

SBl.atul~JufIJu 'ah (Frida,y 'Congregational, Prayer')'

.'

Abu Hurayrah reportedthat Allaah's Messenger ( Jj) said:

~" ll,anyon;ep'erforms WB~ well, then comes to the Fr,iday prray,er, listens and keeps silent, his sins between tn:en and the next J.Nm,u~ah pl,w thoseo] three ex.trQ'days wil,l,be forg,ive'l1. But he who plays with pebbles has caused an inte'""uptit)I1I•4" 5,

l Colillected 'Ily Mus~im(Sahih' M,usUm(,Em,gHsh Trans.), vet I! p. IS5, no. 475).

:2 M,~lIm' sins, .. 11'1 ancthernerratlon ,i Amr ibn a~~~ Aa:S1 reported that on D,oe oeea!;;i;on 'Uthrsaan asked. :~or some; water to make WucJoo and be quotes, AUaah's Messenger fa ) as saying: ··~hen th~e' time fa" Q p.resc.rib'i!id prayer arrives Q1J,rl a ,Muslim perfornu Wucrl'oo well (J!n4.humbIY offers p'rd,ers wilh!prOpef bowing, ;, w,ill be ll'I1!t!;;cpiatiO'f!I/o,r his p,at sins as lo',ng as Ih:ey ate n'Ol major SiliS~ and tkfl,r is far a/,t ttmes. "~ (!Collected by Musliim Sahih Muslim (English Trans, ) I voiL 11 P ,. I Silt no ,. 441.).

3 eoUectedb,Mus~im. Sahih M:uslirn (EmSlli:sh Trans.] vol, ~~,. 151, no. 445.

4 The floor efthe Masj!~d was, gr;lvel during the Prophet's (tj ) time,. OM whim pla.ys, with 'the s;,lolnes during Ihe Friday sermOrm t( Khutbah) distract's him ..

self and possibly others with his idle actions, or wiU1JJ the soulnd made by the cUcking o,f' the stones .. 'The Prophet ( _) equated it with id~e talk which he fblibade sa.yimg, UOI1i€'s.hould' be quiet when the lmaam is speaking. ~~ (Nat- ~

Layl8tu/~Qadr (N'ight 01 '.wer)

Abu Hura.yc,ah related thatthe Prophet ( iii ) said;

uA,1l ,the prev,touss;ns of an;,' one wll,o ge,'s' up for p"flyer d:ur:ing th'eN,rght of Power (Layl.',fIIl-Qadr)1 out of jtJ'ith,tj'nd ,seeking' hi's reward from the Lord will be !ofgi'v1e:n.,,2

Sa'wm (PH1Ing)

.. .

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet ( ,_ ) said:

uA,1l ,thepir:evio,us sins of Itlny one who flasts the month of RQ'mac!aan: out o!'Jai,th and seeking his reward f1o,m the Lord, wil/,b,e /o,g:;'vlel1 .. nJi

HajJ '(Pilgrimage to, 'Makkah)

AbuH urayrah stated that Anaah's,Messe~n,ler sald,

- rated by Salmiaan and ooUectedbY81-Bukhaaree (StJhih al-Bu.khari (Ar,abic~ BUllish), vel, 2t p'. 2;'1, Ichaptcr beading, 34). M,usUms are reqair'ed 10' ~isten attentively 10 the Friday sermon ,and remain sileAt throu.gh.out, so mlueb so" that even lelli.g others to be quiet is nOI' allowed, Abu Hu:rayrah reported Allaan's Messe:nger ( Ii ) as '&a,ying, ~'!llf,(J,n' o/,yo,u ,rells his ,",oth,e'r ,ro be silienl' while' ,fhe'imQQ,'m"iisgiviH!,' the j',ermO.IiI, he is "n,'ty of idle talk. j'J' (Sah,;h Q.'I-Biukhar;' (Arabic~En;glish).,"',oll. 2. pp .. 27-8" ,S;ahi'h MlfSlim (En,gUsh Trans.)., vol.. 2,t p, 404~; IDO. 1846,~, and SUlUln Abu! ,Vawud (English Tr,ans,.) •. vel, 1;.p.286-:7. no. IJ01) ..

50 CoUected by Muslim, (SahlI! Mus.lim (EngUsh Trans.) t vot 2 t p..W. no, '1868), a,nd Abu Dsawood (SUM. Abu Ddwood (English Timns.)~ vot I"~ p. 270, 'no. 104,5. See alsop. 91, no. 343 fOili' a longer lJlufationalso reported by Abu Sa'eed al-Khudree and authendea~ed (l!am1n) by a~~Albaanee in Sahe,en SUn'4N Abee Daawood,. ¥ot 1 t p." 70" no. 3~n.

t '" I ._

1 A a~lbt am,o:n:g the lastten ni,gi1ts of Ramadaan (the: '9th m.oD'lh of the lunar calendar) known on~y to AUaa •.

2 COI~ec:ted by' :al~Bukbaallee, (S,'flhih al~B'ulc."ari (Alabic-EngJiSh)~ 'vo~.3,; pp. 69-10., no, 1.25,).

3, Ibid',; \'0:1, 3" p" 70. ne, :1.25,

UWhoev,e', make« p';"gr,ima,e to this House (Ka' bah) ,and does not

- - ,

have sexwl reiatio,m 'with ,his wife nor com,mit s:ins (durl.,r the

I!aji) will return (s,inless)1 the way' hils mo;,he,r bote' him~ "'1.

'l1mrab (MInor ~arim .. )

Abu Hurayrab reported that the Messenger of ,AUaah ( :. ) said:

UTile smsdone between 'wo f,Umrahs are expiated ,"y th.e,m~"2- '7'. TIME 'FRAME

Despite God's infinite Grace and Mercy ,. His supreme justice bas 'set certain times when repentance will not be accepted" in the same w:ay that it set the circumstance of insincerity and seek .. ingforgiveness from otherthan God as reasons for its rejection, The times 'of non-acceptance are those w'he,n a perso,n has no other choice; when repentance is no longer a voluntary' act of' faith, but: a vain attempt to escape the inevitable consequence of S,iD.

Death

The first ofthese 'times is, that of' an individual '5 death . 'Td'wbah ma:y be made and absolu.tion granted throughout a person's tife up until, the instantwhen be reali2e:s that death is upon him. At that POiD,t, regret and. sorrow will be to no avail and all attempts, atrepentance win be denied. Allaah addressed this issue in crystal [clear tetmsas follows:

1 CoIUected by al-Bukhiaaree (Sahib. a1~B'Kkhari ('Ar,abic-E-.g1ish), v'oI. 3t p. 27" nos. 45 .& 46.

2 OaUc'Cted by al .. Bulkbaaree. (SGhih ti'I' .. Buk,na,ri (A~abic!~E8I,gn'sh)t vel, ],.p. 1., no .. 1), Mltslim, an-Nasaa'ee, Ibn M;aajah .ad Maaiik (Professor M .. Rahimudldin ~ MU:.Q,ffa Imam. Malii~ (E.nglii5b Trans.), (Lahore: Sh. Muhammad Ashraftl[98S); p. lS8.nol., 756).

"Tbere is no ftpeRla'Dce for those wbo ICGntiaue 'to ,de evl, .untll deso. comes 'upon one of tbem and he says,; 'IB.~eed,1 h_. ve now' repented"" 'Dor' I'Q:r 'tbose wbo die in disbelief~, 'We ha:,le pre,pared fu-~ them :amost grievous punislunelll,. "I

The Prophet Mu~a'mmad ( Ii ) was reported 'by 'Abdullaah ibn 'Umar to have said:

~~~A,IlQQh, most Gretzt anti IGlo1;olU$, wi'll aceept Hi8se:rvllnt;" rep.entance until hi! Idealh r"ttle begins. u2

De Las,1 Day

The second time wb,cn repentance will be to no avail is at theend of the world when the maior signs, of the Last Dayappear begin .. nin,lwith. the risinl,g of the: sun in the Wes,t~ At that time deelara ... tions of faith by disbelievers win be futile,. The souls of all the believers, will be taken j ustprior tothe western sunrise and only the faithless will.re:,main aliy,e in 1he world~ 'The Prophet's, 'wife, i Aa'eshah related the following:

"lheard AlIaah',' Messen~Be.r ( ill: J ,say, ·'T,h,e night ,and day w.ill

I, Soorah 8!A,~N:isaa (4): :u~.

3 CoUected tJy ;at .. Tirmildh·ee" Ibn Maajlah" A~mad iand MaaJilk and au'thenn· alted (1;I'tuo1l) by a~-Albaaneeift $al_lee~ Sunatl 16.11 Maajflh,. vol. 2~ p .. 418~ IIO,,343(}., See also R~,adh-w;-Saleheerl~, (Arabic...English)l~ 'vol. 1, 1". 12~ no. 1.8" for ani .Bn.glish translation, of this fIJde,th.

not' cease un.fit p'eo,pte havebegun lo'wo'rship LIIal and 'U_a,,1 I said, "O~hMess'en,ger ,of ,Allaah! I thi:nlc tha: when Allaah re've.led ,1I'is verse: He it is 'W,,"OI has senl, 'R'is MaseogeT w.ith rilb,' ,lIdd.'ee anlltrue rellion, ,. make It prevail over aU, ,lIeli • .. as" thoulll the id.lators, ,dislike~ il,,2 this means that it willtake pl'tJcle~ "He replied" 'It will happen as AllQQ'IJ: wishes. 'Then A,llaDh will send ,II sweet fttJgrDn~" ,breeze'w.hichwUl take the life of ev'eryone wi,theven ,a mustard grains weighit of faith , and ,only

, tbose wha 11"_", no' B,oodn"" in tnem will,",,,,,ive. Thien they will revert to the religion of their fore/8th,t,rs." ;'''~

Abu Hurayrah reported that on another occasion AUaah 's Messenger ( II ) said"

"When three things' appear; faith will not benefit one who luIS not ' p,ep'liowly bleUeved 10' hal DIOt' der:l"ledal1;,' "ood fro.m his' faith: the rising ofthe sun from itsplaceof setting~ 4 the A,,,',ichris,t,, S and

1 aI-Laatt (oral~Laat)1 t])e idol in. the fo,rm, of:a rock wQ,rship'ped by the Thall'eej' ttibe in Taa,~if or by' the Qura,ysb tribeer Nakhlab and a)-~'Uzzais tbe name (.l,f B .gu.m~aeai:a tree ida,1 'Worshipped by the IGh,a~afaln tribe ilft 'Ba~n. Naldlilah. (Ariabic-Engli:slt Lexirotl,vot 2, pp. 2649 ,and 203,2)..

2 Soor,ab at-Tawbab (9)::33.

,3 'Col~ted 'by Muslim ISani/l,M:ll3lim (E'II:_i:sh Tra:ns,)" 'Voll ,4t p, 1506" D.O. 6M.S).

4 That is; risiu,l in 'the: West, which pl'obab:l:yrefers '10 I, time whe'R e1arth win be,gin torOila'~e in tb,e opposite Idirection lcausing '(.he sun 'to, a:ppear tOI rise in die 'West ilRst'fl ad o.f'the East. This, is one of tile major signs, of the amv,aJ of til. Last HOD:r.

s The Arabile term used is J~.JJI~ ,Daii(J(lI~ ('the arcll, deceiver), from tbe verb

~!I! DldJ.la whieh,meansu'I,QI smear (a camel) with. tar On lorder teeever ilsfaults)'" 10f' "to Iice'tt (Aro'b,ic ... Snglts'h:Lexicon, 'vol. 1" p. ,853). Prophet M'lIi1;taml11ad" iii ) p~Gphes~ed the comim:g of one who would deceive much 011 the world,chn)ugJi :nIilgical fBl,a andl t;h,e great: powers lite would possess.

the beast ,0/ the 6t1,,,lh; 1 ,,2

Abu. Hurayrah al.50 reported Allaah's Messenger ( II ) as say-

.,

10,1"

~f:A.lltJ(Jh w,tll.(Jccep.t the repenumeeo] €lnyo,ne who' seeks it before' the sun rises in the west. J,,3,

]! The~J 'J1tl"ii"DaI'''atzll .. Ard (Beast of dte E.arth) i,sanodulr ofthernajo,r s~go.s of the appr-oacb: of the Last Day. It irs referred to the O'ur~,aan as, follows~

~"Wben tim ,deene' .lulfJlledl apinn them, We: will prod .. from lbe Inrdi fur them II beIIt wld£b wiD spe8k to them~. i" (Soo~ah· an ... ,N'aml (27):,82).

2: CoII.ectedby Mus~im ~Sahih! M,lUlim (Emg,lisbTirams.), VOlt I "pp. 94-.5 , no. 2").

3, OOUected by Mus,)im(Sahill! Miwlim (English Tl'ams.)" vot4~ p, 1,411:8, no, 6.5,2;5). See also Ri1tJtlh-us-S_heen~ (A.ra1bic~E.8~ish).~ vo).l.~ pp. 11-12, no. 11.

M.aking Taw,bah for all sin,s is required of aD believers according to the commandments of divinely revealed'law . However ,I some or all sins, comml ned by O'DC 'who, di"es, ·without making ·siocJere ' repentance may be forgiven by Allaah or they may be breught against him on theDay of Judgement:

. . .•. " .. ;- .~' .. " /." " 1'.··. ,..,. ~ ! .. ''''.' .---:.... .~.if. J'fllT ' ~ ~: '. ~ 11' / ' " ~·flt;: ·. :e.·.l; .

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"0[,., believers" turn, to AUah iin sinee~e repentance tba.! 'perchuee' your' lArd maYlraal,you pardon for' your sins and admit 'yOU, in,to :lardelU under' which

. --

rivers low .. 'I':~

Abu. Hurayrah quoted Allaah 's Messenger I( • ) as saying:

uA pierson tam;on.gs,' the earlier ntJ,tions),2: who committed I',ins beyond measure, asked his tamily members to burn .his body after his death and' to scatter hal, olits lashes' over the land and ha{f in: thle ocesn. For, (hie' saidl that) by AUaah, if.Allaa'h catches him, He would punish him more thananyone else in the' world. Ml:hen he died, th:ey did tIS be tl8'kedthem ,ro.b,I4;1 A,llaQ'h told the' Itd,rth and the ocean to ,gather his' ashes consained in them .. ~hen A,llaah ask;ed him,w,lIy he had done that, he replied" 'My Lord, it IWIAS lout of lea" of You .that' I ,did ii' and Yo"" are' we:llaware' o.f that .. ~And AlIsahgrdnted him pardon. '~,3

l Soorah at-,Ta:~reem (66):8.

2 Dis explanalory phrue is from Abu Sa·,eed a1-Khudree's narration of the same tradi[t'io:m reoo,rded by MusUm (Stliih Muslim: (EnglisIJ T:rans.)" w,~,. 4, ,po 1,439; .nOI• 6640).

3 co:nected by MusUm (Sahih Muslim (Bllglish Traas.), vOil 4, p. 1438, no .. 6(38).

"

Allaah has warned m.ankjnd; hOlwlev·er, that there is one sin for wb:i.ch He will not pard.ol:n anyone who di,e'S, in :ilt·s clutches without havilog repented from it; thatet Shirk:; the wo:rship, of other gods alolnl with or besides Alta,ab.

"iSurely Dub does not: rargi¥'e' dlat p8l1aersbe gI,ven to Him., br.,. He lorllves wh,om Her wishes fUr aDylhiDl. less tbantbat. Be WhUlgiVes, partners to ADaah b_lnvented :8 grall"! sin." 1

Hence, fo:r thoseinvolved in the mortal. 'sin of Shirk, salvation is 'gDanai.able uD,I.ess they r-epent, from i.t before death overtakes them. Yet, the greatest of ironies is that: those wor.shippinlg, gods besides AUaah bave been convinced by the Satanic hosts that ilt is their practises lof Shirk alone which will ensure them salva ... tion.

R~peDtanee BD,d Good Deeds

In many cases, sincere repentance from ;1. sin ~ abstinence from the sin and the: performance of good deeds are sufficient fOil absolution:

"'Whoever n'peats and does :Iood, 11m. trul, npeuted IUr A:Uaab.,nl

'AJbduUaah ibn Ma.s'oud said:

"A man ,Clime tOI A.tlaah.'s Me.ssen:ger ( ill ) and'liaid, 'Oh mes-

l .soa.ralIi; :an-Nisaa (4)::48.

2. Sooir.1I LuqmBaD. r(lS):71.

sen,'er of A,lIaahll' ,have jo,naled a~oman: on the' ouukins of M(J!deenah·,n,ti the'reb,y commined 611 offence' shon I~f jorniCr(Jtion. H. ere 1 aim, ple'sse ,judge me as "tn;: see'lir,." I Umar said, cA,Ilaali has concealed '(J,ur fdutt so y,OiU sh'J'uld also ,co,nceQ'" lit",' Allaah '5 Mess,engeT' (_ ) remained ,silent,. After the man stood up tJnd walked away', Allaah_'8 Me's'Sen,ger ( iii ) sell" a man after him "0 call h';m, and hie recited (to/I'iIll) the: verse: "ADd OIHen'8 prayer at the ends oflJbe da, &lid inlbeearly :hours of ' the __ t. Verll!J" .pod ,deeds el8le evil deeds., Ttlis is D, :Nminder for 01_ whol remember (their Lord),.' 1 ,A person amon,' the people asked, 'Oh Messen:ge".of A,/laah, does it concern this man only?' He then replied" 'NO',. All' the' people,' ".'

Where sins, are due to genuinely accidental factors incases involl,vinl obU:18tiolDS owed to God alone, Allaab may either totally excuse them ,or require their replacement by another obli,ga'tory act of the same type. For ,e:Xrampl.e,eating: or drinking durin;g, the daylight hours, olf'the 'com:puisory'fa:s't of tbe month of Ramadaan is a sin which breaks the fast . If' anyone does so by accident, they are excused and, the fDs't is Dot broken,

'The Prophet I( Ii ) 'was reported '~y Abu Huray'rah to have said:

U If one fo,gets and eats or drln,ks, he should complete hlis IQS", for it is Allaah who has fed and' served h,im drink. »s

Similarly, toneglectto pray any 01' 'the five lobUgalory pra,yers

i 800mh Hood! (11):114~

2 Collected by Muslim (StJhih MflSlim (Eoiglish Traas.), vol, 4", IP', 1442~ DO,' 66.58). In another 'narr8,tion by MasUm (no,. 66SS) it mentioned that he kUled the: Wio,man.

3 CoiDected b,' ,al-l3ukhaarlee (SQihih ,a/-Bu"",,; (Af,abic-Engl~sh:), vol, 3~ ;p. 85", RO. IS4) .. ,

during t;h,eir set time periods (outside of certain exceptions) is considered a major sin, But, ifone misses the prayer uninten .. , tion ally " they may pray itlater and no sin is held againstthem.

Anas ibn Maalik reported that tbe Prophet ( ii'" said:: uWhoev'er ,/org:ets a· p,rayer sho'ultl' pray it 'when he remembers, There is' no oth:er expiation (Kslfasrab) except that." Then he re,cUfJd the' verse' "'Establkh pra,er ro,r My (AUI'all"',s) rtlDe.mbr .. Dee.') n 2

However, in otherinstances, specific acts of penance have been prescribed by God to erase SiBS,.3 Such acts are collectively caned Kaffaara:h, from the verb );,G' )s ~affariJ:Yukaf~ firu, "to cover, conceal; to annul or expiate ,"4 ., Extraordinary Icts, of a,toneme:nt have been alSi,.ned :i:n cases where obligations, due solely to Al1aab" have been deliberately broken, and in cases where bumanrights have been violated" whether delib .. erate or accidental, The following are the main, eases in which m;ajor works of penance have been divinely decreed to diSCQUI-' al,e those who 'would 'wiUfuUy and wantonly transgress the injunctions of the religion, and 'to safeguard man's, socioeconomic rights, and needs,

8. Deliberate 'vi,ol.tloB or 'die RlUDaduDFast

- .,

One who bas sexual intercourse with his. wile during the dayligh t

]1 Soorah T'a,a Haa (20l= 14.

2: Co~lectedb.y al-BRkkaar,ee (S.hih Q'~"Bukhari' (Arabic-~i:sh), vol. 1, p. 328, no. 5,7l), Muslim, AbU! Daa:wood and A~l11ad.

J Mu~ammad Qal~aJ'i and ,J:!amid QUDalibi;, Dicti'oiflary of lllam;c Legal Terminology'" (Arabic:A,E:n,glish)I" (Beirut: Dar an~Nafees., Isted., 1985), p'. :382.

4, A,"(Jbic~Engl.ishLexk(JnJ vot 2, p'. 26,20.

hours of Ramadaanmust either free a slave, fast for two eon-

o

seeanve months or feed sixty 'poor persons as atonement 'for tha,'t

violated da,),.

Abu, Hurayrah said,

"'While we' wlere si'Uing with~ the Prophet ( iii) a man. came Ifo him: and SQ'id~ ~'O Messenge" lof Allaah, 1 tim ruined!' ,Allaail,'.s Messle.ngeT'asked, • What has happene,d to yOI,~?J He ,epUed, 'I had sex wi,th my wife while fastin:g. 'AUatlh'sMessenger asked; 'Can you, afford' "0 buy a slave", Ire'ed'a'm,?; He' ,sdid,"No,.' AlI'ash' s Messe,nger'lnle,n asked', 'Can you fast'/or two' successive monms? He' a,gain replied, 'No,' so the Mes.'sengerof,AUaah ,asked, 'Can yo'u: afford to feft'd s'alty poor peopler' Whe'M: hie again Jiep/ied that he could not, the Prophet! Ii ) fel~ silent. While we' waited" ,(1 big bas'ke,t full of dates' 'WIClS brought to ,th,e Prophe: I: ) aRid be said" "Whe're ts the' q,uesti'oner?' He replied, 'Here I am. ~ The Prophe: ( Ii) told' him to take the' basket of dates and give them induuity, tI,N,dthe ,",lin saidl~, ",should [ give' it to someone poorer than me, 011; .Mes'S'e1l;ger olAUaah,~ For; by Allaa'IJ:, there is no family in Maldeena,h 'poorer than mine.' The Prophet ( iii ) law:,hed .till hits teeth became 'l'luible then scdd, f Fee'd )1lour fdmily with it.' "1

b. Deliber,B,te HUD,tr:1I1 During ,aWl

It is forbidden for a, pilgrim, to Makkah in the consecrated state caned Ihraam to hunt any landanimals1 or cut any twi,gs or trees

t - _' -

1 CoUected by al-Bukhaeree (Sail,. al .. Brilchari, (Arabic~E.nllish)t vat 3.;, p. 811, DO. 1.5,")1.

2 The slaughl:er of domesticated animals for lood by ,II, pilgrim'i even within, the saered precinets of Makkah is a1l.owed. Ham1fuJJ animals and inseolS have been ,excluded from the ,genera) pr,ohibti.OD,. The Pf~pbet's, wiv1es, I Aaill'eSltah

and. :l:Iaf~ah both reported that: he said:€·7'here are.' /l've viciow and h~fUl be.-t" whi'ch: should be' kiUed evell,m Q s'fa'" ,of 1~r:tlBIIJ: the";OI',ion~ mt,iVul.. ~

within the sacred precinct's of Makkah~ If one does so deliber .. ate:ly ." he is required to espiate his :sinby buyingand sae:rificing a. domesticanimal equivalent to' the one he hunted (e. g. , a goat for :an antelope)" or the poor mustbe fed I!ccordi.ngto thevalue ofth:e equivalent animal; [Of he must fast the nu:mbero[f days equal to tbe number of people who could be fed from the equivaJ.,ent animiill.l Allaah states in the 'Qur"l1Bn.:

....: .. ~' .e» .... .1[.'(: .... j. ,,~~,. ....... -:; , ........ "' ........ ~............ ~ ... ,,'I~

~u~,t".)~· AJU;j ~AJI,,~*~ ~[ Jj,~,U--J,ul:r, V~I~

"O[ 1IeIievers,'!Do DDt lklll pme w.8eintile state III' .q,raam. Ifuy of,. d.oes so .iRtentioDally" the com,pellSBlion is aD off'edRI,brn.,lht to, tbe Ka'baJh" of B. domestic animal whi.ch twa, ,just men am .• ag you adjrudge eq~m"a1ent:lothe ODe :11, kill ... ; or, as atone .. , me'nt (KsII'urah),lhe feediJII of n.eedy people:; or its equi~alent. mfastsl;; in ord,erthat he may tas:te the peBBlty of lIis ,deed,,'''2,

- lUfie, sper:1c.led crow). [and tie 'lJorac'ious dog. ,!I' ICSahih Muslim (E:Qglish Trarns.),wt. 2,~ pp!~ ,591 .. 2. lillS. 27~9' &.. 2725) .. 110 ano,liher n.alTa,tiol\ of ~Aa'eshahlloonectedby 'Mus:lim (Sah'u1 M,usllm (BngUsh Trans.), vloJ. 2, p .. 591, no. 2.118) the snake was, inoluded"

I

Mu.ban~mad aJ-QW1Uihee., af4aamr Ii Ah:kaanl' ,(jI-"ur~'QQM". (. Ca~ro: Daar

.' iI II! ~ ,"

aIi-Kutub al-Mi,ree,ah, 2'odl edt., 19'591)~ YO). 6~ p.316. Note: If there iis no

equtva'lem.t:l1nimal~ 'Illie value oflh.e )nJDlled. ani.mal 'is deteDllirned and :~oodis parcbase1d. with it aDd distributed amom:glhe poor ,of MattaJh.

2 Soorah all-Maa'idah (5.):95.

c. Prematun Shavmg of the Head. duriug ~

The rite of sh:aving, the headtakes placeenthe third day ·o'f 1!ajj and to doso priorto its, time. isin violation ofthe divinely ordained ri.tes. If a. pilgrim. is obligedto do so due to, an infection of the scalp, be is required to either fast .feed some poor people or offera.saerifice as atonement ferthe broken rites.The basis for this exp,j1ation. is found in. the foUowina Our' aaieverse:

"AB.d if' any afyou isiD or hUI .alp ailment he' shoal. eom.pensate (f8r sha~g) by either ruling" fnding the poor or efferinl 8 sacriliice~'n 1

Ka'b ibn ~Ulrah related tb.R.t Allaah's Messenger (II ) said to him,

'A ''Byour live tToublinIYOti,?' Ka"'b ~eplie'(j'~ I Yes Oh M,esse,"'ger o] Allaahf'~Allaah:Js MesseN;ger ( • .) th:e,n said,,'Shave your he'd:d~ then~ ,et:therfast three ,days, fee'ds:ix poorperso'lU or sa'cr,ifice a sheep, ' "~2

d~, DHihaar ,separation

Islaam forbade the pre .. Islamic practise o·fmarital separation wherein a man wouldtell his wife 'the degrading words: "You are to me li.lc.,e 'my mother's back,' t and he would be: freed ofmar .. ita~ responsibilities whileshe would remain under him like a slave, unable to remarry, For those 'who had done it, Allaah pre-

~ Soorab al~Blaqarab (2;):.1'96.

2 Colected b,. al-Bukhsaree (Sall,rn al-B'lIlk"~ar.i (A,mbic-Emgliish), vol, l~ p. 2~~mo .. 41 )1 •.

...S6-

scribed the fre,ein,g lof a sl.l.ve as the means ot expia't~on. Allaah stated in the Our'asn:

"Those who separ .• 'Ie from their willes b,' DRib •• theD wish 1o 110 back Ion what 'they said, mut free a sla.ve before touclliD.1 each ,.ther' &;pin.] y,ou are adm.Dished 'wlth 'Ods and. ADashi is, well ,.",are of wha.t ,yOIi d.o, .• '" 2

" And whoever is .naille s.ouJld fast for tw,. eoaseeu~ tive lDoatm ibe[on' louclling'eacll otber. But if he is not. eapalJle',. :he should 'feed ,sixty poor peop11e. 'This :., for yeu to' show y_r be6.efin Aua.b and His Messen~er •. Those are tile limitsi set by ADaab." th.ere is a grievo8S IpeRBlty prepared fOl'ihose who re:jed .

. ~ ·:"·L,~' , 3 l8lUl~

.~ 1ihis is ge:neraUy u,ndle:rstoodl to refer to' sexual iln·~eIicourse. 2: Soorah al-Mujaadalab 1(58)::31~

l '.... .' ... ' ....

~ Soorah a~ .. MlUjaada]ah. (58l:4~

, .

DeUL..-6 . v- " .... 111- tio-'''' . of 0" ··· .. L ... l

e., UU!R" ... e. Iv..! • n ... " : .. ' ,Bum

- -- --

The oath by AUaah not to' approach ,I wife is called aJ-EeltuJ,. A man who, takes such an oath is required to"e:ither take his 'wife

I The Islamic ,concept, of an oalh l(lIJ .. Yameen) is the Hte of ARub's Dame or am" of H~s, attributes for empbasis in OOlly,ersa.tiolD,., To swe'ar by otherthan Allaah or His ,attributJes isforbidd,en.

Ibn: i' Umar "'atld'na" A lloah's' ""'."Ber I( II ), mel t Uma', Ib," al·KlatUltJ'tJb "'_,elting ;11 Q "ro'Ilp' 0/ c4mel'-riders antl: heard him swear by ,lIis fatAe:r~ The Proph" ( iii , ,a;,":' ·',Surely A,llaah forb'. Y,OU' 10' ",""ar b~1 ,014' fathers, &'0 who.t!v,'r h'.' to mak,',. oathshf'i,uld .twea, Iby All.,,. orbe l'iI~flt. u (S"It'" al .. B'ukha,ri, (,Arabic-Enllish), vot ,8" pp. 41:6-'7, no. 641:and Sahih Muslim (English, Trans.), vel, 3,., p. ~87StROI., ,4(38).,

The oath, may be ,divided: inlo two generai. lcategories: detilbera:te fjf,-~aqU"':} and careless (Laillw) (See verse 89 ,of Soorah al-Maa~:tdah ISO,. 1be cl]ie'less oath is ODe -wlh-ich unintentionally occurs· cut of baml. 'Aat,esi1ah,relaled thattbe verse ;iu'AIIIIII, will. not bold! you to,aeoouatl. "our emless ..... {2:225)'" was revealed with reganls '10 oa.ths Uke: ·No, by A111.ab.!' and "'Yes by AUaah!" {Sahih' al',.,.aukhar;~ (Ar,ab-i,e: .. ,Elllish), 1101.8, PI". ,427, ne, ,65'6· and Simon AI .. ,l)owud"(Emglislll Tmlls.)~ Yot 29 p. !nfl, no. 3,248). The:le~s no sin lin itt; and',. :85 sueh no exp,iadon. 'The deliberate ,oath, on 'the otber lha,ad ,is one wllieh ,is, in.nded wilbre,prd 1ml :& fucm>e: e,v1e:p.1 wh-ich may occur (ie:., sa:ying, 'By 'God, I 'wiD be a monkey's Uftc~e if you pass' R,mot consi.deJ'ieda deiberate: oath as it is an impossibility). It i'slhe yjolation of~he delibe~ale oath 'wllich requ'ircs atonemenl~ A 'truthfui •. oa'th reg..uing a, past event whic'h did 'take place cannol: be violated. and thus :no atonement is, mnsidered,.An un.lJilI'lhful oatib regardin:g a pasl' ,e'r:ent is adl,ed al- Yamee" (."'~G"QmDoill(IGhQmoo, Utera"" Im.ans,.be: dipping)", The m8jjIQ,rity 0,' scho} .. , ars bold tha.t 'ilt ean oRly be ex"la:~ed by sincere rapenianoe aad 'thaI no, ,act of a.lonem,ent (IC"!faaraA)' ,can ,erase i.t. It is, among Ule major sins. The Prophet ( ill) was,'lluoted by' "Abdu.llaah, ibn IAmr as sayin;l, "The' ,,,,,,,;or sins flre;' WG1;5,h'ppmg ,othen alM, w,i,h! ,A"QQh~, du,N'ptCI to ,arenDt, mrud" QJUl 1M lYM,r oath! (td~Ya~ell,aI-Ghamoos).'; (S."ih a/-Biflkhari ,(:Ara:bic-English), 'v'oJ. ,8~ pp. 434~5t no. •. ,66n.

..58 .. ,

'back or pronounce divorce. I This principle is, 'prescribed by Allaah in the Our'aan as, follows:

"'A 'waltial, period ,of four ntonChs :is ordailled rv tbose wb.,take an loat:h of abstention from th.e,ir' wives. If I.ey retuRI" Anarak is ort •• orgiwiag, Most

M'-_--, ~'I'ful~, "",2; ,ere .. _,

The general principle fOlr violation of deliberate oaths, whether Eelaa or' others, is 'that an expiation must be made offe'ed:ing air clothing: ten poor people, freeing a slave" or fasting for three, days if the first two are impossible. Allaah hasordained these, acts of penance in the foUowins, Qur'a,ni,c, verse:

~.-~J;~ .. c.,~.-~- ~\~ :.I~~.J'~ ~(.d1~',,~t., ~rt!L.;.;~'.l

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I!_, • I _ IIJ!I _ .' I! -" ..,., _.i._' iii iI • "I '-,_ I

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.~dt~ ~ .. ".,,- -n - ~ - ~ · :,·:~ ... ~'-t~, ~'~".' ," (I ~l~, AlG,1

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"AlllaII, wID, n8tkold you, to ,BCeOIIRt for' "our ('&r'e-, less ntu, but Be will taD 7.'. to BemUD' for delibe,1"-

Ii See Sahm: tJ'·,Bukh.ri (Arabi,o-EnSUsl1)t \1'01. 7, pl. ]160-1, no~ 213 for the opinions of IhcPropnel:'s CompaDions to Ihis effec:l:~

2: Soorah am-,Baqarah (2):226.

ale .'Ihs. Ful' expiatiDn feed 'ien poor penDDS the aver.e ufw'luIt you, feed you .. ' lown family" or c:lotb., tile., lor free ,8 sla"e~. It ODe~ • uDaible, the. let him fast for three Idays., Tllai iSillte expiatio:n far ,your SWOrD ,.Btbs" but keep to ,OUI' oaths,., In this way., AUaab makes His sips clear' in order 'thaty.u give thaRiks,.'']

Althougb this verse urges the believers to fulfill their oaths.jhis is particularly the case wben oath's are made to do righteous deeds, If the oath is for' something disliked Of' ferbidden, it sbould be broken. For example, to take an oath declaring one '8 wife temporarily unlawful while not in.tending div'orce is not allowed. Such an oath should not be kept and atonement should be done for it. The Prophet's companion, Ibn 'Abbaas, stated that when a man declares his 'wife unlawful tor himself, that is an oath for w',hi,ch atonement must be done, and be addled' "Tbere Is intbe M'_DI:er'·of AUuIIl( iii )8 goodl example :Io,r ye.,.",2

1 Soorah al-'Maa"idah (5,):89.

2 CoDected b, Muslim (Sahi.h Muslim (Ena1ish TraDs.), voll. 2, p. 7:60, IdQ, 34,94-.5).,

Nole: An oath (Qosom lorl!al'afJ~s one in which Doe swears, by Alla.ah (it is fOr1bidde:n 'b) BY/,ear b, otiher than AUaab) about so.ethin.,. I'n the case lof a vow I(Nadh,(JrJj which, should ().Illy be made to Anaah,. one promises, to do some act of worship if O,oog,an.ts a wish" V;ows have been generally discour" aled in i'sJaaJM, as A.bu Hura,yrab reponed. that dIe Pro'ph,et I( tV ) said: uDo loot talee ''''IOWS, for liJ voW' has no eflect 0.'1 .destiny. It is ,o,rl/y something extracted from ,the tnisf!rl,. ; ~ (Sahi" Muslim, (EngliSh Trans.], '9'01. 3, pp,. ,871 ~ 2", no. 4023. See also, a !similar oa:rra:tioaDom Ibn 'Umar (S'ahfh al .. B'lIkhari

, (AJiabic-EngUsh) t vol ,8" p. 448:,IlO. 684"and in S'UIUJII Abu: Dawud (~glish Trans.) vol.2". p .. 9331" mo. 328.,

TheProphet ( • ) was reported by 'Imraan ibn. J:l1t~ain to have s,.d:

f~ No vow' should be' taken 10 .doan.ct io_fdisooedien'Ct! Ito All_h. "I On another occasion Abu Hurayrah reported thatthe Prophet ( III ) saw an old. man walking with the s;upport of hi.s S,OrD! and asked:

~~~lJatiS' Ihe m,atteTwith 1I:;m?" Someone ,.id, "0'11 Mess.!'nler of Alldah, Ihey are his sons aftld he has a vow (to WQ:/'k' on loot to the Ka'~balJ)i to .fulfill' .. ~'.' Allaah ~,s M esse,Rger ( II ) s'Q·id~. "RiM", old maN, lor Allaan is not in need 0110,'-' nor yout vow" "'2

The atonement for breakin;g vows made: to God is the same as, Illat o,f broken oaths, ~U qbah ibn '.Aamir' reportedthat AUaah's, M:essenger said:

"Th« expiation fo,rv,ows' ts ,the some as th'dt.for OQIW. "3

And furthermore the Prophet ( Ii ) even recommended that oaths be broken aadexpiation dioDe, if amore pious course of acUon becomes, evident, 'Adee ibn Haatim reported jhat

!I!' -

Allaah 's M.ess,en.ge:r ( ) said:

"M1:hoeV',e'r takes ,SN oath,then !i_ids so.me,tldng beue« th;fjn tt, sM,uld break. his .o·fl,th an.d do that winick ;s better. ~.~

l'Co~lected by Mus~i. ItSahih .Muslim (E1lI,glish Tmns,.)! vol, 3" pp, 8:72-:3, no. 4027) i A~-Bukhl.'le also ool~ected .8. :simiJarmarration,f[lOlD 4 Aat,esbah (Sahih td~1JDkharl (Ar,abic .. E:ngl~shl, vol. 8~ pp'.449~50,. no .. 687).

2COliected by Muslim I(SahihMwtim~, (English Trans.), vol. 3, p .. 813.~no. 4020). Se,e; also Sunwa.Abu DBWIUa' (EoeHm Trans, .. ) vol, 2,. p. 936,. n,p'~ .3t29S .

3Colected by Mus~~m I(Sahi/J.M,wiim" (Emglish Trans.), vol. 3, p, 874. no ... . 40i34.

41Cole-cted by MusUm. ,(Sahill.JlwlimJ, (Bnglish TTia:ns .. )" vol. 3, p. 87:8, no. 4151). AI:-Bukhaaree and Abu Daawood also colecteda similar s,t3'itement. ~

f~ Accidental Murder

'TIlle errorin kUHnlg apersen by a~ciden. j.s pardoned hy God, based on the fact that the Prophet (iii ) has stated,

UVeldly Allddh ha's ucuaed' my f()llo'wers froim genu;n" m;s'talces, ./o'rg1t,tfuln:ess and ",'hat they hl(Jv,ebee:n forced to do, .t:t I

However, the natere of human society reqjuirestha:t some form ofeompensation be made with respect to' t.be life whilCh hasbeen lostand tbegravity' of the crime, as, wellas for the economic loss suHe.red by the dcceased"'s,famUy.. IConsequenUy'.~ Allaah has prescribed a.tonement in theform o·f a financial pa,y:ment caned

~,JJI De1eyah,. along with the freeing, of a be:lJieving slave.

For those unable, which is: the case lor most people toda.)" since slavery bas, been abolished in most countries, two continuous months offasting is required, This, has been commanded by 'G,od in tbe Our'aan as (o,lIows:.

".Ne'Yer ,shotiill. abeUev,erldU 8 belleVier exapt by mislahe.WOOev,er kills a believer by mistake' :sltoul,cI

;;; namned by' '~.Abclur'~B.atnDaa:m ibm Sam.l1il'1lh. See Sa1lih ,,/~·Bukh'ri (.Aral.,ic ..

li!i I

BIljgUsh)~ vol.. 8., p. 46~l, 00,.1'15'1 and $'Man. Abu llawud (E~gUsh Trans .. '),

v'ot2~ p. g30~ no. 3,271')"

1 Camlected ,OJ .Iibn M.aajalh and! au1ihentica.t:ed by a~~A.baa.nee ~II ~fl~~ Sn"an Ibn .Maaj(lh~ ''101. I, p,.347, no, 1662.

free: a believing sla,,'e' :ud pay IcompeuaU.D, '10 (the deceased's)1 family 'UBIess tlley freely :Nmit it. 'Who!!!, ever'Rnds OIls be,CHId his, measure: ,should fast lor' twoCHSeC1l,dve months as repentml,eeto AIIBah, for' AU .... Is AII",:KnowiDI All Wile,," I

I,.' Lela] hinisbment,

If the Islam'ic crimi'llalla'w ,~s appUed to I 'believer who accepts it seeking AD:aah's, forgiveness, hewiU be pardoned by God and the 'imposi,tion of the puui.'sbment 'will serve as, expiation tor his sin. 'Ubaadah ibn as .. Sal'm'it '~udd:

I. !I

'~Allaah':r MessenBe" ( iI ,J took fJ pledge from us as be took fro,," the' 'women, "hat, we woultJ' not associate IIn.ythin, with A,lIdah, 11'0" would 'we ste.' or commit ad'ultery nOT kil! ou, ehildre:n or slander eaeh othe,.~ (Then ,he said)'" "Whoe'~er among you fu~fills his pledge" his rewar:d i& wilhAllaah, ,andwhoeve', ,tlmong you receive« the '~Iat pu'nishmell't, that is hits expiation. But" he whose S;", lar-e CDl'!flr,d by ,Allaah" his aflair is with AlI._"; He may punish him orlor:gi've ,'lim as' He wlshles. U 2

'Imraan ibn !:I'u.-in reported, th.,t :1 woman 'from the l'uba'Yna~ tribe who, h:ad become pregnant from adultery came to Allaah 's Me,ssenler r( iii )1 land said:

- . .

UOh Messenger o{:AUaah,1 have' done something deserv;n, lega.I' punisllment, so impose it Ion me:" ,A1IQill'h's :Mess,enger' r( Ii )1 culled heT 'I"ardia" Itlnd J.id:~; ,_ f T,ot he, well" and' when s'he deliv .. en; bring her to me .. U He did QCaJ"ding'Y~ 'Then Allaa,II:'s Mess~,er ( ) pr-ono'unced judgement on her and ordered that he,'

I Soorah .. ,~:Nisaa (:4,):['2.

2 Collected 'by a.1~Bukh:aarce l!IIl,d Mu'slim~ 'The wording hIre is 'Ihat. o,fM'usliMI.

See Sail'. al~Bukhari (Ara,bic-Engaisb) vol, 8" pp. 509-']O~ !no. 7"S:,and p., 518, no. 191~ and Sshih Muslim (Ensjish Trans.), vel, 3;, p .. 'CJ2S. no, ,4237.

clothes be tied a,round her (J:na that she be s't.oned to death. When he' priayed' (the fune~(J1 prayer) o'v:e,r her 'Umar QS,ked" ~'"Y:ou offered praY','for he:r ,even though slle has cemmi,tted adultery?" He' replied, "She made so great a repentance thatifi','w,ere di''''ided up lImong le'v,ent-)" men of 'hie citY' of Madeen,ah it 'W,o'uld have be'en le,nough lor all' ,of them. Do you know Of'tl,ny repentance betterthan this, that she gave her life for Allaa,h the MtJjestic ?ul

h. Sex DOIIII,I Menses

To have sexual intercourse with a woman during her period of m,ens'truati.oD is forbidden according to AUa:ah's e:x,'pUcit state .. meat in the Our'aan (Soorab al-Baqarah (2):222). ]f a man, does S0" be bears, the major burden of the sin,; and" las such, is required to atone for it by gjving setae money in charity tothe poor.Jbn 'Abbaas reported that the Prophet (' _ )s:aid thefol ... lowin concerning one who, bad Intercourse with hi,s, wife during her menses:

.~, He' sh,ould give alJeelJ'ur' 2 lor hall,aDeen_r in cluml)'. n]

~ CoUJected by Musliml (Sahih AI.'m (E,nl[ish 'TrillS, . .); vel. '];1 p. 9171t 'no" 42,07)"

2 The va IDe O'f ,I. ,Dee:no:l' of Uta t '(im:e is appf\o:kimate:ly ,4.25801 O'f ,gold today (D'ief;ional')" o/I,'amicL"aJ T,rmin,,'o,jI;, :p. 212).

3 COBected by Abu Daa,wood (SlmaN Abu Dawud (En,glish Traas.) t vol, I, p. 66" Ino. 264) and au,lben,tieated by al .. AIbaanee in ~a~t!e~ Sunan' A,bee DaIMNlOtl",ot It p. sr, :10. 23,1'~

Note: Ibn 'Abbaas said: :1/ he did lif in th~ ,early pan 10/ the menses it is lane Dlllleer., aPl'd ~,. it WfU WIt"il" it "., Ielldin, ,thl" half,' lJw:uL_:_··' I(SU'UIII: A,b,., Ddw;1i4 (En,lIi~ T:rans,.l. vol. 1.,p.66, no. :265. Also ,authenticated by :alA1:baanee j,D ~eelj. SluuIflADee' DllaWoodtvo~. 1" p',. 511 D.O. 238).

C~HAPTER FOUR: PRA YERSOF' REPENT,A,N"CE

AD believers in God are required to tum to Him in sincere pray'ers o,{ repentance often, They :may choose any language and use any wording whi,ch best expresses their feelings, as lon,g as the prayers do not contain any ideas contrary to the divinely revealed teachings of the Prophets.However, there is no' doubt that the prayers taught directly by 'God in, the Final Revelation, the IQur~ aan, and 'mdirec:lly through the teachings of the 'final Prophet M'u'~ammad, ( Ii ) are superior to what any other man may devise", And, furthermore, the recitation [of AUa:ab's. words is, in itself', an act of worship for which innumerable rewards have been. promised. TOe Prophet Muhammad ( ill ) wasreported by Ibn Mas'oud to have said:

"Whoever reads a letter of'Allaah'sBookwill have a good' deed recorded for it, and [(.I goo'd deed is worth. ten times its value.I am no" s:aying that A,'" Lam' .Meem' is Q letter but AJII is .(J~ letter, Lam is Q' leuer and Meem is a letter. ".1

It, should abio be noted that cboos.i:nl to follow the advice and reeemmendations of the Prophet ( .. ) is also an act of worship of' God w'hichwill earn the believer an added reward, because it is, in comphance with AUa:ah's guidance in the Our'aan,. For example, AUaah said:

~.'.'.~.'.- .. ~t:. ~."~."": ~l.,'!. ' ....... ~ I.'~~ .. '''.~ .. I. A ;A."~ .;t:.~ ... ~ j' , .. } ~ ... , .. f,~ ....•. ~ •... '~1"".1".' ~._.';."'.'.' , " . ..;.- 'U.- 'I..A,:,' . ..,......__.,.". '~...11 ~. -_. ''_ VJ'

. '. 1

"'T'ake w,hBIeV[lr tbe M'ISS8Dllr llllilRS' Ie '1-- " IIId ,give: D,P whalev,er he has fDrbidden to you.2

1 CdJlected ~at .. Ti,nnirdhee 8!D,da.uthe:n:ticBled bN :al-Albaamee in, SIIh"h

V1 ~. til iii iii

Sllftanat~Tinnidhee:" Viot 3; p, 9" no. 2321.

z Ioorah 11~J:llshr (S91):'7..

;·.~~j\~·~n.· ~""~.J.'.,~I~. "1""::·.-1(:;' r~' Jt l;!_;J1I. _t"'i"~' &~.JJj

1:1:· L;.;n~I· - ~J "--- ~!K. ,r

. ~.r ..... I?; ", .. ", <I!,.~ .. '.1~.',~.~.'{.··." " .•.. ~,·.,t "t.

~.4J,\ll.l1 .1 ~

-... ... • r- ."J'...T' ...

"Yo_haVtl_,led hi th.e MesseBaer or Allaah • beaulUUl eX8ID.ple for 8II,yuoewhose hupe 'is ml Allnll and the Las, D8·Y" aod wboremeDlbers,

"'.-1-11 .. 8.11 .. --.-. . .. _ - - .. HI

n . 11 1 ••

C'onsequently, the: believers are encouraged to lea:mas maeh as tb~,Y' can about w'hatA1Ia,a'h and His Messenger ( iii )I have taught, and to give .it prefereneeover any formulas devised by other humans, rClardless oftheir spiritual. status.

T'heBest PraYI'r of' :.epeDtanee

Shaddaad ibn A wsreportedthat theProphet ( II) said: ,;~ The ,"COI,t supe.rlo.r requ'f!',' for fO·':Ii'venes'S is to' suy:

A 'oodhubik« min: sharr; ma sa,utf. AbotJ~,u lab .b,i ni' mdtlka

•

allJ'Y,1d WQ: "boo fU: .bi dhtmlbee.. PQ,h/iT ,lee,. Fa' iNnahoolaa

yaBhfirudh~-tl"unO'ob'lJ tllaa tint.

(0'11: Allaa'h"You Q',e my LoTta. Ther« is 110 go,Q bes'ttJe, YON:~YOU 'TM'ed me and I am You,'s,'lav'e, /ollowllJ:,.y,ou.T c;(JvellQIJ'" lind (my) ,promise as much as Ieen. lseek ,,.eft,ge .mYoufrom the evil I h'.lIle don'~.1 acknowled,e b,efo.re' You Yo.,.bless;n;gs ba"o'wed on me and Iconfes:s '0 You my sins" ... So for,;vre me, 1o" surely .no

lSoor1h a~ .. Ahzaab (33,):21,.

. _

ORe can !or,lllve slim ,except You. '~) .~ TheProphet ( II ) then added:

~~A.nyone'w,ho says itduri.,g the d's,', firmly beli:ev.ing in' it, and dIes be!o'1etlae evening; or IdYS i't in ,the eVll;N.lng,. fi,m.ly be.lierv'ing in it~ and' dies beforie the' fallowing ,fnorll:ing, will' be a,mo~g the p'euple o/,pd.radlse .. ~':2

The following are some otherprayers from the Qlur" aan aad the SUII,nah (TTaditions of the Prophet ( iii J:Jwbich may also be learned and used in ourprs:yers ofrepentance .

. PRAYERSFROiM ITiHEQ'UR' AAN

IE .

.......... ......... ~. • .... 4#'· .... "'S.#"' .... f:::L:l· -~ .• ',.....# ~_./ ....., . .# .... "' .....

I; ~JII.... . _ .-_ ~.;Jt _~"j ~ ... _ I,l~",. ',',,~I_ II_'. il'i - ~,;~._I~ .'""",I_ 'l!iIi!._'i,.~r't r r!;".J

1W...-;:'ISr , '.,;' -'.I.J ~~' 't) - . · .. I.}I' > *~U,L ~...,.1_}J JI ~o;J'

RalJlJanaa 188 tu'aakhidhRaa in naseenaa a.w· akht.a"naa

•

(Our Lord, do not condemnl us if w,eforget er make a mistake~)'

1 It:. prekmble fOI:r non .. ArabMuslil1ls '~O leam and use ·these pr,a.,ers in Mabie alol1;g. with theirmeanin:gs, because it brings us baekto thesearee of dv,la.tioD and a~lowsus to Ufl!dcl'Stand iiI as it wasr:evc aled, Ar,abic isa:l'so the uDiversalmifying, ~an,guage ·of :Wuslims used in tile call to pr;ayer (A.dnaan) as well as, ilm 'Ine d.ail.y prescribed prayerrslJhemse:lves.

2' Collected Iby al .. B,ukbaaree (Sa#tihal .. Balchllri (Anbic"·EnIIUsb)~ vatS,. pp. 21Z-3, no .. 31:8). ~hu Daawood also co.lected U from Bura.ydah (SuMn Abu llQlwud (BIiIIUsh Tr .. s .. .) vel, 3, lpi 14(JJ',~ [RD. SOS~)I and so didat~ Timl:idhee.

R.b.... "alu 'blllmfl 'all.,u. isl'811 kBlll8l,

Ii -

11- ---lat"-LOG i, -1-81,.lad" - ~ n. '8 m· . - ill I-,bll----

BID ..... I_ . . . . llee 11'18 D _

~ ~

(Our Lord, do not put a burden on us like the bur .. dens YIO'U have 'p,ut on those before us.]

Rabballaa laatullammilnaa, ,ma 188, laaqata, lanaa

.' .1Ii

~blh

(Our Lord, do Dot burden us wi'th more than we can bear.)

'Waif. "annu,.,aghrotBllU. warl}amlnaa

(Excuse us our sins, grant us, forgivenessaed have mercy '00 us.)

,Anta _awl __ faRsur,n,aa "aI8l .. q,awmil ... KaafiReD

. -

(You, are our Protector, so he),p' us against the disbe .. lieving folk, )1

RablNmaagbfir lanaa dbun_banaa,w,. israal'anaa 'fee BRlttin,a.

(Our Lord, for;give us our Si,DS and our excesses in, our affairs)

We Illa'bbit ,aqdaamanaa W8II$UrD18, ',alal·,awmil.

'.

Ikaaflreeen

(And steady our feet and be:l:p 'Us ag:ainst. the un be .. lieving folk).,l

I Soomh al .. B,aq;arah (2):286.

:2 Soo'l'\ahAa]~ ·~Imraan ,(3",: 147.,

-68 .. ,

Rabbanaa ilIInan88, sami 'naamunaadiyan,unaadee 1i1~eemaan!

(Our Lord, 'we have heard a crier calling 'to faith (sa,yin,g) :

A.I uminoo' birabbikum ,. 88In8DDU

('8,eUeve in your Lord' and we have believed] Rabb,anaa faghDr lanaa dlh.noolJaaaa w'a kam .. 'an.iaa sayyi't;aatinaa

(Our Lord " forgive us our 'sins and cover our evil deeds]

WH, ta,watTl,nll. ma"'a1-abraar

(And take our souls in the: company ofthe righteous) I

" '. "j.'" '."",~ .. "}:::J' .•.. '." ,./ ..,,: ''' .. ,II'. " j .. ~' ' - .. """." ".·~n·····~!>". ,,,,, ;I'.,~ -:; .

• \ ,,,,, , r::. 'F','" ',_'1 ,.'_ - , r-, .. r. . '.~. '.."

~-:f='-" iJ!,iJ ·-I'.;....:.....JJICJ~ .. lup~1 .~. , ... 'Yo

R.blb.Daa dHalamnaa, anlUsanaa

(Our Lord we have 'wronged our 50u:I'8) W,a, i1, .. I,am 'lalbftrlau. walBrtlamnaa

. . .

(If you do not forgive 'Us and have mercy on us)

La .lk,oo'lI8IID8 mi •• I ... khauireen

(We will certainly belost)2

., '500· .. ' --ab" A· ·_1 "~'I --' (3' .) 193

" . f .. ...w- ,mraao-, :J._ ',.,

2 ,Soorah al .. A;':raaf (7):Z3.

-6'~

RabbinhOrW8r ... bamwa .. lakba~I··ra.ldmeen

au IIIiI ,,7--'" ..

(My Lord." grant fOi'~ljven,ess and me:rcyfor'Y,ou are the best of those who show mercy ~,)l

Rabbanagldir lanaa wa 6 :ikhwaanblal .. l-dbeena, sabaqoonu, bll .. eemaan

(Our Lord" forgive us and our brothers who preceded us infaith)

Wa laa taj'a1 fee~qulooblD8a ghillan IDI .. beena aam •• oo

(And do not leave in OUI hearts dislike for those who believe.)

Rabhanaa. IMlaka ra'oofur'.riabeem,

'"

(Our Lord" indeed You are Fun of kindness Most Me.n:iful. )3,

Rabbanaa. 'alayka tawakkal.J •• ", w. e1a"k. laaab~ no" 'wa ela,ltaI ... mll!ftr

I brah al .. M~~mift.OOD (23): .18. l: Soorah al-J:lastu (591):10,

(OUI" Lord" in You alone do we put our trust" 't.o You alone do we turn in. repentance and to You, alone is our final goal)

Rahlbanaalla ,taU 'allnaa fitoltan lillad_lleena lCafaro81 (OU1" Lord, do not: make us a 'trial for disbelievers) W8IglI~nr 1.18.a ralJ!banaa" ('onaka, ;8Iltal,,"'uetzul, .. , hak,eem

..

(But forgive U'S, our Lord. Surely You are the Most Mighty and AU Wise,.) 1

"" "" . .' . . '"

.1IIiIl. . ,....... "'. '" "... . &....: ...... ""'." .. ·'·-U"'''' .. ,. . ,,.. .,J..... .".;1"". ..... "'.,. ,.~ -.' f:=; "' ....

Fr.. _... ~~ ,~r~l·· . ,. ~ \"':, . L't· .. 11 ...... '.;

.... ..u .. ,~, .~."-,~ .·J~hU'II.,)'~~.'" .. '~~ J,;.'.... Iii¥!' '''''l--_ r - .-~~ J '. - 'JJ - '\'-... - ,_""

Rah'llanaa a,tmim lanaa Dooranaa w81bfir lanaa (Our Lord, perfect 0'1,[ lightior us and forgj,v,e us) Innaka'alaa k.ni s,hayin qadeer

(Surely Y ou are able to do, aU thingl,.,)2

PIIA YRRS :FROM THE SUNNAH

The Prophet ( It: ) taught his companions a variety of prayers for 'forgiveness tOI be used durin.g; and after the five da'ily pre .. scribed prayers.

Abu, Hurayrah related tha,t Alla,ah"s Meslenge'r ( :Ii ) used to keep quiet for a short period between the TakbeeiJ and the reci ... tation of' Our'aan 50 he asked him""May myparents be S,B'C'" rificed fOrf'Y,OU! What do you say in the pause between tbeTak .. beer and recitation?" The Prophet ( II ) said: I say,

1 Soorab a1,-Mumta~,inah (60)::4--"'. 2 :Sooirah at"~""'rcem (66):~8.

3 The sayin8 IOf Allaahu; AkbtJ,I' (Allaabistbe Greatest) at the begjnn:img of laffUJh (Fo'rmal prayerJ.

·71 ..

"I~'''' .... ,;Iii .. '. "J.~{1.'~· .•.• ": ,",-~" 11";('- .. t;t'':' " .. 0 ..... "'. : •• , II .. 'I'" r t. U'"

II, ,,~I.:.~, J iJ . _:__ - ~' 'U'Js.U 'It'"" I' (.~ .. ~' __ I~ J' . I~ JsI.''W1 I ,_. -,

.t _', ,- ',' ... ~, 1!1 -J "-tI!It -!l!!i!l!._' "i'-t!fI!II' ,;, -.' .

~:,;i ,1,- ;;iJ' : -~lJl ~ ~"\ll Y,;!lI ~ I;S ~~u;;.!.r:;)l

I~

.. .' '.'. ·.111,. .... ~ ..

• ~~I~ j _ ~'11 ,.; ~u-~ ~~I~,

,.. - ,

'~A.llaahumma boa'id baynee wa bayna IcharaaYlIIlya kamaa ba:a"'(l',dta b'lly,nal~m'tIS,hriqi' wal~mQghr,tb

(OhAllaa!hJ set me apart from my sins us' You have set the East ap'fJ'rt'from- the Wes.,)

All'aahumma naqqinee min khataayaay« kamaa yunaqqaththawbul- Q~b'ya4u minal-danas

(D'h A llaa:h, clean nile from: sins as tl white ,'dr:ment is cleansed of din.]

Alla,ahummllgh -silnee min ,k'haftJigy,aay.a bil-ma'(J:~i wath~~thalji wei-bard.

(Oh A llaa'h,wash ot! my sins with: Wiater, s:now and' hail . .) i'J~1

~ Aa'eshah reportedthat during Rukoo' (bowing) and S'ujood (prosrranon) the Prophet <II ) frequently used to say:

m'Qgh-fir lee

(Glo,ry be' 10 you 0'11 .Allaaho.ur Lord, and with Yo'ur praise~ ,O'h

A- iii • ·h· 1,' ..•. . ...•.. )" 2 .110, J o,rglve me' '.

I Co,ltected by al .. Bukhaaree (Sah,ih al .. B'ulhari (Ar,abic .. ,Bn"glish)" vot 1. p. 398" no. 7'11)., Mustim. 'sahih M.uslim (En:gJish Trans.), vot. 1,. p, 29:$, no. },245), Abul Daa,wood ,(:Sunan A,i;tu DQwud (Engllish Trans.), vol, 1 'j ,.200, no. '180) and ian~Nasaa",ee.

2 Collected by al .. Bukllaar'ee (Sahih. aJ-B;ukluJri (Ambic~EI1g1ish), vat I, p, 434. no. JBI) , Muslim {Sahih! Muslim: (En,glish Tons,.), vol. 1 ~ p. ,254" no.. =-

.. 72 ..

Abu Hurayrah narrated that during Sujo,od (prostration] the Messenger of Allaah ( "" _ ), usedto say:

.:~ J ~'~ ~~,r J' :);,f JI :1;.,J ~~ ,:IS- ~~,;u _:#, I': ;ui

_- ,II' ,.;11. ,#,. - ~ .if!' .. if" ..

Allaahum~ma,h -/inei! dh:Q.nbee kul,lahu tliq,qahu' W,Q jillshu w,a awwalahu w,a aakhirahu 'alaaniyatahu W'd sirrah. I"

(Oh All'aQh" forg,i'v'6 me all'my sins, great and small'~ first and last, open and'secret.JII,

Ibn 'Abbaas reportedthat in the sitting: (lu.loos)' between the ,t'wo Sujoods the Pr,ophe't ( iii ) used to say:

(~A,llaah,u'm,ma,h'-fir let" war ... ~amnee; wa'h, .. dtnee, wa ~Q~fmee war,-zuqn:ee

(O'h Alla,(J#I, forgive me, have' mercy on me, guide me, heal me and ,provide for me,~J2

Abu Bakr said: 'I asked AUaah;5, messenger ( II ) to teach me a supplicanonto use in m,ypray'er and hetold me to s.a,y::

= 981)J Abu Daawood. ~S,unan' A,bu DawN" (Eog,]is,h Trans. )" 'Viol. 1, pl. 224. no. 8116) and a:n-Nasaa'ee"

I CUlectldl by MusUm (Sahih Muslim (Eng&ish Trans,,) t voJ iI, p .. 254,,00., '980) and Abu Daawood (Su.nan, A:bl'u Dawu:d (Bnglish, Trans.) ,v'ot 1, p, 224, no.

817·~.'I. ,.

2 COllected by. Abu D',aawood (Srmali AbuD,Qwu'd (E"gUsIt T-ralls. )., vol. 1 t p. 2171 no. 849), at-Tirmidhee amd IbRMa,ajah., Ii. is a,lIItoon:ticate;dl by' alAJbaan,ee in ISaheeh! Sunan lb:n .Maajaft" vlo,l. 1,pl~ 1,48, nOI. 732.

II! ~ I _

.. 73 ...

.. .• .'1 ... ..... .',.' ~. ~ .., iii "". ... j! ... ,,,.. ., II JI'" ..

i~; ,\1 ~_F,ij I~t ~ll,~;'JJt ~ ~ jl ~ t..u., ,~!_i; L~' , ~ ~ .l r~J'

r!#. • r ,~ ,,,. '~ , I !I' r~, _I

~ . ;:,.. it, ~, ~f ~t!l ~;'JI J !l~ ,lr!

1;i.I' ~.""I .. riA'"" if/'

ffAlltlahum'ma innee dHalllm,tu nalsee dHulman, ,k.,Aeeraa

(0'11 Allaah, truly 1 have WT'O,N,ged m,self nuu:h)

Wa:laa yQ,hfirudh~dhunoob'a iUaa~ Bnt

(and none Ciltn forg,ivle sins except ,'0114,)

Fa,h{ir lee' maghjj'rQtan min 'indikawar- .'-Imnee

(so' gran: meYour/o,rgivenes.s and iuJv,e meTlcy' on me.) Inn."" an,llil-,ghafof),~ur .. rgl~eem

(Indeed, You are the Most' Rorgiving~ the M,ostMerci/RJ.)1. Thawbaan reported that when Allaah's ,Messen;l;e'r ( II ) fj,nisbed his prayer, be would ask ior forgivenessthr'ee limes then say:

"A,llsahumma anlllS,-sa/aam 'wa min;kas .. saillam

(OlhAllaah, You ere Peace 4n.dfro',", You alone comes peace) Ta'b,(l.QTak:tll yaa dhal-Jalaaliw,a! ... ,ikmam"

(Blessed are' You, 0,11 Possessor olilll Giol'1 ,and Honour. JI

One of the; narrators, al .. Waleed asked another t al-Awzaa'ee, "How is forgiveness SQught.,?"", and he 'replied" 'You should say:

I CODecled by :al~Bukhaaree (S,udh al .. Jj'ukluJn (Amble-English), vol. :1, p. 442~ no. 796)~ Musli.m I(SahihMwlim (ER,llish Trans.)! vat 4,t pp. 141'9-20, D,O~ ,6533, al .. Tirmidh,ee land Ib .. Maajlab.

(1 seek: /O'r:gi'v,eness friom AIlSa#!, 1 seek forgiv1e,nessfrom, All'a.h:) "1 Ibn Mas"oud reported that AUaah's Messenger (il )!ulid: f~~hoeveT' "ays:

Aat.,hjirul .. ,laah B,I'adhee ,laa e,IlJd'ha ill'tm huw.l .. lJa7y,ul .. qtJryyoom wa atoo,bu elayh

(1 ,eek fo"iJlenes5lrom ,A,l'"ah. bes,tcles wh,om,tfte,,,e is 11'0 ,rOdt the le.termJ'i, ,the self~,ubsL')I:I"g and l' turn toHim in repensmce), hi& sins w'illbe forgiven ev'en if he' had {letl' ,Q m,ilitQry advance. "2

Abu Hura,yrah rela,'~edtha,t, the Messenger of AlIa,ah I( iI; )s:aid: '~Whoeve,..says: o'""~ .,; AI:,6~·:, S,ub/:ta'anallaahi' 'wa hi ~dmd,ih (G,lary be' ta Alla'd'h land m.y He ,bepraisetl} one hun,dred' ',;rn,el, h:is sins w:;'ll,be removed ~rn him ,even if t,h!ey art' lik« tlle/oam an ,the «_ . .,3

Abu Maalik al .. Asbja'ee narrated mom bis,fatne'r' that whenever a. person embraced Islaam, Allaah's Messenger (. )1 would 'each him. bow tOI p~ay and instruct, hi.m t.o :5uppUea&e witbthese wO'fids:

•..... ~.' ..•. " .. I.I.i' ,.... ••.. ... ". ~... ...... '''. . .. 'I!. .. " .•. ~ . ..... ~.. ... "". '. ~'.I ;,. ..' ..•.• b ... ~

"1 .. \.1.1, ~... I... . . .. - i"

UlJI.J ,t j_- _I I J . __ " _'. :Ji,1 J' . ~_' I'-· ....

r~ " II!!I! - '"', I,.

~ "" ~ ,

I 'COlectedb, Muslim ,~Sahill! )f,us/1m, (Bl1I)glish Tl'l1ns",)', '\101. I ~ p. 292." no. 1.l6).

2 Colected by Abu Daawood, from Bila~ !ibn Y.asaar (Sumll'I Abu: Da'wudt (BI;IUsh ThIns.), vol. I, p. 315.~ 'no. t.5'(2) and al .. Yirmi'hee and. au~henti .. eated by 'AMul-Qaad:ir al-Amaa'oot in. his edidmllOfal-A,d""aar by Y,al,tyaa ibD :Sbaraf' ao .. Nawawle (Riyadh: Daar :a[~Hudaa.t. :204 ed, ,I 1:9,88) p., 518, ftn, 1.

3i COlceted by al~l3uk.aar,ee (s.hih QI .. II~lcht,ul (Arabic-Bng[iish), vol. ,8t p. 271 ~ mo. 4,14) and MasUm (SlIhih MUsh (EngIJisb Trans.)"YOl4"p~ l41S~ RO,. 165(8) •.

HA,ll.ahumma,gh~fir tee war-hamnee wah. .. dlnee wsr-zuqnee

(O'h ,Allaalz, .forgive me, have mercy on me', "uide'mej ,an:d pro .. vide jar me. )"1

Abu Moosaa al .. Ash'aree reported on the; a,ut'hority (If his fatber that Allaah's Messenger used to supplicate in these words:

f·~ A,llaahwmmagh"'jir lee khat,e' A,tee wa j'ah,lee W:fI ,lsr:aafee fee amree wa maa an'. Q~a"am:1l bthee minee

(Ok ,AllaIJ",,:rant me./orgiv,eness fo" ,my fQ:ults, mY'igNorance;, my excesses i'n mY' af/oJ"r" ,andjorwh:tJt You ,"-now better than 1 .. )

A,llaahummagh -fi'" lee jid'dee wa haz'ee WQ' khata' ee Wd 'amtlee wa kullu dhaalika 'indee

(O'h Allatlh:, grant me fOirgiveness for my sins committed seriolNS,'y and jokingl:,; ,(Jc,cident,ly and delibe'rtlte,y, ti" ,ail thesefailingS' are in ".,.)

AlIGtJhum:magh-{i'r lee maa qaddsmt'u wa ma akhkh,artu, maa ,Q,r.ll,rtU' W'Q m,QQ Q"lant, wa maa a,nttl,Q1lam:u b,Eh.ee'mi,rt"e

(O'hAlJafllt, gran' mefO'rg,iveness for my past tI'nti' future sins w:hich, I have done ,i,q seere; or in pub'Ue" QII:d those ~o,u kno'w bet .. ter about tM,n 1~)

1 Co:lected by Muslim [(Sahih, M,Nslim ,(En,gUsh TrailS.), vol. ,4,. p, 141[6,,00 .. 6Sl4and '65IS).

A,1Jtdl ... muqqIQdim:uwQ an,ral .. m.u ~ Idchkhir' 'wa Q'lItQ 'alaa kulli shdy;in qadeer

(¥OiU are 'hie Adv,ancerand the De:layer t and You: are able 10 do all th~BS.)1

Abu Barzah al-Aslamee said that whenever Allaah's Messenger ( 18 ) wlntled to' let up from a, gathering be used to sa,y at the end::

U Subhasn:gkal .. lQ'Ghumm,aa 'MIa bi hamdika

. ~

(Glory be to You Oh Alla'ah and ma;y YO'u be prtds:td.)

Ash .. .hadu Q': .. laa ,"'afllha ills'd asu

(I testify Ihat there is no god besides You.] A,$,'ag.hji,rNka wa etoobu 6'lfl;yk

(1 ask 'Your /orgiv'eness and turn !:o¥ou in: repentanee.}

A man ,CI3'keld" '{ 0'. ,Messen,er of A,llaah" You are ,saying words no'w which you ,did not say ,i,n the past?;" He replied, ,I/( It is atonementfor whlatever' takes "lace in a gathering. u2

I conected by,al-Buk:haaree (Sahih al-Bulcharl (Ar,abic .. En:gUsh),vot8,p. 2,71,~,2t, no. 4(7) and MllIs~im (S.",ill Mu.$'I,m:,(EngUSh'Trans.)I, ",01. 4, pp!,. :1424 .. S:~no. 6S6Ct

2 Colb~cted by Abu Daawood (Suna" Abu D,awud~, (English Trans.), vol. 3 t p. llSS, ee, 4841) and: by al .. t;laakim 'from, ',AI 'esilab,. Both limave been] au.'lhen .. ti~ated by aI-Am,aa,'oot ,in al-AdhktlllT', pp.428-9. The DUllllllisalso coJlected by at- Tirmidhee from Abu Hur,ayrah and aut'herl'ti>cated :in Q,l.·AdkhaQr (p .428) by a.",Aroaa'ool.

~77·,

UAII:aah is more delighted 'with the repentance of His

serv '8' n* 'U

0"IJiir._ ". -" ilL" iI '"

',I Allaah's Messenger ( ill ) toek apledge from, us as he took from t:il.ewomen,., ' .. "

"Allaah 's Messenger used '10 suplpllcate in ,these wo:rds: f'iAllaahumma8'~fir lee'khtl~ee"Q'ele wa j.kiee ... ,.1'

II'AlI,aah" M'ost Gre;at and Glorious" will accept His ser .. vant's repentanceuntil his dea.tb rattle begins. ,.

""AUaah will accept the repentance of' anyone who seeks it, 'before ,tbe sun rises in the wes,t .. "

"Allaah win not bold you to account for' yourca:reless oatbs (2::22.5)'" w,as revealed with :reg.,rds, to, ,oa:ths like: INn" by AUaah!"'"

~'AllQtJhN'mma in"" tlHalam'," nafo',e dHr"''mflll

L .... ,'h· e'''-- - - II

AU.li: ',':: '.·I~I'''', "!l't

I,' A persolD (amo'D.t the: earlier nations) who commit .. 'ted, sins, beyon,d, m[easure .. , •. "

"'All of Aad;am's: descendents constantly err."

"',AU the people of my Ummah m.IY be pardoned ,for their SiDil except 'those who pub6cize tbem. "

c,i:Allthe previous sins 01' any one whe ,lets up for' prayer during the Nig:ht of Pow,er, ... "

'~'All the plleviou8, sins of' any one whofaslrs the m,ooth. of' Ram.adaan .. ~ "

uAnyman who calls on Allam inprayler wiD be ,BlDswered. '0 • ,,'

,,: ',Are your licetroubling you?' "'.~,.,.;1

"

.' - •••• 1

s

65'

78-9

49

51

60

52 5

29

47

47

12 ... 13, 58

U'Ar,e your' nee troubling, you l' ';1., .."

"Beware of the curse of one wbo is oppressed for surely there is noveil between bi,m and AUaah. '"

UCa.IUng in pr,ayer (Du'aQ)I is 'worsbip~"

.~ 'Calling in, prayer is tbe -essence ( Muk,hkh ), of 'I'iUO·. '[ ... Cl .. hip n

'"'-",IJ10-.I -'i!!1

"Call on Allaah in prayer confident that it wiU be answered, ..'

"Case of a. dishevelled and dusty man on a Iong journey \11'11.0 raises his hands up to the sky :sayin,g: Oh Lord!

0- h 'L -de-I 'I H

__ ' I _ -o'r .. - ., Ii Li'li

"Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and rejoiee. .. "

"Do not take vows, for a vow has no effect on desti ·D'y n

cb;l, I ~ ., ••..•• ~

"During S'ujood (prostration) the Messeng,er of AUaah used to sa,y: A 1l'a'd,lIu.mm'd,n"ft,rle'f dhan!bee ku,ll'uh,u dlqqllhu ... :~:,

·'Ev,ery chi.ld is born in I SII.1e of F'i:lrc-ali" ••• ."

"Fear Allaah wherever you may be, follow an evil deed with. I, good Orne ••• "'!

"Have you. come to ask about righteousness? .." "Heshouldgive a D'teNllaro!1,h"lifa D!etn(Ja"in,charity~ n

·'1 asked AU,a.ah's Me:ssenge:r ( iI: )to teach me 8. supp:Ucation to use i.n my prayer .. ,~I'

HIt anyone performs Wud~oo well: ~ then comes to the

58

38 13

14

30

37 .. 8

22

62

75 3

45 32 66·

7,5 .. 6

Friday prayer ... <I"

.~ If lone forgets and ea Is or drin ks, be :should complete his fast .. ~~I

""If'one 0'" Aadam's descendents had a~l~.dley· of gold !I ••• U "If one of you tells his brother to be silent while 'the Imaam iis ,giving, the sermon, ... ""

···~I:f you ask in prayer ~ ask only Allaah, ~~

'~lf you did not commit s\ius~ Anaah woulld sweep you out of e xiste nee' " ., .... ,

"Leave the doubtful for that whichis not n

- - - -

uN'o vow should be taken to do en act efdisobedienee to Allaeh,"

~ 'Oh Messenger of Allaah, I have done something deservinglegal punishment, .... H

"Oh Messenger.of AUaab!! I have fondled a woman on the ou tskirts of M;adeenah .... ; ~.~

- 'Oh pe 0 pille • turn to Allaehin repentanee and seek His forgiveness. .. ' ~

"Oh tribe of IiAbd Manaaf, Oh clan of 'Abdul ..

MUHalib - Secure deliverance for yourselves from

A III . . l.. .,., ,11.,3au •

• Ii '··0···· Mes .... A-- 7 - -'C'f~ Atl-ao'h-I '1 Olm- ruined! ' .• '

.. ·- .. .,,,,,nger o. !',.~ .. ··u .•. " __ 1"_.11.1.1.-' _ ~ .~.

"One should be quiet when 'the Imaam is. speaking." "One who repents 'from sinis like: one without sin."

.tiR-" . . •. .... . . "'1

- -11,eim.orse~ ts repentanee I'

.. Ride. old man <t for Anaah is not: in need of you nor - 'o'ur vo' w- .•. ,

,y .. ~.l_i ',_: __ "I'. ". I'", I!!I

~81 .. ,

46

54 9

47 12

5-6

32

63

.53 .. 4

1.5 56 46

5

39

63

"Ri;p.teousnes'Sis good character and sin is what

'w,l'vers in Ylour sout .. n 32

US,itting (JuJoos) be,tween: the two S~jood& 'the Prophet ( II) 'osedto IDy':: "Al'QQhumm~,h~fir tee, WiI'-~Qmmnee',., ., .. '"

"Surlcly ADaah fo,rbidsyo,u 'to sw'car by your fathers."

"Theday when AI.laah createdmercy He made it in ODie .hun,dlicd pans" .. ~ "

"The exp,j,ation fair' vows is, the same ;8S that tor oaths. " "The majior sins are: Worsbippim,g others ,along, with AUaah" disrespect 'to parents, murder and the 'I.yina

a-'I'h ,,,,

, all."l. ~IIJ!I"

~"1be mOlt superior request for fo~aivelJiUS is t,OI 'lIy: '4AlllaahlUlVlUl d'lIt" rabbee laa el_hailltm ant. +., no

"The nigbtand day will Dot cease until people have be:lun tOI w'o'rshipLa{lt and 'UzztJtI.,. ' "

"'The abU,gato'ry prayers, 'of one who prloperly perfo,rmed 'Mf;U{lOOI (ablutioa) as .AII,a.ab the Exal'ted. enjoined ,011 him, ~ .'

"'The Propbet (il )~equem,tly used to, say: nS:ubhasnakal-l'aahumma rabba'ntlu wa bihamd:ik,. H

. .

"The penis raised from the (the record) of three ... ." "Tbere are five: Vi,cious;, and harmful beasts w:hi,lch should be 'killed even. in. a state 0'£ Ihmam: ~. ,~

"The sins, done between two' Um:"ahsar,e expiated by them~n

"'Vieri.ly Allaah has excused 'my fol.owers. from genuine

-82 ... ,

75 60

:23 63

60

68

4'9-50

46

74 30

56-7 48

"J'O··.· 6 .... 41

3 ... ,'

"'When a believer commits a sin a black spot appears on his heart ... ";;

""When Allaah 'sMessenger (Ii' ), finished his prayer, be would ask fOJ forgiveness three times, then say: .... "

u'Wlhen a. servant (of God) 'washes his face" every sin be contemplatedwith his eyles wiU be washed away. 'I ~ "

'··Whenevera person embracedIslaam, AIla.ah's Mes .. senger ( _. ) would teach him. bow' 110. praY' and instruct him ... ",

"Whenever Allash's Messenger ( ~_ ) wanted to get up from a gathering he: used tOI say at tbe end: 4'Sub ..

h . k "t

Qana •. , ...

•

UWhentbe time for a prescribed prayer arrives, and a Muslim. perfo:rm.'sWudoo. , .. Ii ~

- .

"When three things appear" faith will not benefit one who has not previously bel:ieved~,. ,. ,t

u'Whoeverforge:ts a prayer should. pray it when he remembers ... ';'

"'Whoever has w~o':nged his brother with regard his honor or anythingelse sbould seek his. pardon now."

u'W.hoever informs, others about his good deeds to 'win their praise. "

uWhoeverintends'to do good." but does. no·t do it has one good deedrecorded for him."

"W.hoever makes pilgrim.a.le to thisHouse t(Ka4b,Q'h)'. u

··"Whoever reads a letter O'f Allaah's Book will have a good deed recorded fOlri.t. ' .. "

·'Whoever says: Astaghfirul-Iaah alladh'ee laaeltltlha illaa huwlal- haYYlul- qay.yoom wa atoobu elayh.~ .. "

.34

76-6

45-6

'77 .. 8

79

46

50 .. 1

38

28

44 48

67

77

"Whoever says: Subhao,ndllaahi I¥tJ bi hamdih one

-. .1

hilll,ndred times ... " 77

"Wboever takes an oath.jhen finds something better

than it, should break his oath and do that whichis

63

"Will we be held responsible for what we did during tbe .Jaahil'eieyah (ti:me of ip:oran,ce before ,embra,ci:na

Islaam· .)?, ,,.,

_::",_',,_,:,_, __ ~,_ I.~ i!!1~riIi

43

"Youwillfollowthe path ofthose before you~ inch by iu.clh and step by step ... ",

21

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86