Ta'Aruf Vol1 Issue6
Ta'Aruf Vol1 Issue6
Ta'Aruf Vol1 Issue6
Quranic Studies
Assalamu alaikum,
[Hud :112] Therefore stand firm (in
It is the duty of a the straight Path) as thou art com-
common Muslim manded,- thou and those who with
to urge the mem- thee turn (unto Allah); and trans-
bers of his family gress not (from the Path): for He
and, indeed, every
person present in seeth well all that ye do.
his immediate sur-
roundings to fulfil Righteous actions are for all times and all places. From the
the three basic re- above Aya it is very clear that “ as thou art commanded “ is the base of
quirements which righteousness in Ibada .
will ensure their For those who benefited from Ramadan, fulfilled the require-
salvation in the
ments of taqwa, truly fasted in the month, prayed in it with truthful-
Hereafter. These
three requirements
ness, and strove against soul, then praise and thank Allah, and ask
have been spelled Him for steadfastness upon it until you meet your death. Allah (SWT)
out in Surah ‘Asr: says in the Holy Qur’an:
(continued page 4)
Sincere Repentance
The Prophet Mohammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said,
'The one who repents from sin is like the one who never sinned.'
[Ibn Maja]
He also said, 'Remorse is repentance.'
[Ibn Maja and Ahmad]
Abu Huraira (radiAllahu anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wa-
salam) said, "Allah will turn towards anyone who turns in repentance before the sun rises from the place
it set."
[Muslim]
The Conditions for Repentance:
The conditions for repentance are well known:
1. Leaving the sin;
2. Remorse over having committed the sin;
3. Resolve never to return to the sin;
(If it relates to the rights of another person, then to) Return the rights or property one wrongly
took. [al Bariqa fi Sharh al-Tariqa; Riyad al-Salihin]
If these conditions are truly met, then one can expect one's sins to be forgiven. However,
one has to be very careful about how sincere one is in fulfilling one's conditions. It is recom-
mended to seek forgiveness a lot, and to repent every time the sin comes to one's mind.
If one keeps repeating the sin, then one should find the root causes of the sin and eliminate them.
For example, if one falls into a certain sin because of the company one keeps, then it would be
necessary to either stop keeping their company, or to change the nature of one's relationship
with them.
So, what is true repentance?
Ibn Hajar mentioned that Qurtubi quoted 23 different definitions of true repentance (al-
tawba al-nasuh) in his tafsir. Ibn Hajar mentioned the most important of these:
1. Umar’s words (radiAllahu anhu) that it is, "To sin and then never to return to it."
2. To hate the sin, and seek forgiveness for it every time it occurs to one, as Hasan al-Basri (Allah
have mercy on him) said.
3. Qatada’s words (Allah have mercy on him), "To be genuine and truthful in one’s repentance,"
which is what Imam Bukhari chose as the definition of true repentance in his chapter heading.
4. To have sincerity in one’s repentance.
5. To be concerned about one’s repentance not being accepted.
6. To be such that it does not need repentance after it.
7. To be made out of fear and hope, and be accompanied by consistency in worship.
8. Like the seventh, but with the added condition that one deserts those who assisted one in sin.
9. That one’s sin is between one’s eyes. [That is, one does not forget it.] [Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari]