TASK: What is Tawbah?
|
Ibn al-Qayyim
said:
Most people do not know the virtue of Tawbah, neither in
statement, so how will they ever understand its reality or ever be guided to
implement it? Allah has not made those peopel who repent except for an exclusive
group of people. If Tawbah wasn’t the purpose for why people were created,
then He wouldn't extremely Rejoice. Therefore, every aspect of your life is
somehow connected to Tawbah and its actual implementation.
Madarij as-Saalikin 1/312-314
|
13. “By Allaah,
I ask Allaah for forgiveness and I repent to Him more than seventy times every
day.”
14. “O you
people repent to Allaah and seek His forgiveness, since indeed I repent to
Allaah and I seek His forgiveness a hundred times every day.”
Why was he so excessive in making Istighfar?
Possible Answers:
-It displays Ikhlas.
-Humans are negligent and can’t remember Allah as much He
is due, al-Qadi
-The best of those who Allah created – REPENT
-A person doesn’t feel secure from Allah’s punishment
-Its creates bad to turn to good so all that remains is
good
TAWBAH: acceptance of ones apology and a
change of previous sins
|
Ibn al-Qayyim
said:
“Inabah is of
two types: from sins or that which brings one closer to Allah.”
-Tariq al-Hiratyan 1/373
|
TASK: Why is Tawbah so important?
وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا
أَيُّهَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
(24:31)
|
Al-Qurtubi said:
“There is no
disagreement – Tawbah is an individual obligation upon every Muslim.”
-at-Tathkirah Pg. 53
|
And,
اسْتَغْفِرُواْ رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُواْ
إِلَيْهِ يُمَتِّعْكُم مَّتَاعًا حَسَنًا إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى وَيُؤْتِ كُلَّ
ذِي فَضْلٍ فَضْلَهُ
(11:3)
And,
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا
إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحًا
(66:8)
The Pillars of Tawbah include:
PAST PRESENT FUTURE
FOURTH: Returning peoples (financial or libel) rights
= LIKE HE NEVER
SINNED AT ALL
Tawbah is a door
that is never closed
16. “Allaah spreads out His hand at night to
accept the repentance of the one who sinned during the day, and He spreads out
His hand by day to accept the repentance of the one who sinned during the
night, (and that will continue) until the sun rises from the west.”
NOTE: There are two times when Tawbah will NOT be accepted:
1) Death
18. “Allaah will accept the repentance of His
slave so long as the death-rattle has not yet reached his throat.”
2) After sun rises
from the west
LESSON: some people will
never be guided to self-reflect, ask for improvement and experience the
sweetness of its expiation.
It’s
been narrated that Ibn Mas’ood and Jundub al-Bajali didn’t used to sleep until
after Shurooq!
HOWEVER,
ever since He created Adam – the doors are open and calls on us to reflect on
our destiny.
TASK: If a person makes Tawbah for one sin, does that include all other major
and minor sins?
OR
Does
each sin need a separate Tawbah?
|
An-Nawawi said:
“Tawbah is
accepted even if he is committing other sins, as long as he was sincere in
making Tawbah and fulfilled all its conditions; if he returns then all of his
sins are forgiven. This is the view of Ahl as-Sunnah (contrast to the Khwarij
and Murji’ah).
-Sharh Muslim 17/59-60
|
THE MAN WHO KILLED 100 PEOPLE
20. It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed Sa’d ibn
Maalik ibn Sinaan al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There was among the people
who came before you a man who killed ninety-nine people. Then he asked about
the most knowledgeable person on earth, and was directed to a hermit, so he
went to him, told him that he had killed ninety-nine people, and asked if he
could be forgiven. The hermit said, ‘No,’ so he killed him, thus completing one
hundred. Then he asked about the most knowledgeable person on earth and was
directed to a scholar. He told him that he had killed one hundred people, and
asked whether he could be forgiven. The scholar said, ‘Yes, what could possibly
come between you and repentance? Go to such-and-such a town, for in it there
are people who worship Allaah. Go and worship with them, and do not go back to
your own town, for it is a bad place.” So the man set off, but when he was
halfway there, the angel of death came to him, and the angels of mercy and the
angels of wrath began to argue over him. The angels of mercy said: ‘He had
repented and was seeking Allaah.’ The angels of wrath said: ‘He never did any
good thing.’ An angel in human form came to them, and they asked him to decide
the matter. He said: ‘Measure the distance between the two lands (his home town
and the town he was headed for), and whichever of the two he is closest to is
the one to which he belongs.’ So they measured the distance, and found that he
was closer to the town for which he had been headed, so the angels of mercy
took him.”
TASK: list some benefits
from this Hadith:
-IS THERE ANYTHING TOO BIG FOR ALLAH TO
FORGIVE?
|
Abdul-Malik Bin Marwaan said:
“’O my
Lord! Indeed my sins are great and indeed (even) a small (part) of your
forgiveness is greater than them (i.e. my sins), so wipe away my great sins
with (even) a small (part) of your forgiveness”
-Tahtheeb at-Tatheeb 6/347
|
-Knowledge leads to Tawbah
-An environment will affect
even the best of people
-Ikhlas and Tawhid is a
precursor to effective Tawbah and the Akhirah, the only cause:
|
Ibn al-Qayyim
said:
“Tawbah is only
granted to those who He Loves to give Tawbah to, allowing him to obey Him
and have Tawhid in Him”
-al-Fawa’id,
Pg. 126
|
-Killing involves
transgressing against:
1) Allah’s rights
2) The victim’s rights
3) The rights of the family
BUT despite this, there is
pardon and forgiveness of your lord!
|
Al-Hasan
al-Basri said:
“Look at this generosity and magnanimity! They murdered the Awliyaa’ of
Allaah and yet He still invited them to repentance and forgiveness!”
-Tafsir
Ibn Kathir 8/393
|
-The
angels are close to the one who makes Tawbah, to the extent that they compete
for his companionship!
It creates a connection between master and slave:
15. “Allaah rejoices more over the repentance of
His slave than any one of you who finds his camel after having lost it in a
desolate land.”
23. "If a son of Adam were to own a valley
full of gold, he would desire to have two. Nothing can fill his mouth except
the earth (of the grave). Allah turns with mercy to him who turns to Him in
repentance".
24. "Allah, the Exalted, smiles at two
men, one of them killed the other and both will enter Jannah. The first is
killed by the other while he is fighting in the Cause of Allah, and thereafter
Allah will turn in mercy to the second and guide him to accept Islam and then
he dies as a Shaheed (martyr) fighting in the Cause of Allah."
Summary:
-Tawbah is good for you!
Its freedom!
-It’s a saviour from being
lost and losing all hope and possession.
-Allah
laughs and rejoice; so Tawbah leads to protection from His Anger and gaining
His Pleasure.
|
Ibn as-Si’di
said:
“Look at the
Mercy of Allah, not only does He accept Tawbah, but He loves you on top of
that!”
-Tafsir
as-Sa’di Pg. 351
|
-It’s a promise from your
lord that once He has laughed, He will never hold you to account for it – no
grudges, no comments; never again mentioned.
TWO STORIES:
-Story of Adam
-Story of the Last Prophet
and the Day of Judgement
THE STORY OF KA’B BIN MALIK (Allah be Pleased with him)
21. Who, from among Ka`b's sons, was the guide of
Ka`b when he became blind: I heard Ka`b bin Malik narrating the story of (the
Ghazwa of) Tabuk in which he failed to take part. Ka`b said, "I did not
remain behind Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in any Ghazwa that he fought except the
Ghazwa of Tabuk, and I failed to take part in the Ghazwa of Badr, but Allah did
not admonish anyone who had not participated in it, for in fact, Allah's
Messenger (ﷺ)
had gone out in search of the caravan of Quraish till Allah made them (i.e. the
Muslims) and their enemy meet without any appointment. I witnessed the night of
Al-`Aqaba (pledge) with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) when we pledged for Islam, and I would
not exchange it for the Badr battle although the Badr battle is more popular
amongst the people than it (i.e. Al-`Aqaba pledge). As for my news (in this
battle of Tabuk), I had never been stronger or wealthier than I was when I
remained behind the Prophet (ﷺ)
in that Ghazwa. By Allah, never had I two she-camels before, but I had then at
the time of this Ghazwa. Whenever Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) wanted to make a Ghazwa, he used to hide
his intention by apparently referring to different Ghazwa till it was the time
of that Ghazwa (of Tabuk) which Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) fought in severe heat, facing, a long
journey, desert, and the great number of enemy. So the Prophet (ﷺ) announced to the Muslims clearly (their
destination) so that they might get prepared for their Ghazwa. So he informed
them clearly of the destination he was going to. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was accompanied by a large number of
Muslims who could not be listed in a book namely, a register." Ka`b added,
"Any man who intended to be absent would think that the matter would
remain hidden unless Allah revealed it through Divine Revelation. So Allah's
Messenger (ﷺ)
fought that Ghazwa at the time when the fruits had ripened and the shade looked
pleasant. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)
and his companions prepared for the battle and I started to go out in order to
get myself ready along with them, but I returned without doing anything. I
would say to myself, 'I can do that.' So I kept on delaying it every now and
then till the people got ready and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and the Muslims along with him departed,
and I had not prepared anything for my departure, and I said, I will prepare
myself (for departure) one or two days after him, and then join them.' In the
morning following their departure, I went out to get myself ready but returned
having done nothing. Then again in the next morning, I went out to get ready
but returned without doing anything. Such was the case with me till they
hurried away and the battle was missed (by me). Even then I intended to depart
to take them over. I wish I had done so! But it was not in my luck. So, after
the departure of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), whenever I went out and walked amongst
the people (i.e, the remaining persons), it grieved me that I could see none
around me, but one accused of hypocrisy or one of those weak men whom Allah had
excused. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)
did not remember me till he reached Tabuk. So while he was sitting amongst the
people in Tabuk, he said, 'What did Ka`b do?' A man from Banu Salama said, 'O
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)!
He has been stopped by his two Burdas (i.e. garments) and his looking at his
own flanks with pride.' Then Mu`adh bin Jabal said, 'What a bad thing you have
said! By Allah! O Allahs Apostle! We know nothing about him but good.' Allah's
Messenger (ﷺ)
kept silent." Ka`b bin Malik added, "When I heard that he (i.e. the
Prophet (ﷺ) )
was on his way back to Medina. I got dipped in my concern, and began to think
of false excuses, saying to myself, 'How can I avoid his anger tomorrow?' And I
took the advice of wise member of my family in this matter. When it was said
that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ),
had come near all the evil false excuses abandoned from my mind and I knew well
that I could never come out of this problem by forging a false statement. Then
I decided firmly to speak the truth. So Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) arrived in the morning, and whenever he
returned from a journey., he used to visit the Mosque first of all and offer a
two-rak`at prayer therein and then sit for the people. So when he had done all
that (this time), those who had failed to join the battle (of Tabuk) came and
started offering (false) excuses and taking oaths before him. They were
something over eighty men; Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) accepted the excuses they had expressed,
took their pledge of allegiance asked for Allah's Forgiveness for them, and
left the secrets of their hearts for Allah to judge. Then I came to him, and
when I greeted him, he smiled a smile of an angry person and then said, 'Come
on.' So I came walking till I sat before him. He said to me, 'What stopped you
from joining us. Had you not purchased an animal For carrying you?' I answered,
"Yes, O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! But by Allah, if I were sitting before
any person from among the people of the world other than you, I would have
avoided his anger with an excuse. By Allah, I have been bestowed with the power
of speaking fluently and eloquently, but by Allah, I knew well that if today I
tell you a lie to seek your favor, Allah would surely make you angry with me in
the near future, but if I tell you the truth, though you will get angry because
of it, I hope for Allah's Forgiveness. Really, by Allah, there was no excuse
for me. By Allah, I had never been stronger or wealthier than I was when I
remained behind you.' Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, 'As regards this man, he has surely
told the truth. So get up till Allah decides your case.' I got up, and many men
of Banu Salama followed me and said to me. 'By Allah, we never witnessed you
doing any sin before this. Surely, you failed to offer excuse to Allah's
Messenger (ﷺ)
as the others who did not join him, have offered. The prayer of Allah's
Messenger (ﷺ)
to Allah to forgive you would have been sufficient for you.' By Allah, they
continued blaming me so much that I intended to return (to the Prophet) and
accuse myself of having told a lie, but I said to them, 'Is there anybody else
who has met the same fate as I have?' They replied, 'Yes, there are two men who
have said the same thing as you have, and to both of them was given the same
order as given to you.' I said, 'Who are they?' They replied, Murara bin
Ar-Rabi Al- Amri and Hilal bin Umaiya Al-Waqifi.' By that they mentioned to me
two pious men who had attended the Ghazwa (Battle) of Badr, and in whom there
was an example for me. So I did not change my mind when they mentioned them to
me. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)
forbade all the Muslims to talk to us, the three aforesaid persons out of all
those who had remained behind in that Ghazwa. So we kept away from the people
and they changed their attitude towards us till the very land (where I lived)
appeared strange to me as if I did not know it. We remained in that condition
for fifty nights. As regards my two fellows, they remained in their houses and
kept on weeping, but I was the youngest of them and the firmest of them, so I
used to go out and witness the prayers along with the Muslims and roam about in
the markets, but none would talk to me, and I would come to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and greet him while he was sitting In his
gathering after the prayer, and I would wonder whether the Prophet (ﷺ) did move his lips in return to my
greetings or not. Then I would offer my prayer near to him and look at him
stealthily. When I was busy with my prayer, he would turn his face towards me,
but when I turned my face to him, he would turn his face away from me. When
this harsh attitude of the people lasted long, I walked till I scaled the wall
of the garden of Abu Qatada who was my cousin and dearest person to me, and I
offered my greetings to him. By Allah, he did not return my greetings. I said,
'O Abu Qatada! I beseech you by Allah! Do you know that I love Allah and His
Apostle?' He kept quiet. I asked him again, beseeching him by Allah, but he
remained silent. Then I asked him again in the Name of Allah. He said,
"Allah and His Apostle know it better.' Thereupon my eyes flowed with
tears and I returned and jumped over the wall." Ka`b added, "While I
was walking in the market of Medina, suddenly I saw a Nabati (i.e. a Christian
farmer) from the Nabatis of Sham who came to sell his grains in Medina, saying,
'Who will lead me to Ka`b bin Malik?' The people began to point (me) out for
him till he came to me and handed me a letter from the king of Ghassan in which
the following was written: "To proceed, I have been informed that your
friend (i.e. the Prophet (ﷺ) )
has treated you harshly. Anyhow, Allah does not let you live at a place where
you feel inferior and your right is lost. So join us, and we will console
you." When I read it, I said to myself, 'This is also a sort of a test.'
Then I took the letter to the oven and made a fire therein by burning it. When
forty out of the fifty nights elapsed, behold ! There came to me the messenger of
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)
and said, 'Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)
orders you to keep away from your wife,' I said, 'Should I divorce her; or
else! what should I do?' He said, 'No, only keep aloof from her and do not
cohabit her.' The Prophet (ﷺ)
sent the same message to my two fellows. Then I said to my wife. 'Go to your
parents and remain with them till Allah gives His Verdict in this matter."
Ka`b added, "The wife of Hilal bin Umaiya came to Apostle and said, 'O
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)!
Hilal bin Umaiya is a helpless old man who has no servant to attend on him. Do
you dislike that I should serve him? ' He said, 'No (you can serve him) but he
should not come near you.' She said, 'By Allah, he has no desire for anything.
By, Allah, he has never ceased weeping till his case began till this day of
his.' On that, some of my family members said to me, 'Will you also ask Allah's
Messenger (ﷺ)
to permit your wife (to serve you) as he has permitted the wife of Hilal bin
Umaiya to serve him?' I said, 'By Allah, I will not ask the permission of
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)
regarding her, for I do not know What Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) would say if I asked him to permit her
(to serve me) while I am a young man.' Then I remained in that state for ten
more nights after that till the period of fifty nights was completed starting
from the time when Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) prohibited the people from talking to us.
When I had offered the Fajr prayer on the 50th morning on the roof of one of
our houses and while I was sitting in the condition which Allah described (in
the Qur'an) i.e. my very soul seemed straitened to me and even the earth seemed
narrow to me for all its spaciousness, there I heard the voice of one who had
ascended the mountain of Sala' calling with his loudest voice, 'O Ka`b bin
Malik! Be happy (by receiving good tidings).' I fell down in prostration before
Allah, realizing that relief has come. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had announced the acceptance of our
repentance by Allah when he had offered the Fajr prayer. The people then went
out to congratulate us. Some bringers of good tidings went out to my two
fellows, and a horseman came to me in haste, and a man of Banu Aslam came
running and ascended the mountain and his voice was swifter than the horse.
When he (i.e. the man) whose voice I had heard, came to me conveying the good
tidings, I took off my garments and dressed him with them; and by Allah, I
owned no other garments than them on that day. Then I borrowed two garments and
wore them and went to Allah's Apostle. The people started receiving me in
batches, congratulating me on Allah's Acceptance of my repentance, saying, 'We
congratulate you on Allah's Acceptance of your repentance." Ka`b further
said, "When I entered the Mosque. I saw Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) sitting with the people around him. Talha
bin Ubaidullah swiftly came to me, shook hands with me and congratulated me. By
Allah, none of the Muhajirin (i.e. Emigrants) got up for me except him (i.e.
Talha), and I will never forget this for Talha." Ka`b added, "When I
greeted Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)
he, his face being bright with joy, said "Be happy with the best day that
you have got ever since your mother delivered you." Ka`b added, "I
said to the Prophet (ﷺ)
'Is this forgiveness from you or from Allah?' He said, 'No, it is from Allah.'
Whenever Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)
became happy, his face would shine as if it were a piece of moon, and we all
knew that characteristic of him. When I sat before him, I said, 'O Allah's
Messenger (ﷺ)!
Because of the acceptance of my repentance I will give up all my wealth as alms
for the Sake of Allah and His Apostle. Allah's Apostle said, 'Keep some of your
wealth, as it will be better for you.' I said, 'So I will keep my share from
Khaibar with me,' and added, 'O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Allah has saved me for telling the
truth; so it is a part of my repentance not to tell but the truth as long as I
am alive. By Allah, I do not know anyone of the Muslims whom Allah has helped
fortelling the truth more than me. Since I have mentioned that truth to Allah's
Messenger (ﷺ)
till today, I have never intended to tell a lie. I hope that Allah will also
save me (from telling lies) the rest of my life. So Allah revealed to His
Apostle the Verse:-- "Verily, Allah has forgiven the Prophet, the
Muhajirin (i.e. Emigrants (up to His Saying) And be with those who are true (in
word and deed)." (9.117-119) By Allah, Allah has never bestowed upon me,
apart from His guiding me to Islam, a Greater blessing than the fact that I did
not tell a lie to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) which would have caused me to perish as
those who have told a lie perished, for Allah described those who told lies
with the worst description He ever attributed to anybody else. Allah said:--
"They (i.e. the hypocrites) will swear by Allah to you when you return to
them (up to His Saying) Certainly Allah is not pleased with the rebellious
people-- " (9.95-96) Ka`b added, "We, the three persons, differed
altogether from those whose excuses Allah's Apostle accepted when they swore to
him. He took their pledge of allegiance and asked Allah to forgive them, but
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)
left our case pending till Allah gave His Judgment about it. As for that Allah
said):-- And to the three (He did for give also) who remained behind."
(9.118) What Allah said (in this Verse) does not indicate our failure to take
part in the Ghazwa, but it refers to the deferment of making a decision by the
Prophet (ﷺ)
about our case in contrast to the case of those who had taken an oath before
him and he excused them by accepting their excuses.
Background:
-Battle of Tabook took place in 9AH in Rajab as
retaliation
-Rumours spread that Romans were going to meet
them
-So the Prophet prepared a war but used
Tawliyyah, stating that he was going to head to Yemen
-He didn’t tell anyone about his plans
-It was hot, there was not many provisions and
told people to give in Sadaqah - Uthmaan gave 300 camels – thus called ‘Usrah
-Some didn’t have provisions and excused
themselves – four types:
1) Physically not able
2) Prophet told them to stay like Muhammad bin Masalamah
and ‘Ali to stay behind because he was like Harun
3) The three in the story who Shaytaan got the
better of: Ka’b bin Malik, Hilal bin Umayyah and Murarah bin Rabi’
4) The Munafiqs: they began to spread rumours
that Ali stayed behind because he was a coward, so the prophet described him as
Harun and he became satisfied.
-They went past Madyan Salih, not to drink the
water and give food to the animals.
-Romans were in thousands but fear placed in
their hearts, so they fled and left their wealth there
DESPITE THE SIN, TAWBAH and PUNISHMENT REMOVES ALL SIN
22. “A woman from the tribe Juhainah came to
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
while she was pregnant from (Zina) adultery and said to him: "O Messenger
of Allah! I have committed an offense liable to Hadd (prescribed punishment),
so exact the execution of the sentence." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) called her guardian and said to him,
"Treat her kindly. Bring her to me after the delivery of the child."
That man complied with the orders. At last the Prophet (ﷺ) commanded to carry out the sentence. Her
clothes were secured around her and she was stoned to death. The Prophet (ﷺ) led her funeral prayers. 'Umar submitted:
"O Messenger of Allah! She committed Zina and you have performed funeral
prayer for her?" He replied, "Verily, she made repentance which would
suffice for seventy of the people of Al-Madinah if it is divided among them.
Can there be any higher degree of repentance than that she sacrificed her life
voluntarily to win the Pleasure of Allah, the Exalted?".”
Lessons:
-Greatest
form of Nifaq is not to be bothered about finding out what is right or wrong
-We are
our greatest enemy!
-The
believer hastens and takes precautions to worship
-Despair
is of two types: genuine despair and despair from Shaytan
-Relief
comes via worship
-Attach
yourselves to worship and its people in times of Fitnah, not as a reaction but
as precaution
-No
matter how low ones Eman is; Yaqeen will be his salvation, like it was for Ka’b
-Repentance
can be a word or an action – but it’s a state of mind.
-Tawbah
increases one in Taqwa and determination to make Allah happy.
Checklist:
-What is Tawbah
-Why its so
important
-How it creates a
connection between you and your Lord
-How it makes you
better in the seen because you believe in the unseen
-It creates unity
and harmony; better actions and statements for all
BUT ASK YOURSELF….(CONCLUSION)
-How
can you create contentment, tranquillity and certainty in the unseen for
yourself?
|
Ibn al-Qayyim
said:
“(From all of
the creation) there are only two types of people, no third; both will sin but
one group will repent and the other will not – due to their ignorance of
their lord and His Rights. Therefore it’s from his own shortcomings and a
direct consequence from his actions.”
-Madarij
as-Salikin 1/178
|
-Don’t make the
last time you cover your Awrah or lower your gaze the time when you die.
Repent now, gain
the pleasure and laughter of your lord, move forward with Tawfiq from Him and
no matter how bad you think you are, you are possibly NOT like that with Allah.
And Allah Knows best
END OF CHAPTER OF TAWBAH
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