My Dear Readers,
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
As-salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. (May the Peace, Mercy and Blessings of Allah be upon you)
بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَسْتَعِينُهُ
وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا
وَسَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ مُضِلَّ لَهُ
وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ
وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ
اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
(See end note in the first post)On Sin and Forgiveness:
The presence, nay, prevalence of sinning whether by us, or around us often creates doubts in our minds. We sin, and repent, and hope for forgiveness. Is it not what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala promises us in the Qur'an ?
وَإِنِّي لَغَفَّارٌ لِّمَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا ثُمَّ اهْتَدَى
However, there are also those amongst us you pursue a different line of argument. Whether those who feel that there are no consequences of our actions, or those who limit the scope to this life alone, will form the subject of another post, insha Allah.
Then there are those who argue that we cannot sin without Allah's permission, and so we are not accountable. And perhaps, we sin with Allah's approval. Or those who believe we were born in sin, inheriting the sin of our father, Adam (alayhissalaam).
For those, I would quote the unequivocal rejection of sin by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in surah Az-Zumar verse 7, as well as the rejection of the idea that we are bearing the burden of sin of another:
إِن تَكْفُرُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنكُمْ وَلَا يَرْضَى لِعِبَادِهِ الْكُفْرَ وَإِن تَشْكُرُوا يَرْضَهُ لَكُمْ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّكُم مَّرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ
And also, there are those who question why sin was created, if it was such a bad thing? This post will talk about the importance of repentance (taubah توبه ) and hence, implicitly, the importance of sin in Divine design.
For those of us familiar with the story of Adam (alayhissalaam), the first human being, the first prophet, and by some accounts the first sinner. In my understanding, Adam (alayhissalaam) made a mistake in forgetting the injunction of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala,
وَلَقَدْ عَهِدْنَا إِلَى آدَمَ مِن قَبْلُ فَنَسِيَ وَلَمْ نَجِدْ لَهُ عَزْمًا
but as soon as he realized it, he (they) repented and was (were) forgiven.
Al-A'raf (The Heights) (7:23)
قَالاَ رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِين
7:23 The two replied: "O our Sustainer! We have sinned against ourselves -and unless Thou grant us forgiveness and bestow Thy mercy upon us, we shall most certainly be lost!" -(audio)
Ta-Ha (20:122)
ثُمَّ اجْتَبَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ وَهَدَى
20:122 Thereafter, [however,) his Sustainer selected him, and accepted his repentance, and bestowed His guidance upon him - (audio)
The above verses (ayaat) make it clear that Allah does not approve of sin, and we do not inherit the burden of sin, and that Adam (alayhissalaam) was forgiven for his mistake made in forgetfulness. But the ayat 20:122 adds an interesting dimension, that not only Allah accepted the repentance of Adam (alayhis salaam) but also chose/selected him.
There are a couple of hadith of the Prophet ﷺ in Sahih Muslim, that can be misunderstood, but definitely shed some further light in this regard:
Abu Ayyub Ansari(رضي الله عنه) reported that Allah's Messenger ﷺ said:
If you were not to commit sins, Allah would have swept you out of existence and would have replaced you by another people who have committed sin, and then asked forgiveness from Allah, and He would have granted them pardon.
حَدَّثَنَا هَارُونُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الأَيْلِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، حَدَّثَنِي عِيَاضٌ، - وَهُوَ ابْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْفِهْرِيُّ - حَدَّثَنِي إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ رِفَاعَةَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ كَعْبٍ الْقُرَظِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي صِرْمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ الأَنْصَارِيِّ، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُ قَالَ " لَوْ أَنَّكُمْ لَمْ تَكُنْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبٌ يَغْفِرُهَا اللَّهُ لَكُمْ لَجَاءَ اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ لَهُمْ ذُنُوبٌ يَغْفِرُهَا لَهُمْ " .
Abu Huraira (رضي الله عنه) reported Allah's Messenger ﷺ having said:
By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if you were not to commit sin, Allah would sweep you out of existence and He would replace (you by) those people who would commit sin and seek forgiveness from Allah, and He would have pardoned them.
حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رَافِعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنْ جَعْفَرٍ الْجَزَرِيِّ، عَنْ يَزِيدَ بْنِ الأَصَمِّ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوْ لَمْ تُذْنِبُوا لَذَهَبَ اللَّهُ بِكُمْ وَلَجَاءَ بِقَوْمٍ يُذْنِبُونَ فَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ اللَّهَ فَيَغْفِرُ لَهُمْ " .
Reference from Sunnah .com
To understand the above hadith, we are made to conclude that repentance (taubah توبه ) grants a unique status and position in front of Allah, that might not be achieved otherwise. Those who perform taubah توبه are on the sunnah of our father, Adam (alayhissalaam) and may Allah give Adam (alayhissalaam) a share of all the taubah توبه that we do. To my understanding, the above hadith do not encourage sinning, but rather elucidate the great benefits of repentance. If we err, and fall, it is acceptable to Allah as long as we get up, dust ourselves, ask for forgiveness and continue our journey towards him.
Taubah توبه is the essence of Ibadah عبادة(worship?),and we know what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says about ibadah عبادة:
Az-Zariyat (The Winds that Scatter) (51:56)
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
51:56 And I have not created the invisible beings and men to any end other than that they may [know and] worship Me. - (audio)
"Abd" عبد is often misunderstood or loosely translated as slave or worshipper.
Actually, Ibadah عبادة, the sole purpose of creation, in Arabic is closely related to Tadhallul (تذلل ) or obsequiousness .
In Arabic, a well trodden path that is worn down due to treading is called "طريق معبد " . Similarly a camel who follows the master tamely wherever the master leads it is called "بعير معبد ". Tadhallul (تذلل ) should not be construed as a negative state , like humiliation, but rather to be in that state in front of Allah subhana hu wa ta'ala is to be in the highest elevated state. Case in point is when the Prophet (ﷺ) was brought to the heavens, a pinnacle of human achievement, the title used for him was عبد :
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلاً مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُ
About which, Iqbal says through the mouth of Hallaj in Javid Nama, which can be accessed here:
عبد دیگر عبده چیزی دگر
ما سراپا انتظار او منتظر
we are all expectancy, he ﷺ is (His) expectation itself.
Based on this concept of Tadhallul (تذلل ) , Shaykh Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyya talks about the methodology to reach the status of the Perfect Man, or the Perfect عبد , and states in his Madaarij Saalikeen (مدارج السالكين بين منازل اياك نعبد واياك نستعين ) that you need four kinds of dhil (ذل ) (humility?) to achieve that state:
1. The humility of need and poverty (ذل الحاجة والفقر): Everyone is included, including those who believe in Allah, and those who don't, those we consider living, or those non-living. This is the understanding that we are unable to provide for ourselves and are dependent on Allah .
وهي ذل الحاجة والفقر إلى الله فأهل السماوات والأرض جميعا محتاجون إليه فقراء إليه وهو وحده الغني عنهم وكل أهل السماوات والأرض يسألونه وهو لا يسأل أحدا.
As Allah says in the Qur'an Ar-Rahman (The Most Beneficent):
55:29
يَسْأَلُهُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ هُوَ فِي شَأْنٍ
55:29 On Him depends all creatures in the heavens and on earth; [and] every day He manifests Himself in yet another [wondrous] way.. - (audio)
35:15
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَنتُمُ الْفُقَرَاء إِلَى اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ هُوَ الْغَنِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ
35:15 O mankind! It is you, who stand in need of God, whereas He alone is self-sufficient, the One to whom all praise is due- (audio)
2. The humility of obedience (ذل الطاعة ):. This is the next stage, of a believer. One who starts believing and then obeying the Lord and fulfilling the commandments
ذل الطاعة والعبودية:
وهو ذل الاختيار وهذا خاص بأهل طاعته وهو سر العبودية
ذل المحبة:
فإن المحب ذليل بالذات وعلى قدر محبته له يكون ذله فالمحبة أسست على الذلة للمحبوب كما قيل:
اخضع وذل لمن تحب فليس فـي ** حكم الهوى أنف يشال ويعقـد
مساكين اهل العشق حتى قبورهم
عليها تراب الذل بين المقابر
The poor impoverished lovers till they die, and on their graves, have (nothing to show for but) the dust of dhill .4. The humility of sinners (ones who have sinned and committed crimes) (ذل المعصية والجناية):
فإذا اجتمعت هذه المراتب الأربع كان الذل لله والخضوع له أكمل وأتم إذ يذل له خوفا وخشية ومحبة وإنابة وطاعة وفقرا وفاقة.
وحقيقة ذلك هو الفقر الذي يشير إليه القوم وهذا المعنى أجل من أن يسمى بالفقر بل هو لب العبودية وسرها وحصوله أنفع شيء للعبد وأحب شيء إلى الله.
وحقيقة ذلك هو الفقر الذي يشير إليه القوم وهذا المعنى أجل من أن يسمى بالفقر بل هو لب العبودية وسرها وحصوله أنفع شيء للعبد وأحب شيء إلى الله.
This is what is the essence of this blog post. The highest level in spiritual progress is achieved by those who are humbled in front of Allah due to the burden of their sins.
Allama Iqbal, was discovered on the basis of the verses below, among his first verses, that reflect the importance of this concept:
موتی سمجھ کے شان کریمی نے چن لیے
قطرے جو تھے مرے عرق انفعال کے
Interpreted in English it would mean: Divine Grace gathered the drops of remorse from my forehead valuing them to be pearls.
One would assume that if sinners repent, the acceptance of repentance would be enough, but our Beloved promises much more. Reading part of the ayah from Al-Baqarah 2:222:
إِنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ
You can see that, not only do those who repent achieve forgiveness, but Divine Love. We can see this further from the following hadith of the Prophetﷺ:
Narrated Anas bin Malik(رضي الله عنه), in Sahih al-Bukhari (Reference from sunnah. com):
Allah's Apostle said, "Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His slave than anyone of you is pleased with finding his camel which he had lost in the desert. "
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ، أَخْبَرَنَا حَبَّانُ، حَدَّثَنَا هَمَّامٌ، حَدَّثَنَا قَتَادَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا أَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم. وَحَدَّثَنَا هُدْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا هَمَّامٌ، حَدَّثَنَا قَتَادَةُ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " اللَّهُ أَفْرَحُ بِتَوْبَةِ عَبْدِهِ مِنْ أَحَدِكُمْ سَقَطَ عَلَى بَعِيرِهِ، وَقَدْ أَضَلَّهُ فِي أَرْضِ فَلاَةٍ ".
The hadith is elaborated in Sahih Muslim as Anas b. Malik(رضي الله عنه) reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said(Reference from sunnah. com):Allah is more pleased with the repentance of a servant as he turns towards Him for repentance than this that one amongst you is upon the camel in a waterless desert and there is upon (that camel) his provision of food and drink also and it is lost by him, and he having lost all hope (to get that) lies down in the shadow and is disappointed about his camel and there he finds that camel standing before him. He takes hold of his nose-string and then out of boundless joy says: O Lord, Thou art my servant and I am Thine Lord. He commits this mistake out of extreme delight.
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الصَّبَّاحِ، وَزُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ يُونُسَ، حَدَّثَنَا عِكْرِمَةُ بْنُ عَمَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ، - وَهُوَ عَمُّهُ - قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " لَلَّهُ أَشَدُّ فَرَحًا بِتَوْبَةِ عَبْدِهِ حِينَ يَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ أَحَدِكُمْ كَانَ عَلَى رَاحِلَتِهِ بِأَرْضِ فَلاَةٍ فَانْفَلَتَتْ مِنْهُ وَعَلَيْهَا طَعَامُهُ وَشَرَابُهُ فَأَيِسَ مِنْهَا فَأَتَى شَجَرَةً فَاضْطَجَعَ فِي ظِلِّهَا قَدْ أَيِسَ مِنْ رَاحِلَتِهِ فَبَيْنَا هُوَ كَذَلِكَ إِذَا هُوَ بِهَا قَائِمَةً عِنْدَهُ فَأَخَذَ بِخِطَامِهَا ثُمَّ قَالَ مِنْ شِدَّةِ الْفَرَحِ اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ عَبْدِي وَأَنَا رَبُّكَ . أَخْطَأَ مِنْ شِدَّةِ الْفَرَحِ " .
Shaykh Abu Madyan, in his Diwan, has reportedly said:
إنكسار العاصي خير من صولة المطيع
"The heart-brokenness of the sinner is better than the harshness of the obedient"
In his tafseer Tarjuman Al-Qur'an, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad quotes a Tabi'iee as having said some thing even better:
إنكسار عاصين أحب إلى الله من صولة المطيعين
"The heart-brokenness of sinners is more beloved for Allah than the harshness of the obedient"
This is inspired from the following verses of Surah Ghafir (The Forgiver) where Allah states how all the angels pray for the forgiveness of one who repents:
الَّذِينَ يَحْمِلُونَ الْعَرْشَ وَمَنْ
حَوْلَهُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ
وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا رَبَّنَا وَسِعْتَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ
رَّحْمَةً وَعِلْمًا فَاغْفِرْ لِلَّذِينَ تَابُوا وَاتَّبَعُوا سَبِيلَكَ
وَقِهِمْ عَذَابَ الْجَحِيمِ
رَبَّنَا وَأَدْخِلْهُمْ جَنَّاتِ
عَدْنٍ الَّتِي وَعَدتَّهُم وَمَن صَلَحَ مِنْ آبَائِهِمْ وَأَزْوَاجِهِمْ
وَذُرِّيَّاتِهِمْ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
40:8 “And, O our Sustainer, bring them into the gardens of perpetual bliss which Thou hast promised them, together with the righteous from among their forebears, and their spouses, and their offspring - for, verily, Thou alone art almighty, truly wise – (audio)
So not only to the angelic beings pray for those who repent, in Surah Al-Furqan (25:70) Allah also promises a very unique reward, that will not be given except to a repenting sinner:
إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ
عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُوْلَئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ
وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
25:70 Excepted, however, shall be they who repent and attain to faith and do righteous deeds: for it is they whose [erstwhile] bad deeds God will transform into good ones - seeing that God is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace, (audio)
With that, I would like to conclude with a doa of maghfirah that the Prophet ﷺ taught us to read a 100 times per day:
رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي، وَتُبْ عَلَيَّ، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الْغَفُورُ
O Lord ! Forgive us, and accept our repentance, you are the Acceptor of repentance, and the Forgiver.
May Allah guide us, to repent with a sincere heart as soon as we err, or sin, and may Allah accept our repentance, bless us with forgiveness and all that comes with it.
والله أعلم
Wa Allahu 'Alam (And Allah is the All-Knowing)
