Introduction to A Practical guide of asking Forgiveness of Wrong Actions –Sins
Part 2 of section of Tawba - repentance
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Allahumma innaka Afuwun Tuhibbul Afwa Fa'afu Anna.
A loving pray of forgiveness, 'O Allah you are Forgiving and love forgiveness so forgive me'
Firstly a very brief summary recap from other articles about the Need for Tawba. Remember there are three conditions to Tawba repentance for its to be accepted .
1-we must stop that sin –as we have Four witnesses against us.
2-we must truly regret and have remorse - nadam
3-we must have a firm resolve never to repeat that sin again
4. (If it relates to the rights of another person, then to Return the rights or property one wrongly took. [Riyadh al-Salihin
Four witnesses are established against us when committing Sin .
a) The place we did the crime (i.e., scene of the crime/ sin). "On that day, the earth will reveal all its secrets." (99:4)
b) The organ or limb we used to commit the crime. "When their ears, their eyes, their skin will testify against them." (41:21) "That day we seal up mouths, and hands speak out and feet bear witness to all that they did." (36:65)
c) The Angels who record the deeds (Kiraman Katebeen). "The honoured writers know what you do." (82:11)
d) Allah's Records "We record that which they send before them, and their footprints, and all things we have kept in a clear register." (36:12)
With four such strong witnesses, how can we present ourselves to Allah? So He through His mercy removes all the witnesses against those whose repentance has been accepted, so that we present ourselves with a clean record. Tradition "When Allah accepts repentance and forgives His servant, then recording angels erase their records, organs lose their memories, and earth removes its stains of evidence so that when that person appears before Allah, there is no one to be a witness against him.
Understand that Sin is like bacteria in the way it silently and stealthily invades the body. At first you are entirely unaware of its presence. It feeds on and grows stronger because of our ignorance and negligence. The victim of the infection becomes aware of the disease much later when the first symptoms appear. He will then have to subject himself to the sometimes unpleasant treatment of a Doctor.
Know that the harm of sin to the heart is like the harm done by poison to the body according to the various degrees of damage done by each (finally a death). And nothing in this world nor the hereafter is evil or bad except that its cause is sin and transgression.
Effects of Sin attracts poverty, destroys the bounties given to us by Allah, good deeds become difficult if not altogether impossible to practice and sin removes the blessings (barakah). Continuous sin weakens the body and the heart, and shortness ones life, because like any diseases and or poison that goes into the body the effect is physical death of the body finally.
Thus Sins are poisonous, and injurious to your spiritual growth. So the need of a remedy is urgent before it's too late for the soul and heart, and what is this? You may have read that one needs to do Tawba-repentance, but now the question needs to be asked. What are the prescribed methods of Medicines for this Tawba in Islam? So once sins have stopped, regret and remorse have moved the heart the next stage is the cure. The cure is ibaadah-Worship and making repayment of missed obligations acts. For this is the means of seeking forgiveness.
Remember, asking for forgiveness is not just for our sins, but also for our needs as well. And I have said! Seek forgiveness from your Lord. Lo! He is oft-forgiving (if you ask for forgiveness). He will give you plenty of rain, He will give you wealth and sons, and assign you Heaven and Rivers in the Heaven. (Surah Nuh:10-12)
So after repenting and asking for forgiveness, we must mend our ways and not go back to heedlessness and sin and fall prey to the tactics of Satan (Iblis) again. While we expect Allah to be kind and merciful and forgive our major and minor sins, we are unforgiving towards our fellow human beings and this is a short coming on our part and lacks one in spiritual growth of the soul.
Feeling that one's sins are too great to be forgiven by Allah stems from a number of factors:
The absence of certain faith on the part of the slave in the vastness of Allah's mercy
A lack of faith in the ability of Allah to forgive all sins
Weakness in one aspect of the heart's action, namely hope
Failure to understand the effect of repentance in wiping out sins
O My slaves who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. And turn in repentance and in obedience with true faith to your Lord and submit to Him." [al-Zumar 39:53-54].
O son of Adam, if you were to come to Me with sins nearly the size of the earth, and you were to meet Me not associating anything with Me, then I would bring you forgiveness nearly the size of (the earth)in the case of bribery too, are exceptions. Where one is not able to escape the oppressions and injustice of an oppressor, but by giving a bribe, it will not be sinful to give a bribe in such circumstances, but it will always remain not permissible (haram) for one to accept a bribeIntroduction to A Practical guide of asking Forgiveness of Wrong Actions –Sins
A Practical guide of asking Forgiveness of Wrong Actions –Sins
Never Despair in the Mercy of Allah - Forgiveness: Islamic Perspective - Know Allah is Most forgiving