What is this mysterious illusion that prevents many Muslim women from
abiding by the teachings of Islam and repenting of all apparent and
hidden sins and fully adhering to the Sunnah )tradition( of the
Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam?
Dear sister, let us talk about this issue generally. What prevents
many people from repenting and following the path of the believers?
Those people find repentance burdensome and think that abiding by the
teachings of Islam is something difficult. All this is caused by the
devil and the soul that is a persistent enjoiner of evil.
When you advise some people to repent, they say that this is extremely
difficult for them. A smoker, for instance, says, "I have been smoking
for twenty years. I intend to repent and give up smoking, but how can
I do this after this poison has penetrated into my body to the extent
that I cannot give it up?" Another man says, "I have been gazing at
women since the first time I opened my eyes and started to see. How I
can repent?" A third man may say, "How can I give up lying and tale
bearing?" A fourth one might say, "All through my life, I have been
giving people an imaginary image of myself and I cannot destroy this
image now?"
In fact, those people know deep inside their hearts that they are
mistaken, but they object and say daringly, "Observant people have
made everything prohibited; cigarettes, intoxicants, music, and
recreational drugs… all these things are prohibited…what is left for
us?"
How can one have a dialogue with such people? How can you tell them
that the prohibited matters are few and they are prohibited by
Sharee'ah )Islamic legislation(, not by the observant people, while
the lawful matters cannot be counted.
Actually, we disregard the fact that we should live for Allaah The
Almighty and according to His rules.
Abiding by the teachings of Islam should not be something difficult
for us. For instance, we should not abstain from praying Fajr )Dawn
prayer( because we are used to sleeping until noon. Is it not a loss
that some people stay up all night and sleep all day? Allaah The
Almighty Says )what means(:
„X}And We made the night as clothing. And made the day for
livelihood{]Quran 78:10-11[
„X}What deity other than Allaah could bring you a night in which you
may rest? Then will you not see?"{]Quran 28:72[
Night is for rest and you have changed this rest to noise and music
and stayed up all night, so sleeping all day would not be sufficient
for you. Try to accustom yourself to sleeping early and waking up
early. The Mother of the Believers, 'Aa'ishah, may Allaah be pleased
with her, said, "I wonder how those who miss the Fajr Prayer get their
sustenance…?" This is because sustenance is distributed after Fajr
Prayer. You sleep and do not pray, but Allaah The Almighty grants you
your sustenance…Are not you ashamed of yourself? You disobey Allaah
The Almighty and He gives you a respite.
The question is:
How can we get rid of the feeling that it is difficult to repent and
abide by the teachings of Islam?
The answer is that you have to do the following:
• Avoid procrastination:
You should repent immediately and without hesitation. To repent, you
should not think before doing so and submit to Allaah The Almighty.
Some people, when you say to them, "Let's pray 'Asr )post-noon
prayer(!", they would say, "We will pray Istikhaarah )the prayer for
guidance( first." Why should they pray Istikhaarah?
You should repent now and without procrastination as repentance is an
obligation.
Are you still thinking whether or not you should repent?
If you are doing so, you would be like the one who seeks the people's
opinion regarding the Legislation of Allaah The Almighty, in order to
see whether it is true or not.
These are the ordinances of Allaah The Almighty and He has shown you
the two ways, either to obey or disobey Him. What would you do?
You should know that the first solution for getting rid of the feeling
that repentance and abidance by the Islamic teachings are difficult is
to rid yourself of procrastination immediately and to correct your
intention.
• Be truthful with Allaah The Almighty
If you are truthful with Allaah The Almighty, He will compensate you
with what is better than what you have abandoned. For example, the
woman who abandons intermixing with men for the sake of Allaah the
Almighty, will be granted sustenance from where she does not expect.
Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:
„X}And I did not create the Jinn and mankind except to worship Me. I
do not want from them any provision, nor do I want them to feed Me.
Indeed, it is Allaah who is the ]continual[ Provider, the firm
Possessor of strength.{]Quran 51:56-58[
„X}And in the heaven is your provision and whatever you are promised.
Then by the Lord of the heaven and earth, indeed, it is truth -- just
as ]sure as[ it is that you are speaking.{]Quran 51: 22-23[
„X}And there is no creature on earth but that upon Allaah is its
provision, and He knows its place of dwelling and place of storage.
All is in a clear register.{]Quran 11:6[
„X}And determined therein its ]creatures'[ sustenance{]Quran 41:10[
Are you afraid that Allaah The Almighty might leave you hungry?
Are you afraid that Allaah The Almighty might not grant you a husband?
Are you afraid that Allaah The Almighty might leave you insecure?
You should be truthful with Allaah The Almighty first of all. Be
truthful with Allaah The Almighty so that He fulfills your wishes.
Repent to Allaah The Almighty sincerely so that He drives all your
worries away. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And whoever fears
Allaah - He will make for him a way out.{]Quran 65: 2-3[
You should know that what Allaah The Almighty has cannot be obtained
except by obeying Him.
• Renouncing reliance on any power or strength )save those of Allaah
The Almighty(:
You should renounce reliance on any power or strength, seek the help
of Allaah The Almighty alone and have good expectations of Him. In
fact, anything that is difficult becomes easy by His Power. Thus, when
one seeks the help of Allaah, He would help him. People's hearts are
between two fingers of Allaah . He can change the hearts of people as
He likes. Allaah The Almighty can change your heart seemingly
overnight to the extent that you might hate all sins suddenly.
Renouncing reliance on any power or strength means leaving aside your
power and strength, your determination and drive, and seeking the help
of The King, The Omnipotent and The Subjugator.
Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}Said the eminent ones who were
arrogant among his people, "We will surely evict you, O Shu'ayb, and
those who have believed with you from our city, or you must return to
our religion." He said, "Even if we were unwilling?" We would have
invented against Allaah a lie if we returned to your religion after
Allaah had saved us from it. And it is not for us to return to it
except that Allaah, our Lord, should will. Our Lord has encompassed
all things in knowledge. Upon Allaah we have relied. Our Lord, decide
between us and our people in truth, and You are the best of those who
give decision."{]Quran 7:88-89[ Shu'ayb, may Allaah exalt his mention,
relied solely on Allaah The Almighty.
"Do whatever you want", Nooh )Noah(, may Allaah exalt his mention,
said in the Quran in the verse )what means(:}So resolve upon your plan
and ]call upon[ your associates. Then let not your plan be obscure to
you. Then carry it out upon me and do not give me respite.{]Quran
10:71[
Hood, may Allaah exalt his mention, said similar words in the verses
)what mean(:}So plot against me all together; then do not give me
respite. Indeed, I have relied upon Allaah, my Lord and your
Lord.{]Quran 11:55-56[
As we said previously, our forelocks and the forelocks of our enemies
are in the hands of Allaah The Almighty who does whatever He wants.
Thus, you should deny your power and strength and feel that Allaah The
Almighty is with you with His knowledge, power and strength as He Says
)what means(:
„X}He is with you wherever you are.{]Quran 57:4[
„X}And when My servants ask you, ]O Muhammad[, concerning Me - indeed
I am near.{]Quran 2:186[
The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:"Be mindful of Allaah
and He will preserve you, and if you are mindful of Allaah you will
find Him by your side."]At-Tirmithi: Hasan Saheeh[
In order to feel that Allaah The Almighty is with you, try to
contemplate and compare the following verses. Allaah The Almighty Says
)what means(:
„X}Have you seen if he is upon guidance. Or enjoins righteousness?
Have you seen if he denies and turns away -- does he not know that
Allaah sees?{]Quran 96:11-14[
„X}They said, "Our Lord, indeed we are afraid that he will hasten
]punishment[ against us or that he will transgress." ]Allaah[ Said,
"Fear not. Indeed, I Am with you both; I hear and I see."{]Quran
20:45-46[
When comparing the two verses, we realize that}Does he not know that
Allaah sees?{was mentioned as a threat for those who are disobedient.
This verse means that Allaah The Almighty will punish you if you do
not repent.
In the second group of verses, Allaah The Almighty Says )what
means(:}"Fear not. Indeed, I am with you both; I hear and I see."{This
indicates the help of Allaah, His guidance and blessing.
O Muslims, adhere to the teachings of Islam and do not say that it is
difficult to do so.
If you feel that repentance and adhering to the Sunnah of the Prophet,
sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, are burdensome, drive procrastination
away, be truthful with Allaah The Almighty and rely on Him and you
will find that easy and find it difficult to follow your own desires.
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