Understanding the Concept of Tawbah in Islam (Repentance)

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All thanks and praise are due to Allah and peace and blessings be upon
His Messenger.
Dear questioner! Thanks a lot for the apparent interest you show in
understanding the teachings of Islam that enlightens the hearts and
the minds of people.
Brother! Tawbah is an Arabic words derived from the origin " Taaba"
i.e. returned back. Tawbah thus means turning back in repentance. It
means showing regret for the error and the sin one has got himself
involved in.
To have a clear view of the concept of Tawbah and what it does mean,
read the following:
Repentance ( Tawbah ) means that one feels regret and filled with
remorse for his or her sins, turns to Allah with the intention to obey
Him. According to truth-seeking scholars, repentance signifies a
sincere effort to no longer oppose the Divine Essence in one's
feelings, thoughts, intentions, and acts, and to comply sincerely with
His commands and prohibitions. Repentance does not mean being
disgusted with what is bad or prohibited and thus no longer engaging
in it; rather, it means remaining aloof from whatever Allah hates and
prohibits, even if it seems agreeable to sense and reason.
Repentance is usually used with Nasuh , literally meaning pure,
sincere, reforming, improving, and repairing. Tawbah Nasuh (genuine
repentance) means a pure, sincere repentance that perfectly reforms
and improves the one who feels it. One who feels such a sincere,
heartfelt, and true remorse for thesin committed seeks to abandon it,
thereby setting a good example for others. The Quran points to this
when it mentions true repentance: " O you who believe! Turn to God in
true, sincere repentance."� (At-Tahrim: 8).
There are three categories of repentance:
1-The repentance of those who cannot discern Divine truths. Such
people are uneasy about their disobedience to Allah and, conscious of
the sinfulness clouding their hearts, turn toward Allahin repentance
saying, forexample: "I have fallen or committed a sin. Forgive me, or
I ask for Allah's forgiveness."�
2-Those half-awakened to Divine truths beyond veils of material
existence, who feel an inward pang of sinfulness and remorse right
after thinking or doing anything incompatible with the consciousness
of always being in Allah's presence, or after every instance of
heedlessness enveloping their hearts, and who immediately take refuge
in the mercyand favor of Allah. Such people are described in the
following Hadith:. "One who sincerely repents of his sin is as if he
had never committed it. When Allah loves one of His servants, his sins
do not harm him. Then he recited the verse: aAssuredly, Allah loves
the oft-repentant and those who always seek to purify themselves.'"�
3-Those who live such a careful life that, their eyes sleep but their
hearts do not, their hearts are awake. Such people immediately discard
what-ever intervenes between Allah and their hearts and other
innermost faculties, and regain the consciousness of their relation to
the Light of Lights. They always manifest the meaning of:. "How
excellent a servant! Truly he was ever turning in contrition (to his
Lord)"� (Sad:44).
Repentance means regaining one's essentialpurity after every spiritual
defilement, andengaging in frequent self-renewal.
The Stages of Repentance:
1-Feeling sincere remorse and regret.
2-Being frightened whenever one remembers past sins.
3-Trying to eradicate injustice and support justice and right.
4-Reviewing one's responsibilities and performing obligations
previously neglected.
5-Reforming oneself by removing spiritual defects caused by deviation and error
6-Regretting and lamenting the times when one did not mention or
remember Allah, or thank Him and reflect on His works. Such people are
always apprehensive and alert so that their thoughts and feelings are
not tainted by things that intervene between themselves and Allah.
(This last quality is particular to people distinguished by their
nearness to Allah.)
If one does not feel remorse, regret, and disgust for errors
committed, whether great or small; if one is not fearful or
apprehensive of falling back into sin at any time;and if one does not
take shelter in sincere servanthood to Allah in order to be freed from
deviation and error into which one has fallen by moving away from God,
any resulting repentancewill be no more than a lie.
A Muslim should cry:
I'm sorry for the mistakes I make.
And, I know of none thatcan be retrieved.
They're like the water over a dam.
To flow back, it cannot be achieved.
There are things I wish I had never said.
Now, I wish that I had bit my tongue instead.
To make another feel that pain,
For those thoughtless words, I am disdain.
Repentance is an oath ofvirtue, and holding steadfastly to it requires
strong willpower. The lord of the penitents, peace and blessings be
upon him, says that one who repents sincerely and holds steadfastly to
it is has achieved the rank of a martyr, while the repentance of those
who cannot free themselves from their sins and deviations, although
they repent repeatedly, mocks the door toward which the truly
repentant ones turn in utmost sincerity and resolution.
One who continues to sin after proclaiming a fear of Hell, who does
not engage in righteous deeds despite self-proclaimed desires for
Paradise, and who is indifferent to the Prophet's way and practices
despite assertions of love for theProphet, peace and blessings be upon
him, cannot be taken seriously. This is also the case with one who
claims to be sincere and pure-hearted, but spends his or her life
oscillating between sin and repentance.
An initiate's first station is repentance, while the second is. Inabah
(sincere penitence). While repentance requires the training of
feelings, thoughts, and acts in order to move them from opposition
toacceptance and obedience, sincere penitence demands a critique of
the authenticity, sincerity, and sufficiency of that acceptance and
obedience. Repentance is a progressing or journeying toward
Allah""that is, seeking to do what is pleasing to Allah and refraining
from what is forbidden by Him. Sincere penitence is striving to live
an upright life so that one may seek Allah'spleasure in all actions
and thoughts."�
Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: www.thewayrtotruth.org
In conclusion, we would like to cite for you the following lines of
verse by Imam Ash-Shafi`i, mayAllah be pleased with him:
"To You, the Creator, I raise my longing,
Though I am a sinner and a wrongdoer.
When it becomes black before my eyes,
I seek refuge in You and place my trust and hope.
When the heaps of my sins are compared to Your Grace.
Your Grace is greater and covers all the globe. "�

Earliest Return for Silah Rehmi - Categories: Hadith

The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: "Of all
good deeds, the earliest returnone gets is on Silah Rehmi (caring for
relatives); to the point that even if the members of a bad and
disobedientfamily (rebellious to Allah) practice Silah Rehmi their
wealth is increased. A person who practices Silah Rehmi never has any
member ofhis clan become dependent." [Saheeh Ibn Hibban]
Some people think that Silah Rehmi (taking care of relatives) can only
be done with money. This is a defective understanding. Silah Rehmi is
the effort one undertakes to bring any good and to prevent anything
bad from reaching your near and distant relatives.
Silah Rehmi is rewarded even if done by a Kaafir or Munaafiq. Of
course, their reward is limited to returns in this world only, for
they have no share in the Hereafter.!-
Tags: islam , religion

Shaykh Zahir Mahmood

Shaykh Zahir Mahmood , the erudite scholar was born in England and has
gained licenses to teach (ijaazas) in many Islamic sciences including
Qur'an, Jurisprudence (Fiqh) and Traditions (Hadith) of The Prophet
(SAW) from various Shyukh.
Following the completionof his secular studies at the age of 16,
Shaykh Zahir Mahmood enrolled at Dar al-Uloom al-Arabiyya
al-Islamiyya, Bury (a satellite college to al- Azhar University),
where he initiated his studies of the Alimiya course. Thereafter, he
studied 3 years in the presitigious seat of learning al-Jamia
al-Islamiyya Karachi, Pakistan.
Shaykh Zahir Mahmood went on to complete his Alimiya course at the
pioneering Dar al-Uloom Newcastle, South Africa which has since been
used as a template for other seats of learning inthe region. Here, the
Shaykh studies included a detailed analysis of Sahih al-Bukhari with
therenowned scholar Shaykh Qasim Seema.
Returning back to the UK,he gained a BA in AppliedTheological Studies
from the University of Birmingham and taught the Alimiya course at
Madina al-Uloom Kidderminster for a subsequent 2 years. He also
translated to English part of the classical Hanafi text on Fiqh,
al-Shurunbulali's Nur al-Idah .
For the past four years Shaykh Zahir Mahmood has been an khateeb
(preacher) at one of Birmingham's largest mosques, Jame Masjid . From
this base, he has taught many workshops including Arabic at various
levels and Seerah (the Life of The Prophet Muhammad, Peace Be Upon
Him). He has endeavoured to reach out to the local youth as well as
spanning the country to deliver the message of Islam in the English
language.
In 2004, he committed himself to delivering a weekly study circle
(dars)from Birmingham Jame Masjid covering many Islamic aspects
ranging from the detailed study of the lives of the Prophets (AS), the
Companions (RA), the LastMessenger of Allah (SWT) Muhammad (SAW) and
most recently Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh)…etc. In this same year, he
founded the as-Suffa Institute of Learning in Birmingham where he is
one of the resident scholars.
source: http://www.as-suffa.org/
Some of the talks given by Shaykh Zahir Mahmood can be heard on Darul
Islam website. May Allah swt give good health and long life to Shaykh
Zahir Mahmood in order that the ummah continue to benefit from his
lessons and knowledge. Ameen.

Sultan Mahmood Ghaznawi and the Thieves

One night Sultan Mahmood Ghaznawi went walking among his subjects
after taking off his royal clothes and putting on ordinary clothes. He
chanced to come upon a group of thieves who were consulting amongst
themselves. On seeing him they asked: "Who are you?"
The King (Sultan) replied:"I am also one like yourselves." They
understood that to mean that he was also a thief like themselves and
allowed him to join their company. They then continued the
conversation amongst themselves and it was decided that each one of
them should explain what speciality or skill hepossesses so that at
the time of need a task couldbe put before him to show that special
skill.
One of the thieves said: " Friends , I have a special gift in my ears,
that whenever a dog barks, I fully understand what hesays."
The second one said: "I have a special gift in my eyes, that whatever
I see in the darkness of night, Iam able to recognize it inthe light
of day."
The third one said: "I have this speciality in my arms that through
the strength that lies in my arms, I can make a hole in the strongest
wall, to enter a house."
The fourth one said: "I have this special gift in my nose that by
smelling the sand on the ground I am able to ascertain whether there
is any treasure buried underneath it or not. It isjust like in the
case of Majnoon, who without being told, merely by smelling the
ground, got to know where Layla wasburied."
The fifth one said: "I havesuch strength in my hands that no matter
how high a building is, I can climb along its wall with my rope ladder
and easily enter the building in this manner."
Thereafter they all asked the King: "O man, what special gift do you
possess which we can make use of in our thieving activities?"
The King replied: "I have this speciality in my beard that when
criminals are handed over to their executioner,I merely shake my beard
and such criminals are immediately set free." (Inother words, if as a
showof mercy I shake my beard, the criminals found guilty of murder,
are set free).
On hearing this the thieves said: "O dear Qutub, on the day of
difficulty, you will be our one means of salvation." (In other words,
if we arearrested, then through you blessings we will be saved. Now we
do not have to fear, because therest of us had the special gift which
would help us in our thieving exploits, but none of us had the means
of granting safety from punishment. This speciality lies only with
you. Now we need not have any fear of punishment. Now we canget on
with our work).
They all went in the direction of the palace ofShah Mahmood with the
King in their midst. Alongthe way a dog barked and the one who
understood the dog's language translated: "The King is also in you
midst." Although they heard it, no one paid anyattention to this
information, as their greed was uppermost in their minds. One of them
smelled the ground and explained that this is the Royal Palace . There
is a treasure in this place. Theother one threw a rope ladder against
the wall. The other one made a hole in the wall and they all entered
to burgle. Afterwards they divided the loot amongst themselves and
hastily each one of them went to hide his share of the spoils.
The King noted each one's description and found out where each of them
resided. He left them and secretly re-entered the Royal Palace . The
following day the King related the entire story to his courtiers and
thereafter sent the policemen to arrest them and to inform them of
their death sentence.
When they were broughtbefore the Court with hands bound together, they
were all trembling in fear before the King's throne. However, the
thief who had this special gift of recognizing anybody during the day
whom he had seen during the darkness, was quite at ease. In him
together with the signs of fear there were also sights of hope. In
other words, although he was struck by awe while standing before the
King and although fearing the King's wrath and revenge, he also had
the hope, that the King would be true to his word, that when in mercy
he shakes his beard, criminals will be set free. Furthermore he also
had the hope of setting free al his companions because the King will
surely not turn away from all those whom he knew and recognized.
This person's face was changing from yellow to red, as within himself
thefeelings of fear and hopealternated. The Sultan Mahmood in Kingly
dignity passed judgment that they all should be handed over to the
Executioner to be hung on the gallows. As the King himself was witness
to their crime, there was no need for any other witnesses.
As soon as the King announced his judgement, this person appealed in
great humility: "Sire, with you permission, may I say something?" The
King permitted him to speak and he said: "O Master, each one of us had
exhibited his special gift which helped in this crime. Now it is time
that the Kingly speciality should be exhibited according to the
promise. I have all the while recognized you. Remember you had
promised that in you beard there is this speciality, that if you cause
it to move in mercy, the criminal will be saved from punishment.
Hence, O King, shake you beard, sothat through the blessings of your
grace, all of us can be saved from the punishment of our crimes. Our
specialities have broughtus to the gallows. Now it is only you special
gift that is left which can save us from being punished of our crimes.
Our specialities have brought us to the gallows. Now it is only you
special gift that is left which can save us from being punished. Now
is the time for the exhibition of your speciality. Kindly shake your
beard. Because of fear our lives have reached right up to our mouths.
Please save us with the special gift that lies in your beard."
Sultan Mahmood smiled at the plea and became filled with mercy and
grace as he heard their pitiful admission of guilt. He said: "Each one
of you have exhibited his special quality to such an extent that it
has brought you to the brim of destruction, except in the case of this
one. He recognized me as the Sultan. He saw me in the darkness of the
night and recognized me as the Sultan. Hence for his having recognized
me, I set all of you free. I feel ashamed at those eyes which
recognized me notto shake my beard and thereby exhibit my special
quality."
Lessons
The first lesson containedis this story is that while a person is
committing a crime the true King of Kings is with him, and is fully
aware of all that he does. "And He is with youwherever you are." When
a person commits any disobedience to Allahhe is actually committing
treachery against Him. Anyone who fails in his duty to Allah or in the
rights which are due to me, is like a thief committing the theft of
Allah's treasures. For this reason, one should always bear in mind
that the Master is the witness, seeing us at all times, andis aware of
all that we do. If we commit any disobedience or iniquity, it means
that in His very presence His treasury is being looted and robbed.
Think for a moment! Whom are you robbing? That King and Master
tellsyou: "I am seeing what you do. I am with you. Mylaws have been
revealed to you. Today your breaking that law. Today,in this world I
will hide your fault, hoping that perhaps you will come upon the right
road. But if you do not come to your senses, then tomorrow on the day
of Qiyamat when you will be brought before Me, with hands bound
together, then who will be able to save you from My anger and
revenge?"
The second lesson from this story is that Allah willpunish sinners in
the hereafter although He may initially overlook them in this world.
We see that at the time the thieves were looting the Royal treasury,
the Sultanwitnessed the entire incident. He was with them and allowed
them to proceed without being punished. However in the end, he had
them arrested. If, at all times, this thought is uppermost in our
minds that Allah sees all our deeds then there will surely be fear in
the heart against committingsins.
The third lesson from thisstory is this that on the day of Qiyamat no
specialquality will be of any benefit. All those deeds which
contravene the laws of Allah will on the day of Qiyamat be boundaround
man's neck even though, in this world, they were considered as being
special qualities. The thieves mentioned those special gifts and
qualities as if the were qualities of virtue, but in reality those
very qualities were the cause of their destruction:
"Each one of them exhibited their special quality,
But all their qualities onlycaused their misfortune to increase."
Any special quality whichdoes not bring a person nearer to his
Creator, andwhich does not connect the heart to Allah, and which is
not a medium towards the remembrance of Allah is no quality of virtue.
In fact it is a cure and a misfortune. All the powers and attributes
of man which are used in rebellion against Allah and towards
disobedience and negligence, will one day cause him to be brought
before Allah as a criminal. All those nationswho have made great
progress and through scientific inventions havemade this world
subservient to them, but turn away from Allah, passing their lives in
disobedience, will realizeon the day of Qiyamat, whether the
speciality of scientific progress had been the cause of receiving
Allah's grace or His anger.
"Blessed be to you the subjugation of the sun and moon,
But if there is no light in the heart there is no lightanywhere."
The fourth lesson from this story is that no special quality will be
of benefit except that which leads towards recognizing Allah, just
like the person who having seen the Sultan, recognized him and through
this special quality, he not only savedhimself but was also able to
intercede on behalf of this companions. As for his other companions,
their special quality became a means towardsearning Allah's
punishment.
"Only the sight of the fortunate one was of any use
Who recognized the Sultan during darkness of night."
The lesson derived is thatthis world is like a place of darkness. In
the darkness of this world, every servant of Allah who follows the
Divine Laws of Shariat and through its blessings recognizes Allah,
will be provided with salvation against the punishment on hell-fire,
on the day ofQiyamat. This recognitionwill also be a means towards
intercession on behalf of other criminals,from among the sinners of
the people of faith. However, there should not be any pride and over
confidence in this recognition. In fact, one should alternate between
fear and hope and in utmost humility beg for this intercession. Then
Allah will accept this intercession from whomever He wishes according
to His Mercy . For those whom He will not accept this intercession, He
will in perfect justice exhibit Hisoverwhelming vengeance. Hence,
fortunate indeed is the person who, in the world, created within
himself the knowledge ofrecognizing Allah. The Aarifeen (True knowers
of Allah) who through their spiritual efforts andexercises recognize
Allah with their souls, will tomorrow on the day of Qiyamat see Allah
and attain salvation. Furthermore their intercession on behalf of
other sinners will also be accepted. But the disbelievers and
criminals will through their special qualities be admitted into
hell-fire. On that day these poor starving ones with pale faces,
patched coarse clothing, who today are being ridiculed and jeered at,
will feast their eyes upon the countenance of Allah. On that day, the
criminals will envy them:
"Would that we had livedlike them in the world and acquired their qualities.
Would that we had recognized Allah properly!"
The fifth lesson is this that the story also illustrates the high
position these righteous and saintly ones have as far as their
humanity is concerned. What a pity that nations and people, just like
those thieves, spend their short span of worldly lives looking upon
means of delight and comfort as special gift and accomplishment,and
look upon material progress as being actual progress. Whereas on
theother hand, they have adopted uncouth habits like urinating while
standing and cleansing themselves with paper after defecating. They
also consider it normal totake a bath sitting in a tub and allow the
water, which had become dirtied through being in contact with the anus
to be drawn into their mouth and nose. They consider those actions as
the norms of society. Can such people ever be considered to be
cultured and people of progress? What a pity it is that the beloved
cultural ways of Muslims should be cast aside and that such despicable
ways of these people should be adopted.