Ramadan Articles - The Month of Repentance- II

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How can Allaah The Exalted not call them to forgive them, while the
most honored, noblest and the most righteous among them, Muhammad,,
who wasforgiven his previous andfuture sins, repented to Allaah The
Almighty everysingle day. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:
·}Indeed, We have given you, ]O Muhammad[, a clear conquest. That
Allaah may forgive for you what preceded of your sin.{]Quran 48: 1-2[
·}And We removed from you your burden.{]Quran94: 2[
In spite of that, the Prophet,, used to say as reported
inSaheehMuslimon the authority of Al-Agharr ibn Yasaar:"O people,
repent to Allaah, for I repent to Allaah one hundred timesa
day."]Muslim[
Is it not our right upon ourselves to hasten to draw near to Allaah
The Almighty in this blessed month in which one is in a dire need of
the generosity of Allaah The Almighty? Part of His generosity is that
He The Exalted rejoices at the repentance of the sinnersand loves the
return of the one who transgressed against or rejected His commands.
Allaah The Almighty Says)what means(:}Indeed, Allaah loves those who
are constantly repentant and loves those who purify
themselves."{]Quran 2: 222[
The Prophet,, also said:
"Allaah rejoices more at the repentance of His slave than any one of
you, whose camel runs away from him in a desolate land carrying his
food and drink, and he despairs of finding it, so he goes to a tree
and lies down in its shade, having despaired of finding his camel.
Then while he is like that, it suddenly it appears in front of him and
he takeshold of its reins and says, because of his intense joy, 'O
Allaah, You are my slave and I am Your lord,' making this mistake
because of the intensity of his joy."]Muslim[
Here we have to ask ourselves about the validity of our repentance:
does Allaah The Almighty accept it?
There are signs for the validity of repentance. They are mentioned
inMadaarij As-Saalikeenas follows:
There are certain signs ofsound accepted repentance:
1-One should be better after repentance than before it.
2-Fear should accompany the repentant person for he does not feel
secure fromthe plan of Allaah The Almighty for the twinkling of an
eye. His fear should persist until one hears the saying of the
Messenger )angel( who is commissioned to take his soul:}"Do not fear
and do not grieve but receive good tidings of Paradise, which you were
promised.{]Quran 41: 30[ Only then will his fear vanish.
3-His heart stops and trembles with regret and fear. This is according
to the greatness or insignificance of the sin. This is the
interpretation of Ibn 'Uyaynahof the Saying of Allaah The Almighty
)which means(:}Their building which they built will not cease to be a
]cause of[ skepticism in their heartsuntil their hearts are
stopped.{]Quran 9: 110[ He said,"They are stopped by repentance."There
is no doubt that intense fear of the great punishment in the Hereafter
fills the heart with regret and worry. This is the meaning of
'stopping' it. This is the reality of repentance, for his heart is
filled with regret for what he has neglected and fear for his bad end
and punishment. Thus, whoever does not have his heart stopped in the
worldly life out of regret and fear for what he has neglected, it will
be stopped in the Hereafter when the facts are revealed and he
witnesses the reward of the obedient and the punishment of the
disobedient.
4-The other signs of validrepentance include a special unprecedented
anguish that leaves one heartbroken. It can only be felt by a sinner.
It cannot happen due to hunger or pure love, but it is something
completely different thanthat. It breaks the heart completely before
the Lord, humbles it and makes it submissive before Him. All these
conditions are very beneficial and fruitful to him. They are a great
cure for him and will bring him closer to His Master. Nothing is
dearerto his Master than such submission, humility and yielding to his
Master.