Repentance

‘Uqbah ibn ‘Āmir (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about the means of the believer's salvation in this world and the Hereafter. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: Adhere to three things: First: Hold back your tongue from whatever is devoid of goodness and from saying anything evil, and utter only what is good. Second: Abide in your house to worship Allah in seclusion, engage in obeying Allah Almighty, and retire in your house away from temptations. Third: Weep and regret the sins you have committed.

1. The Companions' keenness to know the means of salvation.
2. Clarifying the means of salvation in this world and the Hereafter.
3. Encouraging the act of being preoccupied with oneself when one is incapable of benefitting others or fears that he or his religion might be subject to harm if he mingles with people.
4. Indication of paying attention to one's house, especially at times of turmoil, as it is among the means of maintaining one's religion.

سنن الترمذي (4/ 208) (2406). مسند أحمد (28/ 654) (17452). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (3/ 15). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (2/ 1039). مرقاة المفاتيح، لعلي القاري (7/ 3039).

Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) recounts an incident about a man from the Companions of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) who was called Abu al-Yusr. This man kissed a woman unlawfully then regretted what he did, so he went to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and told him about it. Consequently Allah, the Exalted, revealed a verse that addressed his situation: {And establish prayer at the two ends of the day}, meaning perform the daytime prayers, which are Fajr, Zhuhr, and ‘Asr; {and at the approach of the night}, meaning perform as well the two evening prayers, which are Maghrib and ‘Ishā’; {Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds}, meaning that these five prayers are expiation for minor sins, such as the one that he had committed. So the man asked: "Is this for me only?", meaning if this expiation through prayer is specific to his case or applies to all people in general. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "This is for everybody of my Ummah, all of them" meaning that performing these five prayers is expiation for any Muslim who did something similar to what he had done. Abu al-Yusr himself narrated this story in detail. He said: "A woman came to me to buy some dates, so I told her that I had better quality dates at home. She came into the house with me and I approached her and kissed her. I later went to Abu Bakr and related this incident to him and his reply was for me to conceal my sin and ask Allah to forgive me without telling anyone. I was impatient so I went to ‘Umar and related it to him, and he told me to conceal my sin and ask Allah to forgive me without telling anyone. (Again) I was impatient so I went to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and I told him what I had done. He said: 'Is this how you look after the wife of a man who has set out in the cause of Allah?' "At that moment Abu al-Yusr wished that he had just embraced Islam (because acceptance of Islam eliminates all previous sins). He was utterly desperate and started to believe that he must be from the people of the Hellfire. He continues his account: "The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) then bowed his head down in silence for some time until Allah revealed to him the following verse: {And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approach of the night. Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds. That is a reminder for those who remember} [Sūrat Hūd: 114]. The Messenger of Allah recited it to me, so his Companions asked him: 'O Messenger of Allah, is it (this verse) for this man in particular or for all people in general?' He replied: 'For all people in general.'" [At-Tirmidhi; classified as Hasan by Al-Albāni] In another Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is not a Muslim who commits a sin, then he makes ablution and prays two Rak‘ahs, then asks Allah to forgive him for that sin, except that he will be forgiven." Then he recited these two verses: {And whoever does something wrong or wrongs himself but then seeks forgiveness of Allah will find Allah Forgiving and Merciful} [Sūrat An-Nisā’: 110], and: {And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allah? - and they do not persist in what they have done while they know} [Sūrat Āl-‘Imrān: 135] [Ahmad; classified as Sahīh by Ahmad Shākir]. These revelations are certainly an indication of Allah's vast mercy upon His servants by making the five daily prayers and the voluntary prayers expiation for their sins. Otherwise everyone would be doomed (because of their many sins).

- صحيح البخاري –الجامع الصحيح-؛ للإمام أبي عبد الله محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري، عناية محمد زهير الناصر، دار طوق النجاة، الطبعة الأولى، 1422هـ. - صحيح مسلم؛ للإمام مسلم بن الحجاج، حققه ورقمه محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار عالم الكتب، الرياض، الطبعة الأولى، 1417هـ. - دليل الفالحين لطرق رياض الصالحين؛ لمحمد بن علان الشافعي، تحقيق خليل مأمون شيحا، دار المعرفة، بيروت، الطبعة الرابعة، 1425ه. - بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين؛ تأليف سليم الهلالي، دار ابن الجوزي، الطبعة الأولى1418ه. - نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين؛ تأليف د. مصطفى الخِن وغيره، مؤسسة الرسالة، بيروت، الطبعة الرابعة عشرة، 1407هـ. - كنوز رياض الصالحين،لحمد بن ناصر العمار، دار كنوز إشبيليا، الطبعة الأولى، 1430ه. - شرح رياض الصالحين؛ للشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين، مدار الوطن، الرياض، 1426هـ. - منار القاري شرح مختصر صحيح البخاري تأليف حمزة محمد قاسم مكتبة دار البيان، دمشق، الجمهورية العربية السورية، مكتبة المؤيد، الطائف، المملكة العربية السعودية، 1410 هـ - 1990 م.

A man came and said: “O Messenger of Allah, I did something that entails the imposition of a legal punishment.” Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “He did not ask about it”, meaning: the sin that entailed the legal punishment, because, as believed by some, he already came to know through divine revelation about the sin committed by this man as well as that he was forgiven. “As the time of the prayer came, he offered the prayer along with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). The prayer here refers to one of the obligatory prayers or the ‘Asr prayer in particular. After finishing the prayer, the man got up and said: “O Messenger of Allah, I committed a sin liable to a legal punishment, so apply the Book of Allah to me”, meaning: the relevant divine ruling based on the Qur’an and the Sunnah. In other words, apply to me whatever is applicable in my case, be it a legal punishment or something else. Thereupon, the Prophet, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon, asked: “Have you not offered the prayer with us?” As the man replied in the affirmative, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Indeed, Allah has forgiven your sin – or pardoned your legal punishment.” The sub-narrator was doubtful about it. The legal punishment, here, may involve a discretionary penalty or something else, but it does not refer to such prescribed punishments as applicable in the cases of adultery and drinking alcohol, for example. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not ask the man about the specific sin he had committed, for he had learned about some excuse for him, and so he wanted to spare him the due punishment; and if he had asked him about it, he would necessarily have imposed the punishment on him, even if he had repented. Indeed, repentance does not cancel out the prescribed punishments, except in the case of highway robbery, based on the relevant verse, and the commission of adultery by a non-Muslim living in the Muslim land, should he embrace Islam. Anyway, the Hadīth does not explicitly mention that prayer expiated a major sin. Even if this was the case, it should be subject to allegorical interpretation given the previously cited consensus on the contrary.

- صحيح البخاري –الجامع الصحيح-؛ للإمام أبي عبد الله محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري، عناية محمد زهير الناصر، دار طوق النجاة، الطبعة الأولى، 1422هـ. - صحيح مسلم؛ للإمام مسلم بن الحجاج، حققه ورقمه محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار عالم الكتب-الرياض، الطبعة الأولى، 1417هـ. - كنوز رياض الصالحين، لحمد بن ناصر العمار، دار كنوز إشبيليا- الطبعة الأولى1430ه. - شرح رياض الصالحين؛ للشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين، مدار الوطن، الرياض، 1426هـ. - جامع العلوم والحكم في شرح خمسين حديثاً من جوامع الكلم عبد الرحمن بن بن رجب بن الحسن الحنبلي - تحقيق: الدكتور محمد الأحمدي أبو النور دار السلام للطباعة والنشر والتوزيع الطبعة: الثانية، 1424 هـ - 2004 م. - بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين؛ تأليف سليم الهلالي، دار ابن الجوزي- الطبعة الأولى1418ه. - نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين؛ تأليف د. مصطفى الخِن وغيره، مؤسسة الرسالة-بيروت، الطبعة الرابعة عشرة، 1407هـ.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said that among those nations that lived before there was a man who had killed ninety-nine people. He regretted what he had done and asked to be guided to the most knowledgeable of people to see if his repentance could be accepted. He found a worshiper, with little knowledge, who felt that the man’s sin was too serious to be forgiven, so told him: Your repentance is not going to be accepted. The man got angry and killed the monk. Then, he once again asked of the most knowledgeable of people. He found a scholar who assured him that no one could stand between him and repentance. Moreover, he advised him to travel to a certain village, where people were devoted to worshiping Allah, and to leave his own village, which apparently was a land of disbelief. The man listened to the scholar’s advice and started his journey to the of believers, when he was in the middle of the way, death approached him. Here, a dispute arose between the angels of mercy and the angels of punishment. Allah sent them another angel to settle that dispute. He suggested measuring the distance between the man and both villages and if he was found closer to the land of disbelief, then his soul should be taken by the angels of punishment. and if he was found closer to the land of faith, then the angels of mercy should take his soul. Finally, the man was found one span closer to the land of faith and thus his soul was taken by the angels of mercy.

-نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، نشر: مؤسسة الرسالة، الطبعة: الرابعة عشر، 1407هـ - 1987م. -شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين، نشر: دار الوطن للنشر، الرياض، الطبعة: 1426هـ. -كنوز رياض الصالحين، نشر: دار كنوز إشبيليا، الطبعة: الأولى، 1430هـ - 2009م. -بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، للهلالي، نشر: دار ابن الجوزي. -المعجم الوسيط، نشر: دار إحياء التراث العربي، بيروت – لبنان، الطبعة: الثانية. -صحيح البخاري، نشر: دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم ترقيم محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، الطبعة: الأولى، 1422هـ. -صحيح مسلم، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، نشر: دار إحياء التراث العربي – بيروت.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs us that Allah is extremely pleased with His slave's return to Him by obeying Him and fulfilling His commands, sincerely from his heart. His pleasure is more than the pleasure of a person who was in a desert with no one around him – no water, food, or people – and he lost his camel. He looked for it but failed to find it. So he went to lie under a tree awaiting death. He lost hope in finding his camel and lost hope in life, for his food and drink were on the back of his lost camel. Then suddenly, in this state of hopelessness, he finds his camel right in front of him, its reins attached to the same tree he slept beneath. What is comparable to such happiness? No one can truly relate to such joy except one who was in the same situation. Indeed, it is great joy; joy of life after death. For this reason he took hold of its reins and cried, "O Allah, You are my slave and I am Your Lord!" He wanted to praise Allah saying: "O Allah, You are my Lord and I am Your slave!" but due to his extreme joy, he confused his words.

-نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، نشر: مؤسسة الرسالة، الطبعة: الرابعة عشر، 1407هـ - 1987م. -دليل الفالحين لطرق رياض الصالحين، لابن علان، نشر دار الكتاب العربي. -شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين، نشر: دار الوطن للنشر، الرياض، الطبعة: 1426هـ. -كنوز رياض الصالحين، نشر: دار كنوز إشبيليا، الطبعة: الأولى، 1430ه 2009م. -تطريز رياض الصالحين، لفيصل الحريملي، نشر: دار العاصمة، الرياض، الطبعة: الأولى، 1423هـ. - 2002م. -بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، للهلالي، نشر: دار ابن الجوزي. -المعجم الوسيط، نشر: دار إحياء التراث العربي، بيروت – لبنان، الطبعة: الثانية. -صحيح البخاري، نشر: دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم ترقيم محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، الطبعة: الأولى، 1422هـ. -صحيح مسلم، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، نشر: دار إحياء التراث العربي – بيروت.

Allah, Blessed and Exalted, accepts the slave's repentance as long as his soul has not yet reached his throat. When it reaches the throat, no repentance is accepted because Allah, the Almighty, says (what means): {But repentance is not [accepted] of those who [continue to] do evil deeds up until, when death comes to one of them, he says: "Indeed, I have repented now."} [Sūrat An-Nisā': 18]

نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، نشر: مؤسسة الرسالة، الطبعة الرابعة عشر، 1407هـ - 1987م. شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين، نشر: دار الوطن للنشر، الرياض، الطبعة: 1426هـ. بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، للهلالي، نشر: دار ابن الجوزي. المعجم الوسيط، نشر: دار إحياء التراث العربي، بيروت – لبنان، الطبعة الثانية. مسند الإمام أحمد بن حنبل، تحقيق: شعيب الأرنؤوط - عادل مرشد، وآخرون، نشر: مؤسسة الرسالة، الطبعة الأولى، 1421هـ - 2001م. سنن الترمذي، نشر: شركة مكتبة ومطبعة مصطفى البابي الحلبي – مصر، الطبعة الثانية، 1395هـ - 1975م. سنن ابن ماجه، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، نشر: دار إحياء الكتب العربية، فيصل عيسى البابي الحلبي. صحيح الجامع الصغير وزياداته، للألباني، نشر: المكتب الإسلامي.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs that: Allah Almighty accepts repentance from His slaves. When the slave commits a sin during the day and repents at night, Allah accepts his repentance; and when he commits a sin during the night and repents at day, Allah accepts his repentance as well. Allah Almighty extends His Hand to repentance by way of joy and acceptance. The door of repentance will remain open until the sun rises from the west, indicating the end of the world. When this happens, the door of repentance will be shut.

1. The acceptance of repentance will continue as long as its door is open, and its door will be shut when the sun rises from the west, and as long as one repents before the death rattle, i.e., when the soul reaches the throat.
2. One's sin should not lead him to be desperate and hopeless because Allah's pardon and mercy are vast and the door of repentance is open.
3. Conditions of repentance: First: To abandon the sin. Second: To regret doing it. Third: To be determined not to return to it ever. This applies in case the sin has to do with the rights of Allah Almighty; however, if it is related to others' rights, then a condition of the validity of the repentance is to restore the right to its owner or the one to whom the right is due forgives him.

صحيح مسلم (4/ 2113) (2759). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (1/ 35). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (1/ 103). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (1/ 55).

This Hadīth informs us that Allah, the Almighty, accepts the repentance of His sinful servants as long as the sun has not yet risen from the west, because when this happens, it will mark the end of the time when repentance is accepted, and it is one of the major signs of the approach of the Hour.

-نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، نشر: مؤسسة الرسالة، الطبعة: الرابعة عشر، 1407هـ - 1987م. -شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين، نشر: دار الوطن للنشر، الرياض، الطبعة: 1426هـ. -المعجم الوسيط، نشر: دار إحياء التراث العربي، بيروت – لبنان، الطبعة: الثانية. -صحيح مسلم، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، نشر: دار إحياء التراث العربي – بيروت.