ISLAM: Fasting & Repentance in Ramadan...

Fasting & Repentance in Ramadan
Compiled by: Ali-ziad Natcher Alam Sali





By Ibraheem ibn Hamad al-Mansoor

This blessed month of Ramadan is the month of repentance, forgiveness and
ransom from the Fire, the month of goodness and blessing, the month of
generosity and kindness.

The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam – peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) said: “When the first night of Ramadan comes, the devils and demons
are chained up, and the gates of Hell are closed and not one gate of it is
opened. The gates of Paradise are opened and not one gate of it is closed.
And a caller calls out: “O seeker of good, come to Allah; O seeker of evil,
desist.” Allah will have ransomed some people from the Fire, and that happens
every night.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Maajah with a hasan isnaad).

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah (radhiallahu anhu – may Allah be pleased
with him) that the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said, “Ameen,
ameen, ameen.” It was said, “Messenger of Allah, you climbed up on the minbar
and said, “Ameen, ameen, ameen.” He said, “Jibreel (peace be upon him), came
to me and said, “Whoever witnesses the month of Ramadan and is not forgiven
so he enters Hell, may Allah cast him away. Say Ameen.” So I said Ameen.””
(This hadith was narrated by Ahmad and is saheeh).

Yes! Ramadan is here, so turn to your Lord Whom you have disobeyed,
beseeching Him and fearing Him, regretting and weeping, and say, “O God of
the Universe, I am returning (to You).”

“O Giver of all good things, give me guidance,

For there is no good without guidance.

Overlook my mistakes with forgiveness, kindness and mercy,

For no one else can bestow forgiveness.” [Arabic poetry]

My brother, if you are not forgiven, if your eyes do not shed tears and your
heart does not break before your Lord in this month, then when?

My brother, why do you not shed tears for fear of your Lord even once? Do you
not feel that your heart is close to your Lord during this month? Do you not
think that this is an opportunity for you to draw closer to your Lord and
increase in humility, repentance and submission, so that it may be the true
beginning of your returning to your Lord so that you may be more closely
connected with Allah?

“While as for those
who accept guidance, He increases their guidance and bestows on them their
piety” [Muhammad 47:17]

O man!

Allah rebukes us and tells us (interpretation of the meaning):

“O man! What has made
you careless about your Lord, the Most Generous?”
[al-Infitaar 82:6]

Indeed, O man, what has made you careless about your Lord, so that you have
become so audacious in disobeying Him and transgressing His limits? Is it
because you are ignoring His blessings? Or because you forget that He is
always watching over you, and that He is almighty?

“I am the one who closes the doors, striving in sin (in secret),

Although the eye of Allah is watching me.

How patient Allah is with me, when He lets me off

Although I persist in my sin, and He covers me.” [Arabic poetry]

My brother! Do not look at how small your sin is, but look at how great is
the One Whom you are disobeying.

My brother! Do not let Allah be the one whom you care the least about of all
those who are watching you.

Good news for you

Here I bring you good news from your Lord and His Messenger (sallallaahu
‘alaihi wa sallam). Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say: “O ‘Ibaadi (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” [al-Zumar
39:53]

“And those who invoke
not any other ilaah (god) along with Allah, nor kill such person as Allah has
forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and
whoever does this shall receive the punishment.

The torment will be
doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in
disgrace;

Except those who
repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for
those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allah is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-Furqaan 25:68-70]

This is a great blessing and a great deal, for Allah will change your sins
into good deeds! Allah is Most Great. No one misses out on such a great deal
except one who is ignorant or who does not care about this blessing.

So repent! my dear brother, if you want this great deal, Allah will change
their sins into good deeds.

And listen to what your beloved Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said
to encourage people to repent:

“Allah is more delighted with the repentance of His slave than one of you who
suddenly finds his camel laden with supplies after losing it in a barren
land.” (Agreed upon)

And the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “Allah says: “O son of
Adam, so long as you call upon Me and put your hope in Me, I will forgive you
no matter what you have done, and I do not mind. O son of Adam, if your sins
were to reach up to the clouds of the sky, then you were to ask Me for
forgiveness, I will forgive you and I do not mind.”

And he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “Allah says, “O My slaves, you
commit sins by night and by day, but I forgive all sins. So ask Me for
forgiveness and I will forgive you.”

And he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “Allah stretches forth His hand
by night to accept the repentance of those who sinned during the day, and He
stretches forth His hand by day to accept the repentance of those who sinned
during the night. (This will continue) until the sun rises from the west.”

The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) saw a woman looking
for her young son among the prisoners of war. When she found him, she
embraced him and gave him her breast. The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam) said, “Do you think that she could throw her child into the fire?”
They said, “No.” He said, “Allah is more merciful towards His slaves than
this woman is towards her child.”

Allah is Most Great! After knowing of this generosity, can we ignore the
matter of repentance? Can we delay repenting? O Allah, glory be to You, how
merciful You are. Glory be to You, how kind You are. Glory be to You, how
generous You are.

“When my heart grew hard and I did not know where to turn,

I made the hope of Your forgiveness my way out.

I thought that my sin was so great, but when I compared it

To Your forgiveness, my Lord, Your forgiveness was greater.

You never cease to forgive sin, and You never cease

To be generous, out of Your bounty and kindness.” [Arabic poetry]

What is keeping you from repenting and following the path of righteousness? I
can imagine you saying, “My family, community and friends. I am afraid of
repenting then going back to my sin. My sins are so many, how can I be
forgiven? I am worried about my family and my wealth.” I say to you: Do you
think that you will say that to your Lord on the Day when you meet Him? No,
by Allah! These are imaginary obstacles which can only be overcome by one who
fears his Lord.

“If the soul had great ambitions,

The body would be exhausted by trying to fulfil the desires of the soul.”
[Arabic poetry]

Be proud of your religion, and sincerely resolve to do good and to continue
doing so, putting your trust in Allah. And remember the mercy of your Lord
and the vast extent of His forgiveness.

My brother, if the Angel of Death were to come to you at this moment, would
you be content to meet your Lord in this state? My brother, please do not run
away from yourself or try to avoid checking on yourself. If you do not check
on yourself today, then in your grave you will regret it, at the time when
regret will be of no avail.

Know that repentance is not limited only to this month it may take place
during this or any other month. But why should your new beginning not take
place in the month of goodness and blessing? A man may be born twice, on the
day when he emerges from the darkness of his mother’s womb into the light of
this world, and on the day when he emerges from the darkness of sin into the
light of obedience. So be like this.

I advise you, my friend, to catch up with good people who will benefit you
even after you die by Allah’s Leave by making du’aa for you. Catch up with
them and keep company with them wherever they come and go; be patient with
them until you meet your Lord, then it may be said to you and to them:

“Salaamun ‘Alaykum (peace be upon you) for you persevered in patience!

Excellent indeed is the final home!” [al-Ra’ad 13:24 interpretation of the
meaning]

My brother, beware lest you become one of those of whom Allah says
(interpretation of the meaning):

“And (remember) the
Day when the Dhaalim (wrongdoer, oppressor, polytheist) will bite at his
hands, he will say: ‘Oh! Would that I had taken a path with the Messenger’”
(Muhammad).

“Ah! Woe to me! Would
that I had never taken so and so as a Khaleel (an intimate friend)! He
indeed led me astray from the Reminder (this Qur’an) after it had come to
me.”And Shaytaan (Satan) is to man ever a deserter in the hour of need”
[al-Furqaan 25:27-29]

My dear brother, before the door is closed, decide from now, and do not
delay, the path that you want to follow, which will be your path in this
world and in the Hereafter.

What great joy and happiness is to be found when a person comes back to his
Lord, regretting (his sin) and joining the caravan of the righteous. By Allah
it is joy which no one tastes except those who experience this.

My brother in Allah, if you have resolved to repent and turn back to your
Lord, then know that there are conditions which must be met when repenting:

1- Regret for what is past.

2- Giving up the sin.

3- Resolving not to go back to it. But if you do it again, then repent to
Allah again but your resolve must be genuine.

4- The repentance must come before the death-rattle reaches the throat and
before the sun rises in the west.

Truly yours,
Ali-ziad Natcher Alam Sali
( aznas0429@yahoo.com )