I want to know what is kaffarh is Islam
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Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
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AS
Salam Alaikum,
Dear
Brother,
I want
to know what is kaffarh is Islam, once I ask an Aalim for forgiveness of my sin
he said I have to do Taubah and explain in detail my Sins so that he can tell
me how much Kaffarah I should pay, I am confuse regarding Kaffarh?
Ahz
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Answer:
What is kaffarah
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask
for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever
He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that
there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Your Question: I
want to know what is kaffarh is Islam
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 8 Surah
Anfaal verse 29:
29 O ye who believe! If ye fear Allah He will grant you a criterion (to
judge between right and wrong), ‘yo-kaffir’ (remove, blot) from you
evil, and forgive you: for Allah is the Lord of Grace Unbounded.
The literal meaning of the Arabic term ‘Kafarah’ means to
remove, or blot out, or wipe out something.
When the term ‘Kaffarah’ is used in Fiqh or Islamic Jurisprudence it
would mean an act of prescribed atonement or penitence one has to do for making
an error or mistake one has made, which will wipe out or blot out that evil in
the Sight of Allah Subhanah. In effect,
the ‘kaffarah’ is but a manifestation of one’s sincere ‘taubah’ and repentance
for their transgression of a specific mistake.
Your Question: once
I ask an Aalim for forgiveness of my sin he said I have to do Taubah
If one seeks the general forgiveness of one’s past sins or
mis-deeds, one need not go to an ‘aalaim’ or anyone in creation….one simply
needs to turn back to their Lord Most Gracious in ‘taubah’ and in absolute
humility, and fear, in hope and in awe beseech and implore their Lord Most
Gracious to forgive them their sins….it is expected that they will find their
Lord Forgiving and Merciful.
This door of ‘Taubah’ or turning back to Allah Subhanah in
sincere repentance is open for each and every individual only until one meets
with their appointment of death; after which this door is shut.
Whatever deeds one might have done, if one turns to Allah Subhanah in sincere
Taubah and seeks forgiveness, Allah
Subhanah has promised in the Holy Quran that He will forgive all the sins of
such a believer, even if one has
committed the gravest sin of all: ‘Shirk’!
Not only that, our Lord is so
Merciful and Generous, that He not only
will forgive the sins of the believer,
He will change his evil deeds done into good deeds!
The conditions or ways to seek sincere Taubah or
Repentance from the Merciful Lord are:
- One
is aware that he has sinned, and
feels sorry and ashamed at his sin.
- Makes
a solemn covenant and promise with Allah that he will not repeat his sin
again.
- Turns
to Allah and seeks forgiveness,
before he has met with his appointment of death.
- Is
a believer and does righteous good deeds thereafter.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah
Zumur verses 53-54:
(O Prophet) say: “O My servants who have wronged
their own souls….Do not despair of Allah’s Mercy! Surely,
Allah forgives all sins. He
indeed is the All Forgiving, All
Merciful. Return to your Lord and
submit to Him before the scourge overtakes you;
for then you may get no help from anywhere.”
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale
Imraan verse 135-136:
Allah likes such good people very much,
who, if ever they commit a base deed or
wrong their own soul by the commission of a sin, remember Allah instantly, and ask for forgiveness from Him for their
shortcomings. For who, but Allah,
can forgive sins? (And Allah
loves those) who do not knowingly persist in the wrongs they did. These will be rewarded with forgiveness from
Allah, and with Gardens beneath which
canals flow, and they will reside
therein forever! How excellent is the
reward of those who do good deeds!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 25 Surah
Furqaan verses 63-71:
The (true) servants of the Merciful are those
who walk humbly on the earth. When the
ignorant people behave insolently towards them,
they say, “Peace to you”; (And
those) who pass their nights in prostrating themselves and standing before
their Lord and pray, “O our Lord, save
us from the torment of Hell, for its
torment is killing! It is an evil
abode, and an evil resting place”. (And those) who, when they spend are neither extravagant, nor miserly,
but keep the golden mean between the two extremes. (And those) who do not invoke any god but
Allah Alone, nor kill a soul
unjustly, which Allah has
forbidden, nor commit adultery… He who
does this shall be punished for his sin,
and his torment shall be doubled on the Day of Resurrection, and he shall abide in a state of
ignominy; EXCEPT THE ONE WHO MAY HAVE
REPENTED (AFTER THOSE SINS), AND HAVE
BELIEVED AND DONE RIGHTEOUS DEEDS. For
then, Allah will change his evil deeds
into good deeds, and He is very
Forgiving and Merciful. In fact, one who repents and does righteous
deeds, returns to Allah as one rightly
should!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah
Anaam verse 54:
When those come to you who believe in Our
Signs, say: "Peace be on you! Your Lord had inscribed for Himself (the rule
of) Mercy. Verily if any of you did evil
in ignorance, and thereafter repented
and amended (his conduct), Lo! He is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
Your Question: ……and
explain in detail my Sins so that he can tell me how much Kaffarah I should pay
If one has violated one of the clear Commandments of the
Lord in the practice of one’s deen or one’s worship, Shariah has indeed
prescribed specific forms of atonements (or Kaffarah) which must be performed
as a manifestation of one’s sincere ‘taubah’ and repentance to Allah Subhanah.
For example:
- If
one misses an obligatgory prayer for any reason, its prescribed ‘kaffarah’
or atonement is that one pray it later as soon as one remembers it.
- If
one misses an obligatory fast, its prescribed ‘kaffarah’ or atonement is
to make up the missed fast later; and if one is terminally ill and does
not possess the strength to make up the missed obligatory fasts later,
then the ‘kaffarah’ of such a person is to feed one poor indigent person
for each fast missed.
- If
one makes an error in or misses an obligatory rite of the Hajj pilgrimage,
then its prescribed ‘kaffarah’ is that one sacrifice a sheep as atonement.
- If
one has made a oath in the Name of Allah to do something and for some
reason has to break that oath, then the prescribed ‘kaffarah’ in Shariah is
that such a person feed those who
are indigent, or clothe them, or free a slave.
- If
one accidentally kills another person, the Shariah has prescribed that
such a person manifest his repentance by paying the blood money and free a
slave as the ‘kaffarah’; and if one cannot free a slave then they should
fast two consecutive months.
- If
one has sexual intercourse with one’s wife during one of the days of
obligatory fasting in Ramadan, then Shariah has prescribed that one
manifest their ‘taubah’ for their transgression by either freeing a slave,
or fasting two consecutive months, or feeding sixty poor people.
In conclusion brother, if one wishes to seek general
forgiveness for their past mis-deeds, one need not consult or confess their
deeds to anyone in creation….but rather confess their sins only to their Lord
and turn back to Him in ‘taubah’ and seek forgiveness for their past deeds; it
is expected that they will find their Lord Forgiving and Merciful.
But if one has violated or missed or made a specific error
in one of the obligatory acts of worship, or one seeks forgiveness for a sin
for which Allah and His Messenger (saws) have prescribed a specific form of
‘kaffarah’ or atonement….then indeed one, who sincerely fears Allah and the
Last Day, must manifest their ‘taubah’ and repentance by fulfilling the
prescribed ‘kaffarah’ or act of atonement.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to
Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only
Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan