I am a muslim women and throughout my life I have not really practised Islam like a true muslim.
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
(May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
I am a muslim women
and throughout my life I have not really practised Islam like a true muslim
should. My family members are practising muslims however I am not. What I would
lke to know is what I could do to ask for forgivness from Allah for all the
sins I have committed, and what I could do to help guide me in the right path
as I really wish to better myself but am finding it difficult.
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Answer:
How to become a
better muslim
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: What I would lke to know is what I could do to ask for forgivness from
Allah for all the sins I have committed,
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 is He willing to forgive all the sins of a believer who turns unto Him
in sincere ‘taubah’, He will change
their evil deeds done into good deeds in their ‘book of records’!
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."
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2357 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Mas'ud
Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "He who
repents of a sin is like him who has committed no sin."
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2338 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar
Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "Allah
accepts a servant's repentance (taubah) till he gives up his spirit in
death."
Thus my dear and beloved sister in Islam, never never
never ever despair of the vastness of the Grace and Mercy of your Lord Most
Merciful. Absolutely regardless of the
nature or number of one’s sins, absolutely regardless if one has committed sins
as abundant as the foam in the sea or as much as would fill this earth…..if one
turns in ‘taubah’ unto their Lord Most Merciful before they meet with their
appointment of death and seeks sincere repentance, it is expected that they
will find their Lord Forgiving and Merciful.
Sahih Muslim Hadith 6499 Narrated by Abu Dharr
Allah's Messenger (saws) said: that Allah,
the Exalted and Glorious, stated: 'He who comes with goodness, there are in
store for him ten like those and even more than those; And he who comes with
vice, it is only for that that he is called to account. I even forgive him as I
like, and he who draws close to Me by the span of a palm I draw close to him by
a cubit, and he who draws close to Me by a cubit I draw close to him by the
space (covered) by two hands, and he who walks towards Me I rush towards him,
and he who meets Me in the state that his sins fill the earth, but not
associating anything with Me, I would meet Him with the same (vastness) of
pardon (on My behalf)."
There is absolutely no limit to the vastness and magnitude
of the Mercy of the Lord Most Merciful…..all it needs is that one, of their own
free will, believes and turns to Him in ‘taubah’ and seek forgiveness for their
sins…..at that very and instant moment, their Lord Most Gracious will wipe out
every single sin from their ‘book of records’, and cleanse and purify them from
their sins just as if one were just born from their mother’s womb!
Your Question: …..and
what I could do to help guide me in the right path as I really wish to better
myself but am finding it difficult.
Dear and beloved sister in Islam, it is not the mere
reading or reciting of some verses or chants which alone can make one stay away
from evil things….but it is the practical implementation in one’s life of the
things one recites from the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah which can and
will definitely help one, and gives one the knowledge, courage, and wisdom to
stay away from doings deed which transgress the Prescribed Boundaries of Allah
Subhanah.
Thus beloved Sister, first and foremost, immerse yourself
wholeheartedly in reading the Glorious Quran with understanding in a language
you understand best, even if only once……Allah is our witness sister, nothing
brings one closer to Allah Subhanah than the recitation, comprehension, and the
implementation of the Wise Guidance of the Lord Who Created!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah
Nahl verse 89:
We have sent down to you this Book (Al-Quran),
which makes everything plain, and is a
guidance, blessing and good news to
those who have surrendered themselves entirely.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 14 Surah
Ibrahim verses 1-2:
This (Al-Quran) is a Book which We have sent
down to you (O Prophet) that you may bring mankind, by the help of their Lord, out of the dark ways (of ignorance) into the
Light (of knowledge), to the Way of that
Lord, Who is All Powerful, and inherently All Praiseworthy, and the Owner of whatever is in the heavens
and the earth.
Thus my beloved sister, the simple recitation of some
verses or ‘duas’ or ‘wazifas’ by itself will not stop one from falling into
temptation or sin…..but it is only when one sincerely strives to completely and
unconditionally submit one’s will to the clear guidance of their Lord Most
Merciful, they will be able to tread that Straight Path that leads to His Mercy
and His Grace in this world and the Hereafter.
The one and only thing which has the power to stop one
from falling into pertpetual sin is to constantly strive to develop what is
known as ‘taqwa’ in the Glorious Quran!
This state of consciousness of standing in the Presence of
the Majestic and Supreme Lord on One Inevitable Day is what Allah calls ‘taqwa’
or piety in His Quran; and it is this ‘taqwa’ which will inspire you all your
life towards doing deeds that would earn you the Eternal Pleasure and Good Will
of your Lord, and it is this same ‘taqwa’ which will inspire you to abstain
from doing anything which would bring about His Unbearable Wrath and
Anger.
‘Taqwa’ means to abstain from doing anything that would
bring about the Wrath and Displeasure of the Lord All-Mighty; and to do deeds
of righteousness which are commanded by Allah and His Messenger (saws). ‘Taqwa’ is to live every moment of ones life
with the solemn belief that on One Inevitable Day every soul will be brought
forth in the Presence of the Majestic Lord to give a full accounting of every
one of his deeds. ‘Taqwa’ is to
determine before doing anything whether the Lord Most Merciful will be Pleased
or dis-pleased with the deed; if one determines that the Lord will be pleased
with the deed, one must do it wholeheartedly; and if one determines that the
deed would bring about the displeasure and Wrath of Allah Subhanah, one must
strive one’s utmost to abstain from it.
‘Taqwa’ is to live every moment of one’s life consciously striving to do
deeds which would earn one the Pleasure and Good Will of their Lord Most
Merciful, and abstain from doing deeds which would bring about His displeasure
and Wrath.
If one studies the Glorious Quran, one would realize that
more often than not, wherever Allah Subhanah Promises His slaves the
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale
Imraan verse 133:
133 Be quick in the race for forgiveness from
your Lord and for a Garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens
and of the earth; prepared for the ‘Muttaqeen’.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 50 Surah
Qaaf verses 31-33:
31 And the Garden will be brought nigh to
the ‘Muttaqeen’, no more a thing distant.
32 (A voice will say:) "This is what
was promised for you, for everyone who turned (to Allah) in sincere repentance
who kept (his law).
33 "Who feared (Allah) Most Gracious
unseen and brought a heart turned in devotion (to Him):
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 52 Surah
Tur verses 17-18:
17 As to the ‘Muttaqeen’ they will be in Gardens and in
Happiness
18 Enjoying the (Bliss) which their Lord
hath bestowed on them and their Lord shall deliver them from the Penalty of the
Fire.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 68 Surah
Qalam verse 34:
34 Verily for the ‘Muttaqeen’
are Gardens of Delight in the Presence of their Lord.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah
Nahl verse 31:
31 Gardens of Eternity which they will
enter: beneath them flow (pleasant) rivers: they will have therein all that
they wish: thus doth Allah reward the ‘Muttaqeen’
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 25 Surah
Furqan verses 15-16:
15 Say: "Is that (fire) better or the
eternal Gardens promised to the ‘Muttaqeen’? For them that is a reward as well
as a goal (of attainment).
16 "For them there will be therein all
that they wish for: they will dwell (there) for aye: a promise to be prayed for
from thy Lord."
Thus, in conclusion, my dear and beloved sister in Islam
the absolute best way to bring about this reformation in our hearts to get
close to the Remembrance of our Lord Who Created us; and the best way to
Remember our Lord is to read, understand, obey, follow and completely submit
ourselves to His Glorious Message which He Himself revealed for our guidance,
The One and Only Glorious and Noble
Quran!
Allah is our witness, one who sincerely submits himself to
the Glorious Message of their Lord will find that his whole life will become a
life spent in the worship and praise of His Lord; their prayers, their fasts,
their zakat, their Hajj, their every work, their every relationship with their
fellow man, in fact, his every single deed will be aligned to earn the Pleasure
and Good Will of their Lord Most Gracious, Most Merciful, Insha Allah.
If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and
commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws),
one can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any
other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be
assured of being led astray.
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
Wister