Ramadan: the way for Repentance
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
Brothers and sisters! The topic of tonight’s reflection is: “Ramadan: the way for Repentance.” InshaAllah, all of us are on a path of continual improvement. People do make mistakes, but believers analyze their mistakes and take positive actions to correct them.
Some Muslims intentionally commit wrongful acts with the intention to repent afterwards. But who knows one may die before one repents or even during the act of committing the sin. A person with a pure heart and pure intention may falter and slip but he always repents to Allah, and that is all that Allah asks for; sincere effort, and sincere repentance.
We are commanded by Allah to repent. Who is it or who believes or who thinks that he or she is faultless and can commit no sin? Look at the hadith which says,
كُلُّ بَنِي آدَمَ خَطَّاءٌ وَخَيْرُ الْخَطَّائِينَ التَّوَّابُونَ
“Every son of Adam commits sin, and the best of those who commit sin are those who repent.”
It is reported that the Prophet (SAW) said, النَّدَمُ تَوْبَةٌ (An-Nadamu Tawbatun) meaning “regret is repentance.” This means that a repenting person has to regret and turn to Allah with a guilt-torn heart full of shame and remorse and a stubborn resolve not to commit the same sin again that he or she may have committed. And what is sin? The Prophet (SAW) defined sin as follows: “Sin is what causes discomfort within your soul and which you dislike that people should come to know of it.”
The human being is created with an internal mechanism to sense which acts are sinful, and the soul is uneasy when it performs sinful acts. Sin breeds sin until it dominates a person and he cannot escape from it. It gradually strengthens his will to commit sin and weakens his will to repent until there is no will in his heart to repent at all.
We all have defaulted with Allah and His rights upon us. And that is one reason why we should always be ready to repent. And remember that Allah gets pleased and delighted when one of His servants repents. Allah loves to see the believer repent more than He hates to see him sin. So, let us sincerely repent to Allah (SWT) for our sins—major and minor, intentional or unintentional, open or secret. Indeed He accepts sincere repentance. He is the most forgiving; the most merciful.
Repentance from all sins is obligatory on every adult Muslim. This is emphasized by Allah (SWT) when He says,
وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
And repent to Allah, all of you believers that you may succeed. (Al-Nur, 24:31)
The door of repentance is always open. Allah says:
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
Say: O My servants who transgressed against themselves, do not despair of Allah’s mercy. For Allah forgives all sins. He is the Forgiver, the Merciful. (Al-Zumar, 39:53)
A man once went to Rabiah bint Ismail Al-Adawiyyah, who was known by the title, ‘Mother of Goodness,’ and said to her, “Indeed, I have committed a great number of sins. If I repent, do you think that Allah will accept my repentance?” She said, “Woe unto you! Do you not see that Allah invites those who turn away from Him; then why wouldn’t He accept the repentance of those who turn towards Him?”
One of the greatest benefits that accrues to the Muslim in the blessed month of Ramadan is his or her repentance. The month of Ramadan is the season of repentance and forgiveness. Surely our sins are many, yet His compassion is more. Our misdeeds are great but His mercy is greater. The mistakes we commit are huge, yet His forgiveness is bigger. The Prophet (S) said, “What a loss it would be for someone to witness Ramadan and not gain from its forgiveness.
According to a hadith, “The one who repents from sin is like one who did not sin.” This means that if a person commits a sin, then repents sincerely from it, gives it up, regrets having done it, prays for forgiveness and does not go back to it, Allah will accept his repentance and treat him like one who did not sin.
Those who are sincere with Allah will have their sins forgiven in Ramadan, if they avoid major sins. The shortcomings and faults of the entire year are rectified in Ramadan. There are some people, who do not repent, who do not turn to Allah and seek His forgiveness.
The month of Ramadan is our opportunity for sincere repentance. We should seize this opportunity before our spirit is taken away. We should not take lightly any sin. Many people fasted with us last year and have since departed to their Lord. They all went with their deeds and left behind their traces. Allah knows what we do and what traces we leave behind after we pass away.
And when will they repent if they fail to do so in Ramadan? When will they turn to Allah if they do not turn to Allah in Ramadan? There are some Muslims who fast in Ramadan, rectify their lives and attain peace of mind. Then, as soon as the blessed month is finished and the fasting is over, they return to their old ways and undermine what was repaired in Ramadan. They destroy what they had built in Ramadan.
It is reported that when the month of Ramadan used to end, many of our predecessors used to cry with its passing. They felt sorry and regretted its departure. That was because of the great progress they achieved, the purification of their hearts, and illumination of their souls.
May Allah give us the tawfiq to turn toward Him in repentance and may He guide us on the right path.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
وَصَلَّ اللهُ عَلَى خيرِ خَلقِهِ مُحمَّدٍ وعَلَى آلِه وأصْحَابِه أجْمَعِين- بِرَحْمَتِكَ يا أرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِين
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Some passages have been excerpted and paraphrased from the book “Thirty Lessons for Those Who Fast” by Aa’id Abdullah al-Qarni.
