How to repent for sins in Islam (frm my discussion)

It is important to seek forgiveness to Allah and many of us today forget to do that thinking we are sinners and embarassed to ask for forgiveness. Those who think that way are wrong and still under the shade of shaitaan since shaitaan makes them think that way so they don't repent. If they repent, shaitaan becomes the looser since sincere repentence is surely answered by Allah if Allah wills. So, no matter how big of a sin it is or how small it is , its important to ask forgiveness each and everyday. Everytime you do a sin, turn to Allah you never know Allah will probably give you hidayaa the very next minute and builds in you teh guilt and realization to never go down the path of sinning again. Never underestimate Allah's power and mercy. Today's blog will cover the importance of repentence and the importance of traning yourself to fight against your own nafs in order to stay away from sinning. O you who believe! Turn to Allaah with sincere repentance! It may be that your Lord will expiate from you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise)” [al-Tahreem 66:8] “In these verses, Allaah links expiation of sin and admission to Paradise to sincere repentance, which includes giving up sin and avoiding it, regretting what has happened in the past and sincere resolve never to return to it out of fear and respect for Allaah, hoping for His reward and fearing His punishment.” With regard to your saying that you repent and then go back to sin, then you repent and then go back to sin, we say to you that even if you go back to sin time and time again, you should repent a great deal and annoy your Shaytaan who is laying in wait for you. Remember that Allaah “spreads out His hand at night to accept the repentance of those who sinned during the day, and He spreads out His hand during the day to accept the repentance of those who sinned during the night, (and this will continue) until the sun rises from the west.” (Narrated by Muslim, 2759) The gate of repentance is open. Abu Hurayrah said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever repents before the sun rises from the west, Allaah will accept his repentance.’” (Narrated by Muslim, 2703). And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah will accept the repentance of His slave so long as the death rattle has not yet reached his throat.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi and classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2802). Keep in mind that Allah even forgives unbelievers and hypocrites who fought against Him and His Messenger, if they turn back to Allah with sincere and true repentance: [The Hypocrites shall be cast into the lowest depths of the Fire: no helper will you find for them; But those who repent, mend their ways, hold fast to Allah, and are sincere in their devotion to Him—they shall be numbered with the believers. And soon Allah will grant to the believers a reward of immense value.] (An-Nisaa’ 4:145–146) [Those who conceal the clear signs We have sent down, and the guidance, after We have made it clear for the people in the Book—on them shall be Allah’s curse, and the curse of those entitled to curse, except those who repent and make amends and openly declare the Truth. Toward them I shall relent; for I am the Relenting one and Most Merciful.] (Al-Baqarah 2:159-160 Still, there is one kind of repentance Allah will not accept: the insincere repentance offered when death comes to a man. This is actually the moment a man meets the angels of death. Of this the Qur’an says [Allah accepts the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and repent soon afterwards; to them Allah will turn in mercy: for Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom. Of no avail is the repentance of those who continue to do evil, until death faces one of them, and he says, “Now have I repented indeed” nor of those who die rejecting Faith: for them We have prepared a painful chastisement.] (An-Nisaa’ 4:17 –18) In the Qur’an Allah gives the striking example of such an act of repentance made at the last moment. Pharaoh, who chased Moses and the believers in order to kill them, ended by expressing his repentance while he drowned in the sea, a miracle wrought by Allah. [When the (fate of) drowning overtook him, he said: I believe that there is no god except Him Whom the Children of Israel believe in: I am of those who submit (to Allah in Islam).] (Yunus 10:90) However Allah’s response to him was as follows: [Ah now! But a little while before, you were in rebellion! and you perpetrated mischief (and violence!)] (Yunus 10:91) Since repentance is essential to the eternal salvation of man, one should well be aware of its importance and observe this form of worship to the best of one’s ability. One may have sinned extensively or have rebelled against one’s Creator. Yet, Allah encompasses His servants with so much mercy that He grants eternal salvation in response to a sincere repentance: [When those who believe in Our signs, come to you say: Peace be upon you: Your Lord has decreed for Himself (the rule of) mercy: truly, if any of you committed evil in ignorance, and thereafter repented, and mended his ways, (he would find) Allah Oft-forgiving and Most Merciful.] (Al-An`am 6:54) Maghfira: Forgiveness of Allāh, The Glorified and The Exalted On the authority of Hadrat Anas (may Allāh be pleased with him) who said: I heard Allāh's Prophetic Messenger (may Allāh's blessings and peace be upon him) say: Allāh the Almighty said: O Son of Ādam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Ādam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask for forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you; O son of Ādam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it. (Tirmidhī) (Hadīth Qudsī) Hadrat Abū Sa'īd al-Khudrī (may Allāh be pleased with him) relates that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (may Allāh's blessings and peace be upon him) said: A person from amongst a nation of the past, having slain ninety-nine persons, inquired as to who was the most learned person in the world. He was directed to a monk (who had given up the world). He went to the hermit and said: ?I have killed ninety-nine persons. Is there any chance of repentance left for me?" The hermit answered: "No". The man killed the hermit also and completed his century of victims. The killer asked again, ?Who is the most learned person in this world?? He was directed to a learned man. Accordingly he went to him and said. ?I have killed one hundred persons. Is there any hope of repentance left for me?? The learned man said, "Yes, nothing can stand between you and repentance: Proceed to such and such a land. In this land are (pious) people who worship Allāh. Join them in their worship of Allāh and do not return to your home country because it is an evil place?. The man started for this land. He had covered only half the distance when he met with his death. A dispute arose between the angel of mercy and the angel of torment as to who should take charge of his soul. The former pleaded that he had come as a penitent turning towards Allāh, and the latter contended that the deceased had never done a good deed. Then there arrived an angel disguised as a human and the contending angels agreed that he should be the arbiter between them. He directed them to measure the distance between the two lands. To whichever he is nearer, to that one he belongs. So they carried out the measurement and found the land of pious persons to be closer. The angel of mercy thus took charge of him. (Bukhārī and Muslim) Repentance breeds good deeds, whilst sinning (without repentance) can cause deprivation of obedience altogether. It has been said that committing sins regularly will darken and harden the heart. It may even lead a person to reject Allah completely (Allah forbid) or lead him to commit a bigger sin. There is no recourse for a sinner except to ask Allah for forgiveness and to feel great regret for his actions. Repentance is to repent from the heart, to train the heart into obedience and to make a firm resolution never to commit the sin again. The repenting person should remember three facts: 1. The grave consequence of sins. 2. The painful punishment for sins and 3. The helplessness of the servant with regards to these two things. "Repentance has a door whose span is the distance between East and West," says a hadith (and in another version, its span is the distance travelled in 70 years). "It will not be closed until the sun rises from the west." Listen to the call of Allah, "O’ my slaves! You sin morning and evening and I forgive all your sins. So call on Me, I’ll forgive you all your sins." Allah extends His hands in the night to forgive the sinner of the day and extends His hands in the day to forgive the sinner of the night. Moreover, He loves to hear excuses. Therefore, why don’t you turn to Him. [If Allah were to punish men according to what they deserve, He would not leave on the surface of the earth one single living creature: but He gives them respite for a stated term.] (Fatir 35:45) But man is weak and surrounded by enemies on all sides, and his own self urges him to do evil, and the Shaytaan flows through him like blood, and he lives in this world which is attractive to him… so how can he be safe from these enemies unless Allaah has mercy on him? However, Hell is surrounded with whims and desires, and Paradise is surrounded with difficulties. So each person must turn to Allaah and ask Him to help him to remember Him and be grateful to Him and to worship Him properly. Abu Bakr came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said to him, “Teach me a du’aa’ that I can say in my prayer.” He said, “Say Allaahumma inni zalamtu nafsi zulman katheeran wa laa yaghfir al-dhunooba illa anta faghfir li maghfiratan min ‘indika warhamni innaka anta al-Ghafoor al-Raheem (O Allaah, I have done great injustice to myself and no one forgives sin except You. Grant me forgiveness from You and have mercy on me, for You are the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful).” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 834; Muslim, 2705). There was another Sahaabi – one of the best and most knowledgeable of the Sahaabah – to whom the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “I love you, O Mu’aadh.” (Mu’aadh said), “And I love you, O Messenger of Allaah.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not forget to say in every prayer, ‘Rabbi a’inni ‘ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni ‘ibaadatika (O Allaah, help me to remember You, thank You and worship You properly.).’” (al-Nasaa’i, 1303; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Nasaa’i, 1236). 6616 Nu'man b. Bashir reported: Allah is more pleased with the repentance of a believing servant than of a person who set out on a journey with a provision of food and drink on the back of his camel. He went on until he came to a waterless desert and he felt like sleeping. So he got down under the shade of a tree and was overcome by sleep and his camel ran away. As he got up he tried to see (the camel) standing upon a mound. but did not find it. He then got upon the other mound, but could not see anything. He then climbed upon the third mound but did not see anything until he came back to the place where he had been previously. And as he was sitting (in utter disappointment) there came to him the camel, till that (camel) placed its nosestring in his hand. Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His servant than the person who found (his lost camel) in this very state. Simak reported that Sha'bi was of the opinion that Nu'min traced it to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him). Simak, however, did not hear that himself. You should give up the sin for the sake of Allaah and not for any other reason such as not being able to do it or repeat it, or being afraid of what people will say, for example. The person who gives up a sin because it may affect his standing or reputation among people, or because it may cost him his job, cannot be described as having repented. The person who gives up sins for the sake of his health and strength cannot be described as having repented, such as a person who gives up zinaa (adultery) and immoral actions for fear of contagious deadly diseases, or for fear that they may weaken his body and his memory. The person who refrains from taking a bribe for fear that it may be being offered by undercover officers cannot be described as having repented. The person who gives up drinking alcohol and taking drugs because he has become bankrupt cannot be described as having repented. Similarly, the person who is unable to commit sin because of something that lies beyond his control cannot be described as having repented, such as a liar who becomes paralyzed and loses the power of speech, or an adulterer who loses the ability to engage in intercourse, or a thief who has an accident and loses his limbs In such cases, a person has to feel regret and stop wishing to commit sin, or he has to feel sorry for what has happened in the past o someone like this the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Regret is repentance.” (narrated by Ahmad and Ibn Maajah; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 6802) He should feel repelled by the sin and the harm it causes This means that sincere repentance cannot be accompanied by feelings of enjoyment and pleasure when remembering past sins, or wishing to go back to it in the future. – being deprived of blessings – less help from Allaah – anxiety – more bad deeds – getting used to sin – the sinner becomes insignificant in the sight of Allaah – he becomes insignificant in the sight of people – the curse of the animals will be upon him – he will bear marks of humiliation – his heart will be sealed and he will come under the curse (of Allaah) – his du’aa’ will not be answered – cause of mischief on land and sea – loss of gheerah (protective jealousy) – loss of modesty – the blessings of Allaah will disappear – punishment will befall him – terror in the heart of the sinner – falling into the clutches of the Shaytaan – a bad end – punishment in the Hereafter. “Friends on that Day will be foes one to another except Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)” [al-Zukhruf 43:67] Bad friends will curse one another on the Day of Resurrection, so you should keep away from them and break off your friendship with them, and warn others against them if you are not able to call them (to Allaah). Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And those who, when they have committed Faahishah (illegal sexual intercourse) or wronged themselves with evil, remember Allaah and ask forgiveness for their sins; — and none can forgive sins but Allaah — and do not persist in what (wrong) they have done, while they know. 136. For such, the reward is forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens with rivers flowing underneath (Paradise), wherein they shall abide forever. How excellent is this reward for the doers (who do righteous deeds according to Allaah’s Orders)” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:135-136] Ibn Katheer said: The words “and do not persist in what (wrong) they have done” mean: they repent from their sins and quickly turn to Allaah, and they do not persist in their sin, rather they give it up, and if they do that again they repent to Him. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “A person committed a sin and said: ‘My Lord, I have sinned; forgive me.’ His Lord said: ‘Is My slave acknowledging that he has a Lord Who forgives sins and punishes for them? I have forgiven My slave.’ Then as much time passed as Allaah willed, then he committed a sin and said, ‘My Lord, I have sinned; forgive me.’ His Lord said: ‘Is My slave acknowledging that he has a Lord Who forgives sins and punishes for them? I have forgiven My slave.’ Then as much time passed as Allaah willed, then he committed a sin and said, ‘My Lord, I have sinned; forgive me.’ His Lord said: ‘Is My slave acknowledging that he has a Lord Who forgives sins and punishes for them? I have forgiven My slave,’ – three times…” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 7507; Muslim, 2758. It was said to al-Hasan al-Basri: Would not any one of us feel ashamed before his Lord to seek forgiveness from his sin then go back to it, then seek forgiveness then go back to it? He said: The Shaytaan would like you to feel that way; never give up seeking forgiveness.