After Repentance Comes… Hardship? And [He also forgave] the - TopicsExpress

After Repentance Comes… Hardship? And [He also forgave] the three who were left behind [and regretted their error] to the point that the earth closed in on them in spite of its vastness and their souls confined them and they were certain that there is no refuge from Allah except in Him. Then He turned to them so they could repent. Indeed, Allah is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful.” [Quran, 9:118]We are taught that no matter we do, Allah’s doors are open. No matter how big your mistake or how far you have been, just return to Allah, subhanahu wa ta`’ala (exalted is He). He is there—and because He is at-Tawwab, He wants to accept your turning back to Him. It is like when we are taught as children to own up to our mistakes: “I won’t be mad at you,” our parents might say, “just tell me if you broke the vase.” But what happens if, after we turn back, or own up to our mistake, we suffer even more hardship?When the army came back more than a month later, Ka`b was worried. He contemplated lying to the Prophet ﷺ(peace be upon him). But he knew he could not do that, because he knew that even if he lied to the Prophet ﷺ, Allah (swt) knows that he did wrong. So he told the truth.This beautiful verse talks about that. Ka`b bin Malik, radi Allahu `anhu (may God be pleased with him), made a big mistake. He procrastinated at a time when the Muslims were in desperate need of everyone’s help and cooperation, until he could no longer contribute. He stayed behind during the Battle of Tabuk, and he had no legitimate excuse.What do we imagine to be the response? He told the truth, so he should be let off easy, right?This is where repentance shows its sincerity. The Prophet ﷺ told him (and two others who told the truth that they had no excuse not to join the expedition) to wait for Allah’s decree. In the meantime, none of the Muslims were allowed to speak to them. Ka`b felt terrible. He said to one of the Companions, “Do you know that I love Allah and His Messenger?” This continued for a long time.Many of us would feel disheartened. We would wish that we lied. We would feel that our repentance was not accepted, otherwise why would we be punished like this? To add to that, some of the Christian Arab tribes heard about this and invited Ka`b (ra) to join them, saying they would support him.What would you do? Imagine if you committed a sin, then repented. But after the repentance, all you find is hardship. Then you are tempted to sin again. Would you give up?This story of Ka`b bin Malik (ra) teaches us not to give up after repentance. He refused their invitation, even though as the verse tells us, they felt that “the earth closed in on them”. He continued praying to Allah (swt). And the reward for that was being remembered in the Qur’an for eternity in the verse quoted above, as an example to all those who struggle after repentance. Allah (swt) will accept you.Sometimes we need to learn from our mistakes. Being let off easy doesn’t help us, especially if we committed a wrong knowing it is wrong. Allah (swt) shows us in this example that even when it seems like He is punishing you, it is only for your own good. And if you are patient, and turn to Him even in that scenario, you will get something you could not have even imagined. As Allah (swt) reminds us:“And whoever fears Allah – He will make for him a way out. And will provide for him from where he does not expect.” [Quran, 65:2-3]Turning back to Allah—repentance—only brings good. Do not allow Shaytan (Satan) to mess with your head and tell you the reason you are facing hardship is because your repentance was not accepted. Allah (swt) has named Himself at-Tawwab, meaning He accepts ALL those who turn back to Him. He would never reject you and Allah never turns away the broken-hearted. Just be patient, and remind yourself that Allah is teaching you, like he taught Ka`b (ra). And remind yourself that, just like Ka`b (ra), Allah (swt) will give you something better than you could ever imagine.Source: suhaibwebb/islam-studies/history/after-repentance-comes-hardship/Starting Anew—Al-`AfuwwPosted: 16 Aug 2014 11:12 AMPDTSometimes we make a mistake or commit a wrong that other people know about. We may have given up the sin, or it may have been a one-off, but we just wish that we could erase the memory of that mistake from the minds of those other people. Similarly, when we commit a sin only Allah, subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He), knows about, even when we repent and hope for His forgiveness, we wish we never committed the wrong to begin with. We wish it would just disappear. Allah (swt), who is closer to us than our jugular vein, knows this. And so He has given us way of starting anew, insha’Allah (God willing).The Last Ten and PardoningSubhan’Allah (glory be to God)—the last 10 days of Ramadan have begun. One of these nights will be Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Power) insha’Allah—a time for intensified reflection, worship and giving. Aisha radi allahu `anha (may God be pleased with her), realizing the magnanimity of this time, asked the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him): “O Messenger of Allah, if I know what night is the night of Qadr, what should I say during it?” He said: “Say:اللهمإنكعفوتحبالعفوفاعفعنيAllahumma innaka `afuwwun, tuhib al-`afwa fa`fu `annyO Allah, You are the One who pardons, and You love to pardon, so pardon me.” (Bukhari)Out of all of the things the Prophet ﷺcould have advised, he taught us to ask for ‘afw. ‘Afw is sometimes translated as ‘forgiveness,’ but so is maghfira [i.e. when we say astgahfirullah, I seek forgiveness from God]. Unfortunately, there is something that is lost in translation, because ‘afw is more expansive than maghfira—and here we will see why.MeaningOne of the meanings ‘afw is the complete removal of something—removing its traces. For example,هذهأرضٌ عَفْو“This is a land with no traces on it, i.e. it is untouched.”So what does this have to do with the du’a (supplication), “O Allah you are ‘afw, and You love al-’afw, so have ‘afw on me”?When we ask for maghfira, we are asking for Allah(swt) to cover up our sin for us and to protect us from the effects of our sin. We ask Allah (swt) that even though we committed that sin, that He not punish us for it. When we ask for ‘afw, we are asking Allah (swt) to completely erase the sin, such that its traces are also removed. This means that our slate is literally wiped clean—there will be no questioning for those sins on the Day of Judgment insha’Allah. The Prophet ﷺteaches us about this difference in two ahadeeth (narrations). In the first hadith, the Prophet ﷺtells us about a person who is questioned by Allah (swt) on the Day of Judgment. Allah tells His servant, “O my servant, do you remember when you did such and such a sin?” and the servant will lower his head in shame, nodding, thinking that surely he will be of the people punished. Then Allah (swt) tells him, “I concealed these sins from people in dunya (world), and I will not shame you here. I have forgiven you (ghafartu lak).” (Ahmad)That is maghfira.In the second hadith, the Prophet ﷺis told that 70,000 of his ummah (global community of Muslim believers) will enter jannah(paradise) without reckoning because:عفا الله عنهم“Allah has pardoned them.”And then the Prophet ﷺasks for more, so with every thousand people of those pardoned, Allah will pardon 70,000 more. And Allah is Al-’Afuww’- He name Himself this to let you know that indeed He is the One that completely erases your sin. He knows everything we do, yet He chooses to wipe our slate clean.Laylat al-Qadr and ‘afwSufyan ath-Thawri said, “During this night [i.e. Laylat al-Qadr] the most beloved thing for me to ask for is what the Prophet ﷺtold us to ask for.”This is a night of ambition. We don’t simply ask for forgiveness, but for removing even the traces of our sin. We ask for a clean slate. The Prophet ﷺtells us of a person who goes to the Eid prayer after Ramadan and he does not have one sin in his book—it was all pardoned.When Allah (swt) tells us about ‘afw in the Qur’an, it is usually with something major—as if to tell us, there is no sin too great. It can all be wiped away.When the Children of Israel worshipped the calf, Allah (swt) tells us:“And [recall] when We made an appointment with Moses for forty nights. Then you took [for worship] the calf after him, while you were wrongdoers. Then We forgave [pardoned/afawna] you after that so perhaps you would be grateful.” (Qur’an 2:51-52)Allah pardoned, wiped away the greatest sin—the sin of shirk (polytheism). So if you come to Allah (swt) sincerely in these last 10 nights, if you come to the One who loves to pardon, then insha’Allah He will erase that sin you are so worried about, and those many sins for you.O Allah! You are the One who pardons, and You love to pardon, so pardon us! (Source: suhaibwebb/personaldvlpt/worship/fasting-ramadan/starting-anew-al-afuww/Reflections on FriendshipPosted: 16 Aug 2014 10:48 AMPDT) Coming out of Ramadan, our souls are more raw and perceptive. That cuss word or the gossip that we freed our tongue and hearing of during Ramadan feels like ice on sensitive teeth. There is pain and irritation. And leaving Ramadan to the humdrum of daily life brings with it the very things we tried to avoid. Like a broken chair we never get around to fixing, we become accustomed to those things that are damaging to the soul. And sometimes this comes from those closest to us—without any deliberate ill-feelings—and it dots our hearts with the black spots that the Prophet ﷺ(peace be upon him) warned us against. In this regard, the Prophet Musa `alayhi assalatu wassalam (peace and blessings be upon him) made a powerful du`a’ (supplication):“And make for me a counselor of my family,Aaron, my brother.Increase through him my strengthAnd let him share my taskThat we may exalt You muchAnd remember You much.Indeed, You are of us ever Seeing.” [Quran, 20:29-35]Musa (as) asks for strength from Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) given through one of the closest people to him—his brother. But he does not only ask for moral and physical support. There is a purpose behind it: to remember Allah and to glorify Him.As social beings, we need people. We need strong relationships. Whether an introvert who is more comfortable with intimate one-on-one conversations or an extrovert who loves to be around a lot of people, that connection with other people is something that we crave. And so we are instructed in Surat al-Kahf, which we are encouraged to recite once a week for its reminders, to:“Keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His countenance. And let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring adornments of the worldly life, and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose affair is ever [in] neglect.” [Quran, 18:28]We are human and we need reminders. True friendship is one that brings light in both the dunya (this life) and the akhira (the Hereafter). If you have just one person be to you like Harun (as) was to Musa (as), or better yet a group of people like the youth of the cave, you will constantly be moving forward in your relationship with Allah (swt) because your relationship with His creation is based on goodness. And Allah is Good and only accepts the Good.And if you feel sad for yourself because you don’t have anyone, put your trust in Allah (swt). He brings people into our lives—gems—and we can facilitate that by working on our relationship with Him. Good always recognizes good and indeed attracts it, as the Prophet ﷺ tells us:“Souls are like conscripted soldiers; those whom they recognize, they get along with, and those whom they do not recognize, they will not get along with.’” (Bukhari)So cultivate light within yourself, and light in your relationships. And hold on to those gems that you do have, because truly, anyone who reminds us of Him can only be a gift from Him—and what does a gift represent except love from the Gift-Giver? (Source: suhaibwebb/personaldvlpt/worship/dua/reflections-on-friendship/)