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Bismillāh ar-Raḥmān ar-Raḥīm. Alhamdulillāhi Rabbil ‘Alāmīn. Wa salātu wa salāmu ‘alā sharifin anbiyā’ wal mursalīn, Muḥammadun Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa ‘alā ālihi wa sahbihī wa sallam. Tasleeman kathīran kathīra. Fama ba’du. My brothers and sisters, we have been talking about since yesterday regarding the issue of what happens when Allāh protects us and forgives us when we commit a sin.
Now, to be anguished, to feel bad, to regret upon committing a sin is a sign of Iman.
It is good news; it’s a sign of Iman. Because there are so many people who commit sins and there is no sensation. They feel nothing. It is normal for them. There are others who actually commit sins and talk about it. They rebel in it. They take pride in it.
Alhamdulillah, different levels of ignorance. Allāh subḥānahu wa ta’ālā, if He puts in our heart that if we commit a sin, we feel bad about that. For example, if you miss a ṣalāh and you feel terrible about it all day, this is a sign of Iman.
Allāh subḥānahu wa ta’ālā reminds those He loves about their sins so that they can seek forgiveness again and again and again. Even though Allāh subḥānahu wa ta’ālā forgives the first time you sincerely seek forgiveness, but for your own good, you seek forgiveness again and again. Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawzīyah, may Allāh be pleased with him, said this. He said, if Allāh subḥānahu wa ta’ālā loves you, He will remind you about your sins.
So that you seek forgiveness again and again. And when you meet Him, you are pure. As far as Iman is concerned, sometimes we feel that our Iman is very low.
Times in our lives where we feel that Iman is very low and that we are open to any temptation, anything that may come about. Now, the first thing is to understand that Iman goes up and down. Iman is not at the same level always. Allāh ṢWT has said:
Speak only what is necessary to speak.
And the rest of the time, make zikr of Allāh ṢWT. سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلَا هُوَ لَوَ لَهُ وَلَا هُوَ لَهُ وَأَوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ لَا إِلَيْا وَاللَّهِ وَاللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ وَاللَّهِ وَاللَّهَ
We have the ḥadīth of our Prophet Muḥammad. He said that anyone who sends salāt and salam on me, Allāh ṢWT will send salāt and salam on that person ten times. For every one time you send salāt and salam, Allāh ṢWT will bless you ten times. Imagine what more can you want? So to be in a state of zikr continuously, this is a very beneficial thing and this is the cure against the Iman going down; it is a cure against sin because obviously when your tongue is engaged in zikr you cannot simultaneously be doing ghibah and manām and namimah and baw’bah and lying and cheating. How is it possible? It’s not possible because you are saying Subḥānallāh, Alḥamdulillāh, Allāhu Akbar at the same time. Will you curse and at the same time will you be able to do something which is wrong? You cannot do so. This is a shield and it’s a protection against all kinds of things which are wrong. So, however, when Iman goes down, sometimes we fall into sin; we do something which is prohibited. Now this is natural but it is not right. Let me understand this: if it happens, it is something which is natural when Iman goes down—you become open to sin, you become open to sin—but it is not correct. So if it happens, we must immediately correct it. We must immediately make istighfār and tawbah. You must never repeat it and create a fix where it can never be repeated. That’s very important. Not only should we stop doing that wrong thing, but make sure that it never gets repeated. So if it happens, we must immediately correct it. Whatever happens, create a fix. And the way to create that fix is remove whatever caused that sin; root it out. Now most of the time, it is because of company you fall into sin because of the kind of people you are moving around with. So change that company. Delete those people from your list, from your phone book, from your social media, whatnot. Don’t go to their houses, don’t meet them, don’t accept their invitation. Because these are people who will only take you towards something which is bad. So, stay far away from them. For example, it is natural to trip and fall. Nothing unnatural. You’re walking, you trip, you fall down. But what will you do? You stay there? You get up.
It is natural to fall, but it’s not good. It’s a bad thing. We should not fall. So, if you fell down, what will you do? You will get up. Then you will think about why did I fall? I was not wearing my slipper properly or I was walking, you know, with my mind somewhere else. I was not looking at the ground. I was looking at my phone or something else. That’s why I fell. So in future, I will not walk like this. I will walk carefully. I will not look at the phone. I will not look here and there. I will look at the ground and I will walk. So this is the sensible thing to do. I mean, if you have intelligence, this is what you will do. You will not worry about, “Oh my God, why did I fall?” There is nothing to worry about. I mean, that happened. Yes, it happened. It happens, but it must never happen again. That is the main thing. If you are falling every time you start walking, then there is something wrong with you. How does that happen? So it’s very, very important. Similarly, for example, sometimes you lose bladder control, right, and you soil your clothes. This is normal. It happens. You don’t have to go into depression about that, but do something about it. Make sure it does not happen again.
Right? So the key thing is that when you commit a sin, it’s like this. It’s like losing bladder control or it’s like tripping and falling or anything like this.
Don’t dwell on that, but make sure it never happens again. That is what we must do with sin. Now, the question of Iman going up and down, nothing better than the example of the Ṣaḥābah, Rizwānullāh ‘alayhim ajma’īn, in the Ḥadīth in Muslim Sharif. Hanzalah al-Sayyid radhiyallāhu ‘anhu, who was among the scribes of Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and he was the one who Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam had given some special information to. He was the confidant of Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam. He says Abu Bakr radhiyallāhu ‘anhu met me. And he asked me; he said, “Ya Hanzalah, how are you?” And as I told you, when the Ṣaḥābah asked this question, when we ask this question, we mean at best: how is your health? How are you? I am well, meaning I don’t…
Don’t despair of the mercy of Allah ﷻ – Part 2
We often think, “I have a cold, I don’t have COVID, Alhamdulillah, I am healthy.” However, the Sahaba did not mean it in that sense. When they asked this question, “How are you?”, their inquiry was regarding the state of your Iman, not your physical health. Your health is visible; if you are okay physically, we can see that. They were asking about the condition of your faith.
Abu Bakr radhiyallahu anhu recounts a profound story. He met Hanzalah radhiyallahu anhu and asked him, “Ya Hanzalah, how are you?” Hanzalah replied, “I have become a hypocrite,” or “I have become a munafiq.” Abu Bakr Siddiq radhiyallahu anhu was shocked by this statement. He exclaimed, “SubhanAllah, what are you saying?”
Thereupon, Hanzalah explained his meaning. He said to Abu Bakr, “When we are in the company of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, we constantly think about the Hellfire and Jannah. When he speaks about them, it feels as though we can see Jannah with our own eyes; it is so real. But when we are away from him, attending to our wives, children, and business, most things pertaining to the Akhirah slip out of our minds. Therefore, this feeling of distance is nifaq (hypocrisy).”
Abu Bakr Siddiq radhiyallahu anhu responded, “Wallahi, I also have the same experience.” Consequently, both Hanzalah and Abu Bakr went to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala’s messenger, Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, and reported that Hanzalah had become a munafiq. The Prophet asked, “What has happened to you? Why are you saying that?”
Hanzalah clarified, “Ya Rasulullah, when we are in your presence, we are reminded of Jahannam and Jannah as if we are seeing them. But when we are away from you, distracted by worldly affairs, these matters fade from our consciousness.”
Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam then said, “By Him in whose hand is my life,” taking an oath on Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. He stated, “If your state of mind remains the same as it is in my presence, and you are always busy in the dhikr of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, the angels will shake hands with you in your beds and in your path.” However, he also advised, “Hanazalah, time should be devoted to worldly affairs; time should be devoted to prayer; and time should be devoted to dhikr.” The Prophet repeated this balance three times.
The lesson here is that one must make dhikr of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala while also attending to their worldly affairs. There is nothing wrong with doing something which is halal (lawful). Do not feel bad about having distractions. Of course, there will be a difference between your spiritual state when being with the Prophet and when being away from him. This fluctuation is natural. In our case, there will be a difference between sitting in a masjid listening to good news about Allah, reading Quran, or praying, versus being in business. Things will vary, but they must never drop to a point where we start committing sins and lose complete track of what is happening. A temporary dip in Iman is normal, but for it to completely collapse is not. If Iman goes down and we commit a sin, then definitely, immediately, we must make istighfar and fix that hole. We must not allow ourselves to fall into that trap a second time. One time it happened, but not again.
This is why Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, in His infinite mercy, said:
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِ الَّذِينَ أَصْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَتُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوَةَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُرُ الرَّهِيمُ
Say to them, “O my slaves! O my servants!” (Qul ya ‘ibadi alladhina asrafu ala anfusihim la taqnu’u min rahmatillah). This is the beauty of Allah’s rahmah; He calls those who are disobeying Him. Allah draws them close rather than distancing them.
“O my slaves! Those who have transgressed against themselves.” (Ya ‘ibadi alladhiina asrafu ila anfusihim). Who does this address? Is Allah talking only about the Anbiya, Siddiqeen, and Salihin? No. Allah is addressing those who have harmed themselves by committing sins. When we commit a sin, we are not harming Allah; we are harming ourselves. So Allah says, “You, those who have harmed yourselves, do not lose hope in the mercy of Allah.”
“Do not despair of the mercy of Allah.” (La taqnu’u min rahmatillah). Never say, “Allah cannot forgive me.”
“Verily, Allah will forgive all sins.” (Innallaha yaghfirudh-dhunuba jami’an). All sins. The biggest sin is what? In Surah Al-Luqman, Allah said, “Shirk is an unforgivable sin if one dies upon it without repentance,” but even shirk can be forgiven if you make istighfar before death. If you die without making istighfar, or if you persist in kufr, that is an issue. But while a person is alive, they can come out of that and return to Islam. Nothing stops them.
Therefore, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says, “Verily, He is the One who is the most forgiving and most merciful.” (Innah huwa al-Ghafurur-Raheem). This is the essence of the mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala to help us remember this. Always remember His mercy. Always remember His forgiveness. And make sure that if our Iman goes down, first bring it up by reciting Quran, reminding ourselves of the Akhirah, remembering the grave—that one day we will be six feet under—and being reminded that we will be questioned about everything.
“Even the weight of an atom’s worth of good or evil will be shown to you.” (Mithqaalath-tharratin khayran yara mithqaalath-tharratin sharra yara). It will be shown to you something which is evil and what you did, which is good, even if it is like an atom. That is all. It will be accounted for.
We ask Allah to save us from humiliation. We ask Allah to forgive us. We ask Allah to help us remain steadfast and to give us istiqamah. We ask Allah to protect us from all evil and to keep us constantly in a state of dhikr where we never forget Allah and we never forget the Rasul ﷺ.
“May peace and blessings be upon the Prophet, his family, and all his companions, with your mercy and the mercy of the Merciful ones.” (Wasallallahu ‘ala Nabi al-Kareem wa ‘ala A’alihi wa Sabilihim Ajma’in bi-Rahmatika wa Rahmati ar-Rahimeen)