IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL.
BEING THE FIRST SERMON OF THE MONTH OF DHU AL-QA’DAH, DATED 2/11/1445 AH (10/5/2024 CE)
TOPIC: THE NECESSITY OF REPENTANCE TO ALLAH AND FREEING ONESELF FROM THE RIGHT OF PEOPLE
All praises be to Allah, the Lord of all worlds. We praise Him, glorify Him, seek His assistance, seek His forgiveness, and turn to Him in repentance. Whoever Allah guides, there is no one who can lead him astray, and whoever Allah leaves astray, there is no one who can guide him. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, without any partners, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. O Allah, bestow Your blessings, peace, and mercy upon him, his family, his companions, and all those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
To proceed, I advise you and myself, O servants of Allah, to observe the fear of Allah, both publicly and privately, as it is the ultimate goal of all acts of obedience, all duties, and prohibitions. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says: (يَاأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ) “O mankind, worship your Lord, who created you and those before you, that you may become righteous.” (Quran 2:21)
Brothers in faith, indeed repentance is the lifelong duty, the beginning and end of a servant, the first stage, the middle, and the last. Our need for repentance is urgent, even critical, for we commit many sins and transgress against the limits set by Allah day and night. Therefore, we need something to purify our hearts and cleanse them from the filth of sins.
Every son of Adam makes mistakes, and the best of those who make mistakes are those who repent. The measure is the perfection of the end, not the deficiency of the beginning.
O servants of Allah, fear Allah and know that Allah has made repentance obligatory upon His believing servants. He says: (وَتُوبُواإِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ) “And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.” (Quran 24:31) And He says: (يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَصُوحًا عَسَى رَبُّكُمْ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَعَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَ يُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ) “O you who have believed, repent to Allah with sincere repentance. Perhaps your Lord will remove from you your misdeeds and admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow.” (Quran 66:8) And He, may He be glorified, says: (وَأَنْ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ) “And seek forgiveness of your Lord and repent to Him.” (Quran 11:3)
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, commanded repentance and seeking forgiveness, as narrated by Muslim in his Sahih: “O people, repent to Allah, for I repent to Him a hundred times each day.” And in another narration by al-Bukhari, he said: “By Allah, I seek forgiveness and repent to Him more than seventy times each day.” This is the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, to whom forgiveness has been granted for his past and future sins, seeking forgiveness and repenting to Allah more than seventy times each day. So how about those besides him among the people?!
The evidences from the Quran, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the Ummah converge on the obligation of repentance for every Muslim, male or female, from all sins and transgressions, regardless of their magnitude.
Repentance, O servants of Allah, is the abandonment of sin, whether it’s neglecting an obligation or committing a forbidden act. It is the return from disobeying Allah to obeying Him, glorified and exalted be He. Just as every deed has its conditions, repentance also has its conditions. Allah, may He be glorified, says: (يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَصُوحًا) “O you who have believed, repent to Allah with sincere repentance.” (Quran 66:8) Meaning: sincere repentance. Repentance must be sincere, accepted, and valid, and it must fulfill certain conditions. Repentance from sin can occur in two situations:
1. The first situation: when the sin is between the servant and his Lord, without involving the rights of another human being. In this case, repentance requires five conditions:
– First condition: ceasing the sin, whether it’s neglecting an obligation or committing a forbidden act.
– Second condition: feeling remorse for committing the sin, experiencing sorrow for it and wishing it hadn’t happened.
– Third condition: resolving firmly not to return to that sin, having a strong intention never to repeat it in the future.
– Fourth condition: sincerity, intending by repentance, the pleasure of Allah, seeking His forgiveness and reward, and fearing His punishment.
– Fifth condition: repenting before the door of repentance is closed. Repentance is not accepted when death approaches or when the sun rises from the west. Allah says: (وَلَيْسَتْ التَّوْبَةُ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ حَتَّى إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَهُمْ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ إِنِّي تُبْتُ الآنَ) “And repentance is not for those who continue to do evil deeds until, when death comes to one of them, he says, ‘Indeed, I have repented now’,” (Quran 4:18). And the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “Verily, Allah accepts the repentance of His servant as long as he has not gasped” (Sahih al-Tirmidhi). Also, at the time of sunset, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “Whoever repents before the sun rises from its setting place, Allah accepts his repentance.”
2. The second situation: when the sin involves another human. In this case, repentance requires six conditions, including the five mentioned earlier, plus the sixth condition: restitution, meaning the repentant must fulfill the rights of others. If the sin involves taking someone’s property, it must be returned; if it involves backbiting, it must be rectified. If any of these conditions are not met, the repentance is not valid.
O Allah, grant us sincere repentance. I say this statement and seek forgiveness from Allah for me and for you, so seek His forgiveness, for He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
THE SECOND SERMON:
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, and all his companions. Allah sent him with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, even if the disbelievers dislike it. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, alone, without partner, in affirmation and unification of His lordship, divinity, names, and attributes. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, may peace and blessings be upon him, his family, and all his companions.
Among the issues regarding repentance, O servants of Allah:
1. It may happen that a Muslim repents from a sin, then time passes and they fall into the same sin again after repenting from it. The recurrence of the sin does not nullify their initial repentance, as long as they fulfill the conditions of repentance each time.
2. Repentance from some sins without others is valid according to the majority of scholars’ opinions. For example, if a person was neglecting their prayers and not giving zakat, then repented from neglecting prayers and started praying, their repentance is valid, but they still have the sin of not giving zakat.
3. It is not permissible to describe a person with a sin they have repented from. It is established in a confirmed hadith: “Repentance erases what came before it.”
4. A person should not consider themselves safe from sin, as this is from the schemes of Satan. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Every son of Adam is prone to error, and the best of those who err are those who repent.”
5. Beware, O brothers in Islam, of belittling any sin, thinking it is minor and thus neglecting repentance from it. You might belittle a sin and consider it insignificant, while in the eyes of Allah, it is great. Small sins accumulate and become significant. Do not belittle even a small sin, for mountains are made of pebbles.
6. Committing haram with the intention of repentance is not permissible, as it facilitates sinning through deceitful means. All of this is a deception from Satan, a trick from his schemes to lead people into haram. You, dear brother, do not know when your time will come to an end, and whether there will be an opportunity left in your life to repent from sin. How many people have faced death with a bottle of alcohol in their hands? How many have been seized by the angel of death while on their way to committing sins?
7. A Muslim should know that openly committing sin is more dangerous and sinful than hiding it. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Every member of my community will be forgiven except those who flaunt their sins. Among the flaunting is when a man does something at night, then morning comes and Allah has concealed it, but he says, ‘O So-and-so, I did such-and-such last night,’ when his Lord has hidden him. He goes to bed while Allah has hidden him, but he wakes up while Allah has exposed him.” This is because openly committing sin is a promotion and advertisement for haram, and people, especially those with limited understanding and weak souls, are inclined towards conformity and imitating others. Satan beautifies committing haram for them, spreading corruption among Muslims. Whoever conceals their sin from the eyes of people and hides themselves while repenting, Allah will conceal them in this world and the Hereafter, and grant them success in repentance.
8. Some people may indulge in sin and transgression excessively until they become engulfed in it, feeling that they are doomed by it. They fall into despair and lose hope in the mercy of Allah. When they think of repentance, they feel hopeless and believe that there is no repentance for them. To such individuals, we say: Listen, O sinful Muslim, to this divine call, the call of the Most Merciful. Allah says: (قُلْ يَاعِبَادِي الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لاتَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ) “Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.'” (Az-Zumar: 53). And He also says about Ya’qub- Jacob: (وَ لا تَيْئَسُوا مِنْ رَوْحِ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لا يَيْئَسُ مِنْ رَوْحِ اللَّهِ إِلاَّ الْقَوْمُ الكَافِرُونَ) “And do not despair of relief from Allah. Indeed, no one despairs of relief from Allah except the disbelieving people.” (Yusuf: 87). Furthermore, He says: (وَمَنْ يَقْنَطُ مِنْ رَحْمَةِ رَبِّهِ إِلاَّ الضَّالُّونَ) “And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord except for those astray?” (Al-Hijr: 56). Additionally, Allah says: (وَالَّذِينَ لا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ وَلا يَقْتُلُونَ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلاَّ بِالْحَقِّ وَ لايَزْنُونَ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَانًا إِلاَّ مَنْ تَابَ وَ آمَنَ وَ عَمِلَ عَمَلاً صَالِحًا فَأُوْلَئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ وَ كَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا) “And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed], except by right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse. And whoever should do that will meet a penalty. Multiplied for him is the punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated – Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.” (Al-Furqan: 68). The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “If you did not commit sins, Allah would replace you with a people who would sin and seek forgiveness, and He would forgive them.” (Sahih Muslim).
9. On the contrary, there are those who commit sins such as theft, adultery, consuming people’s wealth unlawfully, and indulging in extravagance and nudity. Yet, when advised, they respond calmly and confidently: “My Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.” To them, we say: Yes, you have spoken the truth, indeed Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. Allah says: (نَبِّئْ عِبَادِي أَنِّي أَنَا الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ وَ أَنَّ عَذَابِي هُوَ الْعَذَابُ الأَلِيمُ) “Inform My servants that it is I who am the Forgiving, the Merciful. And that it is My punishment which is the painful punishment.” (Al-Hijr: 49). He also says: (ورحمتي وسعت كل شيء فسأكتبها للذين يتقون) “And My mercy encompasses all things, so I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakah and those who believe in Our verses.” (Al-A’raf: 156). Yes, indeed, our Lord is Forgiving, Merciful, but only to those who acknowledge their sins, repent, believe, and perform righteous deeds. He is severe in punishment for those who arrogantly disobey Allah, persist in their sins, neglect repentance, and fail to combine fear and hope. The complete approach of the prophets and the righteous among the servants of Allah was to combine fear and hope. They did not rely solely on hope or neglect fear, but rather embraced both. Allah praises His righteous servants, saying: (تَتَجَافَى جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنْ الْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُون) “Their sides forsake their beds; they supplicate their Lord in fear and aspiration, and from what We have provided them, they spend.” (As-Sajdah: 16).
We must not end this sermon without remembering our brothers in Palestine, as the IOF roll its tanks to continue the bombing of Rafah, where about 1.3 million Palestinians are sheltering clustered under devastating conditions. Several protests are ongoing in several universities in the United States in support of the Palestinians resistance while condemning the US government for paying for the bombs with which more than 40,000 people were murdered including 16,000 children!!!. Allah suffices for weak Palestinians, Allah is their guarantee and protector. O Allah we commit the Palestinians in your Hand, protect them when the Muslim leaders neglect them.
Supplication: O Allah, grant relief to every Muslim who is experiencing distress, a way out for every oppressed person, comfort for every distressed soul, happiness for every sorrowful heart, acceptance of every good supplication, healing for every sick person. O Ever-Living, O Self-Subsisting, O Lord of the worlds, O Most Merciful of the merciful. O Allah, grant us sincerity in our supplications, acceptance in our obedience, gratitude in times of blessings, humility in prayers, forgiveness in times of stumbling, forbearance in times of adversity, victory over enemies, overcoming of obstacles, gratitude in times of blessings, reflection upon Your signs, and fulfillment of needs in this world and the Hereafter. O Ever-Living, O Self-Subsisting, O Lord of the worlds, O Most Merciful of the merciful. And may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Master Muhammad and upon his family and companions.