Does the sinner return to his previous station after repentance?

Salam

I came across this thought provoking discussion in a hadith commentary which might be of interest to many of us. Not least when there are times when we despair at our lapses, and our wondering if we are in fact going backwards as opposed to forward. We ask Allah (Most High) to make us from those who continually repent for our shortcomings, and protect us from being those who lose all of their spiritual stations due to their sins.

Finally we ask Him to make us from those who (as mentioned below) are from those who after their slipping up and repenting are in a better state than they were before. Amin.

In Mishkat al-Masabih the following hadith is mentioned:
Abdullah bin Masud said The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: ‘The one who repents from a sin is like the one who has no sin’.

Shaykh Muhammad Idris al-Kandehlawi commented in his Taliq al-Sabih (3/118) onwards:

Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim said that: A servant if he repents from a sin does he return back to the [spiritual] level (daraja) that he was before the sin which removed him from it, or does he not return to it. There is a difference over it, a group said: He returns to his [previous] level because repentance wipes out the sin in its entirety, and it as if it never was…so he returns back to it by repentance. They said: And because repentance is an immense good action and righteous deed, if his sin had removed him from his level, then his good action by means of his repentance will raise him back to it. This is like the one who falls in a well and he has a compassionate friend who lowers down for him a rope which he can grasp until he rises by it back to his place. Repentance is like this, and righteous action is like this pious friend and compassionate brother.

A group said: He does not return back to his [previous] level and state (haal) because he was not stationary but rather was in ascension, but by sinning he is in descent and freefall…They said: The similitude of this is like the example of two men travelling along a path on one journey, then there occurs for one of them that which makes him turn back or come to a stop, all the while his companion continues travelling. If he finishes his backtracking and stopping and follows the steps of his companion he will never ctach up with him because whenever he reaches a point the other will always be ahead…

I heard Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah mention this difference and then say that the correct opinion is that from those who repent is (depending upon the quality and sincerity of repentance):

          1. One who does not return to his [previous] level,
          2. there are from them he who returns back to his level, and
          3. also from them is he who returns back to a higher level than he previously was, and 
              becomes better than he was before the sin…

- from http://daralhadith.wordpress.com/2010/03/09/falling-down-and-getting-back-up/

The 3 conditions of a successful servant of Allah- Ibn Qayyim

Three conditions are tokens of the servant’s happiness [sa’adat al-abd], and the signs of his success in this world and the next. No servant is without them, but is always shifting from one to the other. These are: 1. When blessed, give thanks (Shukr); 2. when tried with difficulties/trials, persevere (Sabr); and 3. when sinful, seek forgiveness (Tawba).              

1. Shukr for blessings:
The first condition is the blessings which come to the servant from God (Most High), one after another. What secures them is gratitude [shukr], based on three supports: (a) inward recognition of the blessing; (b) outward mention and thanks for it; (c) and its use in a way that pleases the One to whom it truly belongs and who truly bestows it. Acting thus, the servant shows his gratitude for the blessing—however brief.

2. Sabr in trials:
The second is the trials from God (Most High) which test the Servant, whose duty therein is patience [sabr] and forbearance: (a) to restrain himself from anger with what is decreed; (b) to restrain his tongue from complaint; (c) to restrain his limbs from offences, such as striking one’s face in grief, rending one’s clothes, tearing one’s hair and like acts. Patience, then, rests on these three supports, and if the servant maintains them as he should, affliction will become benefaction, trial will change to bounty and what he disliked will become what he loves. For God (Exalted and Sublime) does not try the servant in order to destroy him. Rather, He tries him to put his patience and devotion [al-ubudiyya] to the test. For the servant owes devotion to God in affliction as in ease. He must have as much devotion in what he hates as in what he loves. And while most people offer devotion in what they love, it is important to do so in the things they hate. It is by this that servants’ ranks are distinguished and their stations determined.

Ablution with cold water in searing heat is devotion. Sexual relations with one’s beautiful and beloved spouse is devotion. Spending money for her, for one’s children and for oneself is devotion. It is devotion no less than ablution with cold water in the bitter cold; giving up vice to which one’s soul is driven without fear of people; and giving charity in hardship. But there is a great difference between the [two kinds] of devotion.

He who is God’s servant in both states, maintaining his duty in both comfort and adversity, is the one to whom His words refer, ‘Is not God sufficient for His servant?’ With complete devotion comes complete sufficiency, and with less comes what is less. Let him who discerns some good give praise to God, but let whoever finds something other than this blame no one but himself.

These are the servants over whom God’s Foe has no control. God said [to the Devil], ‘Lo! As for My servants, you have no power over them.” And when His Foe Iblis learned that He would not let His devoted servants yield to him or give him control over them, he proclaimed, ‘Then by Your Might, I will surely beguile them all save for Your sincere servants among them. And God (Most High) said, ‘And Iblis found his calculation true, for they [all] followed him save a group of true believers. And he had no warrant whatsoever over [any of] them save that We might know the ones who believe in the hereafter from those who doubt it.’ God will not yield to His Foe control over His faithful servants. They are in His protection and His care. If the Devil robs any of them, as the thief robs the heedless man, this cannot be avoided, because by heedlessness, passion and anger is the servant tried. It is by these same three doors that the Devil comes to him. Try as he may to protect himself, the servant is bound to be heedless and given to passion and anger.

3.Tawba after sinning:
Adam, the father of all humanity, was the most discerning of creatures, their superior in wisdom, and the most steadfast. Yet the Foe kept after him until he made him fall into that which he fell. What then of someone with the reason of a moth, whose intelligence compared to that of his father [Adam] is like a spittle in the ocean? Still, the Foe of God obtains nothing from a faithful person except by robbing him in [a moment on inattention and carelessness. And when he causes him to fall, the servant may think that he can never again face his Lord, that this fall has carried him away and destroyed him. Yet behind it all is God’s grace, mercy, clemency and forgiveness.

For if God intends what is good for His servant, He will then open for him the doors of repentance [al-tawba] and remorse, abasement and humility, dependence and need; the doors of the request for God’s help and protection; the doors of perpetual humility, supplication and the approach towards Him by means of whatever good works he can manage—so that his wrong may become a means to God’s mercy. For the Foe says, ‘Alas, I left him without causing him to fall!’

This is what one of the early believers [salaf] meant when he said, ‘A person may commit a sin by which he goes to heaven and a good deed by which he goes to hell.’ ‘How?’ someone asked. He replied, ‘Having committed the sin, he is ever watchful in fear, regretful, timorous, lamenting, shamed before his Lord, his head in his hands and his heart rent. The sin that brings him all that we have mentioned, wherein lie his happiness and salvation, is more beneficial to him than numerous devotional acts. Indeed, it becomes the means by which he enters Heaven.

[On the other hand], he may perform a goodly deed and constantly laud it before his Lord, wax proud, boast, become vain and haughty with it, as he says, ‘I did this, I did that.’ His self-importance, pride and arrogance provide him only with the means to his own ruin. If God intends then what is good for this miserable person, He will try him through something that breaks [his pride], abases him and reduces his self-importance. But if He intends otherwise, He will leave him to his self-importance and pride, and this misfortune is what leads to his ruin.’

-From Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya's 'The Invocation of God' (Al-Wabil al-Sayyib)

A Secret for the acceptance of Dua (Supplication)

Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad (DB) in his book “Dua- The Essence of Worship” shares a deep secret with his readers- A Secret for the acceptance of Dua. He says in his book: Some say: Hazrat we make a lot of dua’s but it is not accepted, students many times say that they are in difficulties, even the ulama’s and scholars request for dua’s. He says: I will teach my friends a secret for the acceptance of dua’s. If you practice upon it, InshaAllah, you will no longer need to search of the Isme Azam. You will see it before your eyes your dua’s being accepted just as you complete it. I have experienced this not a hundred times but a thousand times. The action is small but the results are great. The secret for the acceptance of dua’s that the author has learnt from his elders and that he has experienced thousands of times is:

Whenever a time comes in your life when you have the opportunity to commit a sin and you refrain due to fear of Allah, at that very moment, make a dua to Allah and Allah will InshaAllah, accept your dua at that very moment.

After one has refrained from a particular sin, any dua done with full faith, full trust and full humility comming from the depths of the heart should suffice for acceptance. InshAllah.

Oh Travelers to the Haram! (Important advice for Hajis)

 

By Maulana Muhammad Wali Raazi

Oh guests of the Most Merciful! Oh fortunate ones! Oh travelers to the Haram! Congratulations on being invited by the Lord of the worlds! Be glad that He has invited you to His House! Not only that, but He has given you the provisions for travel and lodging. And not only that, but He has also filled your hearts with such love of Him and His House that today you leave your homes, your cities, your countries and embark on this journey solely for the pleasure of your Lord. Had this desire not been there then you would have never planned to undertake this journey.

How many a millionaire are there who travel throughout Switzerland, England, America, and so on - who spend their children's vacations over there - but never receive this invitation: Come, visit Our House! Live in Our city! Act according to the Sunnats of Our beloved servants! Run between the hills of Safa and Marwa just as a wife of a prophet and a mother of a prophet did! We love this running of yours. Hurl rocks against Satan just as Our Prophet Ibrahim (alayhi salam) did! Perform sacrifice just as a loyal servant of Ours laid his son and ran the knife over his throat because of Our Command! But we had prohibited the knife from even scratching the throat. Our servant did as he was told and the knife did as it was commanded (i.e. it did not cut); both acted under our command. Those who claim to love Us - We test them to see whether their claim is true.

Come here as a devotee:

This is Our city and Our House. Come here as a devotee; if you are not a devotee, then take on the appearance of a devotee! Be content in whatever condition We keep you in. Here there are crowds of devotees. You will be pushed and shoved; your hair will fill with dirt and dust, and your feet will tire from walking. Be it pushing or shoving, dirt and dust, or difficulties in Our alleys - Our devotees are proud of such difficulties and consider them as the treasures of their lives.

Whoever thinks of these hardships and pains as calamities should not come. He should stay at his home. But those who come as devotees - We will wipe out their sins and return them to their homes as if they were just born today. This is a bathing of bodies and souls rotten and spoiled due to sins - washing these sins will require rubbing. Without rubbing how is cleanliness obtained?

Oh travelers to the Haram! Hajj is no small blessing. This is a great act of worship - very different from all the other forms of worship. All sorts of outward and inward worships are combined in this. Money is spent in the path of Allah and great effort is exerted; it is a purification of the soul of the highest degree; it contains spiritual exercises; there is patience and gratitude, love and ma'rifah. It is a witnessing of the favors of the Almighty and of the acceptance of duas. There is both outward and inward closeness. In a hadith, Rasoolullah addressed those performing Hajj and Umrah - and today you are his addressees:

Sayyidna Abu Hurairah Radi-Allahu anhu narrates that Rasoolullah said: (translation) The travelers of Hajj and Umrah are Allah's special guests; if they supplicate to Allah, He accepts their supplications and if they seek forgiveness, He forgives them. (Hisn-e-Hasin, Ibn Majah and Nasai)

Oh travelers to the Haram! Years of spiritual exercise and training may not yield the benefits that can be obtained from this, if only we understand them and have a will to seek them. Oh guests of Allah! I will not discuss with you the merits of Hajj, because if you did not know its merits than you would have never made this blessed intention (to go to Hajj). Neither will I mention its rites and rulings, because you can get all of this from books and training sessions for Hajj. Rather I want to point out something else.

You are going to the great Court of the King of kings. When a person is a guest of a king then he learns the manners of the court long before he goes there. Then when he reaches there, he monitors every deed of his making sure that it does not result in disrespect.

Oh travelers to the Haram! I wish to share with you an extremely beneficial recipe- one that you will neither find in books nor in lectures. I know that pilgrims are subject to numerous difficulties and hardships. In this journey, there are many trying moments, no, rather many trying hours and days. Sometimes there is the immigration obstacle. There are the difficulties in finding lodging and in getting to the Haram. There are the hardships encountered in Tawaf and Sa'ee. But, my brothers! To achieve any big goal, you must undertake hardships. Those who are mentally prepared for this are the successful ones.

The recipe that I am presenting is called "tafweed", which means entrusting your matters, i.e. entrusting your intentions and desires to Allah. The opposite of this is "tajweez" which means relying on your own plans and actions.

Tajweez is the root of all of our worries in our normal course of affairs and especially during the journey to Hajj. On the other hand, tafweed results in complete contentment. The person who in his difficulties leaves matters into the hands of Allah finds that Allah shows him ways out of his difficulties. When you reach the court of the King, then entrust your matters to the King. If he makes you sleep on the floor, then sleep happily on the floor. And if he makes you sit on the throne then sit on the throne remembering that you are in the court of the King. He has invited you here to honor you.

Never lose sight of the true Beloved for even a blink of the eye

Lest the king glance at you with mercy and you be unaware.

Many people return from Hajj and tell stories about the unmannerly behavior of the people there and magnify the difficulties they encountered there. One time I received a letter from an old man who said that: while you give people good tidings of Jannah, I went to Hajj but found no trace of the fear of God in the people therein. Then the man mentioned his difficulties in such words and talked about other pilgrims and the Saudi people in such a way that I felt sorrow over the way he mentioned this.

We are not going there to have a picnic. When millions of people gather in a city of three or four hundred thousand, then due to the crowd there will be pushing and shoving. The paths will be narrow and difficult. So undertake this journey as an ardent devotee. Whoever is ardent in the love of someone finds enjoyment in the difficulties he encounters on the way and contentment in these worries.

 

-Adapted from an albalagh article. [Originally published in Urdu in Daily Ummat Karachi on 12 December 2004] .

Delaying the payment of debt is a grave Sin!

It is a grave sin to delay the payment of the debt when the time of its payment arrives. 

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: "Delay in repaying debts by a wealthy person is oppression." (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 2270)

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) in another Hadith also condemns the person who delays the payment of his loan without a valid
excuse. He said: "The delay of a well-off person (in paying off his debt) subjects him to punishment and disgrace." (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 2271)

If you are unfortunate enough to have a debt on you, do repay it as soon as you are able. It is often a cause of bitterness among family or friends when a loan is taken from a relative or friend and the creditor sees the debtor spending money on unessential items but not repaying him/her. 
According to this hadith, you are listed among cruel people if you have the money to repay your creditor but choose to delay repayment. 

Before Condemning Others

Abu Hurairah [R.A.] narrates that Rasulullah [s.a.w.s] said : 
"...your faults should stop you from criticizing others". 
(Mustadrak Al- Hakim)

Putting ourselves in the shoes of others momentarily in order to try to understand them better before commenting or acting against them is very important.
Many people condemn others without trying to see where they are coming from or why they have acted in a specific way or said something.
If we are sincere, we will understand one another better & possibly reduce much unwanted skepticism, hatred & enmity.
-Mufti Ismail Menk

PRINCIPLES PERTAINING TO LOVE FOR ALLAH by Sheikh Zulfiqar Ahmed DB

The Holy Quran says: "wallatheena amanoo ashaddu hubbanlillah" [2:165]

"But those of Faith are overflowing in their love for Allah."

The First Principle 
The human body is composed of limbs and organs, each with a unique trait: seeing is the trait of the eye; listening is the trait of the ear; and smelling is the trait of the nose. Similarly, loving is the trait of the heart; the heart is always in love with someone. 

Be it with a stone, God, or anyone else, There comes not tranquility without loving. 
The heart is the ocean of love; love is its act, Guard it a thousand ways; it will still fall in love.

The Second Principle 
A person usually falls in love for two reasons. The first is when the beloved’s essential being [dhat] and attributes [sifat] are distinct and superior to all others. Such is Allah, who is perfect in every way and beyond any comparison. How beautiful and magnificent must the Creator of all the world’s beauty be! It is only natural that a person is attracted to his Lord. 
The second reason is when the beloved has authority and is involved in every aspect of one’s life. Such is Allah , who at any moment can relieve one’s grief or sorrow. This is the reason why everyone instinctively turns to Allah in times of distress. 

At every instance of grief,
comfort was found in Thee,
At every turn, bewildered,
I took Thy name. 

The Third Principle 
There is such sweetness and pleasure in the name of Allah that by repeatedly invoking His name every sorrow is turned into joy. 

He who is distressed turns his attention in that direction,
Certainly there must be something in the name of Allah. 

The Fourth Principle 
A person should remain unaffected by the ever-changing conditions of life and remember Allah at every moment. 

Although trapped daily to earn a livelihood,
Never did I neglect thinking of You. 

The Fifth Principle 
The heart that is not imprinted with love for Allah finds no pleasure in living.

Whatever one’s state, never should the court of the True Beloved be abandoned. 

The Sixth Principle 
The person whose heart experiences the sweetness of love for Allah attains focus and tranquility in life. 

Seeking neither means nor objects,
my needs I myself fulfill,
By thanking You, thinking of You,
and taking Your name. 

The Seventh Principle 
No veils remain on the perception of what exists between the Throne [’Arsh] of Allah and the ground for he whose eyes are adorned with the antimony [kuhl] of the love of Allah. When the one who loves Allah [‘ashiq] gazes introspectively, he perceives himself full of sin and defects. And when he directs his gaze upon the Beloved, he finds Him to be the endower and bestower of all things. Consequently, he places all hope in Him and waits expectantly at His door. 

O Allah, how may I call unto You,
when I am but a sinner,
Yet how may I not call unto You,
when You are the Most Gracious?

The Eighth Principle
The ‘ashiq is never heedless of the True Beloved ; not even for a moment. He remains waiting in vigil, knowing not when the doors of his Beloved might open.

Be not heedless of the Lord
for even the blink of an eye,
Lest He direct His attention toward you,
and find you unaware. 

It is for this reason that the scholars of Spirituality have said: 
"The person who diverts his attention from Allah for even the blink of an eye will not attain his goal". 

The Ninth Principle
There is no place in the heart of an ‘ashiq for anyone other than his Beloved. Although he is unable to see the True Beloved with his physical eyes, he is able to perceive Him with the eyes of his heart. 

My Beloved is such that there is no beloved besides Him,
Nor is there place in my heart for any other.
My Beloved may be hidden from my sight,
But He is not absent from my heart. 

The Tenth Principle
The sole objective of a sincere ‘ashiq is to meet his Beloved. He passes his entire life in anticipation of this meeting. His heart refuses to be attracted toward anything else. 

You are my dear, my motivation, my happiness,
My heart refuses to love any other besides You.
Oh my dear, my motivation, my desire,
Long have I been yearning, when will I finally meet You?
I seek not the comforts of Heaven,
my desire is only to meet You. 

The Eleventh Principle
An ‘ashiq always yearns to join his Beloved. This is the sole thought occupying his mind. 

You are the true innermost desire of my heart, Love of You is the deepest thought in my mind.
Whenever I glance at the world around me,
I find that today there was naught but You,
And that tomorrow holds naught but You. 

The Twelfth Principle
When an ‘ashiq looks around, he finds the heedless people of the world [ghafil al-dunya] trapped in their desires. To him the world seems like a cage.

The Thirteenth Principle 
Love for Allah removes everything except Allah from the heart of the sincere ‘ashiq. Indeed, his heart has no place for anything other than Allah. 

The Fourteenth Principle
The heart of the ‘ashiq desires to sacrifice everything for the sake of his Beloved. 

May I forget everything in Your remembrance, And may I remember not anyone else.
May I forsake unto Thee all dear to my heart,
And may my heart be filled by You.
May I set fire to my joys and happiness,
And may my heart ache for Thee alone.
May I be blinded to all I know,
And may I turn only to Thee and none other. 

The Fifteenth Principle
In the material world [dunya], a person receives many things, while many other things remain out of reach. Whatever a person lacks, its substitute exists somewhere in the world. However, if someone is distant from Allah, no substitute exists anywhere. 

For everything that you part from,
there is a replacement,
But if you disassociate from Allah,
there is no replacement for Him. 

Hadrat Abu Hurairah reported that the blessed Prophet [SAWS] said that the best saying in the Arabic language is the poem of Labid: 
"Verily, everything except Allah is false and spurious And every blessing is undeniably fleeting and short-lived."