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Wa
`alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In
the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All
praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and
blessings be upon His Messenger.
Your
question is indicative of your remorse and sorrow for your
past sins. The fact that you feel sorry for your past sins
and you have embarked on a path of repentance is indeed a
most happy sign. You should know that Islam is a religion
of hope; it teaches us that Allah is All-Compassionate and
All-Merciful. Allah has declared that His mercy is waiting
to embrace those sinners who have decided to repent, no
matter how ugly their sins are. Allah, the Most Exalted
and Glorious, says: [Do
they not know that it is Allah Who accepts the repentance
of His servants and receives (approves) their charity, and
that Allah is the Relenting, the Compassionate]
(At-Tawbah 9: 104)
[Say:
‘O My servants who wronged against their souls, do not
despair of Allah’s mercy! For Allah forgives all sins;
for He is indeed Forgiving, Compassionate’]
(Az-Zumar 39:53).
Thus
if you are guilty of sins involving the rights of Allah,
then ask forgiveness of Allah by doing the following:
First, feel deeply remorseful for your sins; second,
refrain from the sins and all their associations and
leads; third, resolve firmly in your mind never to sin
again; and finally, be occupied in whatever good works you
can do to expiate for your past sins.
All
of the above involve sins involving the rights of Allah.
If, however, your sins involve the rights of human beings,
then you must also do whatever it takes to return,
compensate or redress the grievances of the person or
persons you have wronged by paying them their dues or
compensating them in whatever ways possible.
Having
done this, it is important for you in your present
condition to focus on the future and dwell on the mercy of
Allah rather than living in the past. It is equally
important for you to recognize the fact that just as Satan
led you astray from the straight path by prompting you to
sin in the past, he is now actively working to dissuade
you from repentance by making you think all bad thoughts
about Allah. The snares and traps of Satan are indeed most
beguiling and subtle. Allah says: [O
Children of Adam! Let not the Devil seduce you as he
caused your (first two) parents to leave the Garden]
(Al-A`raf
7:27
).
Satan
is therefore diligently working to pull you away from the
straight path. So you must be on guard against him. He is
now playing the card of fear of Allah to make you perish.
Remember the Deceiver plays different cards with different
types of people; with the sinners he uses the card of
divine mercy; with the penitent he uses the card of fear
of divine wrath.
So
never allow yourself to be beguiled and trapped by Satan
and his troops. Try to remain steadfast in repentance, be
assured of divine mercy and forgiveness, and be consistent
in istighfar (seeking Allah’s forgiveness) and asking
Allah to make you remain on the path of repentance:
Here
are a few Prophetic supplications you should use on a
regular basis:
Allahumma
anta rabbi, la ilaha illa anta. Khalaqtani wa ana `abduka,
wa ana `ala `ahdika wa wa`dika ma astata`tu. A`udhu bika
min sharri ma
sana
`tu. Abu’u laka bi ni`matika `alayya wa abu’u bi
dhanbi, fa ighfir li, fa innahu la yaghfiru adh-dhunuba
illa anta.
(O
Allah! You are my Lord, there is no god but You. You
created me and I am Your servant, I stand by my covenant
and promise with You according to the best of my ability.
I seek refuge in You from the evils of my own actions. I
acknowledge Your favors upon me, I confess my sins to You,
so forgive me, for none can forgive sins except You.)
Allahumma
inni as’aluka ath-thabata fi al-amri wa al-`azimata `ala
ar-rushdi; wa as’aluka shukra ni`matika wa husna
`ibadatika; wa as’aluka qalban saliman wa lisanan
sadiqan; wa as’aluka min khayri ma ta`lamu; wa a`udhu
bika min sharri ma ta`lamu; wa astaghfiruka
lima
ta`lamu; innaka anta `allamu al-ghuyub.
(O Allah! I ask you to grant me steadfastness and
consistency in all my affairs; make me resolute on the
path of rectitude; I beseech You to inspire me to be
grateful for Your favors, to worship You well; I beseech
You to grant me a pure heart and a truthful tongue; I beg
You for all the goodness that You know of; and I seek
refuge in You from all the evils that You know of; I ask
forgiveness of You from all that You know of; verily, You
are the Knower of all the secrets and hidden mysteries.)
Allah
Almighty knows best.
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