The following was translated from Imaam Muhammad Amaan al-Jaamee’s explanation of Shaikh Uthaymeen’s excellent book:
القواعد المثلى في صفات الله وأسمائه الحسنى
Exemplary Principles Concerning the Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allaah
This was taken from the fourth tape (or audio), starting at approximately minute 50. It can be listened to here:
http://subulsalam.com/play.php?catsmktba=3198
The Question (summarized): The questioner says that he has transgressed against his soul numerous time and he fears for himself an evil end due to the abundance of transgressions and the lack of firmness in tawbah, so he wants to know what should he do?
Answer (Shaikh Muhammad Amaan al Jaamee): Firstly, we ask Allaah for yourself and for ourselves for a sincere repentance and for firmness in that repentance. And we remind you of the statement of Allaah – He is free of all deficiencies and defects and The Most High, where He encouraged those who transgressed against themselves to repent, He called them “servants”, and He ascribed them to Himself in the statement:
قل يا عبادي الذين أسرفوا على أنفسهم لا تقنطوا من رحمة الله إن الله يغفر الذنوب جميعا إنه هو الغفور الرحيم
“Say: O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not give up hope of receiving Allaah’s Mercy. Indeed Allaah forgives all sins. Indeed He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (39:53)
And there is encouragement after this encouragement. He didn’t say (addressing them): “O Transgressors” or “O Sinners”. Rather, He said:
“Say: O My servants”
He addressed them – while they are transgressors – He addressed them as “servants”, ascribing them to Himself with a kind ascription that encourages the sinner to rush to repentance.
“O My servants who have transgressed against themselves”
And committed many sins.
“Don’t give up hope of receiving Allaah’s Mercy”
We say to the questioner: your enemy Shaytaan has overpowered you and made you fall into sins and evil deeds. Now he wants to make you fall again into something much more dangerous than those sins: giving up hope for Allaah’s Mercy. And this is much more dangerous that all of those sins that you committed.
Don’t give up hope. Don’t give up hope for Allaah’s Mercy. No matter what you have committed, not matter what evil you have done, no matter how much you have transgressed,
Allaah’s Mercy is more vast that your sins.
Repent to Allaah. Turn to Allaah having a good intention with your Lord – He is free from all deficiencies and defects and The Most High. Fight against your soul.
If you have sinned then you admit it, you leave that sin, feel regret for it and are determined not to return to it. Seeking repentance is admitting (your sin), feeling sincere regret, and that a person has sincere determination not to return to that sin.
If after that you slip and fall (into sin again), then know that your first repentance remains valid. It wasn’t broken or nullified or corrupted if you were sincere and truthful with Allaah that time. So repent again.
It is mentioned in some of the narrations that when a servant commits a sin, then he says: O my Lord, I have sinned
Allaah, The Most High, says: My servant knows that he has a Lord Who forgives sins.
If he slips (and sins) again, and says (the same thing), then Allaah says the same thing. (The Prophet – sallallaahu alayhe wa sallam) mentioned this three times.[1]
Allaah – He is free from all deficiencies and defects and The Most High – spreads His two hands at night to accept the repentance of the one who does evil by day, and (He also does so) during the day to accept the repentance of the one who does evil by night.
Allaah – subhaanahu wa ta’aalaa – is tremendously pleased with the repentance of His believing servant – the likes of this pleasure has no comparison. The Messenger of Allaah – sallallaahu alayhe wa sallam – affirmed that when he gave the example of the owner of the she-camel who was traveling with his she-camel in the earth[2]. So (he stopped to rest and) sleep overcame him. He slept under a tree. His camel left and upon it was his food and drink. He woke up and searched for it but didn’t find it, so he accepted that he was going to die. He returned to sleep and to die under that tree. Sleep overcame him and when he woke up there was his she-camel standing at his head with his food and drink.
So he turned to it and said due to the severity of his happiness: O Allaah, I am your Lord and you are my servant (and he meant: You are my Lord and I am Your servant). The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhe wa sallam) said that he made that mistake due to the severity of his happiness.
The Messenger – sallallaahu alayhe wa sallam – said: “Allaah is more pleased with the repentance of His servant when he turns penitently towards Him than one of you would be on finding the lost camel.”[3]
What do you want, O you who has transgressed against your soul, and how numerous are those who transgress against their souls! What more could you want than this encouragement? Return to your Lord and your Lord will be pleased with you. Because you are a runaway slave, return to your Master and Guardian, so that He will accept you. Receive glad tidings of good. We ask Allaah for ourselves and for yourself for a sincere repentance and for firmness.
Translated by Ummu Khadijah
Footnotes
[1] For example the hadeeth in Saheeh Bukhari, Book of Tawheed, narrated by Abu Hurairah:
I heard the Prophet saying, “If somebody commits a sin and then says, ‘O my Lord! I have sinned, please forgive me!’ and his Lord says, ‘My slave has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for it, I therefore have forgiven my slave (his sins).’ Then he remains without committing any sin for a while and then again commits another sin and says, ‘O my Lord, I have committed another sin, please forgive me,’ and Allah says, ‘My slave has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for it, I therefore have forgiven my slave (his sin). Then he remains without Committing any another sin for a while and then commits another sin (for the third time) and says, ‘O my Lord, I have committed another sin, please forgive me,’ and Allah says, ‘My slave has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for it I therefore have forgiven My slave (his sin), he can do whatever he likes.” Translation of the hadeeth from: http://spubs.com/sps/sbk/
[2] See Saheeh Muslim, Book of Repentance, chapter: Exhortation for Repentance
[3] See Saheeh Muslim, Book of Repentance, Chapter: Exhortation for Repentance. Translation of the hadeeth from: http://spubs.com/sps/smm/
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