Repentance
This week’s khutbah was focused on Repentance
The imam started mentioned ayats 10 and 13 from Sura Imran in today’s khutba. They are translated to say:
saying: “Seek forgiveness of your Rabb, He is ever ready to forgive you.
And
What is the matter with you that you do not regard the greatness of Allah
Dear brothers and sisters, the subject of repentance was touched upon last week’s reminder but this week the topic is explored further. Allah SWT consistently makes forgiveness a theme of His book and this is something we should all be mindful of.
Any conscientious reader of the Quran will tell you that the Glorious Quran is a book of forgiveness. For those who are unaware, there are a few facts worthy of mentioning in today’s reminder.
Out of 114 chapters of the Quran, 113 begin with the pronouncement of Allah SWT’s limitless mercy.
Another point to note is that forgiveness and mercy is mentioned roughly 300 times in the Quran combined.
Finally, there is a whole Sura devoted to the actual quality with examples of Allah SWT’s mercy through the 55th chapter or Sura Rahman.
Dear brothers and sisters, this is enough to fill each and every heart with hope and optimism as it illustrates the love and mercy Allah SWT has for each and every one of us.
The imam also mentioned the hadith of the Prophet SAWS and this is a hadith Qudsi which is one that is mentioned as coming from Allah SWT but not as part of the Quran. It is translated to say:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: Allah the Almighty said: O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.
Dear brothers and sisters, as we can see then the topic of repentance need not be one that fills us with despair or hopelessness. Instead, we should, as Muslims, count ourselves as the hopeful ones and the optimistic ones as we know who our Lord is and how forgiving he is.
The reminder today then concludes with 3 practical points surrounding repentance.
First condition: sincerity, that is to say that repentance should be meant for the pleasure of Allah The Almighty so that He turns to the slave with mercy and forgives him the sins he committed. It should not be intended for showing off, drawing closer to people or to protect oneself from the harm of an authority or a ruler.
Second condition: remorse for the sins he committed. The Prophet, , said: “Feeling regret is repentance.” The reason is that the feeling of remorse is evidence of one’s sincere repentance.
Third condition: which is the most important condition: giving up the sin. If the sin was abandoning an obligatory act, you should quit this sin by performing the act. For example, if someone who is negligent in performing the congregational prayer wishes to repent, he should adhere to congregational prayer. If he was negligent in dutifulness to his parents, he should be dutiful to them and if he was negligent in maintaining kinship ties, he should maintain them and so on.
If the sin was committing a forbidden act, one’s duty would be to give it up immediately and not to continue it for even one more minute. For example if he used to devour Riba (interest), he should get rid of it by abandoning it, keeping away from it and donating the earnings he earned from interest.
Dear brothers and sisters, we are ambassadors on this Earth for Islam, a religion that advocates mercy and forgiveness and peace. Therefore it is our duty not only to be mindful of this through repentance and optimism that we will be forgiven by our Lord but to also pass this theme on to our fellow brothers and sisters.
Whether they be Muslim or otherwise, we ought to demonstrate the mercy that is taught to us in the Quran and Hadith through practical examples to one another. After all, we are taught that Allah SWT is merciful to those who show mercy to one another.
And by making repentance and forgiveness a part of our lives we can be as those mentioned by Allah SWT in Sura At-Tahrim, ayat 8 which translates to say:
O believers! Turn to Allah in sincere repentance. It may well be that your Rabb will remove from you your sins and admit you to gardens beneath which rivers flow. On that Day Allah will not humiliate the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their light will shine in front of them and on their right, and they will say: “Our Rabb! Perfect our light for us and grant us forgiveness, for You have power over all things.”
May Allah SWT enable us to seek forgiveness from Him. May Allah SWT enable us demonstrate mercy towards each other and may Allah SWT reward us for our attempts to repent to Him.
