It is human nature to err. Although we may work hard to make an effort to avoid taking part in activities that are forbidden, each of us no doubt amasses a number of sins daily. These could be both intentional and unintentional. Unfortunately this is very easy in this day and age.
But Allah is after all Ar-Rahmaan, the Most-Merciful. While He will hold us accountable for our actions, He is also quick to forgive those who sincerely repent. The magnitude of your sin does not matter to Him, but it is the sincerity of repentance is of importance to Allah. As He has stated in the Quran,
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ 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.”
وَرَحْمَتِى وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ
And My Mercy embraces all things.
How to Repent from Sins and Seek Allahs Forgiveness
Narrated Abu Huraira:
I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) 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.” [Bukhari]
If we are in need of Allah’s divine mercy there are a number of measures you can take to ask for His forgiveness. As a prerequisite, one must make certain that we are sincere in our repentance and that we would avoid repeating the same sin again.
Seek forgiveness day & night after each obligatory Salah
فَاصْبِرْ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنبِكَ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ بِالْعَشِيِّ وَالْإِبْكَارِ
So be patient, [O Muḥammad]. Indeed, the promise of Allah is truth. And ask forgiveness for your sin and exalt [Allah] with praise of your Lord in the evening and the morning. [Surah Ghafir 40:55]
Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) is reported to have said:
“Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, stretches out His Hand during the night so that the people may repent for the fault committed from dawn till dusk and He stretches out His Hand during the day so that the people may repent for the fault committed from dusk to dawn. (He would accept repentance) before the sun rises in the west (before the Day of Resurrection).” [Sahih Muslim]
Among the best times to repent to Allah from sins is after obligatory prayers. Offering Salah on time without fail is one of the most beloved acts in the sight of Allah. Therefore, after completing Fard (or even Nafl) Salah, we should earnestly repent for our sins. Allah answers all Dua in one form or another.
Keep away from haram (what is forbidden) and continue to perform obligatory deeds
اِنَّ الۡحَسَنٰتِ يُذۡهِبۡنَ السَّيِّاٰتِ ؕ ذٰ لِكَ ذِكۡرٰى لِلذّٰكِرِيۡنَ
Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds. That is a reminder for those who remember. [Surah Al-Hud 11:114]
As Allah specifically states in the Holy Quran, good deeds expiate bad deeds. Hence, in effort to erase away the sin and obtain Allah’s forgiveness, increasingly engage in acts of Ibadah mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah and steer clear of activities that are deemed forbidden. Prophet (PBUH) has further stated in this regard:
“The five (daily) prayers and from one Friday prayer to the (next) Friday prayer, and from Ramadhan to Ramadhan are expiations for the (sins) committed in between (their intervals) provided one shuns the major sins.” [Sahih Muslim]
It was the practice of the Sahaba (RA) to perform good deeds regularly such as praying, fasting, giving in charity, feeding the poor etc… to compensate for any mistakes they may have made in the past. Doing good deeds to expiate for sins is a powerful tool we Muslims have at our disposal.
Call out to Allah using His names (attributes)
وَلِلّهِ الأَسْمَاء الْحُسْنَى فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا
The most beautiful names belong to Allah; so, call on Him by them. [Surah Al-A’raf 07:180]
Maintain a practice of making dua to Allah by calling out to Him using his beautiful names. In seeking His forgiveness, ensure to use the attributes related to forgiveness and mercy. Call out to Him by Ar-Rahman (Most Merciful), Ar-Raheem (Bestower of Mercy) & Al-Ghaffar (All-Forgiving). Allah loves being called by His beautiful names, so make it a point use these attributes when seeking His forgiveness.
Practice self-restraint
Self-restraint is perhaps one of the greater challenges of life. Most of the sins we commit are predominantly as a result of our difficulty in maintaining self-control. Therefore, making it a priority to practice self-control is a great indication of one’s remorse.
Refer to the teachings of RasulUllah (PBUH) as a means of exercising self-restraint. Muslims should Practice patience and continue to make dua to Allah in strengthening us to rise above our impulsive actions and desires.
We should seek to fulfill our desires in permissible ways & also, seek refuge in Allah from Satan by reciting,
أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطانِ الرَّجِيْمِ
A’udhu Billahi min ash-shaytaan-i’r rajeem
(I seek refuge in Allah against the accursed Satan).
When the trials are great, so are the rewards. Allah the Most-High will not allow our sincere efforts go to waste.
Additional ways to repent and ask Allah’s forgiveness
Being patient during hardship
Prophet (PBUH) stated, “No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari]
Whenever we go through difficult times, we should realize that Allah is testing us – and this test is a means of Allah’s forgiveness and rewards.
Supplicating upon hearing the Azan
Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) has said, “Whoever says, when he hears the Mu’adhdhin: ‘Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lahu wa anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa Rasuluhu, raditu Billahi Rabban, wa bil-Islami dinan was bi Muhammadin Rasula (I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah alone, with no partner or associate, and that Muhammad is the His slave and Messenger; I am content with Allah as my Lord, Islam as my religion and Muhammad as my Messenger),’ his sins will be forgiven.” [Sunan an-Nasa’i]
Do not transgress the rights of others
Ibn ‘Abbas narrated:
“The Messenger of Allah sent Mu’adh [bin Jabal] to Yemen, and said: ‘Beware of the supplication of the oppressed; for indeed there is no barrier between it and Allah.'” [Jami’ Al-Tirmidhi]
Allah is quick to forgive, but not so are His creation. As mentioned in the Hadith above, Allah accepts the Dua of someone who has been oppressed unconditionally – even if he/she is not Muslim. We should always be mindful or oppressing, cheating, needlessly harming or violating the rights of others. And if we have done so in the past, we should try our best to earn the forgiveness of the ones we have transgressed against. Only then can we hope to earn Allah’s forgiveness for oppressing someone.
To Conclude
The Muslim must live his life in a state between fear and hope – fearing Allah’s displeasure and punishment, and the hope to earn Allah’s pleasure and enter Jannah. If he lives in this state, all else – with the permission of Allah – will fall into place.
Indeed, it is impossible to be free from sins. But always keep in mind that Allah’s mercy is infinite. Just as it is easy to sin, Allah has made it easy to earn His forgiveness. May Allah forgive us all.
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