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I believe that many who delay making tawbah are those unaware of the punishments awaiting them for their sins, even for something as “simple” as lying. It is not merely that you will have “one sin, two sins, three sins” collected in your book of deeds. Rather, every sin has a corresponding punishment, both in this dunya and in the akhira. Many of these punishments have been made known to us. Search them up, read about them, and perhaps this will cause many to rush toward seeking forgiveness from their Lord.

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Ibn Hazm رحمه الله said:

واعلم أن رياضة النفس أصعب من الرياضة الأسد

Know that training al-nafs is more difficult than training a lion.

[Rasāil Ibn Hazm 1/394]

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Those who end up relapsing and doubting Allāh's promises and the path were either most likely never wholeheartedly on that right path. Maybe apparently, but not wholeheartedly, and that's why it's important to work on the actions of the heart, renew intentions constantly, and to have Ikhlās in choosing the path of Tawhīd. Or it may be those who relapsed never learned or understood the reality of the path of the Stranger Muwahiddīn like the matters we discuss in these series like the Hadīth on Strangers, in statements like that of Waraqah or As'ad (رضي الله عنهم )— and like we said, before and above that, the many verses and Ahādīth on this topic. And with ignorance of that, the whispers of the Shaytān and the Nafs get the best of them.

-Ghuraba series by Sheikh AMJ (حفظه الله)

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How strange is it they label a man Khariji for his sincere belief and call to pure uncontaminated Tawheed?! All because he calls to Worship Allah alone and avoid Taughut (false Deities). They label him Khawarij for upholding the call of the Messengers of Allah that Judgement and sovereignty belongs to Allah alone.

— Shaykh Musa Jibril حفظه الله

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On the evening of ʿArafah, Ibn ʿUmar would raise his voice and say, "There is no true god but Allah alone who has no partner. To Him belongs the dominion, to Him praise is due, and He is able to do all things. O Allah, guide us with Your guidance. Adorn us with piety and forgive us in this life and the next."

He would then soften his voice and say, "O Allah, I ask You for Your bounties and provision all that which is blessed and pure. O Allah, You have commanded us to supplicate to You and You have decreed it upon Yourself to answer. You never break Your promise nor do You waver in Your covenant.

O Allah, make what You love, beloved to us and easy for us. And what You dislike, disliked by us and kept far from us. Do not deprive us of Islam after You have bestowed it upon us."

لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٍ، اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنَا بِالْهُدَى، وَزَيِّنَّا بِالتَّقْوَى، وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا فِي الْآخِرَةِ وَالأُولَى. اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ وَعَطَائِكَ، رِزْقًا طَيِّبًا مُبَارَكًا، اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ أَمْرْتَ بِالدُّعَاءِ، وَقَضَيْتَ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ بِالْاسْتَجَابَةِ، وأَنتَ لَا تُخْلِفُ وَعْدَكَ، وَلَا تَكْذِبُ عَهْدَكَ، اللَّهُمَّ مَا أَحْبَبْتَ مِنْ خَيْرٍ، فَحَبِّبْهُ إِلَيْنَا، وَيَسِّرْهُ لَنَا، وَمَا كَرِهْتَ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَكَرِّهْهُ إِلَيْنَا وَجَنِّبْنَاهُ، وَلَا تَنْزِعْ عَنَّا الْإِسْلَامَ بَعْدَ إِذْ أَعْطَيْتَنَا.

— Ṭabarānī, Al-Duʿāʾ, p. 275

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HOW DOES FASTING ON ARAFAH EXPIATE TWO YEARS OF SINS?

فإن قيل: كيف تُكفّر سنةً ماضية وسنةً باقية؟ قيل: المراد بذلك أن الله يجعل صيامه سببًا لتكفير الذنوب في السنتين. قال شيخ الإسلام: “وتكفيره للذنوب يقع على قدر كمال صيام العبد، فإن صام صومًا كاملًا كُفّرت ذنوبه كلها، وإن صام دون ذلك كان بحسب حاله، فصومٌ يكفّر سنة، وصومٌ يكفّر نصف سنة، أو أقل أو أكثر.”

“If it is said: How can it (the fast of ʿArafah) expiate the sins of the previous year and the coming year? It is said: Allah makes the fast a cause for the expiation of sins in those two years. Shaykh al-Islām (Ibn Taymiyyah) said:

Its ability to expiate sins depends on the completeness of the fast. If the person fasts a complete and perfect fast, all of his sins may be forgiven. If his fast is lacking, then the expiation will be according to his condition. One person may have a fast that expiates a year, another a fast that expiates half a year, or less or more — depending on his state.”

Ibn al-Qayyim, al-Wābil al-Ṣayyib (الوابل الصيّب), p. 31

(from al-Wābil al-Ṣayyib, p. 31):

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Life is a constant struggle, and a feeling of weariness never departs your side, sometimes that of your body and at times of things that reside in your heart and refuse to go away. You have to strive either way, whether it’s for dunya or Akhirah, so why not direct all of your endeavours for the sake of Allaah?

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I heard someone last night crying, but it wasn’t a normal type of cry. This person was crying in the tashahhud, weeping at “كما صليت على إبراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم”

This is not to assume someone’s inner state, but a cry like this is from the tightness of the dunyā…

It brought back memories سبحان الله, when I used to cry like this too… my eyes were constantly extremely swollen and I’d cry everywhere, and make no exception of my salāh.

In a way, I wish I cried out of fear for Allāh, the way the righteous do, and their genuine longing to Allāh, not out of the pressure of some dunyā matter. I did long for Allāh in those days, a lot, but did I long for Him during my times of ease in the same way? At the same time, these type of tears taught me that I really had none but Allāh, among many other lessons, and forced me back to Allāh to rectify my affairs between me and Him.

Though, there’s a difference between ورجل ذكر الله خاليًا ففاضت عيناه (or as Rasūlullāh said) and someone who tears up due to a dunyā matter and then redirects that pain to Allāh.

It’s not wrong at all, and actually the servant finds immense sweetness in constantly returning to Allāh, and in times of hardship it has a special sweetness to it. But I say this to remind myself and to keep it in check, my nafs needs to distinguish between the fine line of sincerity and true inābah (in times of ease and other than it) and simply feeling dunyawi pain.

It’s the same thing for wishing for shaهـādah, when do we long for it most? When we’ve got all we want out of this dunyā and have every want and need of ours? Or is it when we’ve been afflicted and want a way out of this dunyā completely? Again, I’m not saying wrong or right or shaming anyone (but myself), but remember that the only condition to be granted the level of shaهـādah even if one dies upon their bed (as in the Hadīth) is: sincerity. Do you think asking for it in the latter situation is more sincere than the former?

May Allāh grant us sincerity and make us among the truthful. May Allāh make us among those who truly enjoy His company in all times.

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Pitter and patter

In the last third of the night

Pouring torrents,

A breathtaking sight

Lightning and thunder,

Signs of His Might

The bedrooms are dark,

But the hearts are alight

Tearful supplications,

To be guided aright

Cheeks are soaked,

Like the earth outside

Iman swelling,

As if the high tide

If the skies weep in His fear,

My eyes shall do the same

May the sins be washed away,

In the late night rains

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True Value Lies in Iman

While worldly possessions are shared among all, Iman is a distinct honor. This hadith reminds us that true worth isn’t in what we own, but in the faith we’re granted.

Ibn Mas'ud said:

“Allah gives the Dunya to those He loves and to those He does not love, but He grants Iman only to those He loves. So when Allah loves a servant, He grants him Iman.”

[al-Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah]

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«reviving the heart»

‎Imām Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله said:

‎ "The Qur'ān revives the heart the way water gives life to the Earth."

‎مفتاح دار السعادة–٢٥٠

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A believer never enjoys his sin, never finds his delight completed. Rather, even while committing the sin his heart is faced with grief, though the intoxication of desire covers up his feeling of it.

If the heart ever becomes void of this remorseful ache and the joy of sinning overpowers any feeling of remorse, then one should doubt one's faith, and cry over the death of his heart.

Were the heart alive, the committing of sin would make it sad, upbraid and constrict it, and it would sense it.

A wound, after all, does not cause pain to a corpse.

[ Madarij al-Salikin ] Ibn Qayyim al-Jawzi

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The heart grows rusty due two things: through heedlessness and sins.

It is cleansed by way of two things: Seeking forgiveness and the remembrance of Alläh.

Remembrance of the most merciful Imãm ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (d. 751H) | P.no. 111

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Never think highly of yourself when people praise you. The only reason they are praising you is because Allah has veiled your sins. Without that veil I swear by Allah many people would look at one another with pure disgust

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‫وَلَا تَقُولُوا۟ لِمَن یُقۡتَلُ فِی سَبِیلِ ٱللَّهِ أَمۡوَ ٰ⁠تُۢۚ بَلۡ أَحۡیَاۤءࣱ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تَشۡعُرُونَ﴿ ١٥٤ ﴾‬

‫وَلَنَبۡلُوَنَّكُم بِشَیۡءࣲ مِّنَ ٱلۡخَوۡفِ وَٱلۡجُوعِ وَنَقۡصࣲ مِّنَ ٱلۡأَمۡوَ ٰ⁠لِ وَٱلۡأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَ ٰ⁠تِۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِینَ﴿ ١٥٥ ﴾‬

‫ٱلَّذِینَ إِذَاۤ أَصَـٰبَتۡهُم مُّصِیبَةࣱ قَالُوۤا۟ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّاۤ إِلَیۡهِ رَ ٰ⁠جِعُونَ﴿ ١٥٦ ﴾‬

‫أُو۟لَـٰۤىِٕكَ عَلَیۡهِمۡ صَلَوَ ٰ⁠تࣱ مِّن رَّبِّهِمۡ وَرَحۡمَةࣱۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰۤىِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُهۡتَدُونَ﴿ ١٥٧ ﴾‬

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And do not say about those who are killed in the way of Allāh, They are dead. Rather, they are alive, but you perceive [it] not.

And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient,

Who, when disaster strikes them, say, Indeed we belong to Allāh, and indeed to Him we will return

Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided.

إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون

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قَالَ: قَرِيباً أَجَلِي، بَعِيداً أَمَلِي ، سَيِّئاً عَمَلِي

My death is near, my hopes are far, and my deeds are bad.