The Path to Getting Rid of Entrenched Sins and Turning to the Pursuit of Knowledge
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There, O honorable Shaykh! Some sins are entrenched in the souls. How can a person remove the love of these sins and transgressions from himself? How can he be sincere with Allah the Exalted? How can he be sincere in seeking knowledge and turning to Allah, Mighty and Majestic? And please ask Allah, Mighty and Majestic, to grant us success in obedience and in knowledge.
There is no doubt that this is a question that arises in the souls, but it arises from souls that have some despair. A person must not despair of the mercy of Allah, nor lose hope, and he should repeat supplication to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and rely on Him, and he will find the fruit soon. But for a person to magnify the sins, turning away, and heedlessness he has, and then say: When will I become righteous? This is the only disease. It is obligatory for a person not to despair of the mercy of Allah, and to turn to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, to the best of his ability. He should try; perhaps he wants to turn to Allah, but Shaytan diverts him. So let him try again and again until he is upright. The best thing is to try to bring the heart into the prayer; this is what is important.Meaning: If you are able to bring your heart into the prayer whenever you pray, know that this is the opening of a door of good.Because Allah said in the Noble Qur'an: [al-'Ankabut: 45] meaning: do it uprightly [al-'Ankabut: 45] So if you establish the prayer completely, then rejoice in good news.And Allah the Exalted said: [al-Baqarah: 45] It is not only for the difficulties of this world, but for everything.
So I advise this brother who magnifies the sins in himself and perhaps despairs of the mercy of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. I advise him to remove this illusion from himself, and to try to the best of his ability to establish the prayer in the required manner. For this is the medicine, and this is the key. And we ask Allah for safety for us and for you.
Likewise, seeking knowledge: he should turn to it with true earnestness and not despair. Because some people, when they start with knowledge and see that it is difficult, take on the saying of the poet:
If you cannot do something, leave it and move on to what you can do.
We say: This is wrong. Rather, be patient, strive, and stand firm, and fear Allah.Four advices: [Ali 'Imran: 200] And how many people sought knowledge when they were old, but they were earnest and exerted themselves, relied on Allah, and sought refuge in Him, Mighty and Majestic, and they attained much good. Some of the brothers mentioned to me a narration—and I have not seen it—that Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him), who is one of the famous, great scholars, entered the mosque one day and sat down.So some of those present in the mosque said to him: Get up and pray two rak'ahs. So he got up and prayed two rak'ahs. Then he entered again after 'Asr and got up to pray.So some of his companions said: Do not pray; this is a time of prohibition.So he said: Glory be to Allah! What is this ignorance? If he got up to pray, they said: Do not pray.
And if he sat, they said: Pray. That means he did not have knowledge. Then afterwards, he began to seek knowledge until he attained it.
Although the stronger position is: If a person enters the mosque at any time, he does not sit until he prays two rak'ahs, because it has a cause, and voluntary prayers that have a cause are not subject to times of prohibition.
There is no doubt that this is a question that arises in the souls, but it arises from souls that have some despair. A person must not despair of the mercy of Allah, nor lose hope, and he should repeat supplication to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and rely on Him, and he will find the fruit soon. But for a person to magnify the sins, turning away, and heedlessness he has, and then say: When will I become righteous? This is the only disease. It is obligatory for a person not to despair of the mercy of Allah, and to turn to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, to the best of his ability. He should try; perhaps he wants to turn to Allah, but Shaytan diverts him. So let him try again and again until he is upright. The best thing is to try to bring the heart into the prayer; this is what is important.Meaning: If you are able to bring your heart into the prayer whenever you pray, know that this is the opening of a door of good.Because Allah said in the Noble Qur'an:
And establish the prayer
وَأَقِمِ الصَّلاةَIndeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing
إِنَّ الصَّلاةَ تَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِAnd seek help through patience and prayer
وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلاةِSo I advise this brother who magnifies the sins in himself and perhaps despairs of the mercy of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. I advise him to remove this illusion from himself, and to try to the best of his ability to establish the prayer in the required manner. For this is the medicine, and this is the key. And we ask Allah for safety for us and for you.
Likewise, seeking knowledge: he should turn to it with true earnestness and not despair. Because some people, when they start with knowledge and see that it is difficult, take on the saying of the poet:
If you cannot do something, leave it and move on to what you can do.
We say: This is wrong. Rather, be patient, strive, and stand firm, and fear Allah.Four advices:
O you who have believed, persevere and endure and remain stationed and fear Allah that you may be successful.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَرَابِطُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَAnd if he sat, they said: Pray. That means he did not have knowledge. Then afterwards, he began to seek knowledge until he attained it.
Although the stronger position is: If a person enters the mosque at any time, he does not sit until he prays two rak'ahs, because it has a cause, and voluntary prayers that have a cause are not subject to times of prohibition.