Chapter on what one should say and do when he commits something forbidden: Allah the Exalted said: “And if an evil suggestion from Satan comes to you, then seek refuge in Allah.”
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The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions:
He said -may Allah have mercy on him-: "Chapter on what one should say and do when he commits a prohibited act:
Allah the Exalted said:[Al-A'raf 7:200].
And Allah the Exalted said:[Al-A'raf 7:201].
And Allah the Exalted said:[Ali 'Imran 3:135-136].
And He said:[An-Nur 24:31] .
From Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said:Sahih al-Bukhari 6650 Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim".
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
We have previously spoken about the fact that it is not permissible for a person to be deluded by Allah the Exalted’s delay in punishing him, and to commit sins based on the assumption that Allah has not dealt with him by punishment, and that this is a matter of feeling secure from the scheme of Allah Mighty and Majestic. We mentioned:Sahih al-Bukhari 4686: as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, and he recited the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Hud 11:102].
Many people are negligent in this matter; they disobey Allah when they are forbidden from doing so, and they leave off an obligatory duty when they are commanded to perform it, and they say:[Al-Baqarah 2:173], [An-Nisa 4:48]: and I have not associated partners with Allah. It is said to him: The one who said that is the one who said: [Al-Baqarah 2:196], and said: [Al-Hijr 15:49-50]. It is not permissible for you to be deluded by Allah’s delay with you. Perhaps Allah delays the servant regarding his sins and lures him on from where he does not know, until when He takes him, He takes him as a Mighty, All-Powerful One, may Allah protect us from that. So beware of being negligent; fear Allah Mighty and Majestic.
And know that for every disease there is a cure. So when a whisper from Satan touches you, remember [Allah] and take a lesson, and turn to Allah, and repent to Allah Mighty and Majestic, and be like those of whom Allah said:[Ali 'Imran 3:135].
And repentance must have five conditions:
The first: Sincerity to Allah Mighty and Majestic, such that the person is not driven to repentance by regard for any of the creation, nor that he thereby gains status or leadership, but rather he makes his intention sincere to Allah Mighty and Majestic out of fear of His punishment and hope for His reward.
And the second condition: Regret for the sin he committed, such that the sin and its absence are not equal in his estimation; rather, he regrets what happened from him, and laments within himself, and says: I wish I had not done this. But he is pleased with the divine decree and destiny of Allah and repents to Allah Mighty and Majestic.
And the third: Ceasing from the sin by leaving the disobedience if the sin is disobedience, or performing the obligatory duty if the sin is leaving an obligatory duty that can be made up. As for persisting in the sin while hoping for repentance, this is an error; this is from false hopes. Some people say: I seek forgiveness from Allah and repent to Him from backbiting, while he is backbiting people. He says: I seek forgiveness from Allah and repent to Him from usury or interest, while he is consuming usury or interest. He says: I seek forgiveness from Allah and repent to Him from the rights of people, while he is consuming the rights of people, delaying the right that is upon him despite his ability to pay it, and other matters by which a person lies to himself that he is repentant while he has not repented.
And if the sin is a right of a human being, it is necessary that he deliver it to him. If he took money from a person from whom he stole money, and he comes asking, saying: He has repented. We say: Return the money to its owner. Otherwise, without returning it to its owner, the repentance is not complete.
Likewise, if his repentance is from eating the flesh of people, backbiting a person, cursing him in gatherings, and he said: He has repented to Allah. We say to him: Go and ask him to forgive you, so that the repentance may benefit you.
Some scholars qualified this with the condition that the person knows that you have backbitten him; otherwise, there is no need to inform him. Speak well of him in the gatherings where you used to curse him, and then seek forgiveness from Allah for him.
The fourth condition: The resolve not to return to it, meaning he does not repent to Allah while resolving to return whenever the opportunity arises. For this is not repentance; rather, he must resolve not to return to the sin.
And the fifth: That the repentance be in the time of acceptance, and that is by repenting before death overtakes him, or before the sun rises from its west. If he does not repent except when death overtakes him, then the repentance does not benefit.
And by this we know that repentance is obligatory immediately without delay, because a person does not know when death will overtake him suddenly. So he must be prepared. We ask Allah the Exalted to accept repentance from us and from you, and to cause us to die upon faith. And Allah willing, the rest of the speech on the chapter will come.
The reciter: Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions:
He said -may Allah have mercy on him-: "Chapter on what one should say and do when he commits a prohibited act.
Allah the Exalted said:[Al-A'raf 7:200].
And He said:[Al-A'raf 7:201].
And He said:[Ali 'Imran 3:135-136]".
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
The author said -may Allah have mercy on him- in his book *Riyad al-Salihin*: "Chapter on what one should say and do when he commits a forbidden act":
And that is because a person is not protected from sin. Every person must have sins, as came in the hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:Sunan Ibn Majah 4251Hasan (Darussalam), and he said (peace and blessings be upon him): . So a person must have a sin. But what does he do? It is obligatory for a person when he commits a sin to return to Allah and repent to Allah, regret, and seek forgiveness until that sin is erased from him.
Allah Blessed and Exalted said:[Fussilat 41:36]: meaning if Satan whispers to you and casts deviation and disobedience into your heart, then seek refuge in Allah. So if you are about to commit a disobedience, whether it relates to the right of Allah or the right of the created, say: I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. So if you say that with sincerity, then Allah bestows upon you and protects you from the accursed Satan and safeguards you from him. And Allah the Exalted said: [Al-A'raf 7:201]: when a whisper from Satan touches them, meaning: deviation occurred in their hearts and they did a bad deed, they remembered and took a lesson: [Al-A'raf 7:201]: they know that they are in error, and at that time they seek forgiveness from Allah the Exalted, as He said in the other verse that the author mentioned -may Allah have mercy on him- in the descriptions of the righteous: [Ali 'Imran 3:135], [Ali 'Imran 3:135] meaning a great evil or they wronged themselves with less than that, they remembered Allah. They remembered Allah with what? With their hearts or their tongues? With both. They remembered Allah the Exalted : they asked Allah the Exalted to forgive them. [Ali 'Imran 3:135] If all the people of the earth and all the people of the heavens gathered to lift one sin from you, they would never be able to. All the creation, if they wanted to erase one sin from you, they would not be able to. Who forgives sins except? Except Allah. [Ali 'Imran 3:135]: meaning they did not persist in their disobedience and sins while knowing that they were in sin.
As for if they committed a sin and persisted in it while not knowing that it was a sin, then Allah the Exalted does not punish them, due to His saying the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:286], [Ali 'Imran 3:136]: meaning those who are described with these attributes, this is their reward with Allah.
And Allah the Exalted said:[An-Nur 24:31]: repent to Allah. This was mentioned by Allah the Exalted after the command to lower the gaze and not display adornment from women. He said after that: [An-Nur 24:31]. And repentance to Allah the Exalted is: returning to Him Mighty and Majestic from His disobedience to His obedience, and from associating partners with Him to the oneness of Allah, and from religious innovation to following the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). That a person returns to his Lord, regrets what he did, resolves not to return, and seeks forgiveness from Allah Mighty and Majestic.
And His saying:: means so that you may succeed. And success is attaining what is sought and safety from what is feared.
And repentance is obligatory from every sin. Do not be negligent with sins. Do not say: This is easy, Allah will forgive it. Because perhaps sins will accumulate on the heart, may Allah protect us from that, and it will become dark and the door of good will be blocked for it, as Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Mutaffifin 83:14]. Repent to Allah from every sin.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions:
He said -may Allah have mercy on him-: "Chapter on what one should say and do when he commits a prohibited act:
Allah the Exalted said:
And if an evil suggestion comes to you from Satan, then seek refuge in Allah
وإما ينزغنك من الشيطان نزغ فاستعذ باللهAnd Allah the Exalted said:
Indeed, those who fear Allah - when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember [Him] and at once they have insight.
إن الذين اتقوا إذا مسهم طائف من الشيطان تذكروا فإذا هم مبصرونAnd Allah the Exalted said:
(135) And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allah? - and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know. (136) Those - their reward is forgiveness from their Lord and gardens beneath which rivers flow [in Paradise], wherein they will abide eternally; and excellent is the reward of the [righteous] workers.
والذين إذا فعلوا فاحشة أو ظلموا أنفسهم ذكروا الله فاستغفروا لذنوبهم ومن يغفر الذنوب إلا الله ولم يصروا على ما فعلوا وهم يعلمون * أولئك جزاؤهم مغفرة من ربهم وجنات تجري من تحتها الأنهار خالدين فيها ونعم أجر العاملينAnd He said:
And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.
وتوبوا إلى الله جميعاً أيها المؤمنون لعلكم تفلحونFrom Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said:
Whoever swears saying in his oath. 'By Al-Lat and Al-`Uzza,' should say, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah; and whoever says to his friend, 'Come, let me gamble with you,' should give something in charity.
من حلف فقال في حلفه: باللات والعزى، فليقل: لا إله إلا الله، ومن قال لصاحبه: تعال أقامرك فليتصدقThe Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
We have previously spoken about the fact that it is not permissible for a person to be deluded by Allah the Exalted’s delay in punishing him, and to commit sins based on the assumption that Allah has not dealt with him by punishment, and that this is a matter of feeling secure from the scheme of Allah Mighty and Majestic. We mentioned:
Allah gives respite to the oppressor, but when He takes him over, He never releases him.
أن الله تعالى يملي للظالم حتى إذا أخذه لم يفلتهAnd thus is the seizure of your Lord when He seizes the cities while they are committing wrong. Indeed, His seizure is painful and severe.
وكذلك أخذ ربك إذا أخذ القرى وهي ظالمة إن أخذه أليم شديدMany people are negligent in this matter; they disobey Allah when they are forbidden from doing so, and they leave off an obligatory duty when they are commanded to perform it, and they say:
Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
إن الله غفور رحيمIndeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills
إن الله لا يغفر أن يشرك به ويغفر ما دون ذلك لمن يشاءknow that Allah is severe in penalty.
اعلموا أن الله شديد العقاب(49) [O Muhammad], inform My servants that it is I who am the Forgiving, the Merciful. (50) And that it is My punishment which is the painful punishment.
نبئ عبادي أني أنا الغفور الرحيم * وأن عذابي هو العذاب الأليمAnd know that for every disease there is a cure. So when a whisper from Satan touches you, remember [Allah] and take a lesson, and turn to Allah, and repent to Allah Mighty and Majestic, and be like those of whom Allah said:
And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allah? - and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know.
والذين إذا فعلوا فاحشة أو ظلموا أنفسهم ذكروا الله فاستغفروا لذنوبهم ومن يغفر الذنوب إلا الله ولم يصروا على ما فعلوا وهم يعلمونAnd repentance must have five conditions:
The first: Sincerity to Allah Mighty and Majestic, such that the person is not driven to repentance by regard for any of the creation, nor that he thereby gains status or leadership, but rather he makes his intention sincere to Allah Mighty and Majestic out of fear of His punishment and hope for His reward.
And the second condition: Regret for the sin he committed, such that the sin and its absence are not equal in his estimation; rather, he regrets what happened from him, and laments within himself, and says: I wish I had not done this. But he is pleased with the divine decree and destiny of Allah and repents to Allah Mighty and Majestic.
And the third: Ceasing from the sin by leaving the disobedience if the sin is disobedience, or performing the obligatory duty if the sin is leaving an obligatory duty that can be made up. As for persisting in the sin while hoping for repentance, this is an error; this is from false hopes. Some people say: I seek forgiveness from Allah and repent to Him from backbiting, while he is backbiting people. He says: I seek forgiveness from Allah and repent to Him from usury or interest, while he is consuming usury or interest. He says: I seek forgiveness from Allah and repent to Him from the rights of people, while he is consuming the rights of people, delaying the right that is upon him despite his ability to pay it, and other matters by which a person lies to himself that he is repentant while he has not repented.
And if the sin is a right of a human being, it is necessary that he deliver it to him. If he took money from a person from whom he stole money, and he comes asking, saying: He has repented. We say: Return the money to its owner. Otherwise, without returning it to its owner, the repentance is not complete.
Likewise, if his repentance is from eating the flesh of people, backbiting a person, cursing him in gatherings, and he said: He has repented to Allah. We say to him: Go and ask him to forgive you, so that the repentance may benefit you.
Some scholars qualified this with the condition that the person knows that you have backbitten him; otherwise, there is no need to inform him. Speak well of him in the gatherings where you used to curse him, and then seek forgiveness from Allah for him.
The fourth condition: The resolve not to return to it, meaning he does not repent to Allah while resolving to return whenever the opportunity arises. For this is not repentance; rather, he must resolve not to return to the sin.
And the fifth: That the repentance be in the time of acceptance, and that is by repenting before death overtakes him, or before the sun rises from its west. If he does not repent except when death overtakes him, then the repentance does not benefit.
And by this we know that repentance is obligatory immediately without delay, because a person does not know when death will overtake him suddenly. So he must be prepared. We ask Allah the Exalted to accept repentance from us and from you, and to cause us to die upon faith. And Allah willing, the rest of the speech on the chapter will come.
The reciter: Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions:
He said -may Allah have mercy on him-: "Chapter on what one should say and do when he commits a prohibited act.
Allah the Exalted said:
And if an evil suggestion comes to you from Satan, then seek refuge in Allah
وإما ينزغنك من الشيطان نزغ فاستعذ باللهAnd He said:
Indeed, those who fear Allah - when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember [Him] and at once they have insight.
إن الذين اتقوا إذا مسهم طائف من الشيطان تذكروا فإذا هم مبصرونAnd He said:
(135) And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allah? - and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know. (136) Those - their reward is forgiveness from their Lord and gardens beneath which rivers flow [in Paradise], wherein they will abide eternally; and excellent is the reward of the [righteous] workers.
والذين إذا فعلوا فاحشة أو ظلموا أنفسهم ذكروا الله فاستغفروا لذنوبهم ومن يغفر الذنوب إلا الله ولم يصروا على ما فعلوا وهم يعلمون * أولئك جزاؤهم مغفرة من ربهم وجنات تجري من تحتها الأنهار خالدين فيها ونعم أجر العاملينThe Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
The author said -may Allah have mercy on him- in his book *Riyad al-Salihin*: "Chapter on what one should say and do when he commits a forbidden act":
And that is because a person is not protected from sin. Every person must have sins, as came in the hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
Every son of Adam commits sin, and the best of those who commit sin are those who repent.
كل بني آدم خطاء ، وخير الخطائين التوابونIf you had not sinned, Allah would have taken you away and then brought in a people who would sin, seek Allah’s forgiveness, and He would forgive them.
لو لم تذنبوا لذهب الله بكم ثم جاء بقوم يذنبون فيستغفرون الله ويغفر لهمAllah Blessed and Exalted said:
And if there comes to you from Satan an evil suggestion, then seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Knowing.
وإما ينزغنك من الشيطان نزغ فاستعذ بالله إنه هو السميع العليمIndeed, those who fear Allah - when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember [Him] and at once they have insight.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا إِذَا مَسَّهُمْ طَائِفٌ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ تَذَكَّرُوا فَإِذَا هُمْ مُبْصِرُونَand at once they have insight.
فإذا هم مبصرونAnd those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah
والذين إذا فعلوا فاحشة أو ظلموا أنفسهم ذكروا اللهwhen they commit an immorality
إذا فعلوا فاحشةAnd seek forgiveness for their sins.
فاستغفروا لذنوبهمand who can forgive sins except Allah?
ومن يغفر الذنوب إلا اللهand who can forgive sins except Allah? - and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know.
وَمَنْ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا عَلَى مَا فَعَلُوا وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَAs for if they committed a sin and persisted in it while not knowing that it was a sin, then Allah the Exalted does not punish them, due to His saying the Exalted:
Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred.
ربنا لا تؤاخذنا إن نسينا أو أخطأناThose - their reward is forgiveness from their Lord and gardens beneath which rivers flow [in Paradise], wherein they will abide eternally; and excellent is the reward of the [righteous] workers.
أولئك جزاؤهم مغفرة من ربهم وجنات تجري من تحتها الأنهار خالدين فيها ونعم أجر العاملينAnd Allah the Exalted said:
And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.
وتوبوا إلى الله جميعاً أيها المؤمنون لعلكم تفلحونAnd turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.
وتوبوا إلى الله جميعا أيها المؤمنون لعلكم تفلحونAnd His saying:
Perhaps you will succeed
لعلكم تفلحونAnd repentance is obligatory from every sin. Do not be negligent with sins. Do not say: This is easy, Allah will forgive it. Because perhaps sins will accumulate on the heart, may Allah protect us from that, and it will become dark and the door of good will be blocked for it, as Allah the Exalted said:
