The Importance of Repentance and Abundant Performance of Good Deeds
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
A message was received by the program from one of the female listeners, (M. M. M. A. Al-Khalidi) from Riyadh. Our sister, we have presented a set of her questions in previous episodes, and in this episode she asks and says: I have a friend of teenage age who used to fast but did not pray. A while ago, she repented to Allah and returned to the right path, but her conscience torments and punishes her for what came from her of leaving prayer out of laziness, negligence, and ignorance of the religion, and her parents do not know about it.
As for her, she does not know what to do? Should she make up the prayers she left? Or should she increase in the Sunnah prayers before and after every obligatory prayer, perhaps Allah will forgive her?
Please advise us, may Allah reward you all with good.
Answer:
Among Allah’s blessings upon her is that He granted her repentance and provided her with regret for what has passed, and praise be to Allah for that. So she should continue in good, adhere to the obedience of Allah and His Messenger, maintain the prayer at its time, and increase in good; from voluntary prayer, from charity, from supplication, from the remembrance of Allah, and so on, all types of good. That is sufficient for her, and praise be to Allah.
And she does not have to make up the prayer; because repentance demolishes what came before it, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan al-Bayhaqi 16:896 And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sunan Ibn Majah 4250Da’if (Darussalam) So let her be reassured and let her praise Allah for the repentance to which He guided her; and let her know that there is nothing upon her regarding what has passed. Rather, repentance erases that with sincerity and earnestness in repentance. Sincere repentance includes three matters:
Regret for the past sin.
And abandoning it and leaving it.
And the sincere resolve that the sinner will not return to it, whether he is a man or a woman.
So these three matters are necessary in repentance: regret for the past, abandoning the sin, and a sincere resolve not to return to it.
And there is a fourth condition if the crime and sin involve another person. From the completion of repentance is that one gives the right to its owner, returns his right to him, or seeks his pardon for it. As if the sin was betrayal in money or theft or the like, then from the condition of repentance and its completion is that one returns the money to its owner, or seeks his pardon for it.
Allah the Exalted says: [Ta-Ha: 82] And He the Exalted, when He mentioned shirk (associating partners with Allah), killing, and zina (unlawful sexual intercourse) in the verse of al-Furqan, in His saying the Exalted: [al-Furqan: 69] Then He said after this: [al-Furqan: 70] So He the Exalted mentioned that whoever repents from shirk, or killing, or zina, Allah will replace their evil deeds with good deeds.
So this is among the great blessings of Allah and His great favor. So the repentant person should praise his Lord, be sincere in repentance, and adhere to it until he meets his Lord. And success is from Allah.
A message was received by the program from one of the female listeners, (M. M. M. A. Al-Khalidi) from Riyadh. Our sister, we have presented a set of her questions in previous episodes, and in this episode she asks and says: I have a friend of teenage age who used to fast but did not pray. A while ago, she repented to Allah and returned to the right path, but her conscience torments and punishes her for what came from her of leaving prayer out of laziness, negligence, and ignorance of the religion, and her parents do not know about it.
As for her, she does not know what to do? Should she make up the prayers she left? Or should she increase in the Sunnah prayers before and after every obligatory prayer, perhaps Allah will forgive her?
Please advise us, may Allah reward you all with good.
Answer:
Among Allah’s blessings upon her is that He granted her repentance and provided her with regret for what has passed, and praise be to Allah for that. So she should continue in good, adhere to the obedience of Allah and His Messenger, maintain the prayer at its time, and increase in good; from voluntary prayer, from charity, from supplication, from the remembrance of Allah, and so on, all types of good. That is sufficient for her, and praise be to Allah.
And she does not have to make up the prayer; because repentance demolishes what came before it, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Repentance wipes out what came before it
التوبة تجب ما كان قبلهاThe one who repents from sin is like one who did not sin.
التائب من الذنب كمن لا ذنب لهRegret for the past sin.
And abandoning it and leaving it.
And the sincere resolve that the sinner will not return to it, whether he is a man or a woman.
So these three matters are necessary in repentance: regret for the past, abandoning the sin, and a sincere resolve not to return to it.
And there is a fourth condition if the crime and sin involve another person. From the completion of repentance is that one gives the right to its owner, returns his right to him, or seeks his pardon for it. As if the sin was betrayal in money or theft or the like, then from the condition of repentance and its completion is that one returns the money to its owner, or seeks his pardon for it.
Allah the Exalted says:
But indeed, I am the Perpetual Forgiver of whoever repents and believes and does righteousness and then continues in guidance.
وَإِنِّي لَغَفَّارٌ لِمَنْ تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا ثُمَّ اهْتَدَى(68) And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed], except by right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse. And whoever should do that will meet a penalty. (69) Multiplied for him is the punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated -
وَالَّذِينَ لا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ وَلا يَقْتُلُونَ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَلا يَزْنُونَ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَانًاExcept for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.
إِلَّا مَنْ تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُوْلَئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًاSo this is among the great blessings of Allah and His great favor. So the repentant person should praise his Lord, be sincere in repentance, and adhere to it until he meets his Lord. And success is from Allah.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.