The Virtue of Repentance and Drawing Near to Allah Through Acts of Obedience

Q: This is a letter we received from the listener: A. A. M. from Sudan, Omdurman. She says in her letter: I did not pray from my childhood until I reached the age of sixteen, and my leaving off prayer was out of ignorance, and I did not make up the missed prayers. But now I pray the voluntary prayers and the confirmed and unconfirmed sunnah prayers, and I do not know whether my doing this is correct or not?
Answer: Praise be to Allah who has granted you the gift of repentance, and be glad of the good news. Repentance erases what came before it, and praise be to Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So the repentance that has occurred from you, Allah will erase by it what happened of shortcoming in the past regarding the abandonment of prayer. Engaging in voluntary prayers and increasing in them contains much good; it compensates for the obligatory prayer, making up for the deficiency in the obligatory prayer, along with great rewards.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: This is a great hadith narrated by al-Bukhari in the Sahih. It indicates that drawing near through voluntary acts is among the causes of the perfection of Allah’s love for the servant. It also indicates that opposing the awliya (close friends of Allah) is among the causes of Allah’s war against the servant. Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: : Meaning: He informed him of the war.
And the awliya of Allah are the people of faith and the people of piety, among men and women. They are called the awliya of Allah. The believer is a wali (close friend of Allah) for Allah, and the believing woman is a waliyyah (close friend of Allah) for Allah. They are the two who perform the obligations of Allah, stay away from the prohibitions of Allah, and stand firm regarding the limits of Allah. This is the believer, this is the pious one, and this is the wali. The wali is not the one who possesses superstitions from among the Sufis and their like. No. And the people of innovation. The awliya of Allah are the people of faith, they are the people of piety. Even if they are farmers, even if they are workers, even if they are doctors, even if they are engineers, even if they are doormen in offices.
The awliya of Allah are the people of faith, they are the people of piety, they are the people of obedience to Allah and His Messenger. Allah the Exalted said: [Yunus: 63] He made it clear that they are the people of piety and faith. They are the people of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) who made Allah one and worshipped Him alone, and performed His obligations, such as prayer and others, and left the prohibitions, left the sins. These are the awliya of Allah. Even if they do not have the karamat (miracles granted to a righteous person) that they claim, as the Sufis claim. No. It is not necessary that karamat occur for them. Most of the Companions did not have karamat, and they are the best of Allah’s servants, and they are the best of the awliya after the prophets.
So the wali of Allah is the believer and the believing woman; they are the awliya of Allah. And Allah the Exalted said in Surat al-Anfal: [Al-Anfal: 34] Most people do not know. They think the wali is the one who has superstitions, who has nonsense, and who has sorcery. No. The believer is the wali, and the believing woman is the waliyyah of Allah. They are those who obeyed Allah and His Messenger. These are the awliya of Allah, even if they are with the workers, even if they are with the doctors, even if they are with the farmers, even if they are merchants who buy and sell. Whoever opposes them has made war against Allah.
And the most beloved thing to Allah is that you draw near to Him through the obligations. That you draw near to your Lord through the obligations of prayer, zakah, fasting, Hajj, jihad, and enjoining good and forbidding evil. This is what Allah Mighty and Majestic loves. It is the most beloved thing to Him, Blessed and Exalted is He.
Then it is recommended for you to draw near to Him through the voluntary acts; the sunnah (recommended practice) of the midday prayer, the sunnah of the sunset prayer, the sunnah of the night prayer... the sunnah of the dawn prayer, and the prayer before the afternoon prayer... the sunnah of the forenoon prayer... the tahajjud (the late-night voluntary prayer) at night. These are voluntary acts that are prescribed for the believer to draw near with them, to increase in them, and to maintain them, so that Allah’s love for him is perfected, and so that he is granted success in his hearing, his sight, his hand, and his leg. Meaning: so that Allah grants him success; he does not hear except what Allah has permitted for him, he does not look except at what Allah has permitted for him, he does not walk except to what Allah has permitted for him, and he does not strike except at what Allah has permitted for him. He is granted success. For this reason, Allah the Exalted said: The meaning is that he is granted success in these matters. It does not mean that Allah is his hearing and that Allah is his sight. No. Allah is above the Throne, above all creation , but His intent, Blessed and Exalted is He, is that He grants him success in his hearing, his sight, his walking, and his striking. For this reason, in the other narrations, Allah the Exalted says: Meaning: that He grants him success in his deeds and his words, his hearing and his sight. This is its meaning according to the people of knowledge. And with that, Allah assists him. If he asks, He gives him, and if he seeks His help, He helps him; because of his taqwa (mindfulness of Allah) for Allah, his faith, and his guidance. May Allah grant everyone success and guidance.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.