[Mugflefusysef]

Sincere Repentance


In a hadeeth reported by Imam Bukhari, Rasūl Allāh صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

والله إنِّي لأَسْتَغْفِرُ الله وأَتُوبُ إِلَيْه في

اليَوْمِ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً
By Allah I seek forgiveness from Allah and repent to Him more than seventy times in a day
[Tirmidhi]

A person cannot progress on the path of tazkiyah (spiritual purification) without sincere tawbah (repentance). Tawbah is to return to one’s original pure state. The Ulama (scholars) of tazkiyah say that a person should be repentant every moment of the day. Repentance is not only verbal, but more importantly, repentance should be in one’s state of heart and mind. The proof of tawbah and it’s main component is remorse and one can never be remorseful without remembering one’s sins. A person’s character should be dripping with remorse and this inspires others to forgive. The true state of tawbah reveals itself in a person’s speech, gait and appearance.

This dunya (world) is where sins are committed and a truly repentant person will dislike the dunya because he is trying to flee from sin.



Self-Conceit


Every Muslim has a responsibility to impart naseehah (advice) to his fellow Muslim. However when doing so, one should only speak about those points which are within the scope of one’s knowledge and not delve beyond that. When a person is asked a question by another person thinking him to be knowledgeable, he should never rush to answer whilst thinking himself to be knowledgeable – this is a deception of Shaytaan. If he does not know the answer, he should be humble enough to admit this and to refer the questioner to someone who is qualified to answer. Rasūl Allāh صلى الله عليه وسلم says in a hadeeth,
“One faqih (jurist) is more severe upon Shaytaan than a thousand worshippers.” [Tirmidhi]

This means that one who has understanding of religion will not be deluded by Shaytaan on account of his knowledge, whereas an ordinary worshipper who has no understanding is led to believe in his own greatness (self-conceit), despite his lack of knowledge, by people approaching him for advice thinking him to be knowledgeable. One should never forget one’s own station and position when asked for advice.


Solitude


In a hadeeth Rasūl Allāh صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

الوحدة خير من جليس السوء والجليس الصالح خير من الوحدة
”Solitude is better than bad company and good company is better than solitude.” [Bayhaqi – Shu’ab al Imaan]

If a person cannot adopt good company, then he should remain in solitude. Nothing is more helpful in achieving sincerity of intention than solitude. When a person is away from the view and attention of people, then it is more likely that his deeds will be sincere. Furthermore, a person often changes his behaviour when associating with different people, thus becoming somewhat hypocritical in his behaviour. One of the unique characteristics of the siddiqeen (truthful ones) is that they prefer to keep away from people other than what is necessary. Solitude also reveals a person’s faults to himself. The fewer people a person sees and meets the better it is for the heart.