WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.799 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:03.620 --> 00:00:05.900 The story of our mother Hawwa (Eve). 00:00:08.710 --> 00:00:10.109 O Hawwa. 00:00:10.349 --> 00:00:13.910 Sincere repentance is followed by guidance. 00:00:15.619 --> 00:00:17.100 O Hawwa. 00:00:17.219 --> 00:00:19.699 You are today in a blessed month. 00:00:19.699 --> 00:00:22.019 And in a blessed night. 00:00:22.019 --> 00:00:25.019 And in the last ten nights of Ramadan. 00:00:25.329 --> 00:00:27.649 And the fact that you have reached Ramadan, 00:00:27.649 --> 00:00:30.329 means you have attained much good. 00:00:30.329 --> 00:00:34.250 Just as the Prophet, peace be upon him, gave glad tidings of this. 00:00:34.609 --> 00:00:38.340 For it is narrated from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: 00:00:38.340 --> 00:00:40.539 There were two men from the tribe of Bali, 00:00:40.539 --> 00:00:42.740 which is a clan of the Quda'ah tribe. 00:00:42.740 --> 00:00:46.740 They embraced Islam with the Prophet, peace be upon him. 00:00:46.740 --> 00:00:48.939 One of them was martyred, 00:00:48.939 --> 00:00:51.140 and the other lived for a year longer. 00:00:51.140 --> 00:00:53.630 Talhah Ibn 'Ubayd Allah said: 00:00:53.630 --> 00:00:55.630 I saw Paradise in a dream, 00:00:55.630 --> 00:00:57.829 and I saw the one who lived longer 00:00:57.829 --> 00:00:59.829 entering before the martyr. 00:00:59.829 --> 00:01:01.829 I was amazed by that. 00:01:02.390 --> 00:01:07.390 When I woke up, I mentioned it to the Prophet, peace be upon him, 00:01:07.390 --> 00:01:12.390 or it was mentioned to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. 00:01:12.390 --> 00:01:16.390 The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: 00:01:16.390 --> 00:01:19.390 "Has he not fasted Ramadan after him, 00:01:19.390 --> 00:01:22.390 and prayed six thousand rak'ahs, 00:01:22.390 --> 00:01:26.420 or such and such number of Sunnah prayer rak'ahs?" 00:01:26.420 --> 00:01:29.030 Narrated by Ahmad. 00:01:29.030 --> 00:01:32.030 The first was killed as a martyr in the cause of Allah, 00:01:32.590 --> 00:01:35.590 and the second died in his bed, 00:01:35.590 --> 00:01:38.590 but he remained for a year after him praying, 00:01:38.590 --> 00:01:40.590 and he reached Ramadan, 00:01:40.590 --> 00:01:42.590 so he surpassed him in reward, 00:01:42.590 --> 00:01:45.590 and his rank in Paradise was elevated. 00:01:45.590 --> 00:01:47.780 So you, O Hawwa, are today 00:01:47.780 --> 00:01:49.780 in a state of great blessing, 00:01:49.780 --> 00:01:53.780 which is reaching the month of Ramadan and fasting it. 00:01:53.780 --> 00:01:56.780 This blessing requires gratitude. 00:01:56.780 --> 00:01:58.780 And part of showing gratitude for this blessing 00:01:58.780 --> 00:02:00.780 is repenting from sins, 00:02:01.340 --> 00:02:05.340 and resolving to continue in righteous deeds after Ramadan, 00:02:05.340 --> 00:02:07.340 such as reciting the Qur'an, 00:02:07.340 --> 00:02:10.340 performing whatever is possible of the night prayer, 00:02:10.340 --> 00:02:13.340 and other righteous deeds 00:02:13.340 --> 00:02:15.340 that have been newly introduced into your life 00:02:15.340 --> 00:02:19.110 because of the arrival of the month of Ramadan. 00:02:19.110 --> 00:02:21.110 O Hawwa, 00:02:21.110 --> 00:02:24.110 many people repent during Ramadan, 00:02:24.110 --> 00:02:27.110 because of the means of guidance Allah has prepared for them, 00:02:27.110 --> 00:02:30.110 such as the chaining of the devils, 00:02:30.669 --> 00:02:32.669 the opening of the gates of Paradise, 00:02:32.669 --> 00:02:34.669 the liberation from the Fire, 00:02:34.669 --> 00:02:36.669 and other such causes. 00:02:36.669 --> 00:02:38.669 But after Ramadan, 00:02:38.669 --> 00:02:40.669 they return to what they were upon 00:02:40.669 --> 00:02:42.669 of committing forbidden acts, 00:02:42.669 --> 00:02:44.669 or abandoning acts of obedience, 00:02:44.669 --> 00:02:46.669 such as forsaking the Qur'an, 00:02:46.669 --> 00:02:48.669 delaying the prayers, 00:02:48.669 --> 00:02:50.669 or abandoning them entirely, 00:02:50.669 --> 00:02:52.699 or other such things. 00:02:52.699 --> 00:02:54.699 So this repentance, O Hawwa, 00:02:54.699 --> 00:02:56.699 which occurs in Ramadan, 00:02:56.699 --> 00:02:58.699 if it is not sincere, 00:02:59.259 --> 00:03:01.259 it may not be accepted. 00:03:01.259 --> 00:03:03.259 And the sign of sincere repentance 00:03:03.259 --> 00:03:05.259 is that you are, after the repentance, 00:03:05.259 --> 00:03:07.330 better than you were before it. 00:03:07.330 --> 00:03:09.330 This is what we have learned 00:03:09.330 --> 00:03:11.330 from the story of our mother Hawwa 00:03:11.330 --> 00:03:13.330 with our father Adam, peace be upon him. 00:03:13.330 --> 00:03:15.330 Allah the Almighty says: 00:03:15.330 --> 00:03:17.330 ﴾Then Satan whispered to him﴿ 00:03:17.330 --> 00:03:19.330 saying, "O Adam, 00:03:19.330 --> 00:03:21.330 shall I direct you to 00:03:21.330 --> 00:03:23.330 the tree of eternity 00:03:23.330 --> 00:03:25.330 and a kingdom that does not deteriorate?" 00:03:25.330 --> 00:03:27.330 So they both ate from it, 00:03:27.889 --> 00:03:29.889 and their private parts became apparent to them, 00:03:29.889 --> 00:03:31.889 and they began 00:03:31.889 --> 00:03:33.889 to fasten together 00:03:33.889 --> 00:03:35.889 and they began 00:03:35.889 --> 00:03:37.889 to fasten together 00:03:37.889 --> 00:03:39.889 over themselves from the leaves of Paradise. 00:03:39.889 --> 00:03:41.889 And Adam disobeyed 00:03:41.889 --> 00:03:43.889 his Lord 00:03:43.889 --> 00:03:45.889 and erred. 00:03:45.889 --> 00:03:47.889 Then his Lord chose him, 00:03:47.889 --> 00:03:49.889 and turned to him in forgiveness, 00:03:49.889 --> 00:03:51.889 and guided him. 00:03:51.889 --> 00:03:54.659 Abu Zahrah said, 00:03:54.659 --> 00:03:56.659 may Allah have mercy on him: 00:03:57.219 --> 00:03:59.219 The word "then" (thumma) implies 00:03:59.219 --> 00:04:01.219 sequence and a lapse of time, 00:04:01.219 --> 00:04:03.219 indicating the distance 00:04:03.219 --> 00:04:05.219 between the two ranks: 00:04:05.219 --> 00:04:07.219 the rank of disobedience and error, 00:04:07.219 --> 00:04:09.219 and the rank of being chosen, 00:04:09.219 --> 00:04:11.250 and guidance. 00:04:11.250 --> 00:04:13.250 Being chosen (al-ijtiba') is selection 00:04:13.250 --> 00:04:15.250 and purification. 00:04:15.250 --> 00:04:17.250 He was chosen initially 00:04:17.250 --> 00:04:19.250 by being made the first of His creation, 00:04:19.250 --> 00:04:21.250 and he was chosen a second time 00:04:21.250 --> 00:04:23.250 by being selected for the test. 00:04:23.250 --> 00:04:25.250 And He accepted his repentance from this 00:04:25.810 --> 00:04:27.810 disobedience that he committed. 00:04:27.810 --> 00:04:29.810 So Allah the Almighty returned 00:04:29.810 --> 00:04:31.810 to him with forgiveness, 00:04:31.810 --> 00:04:33.810 as he returned to Him with the feeling 00:04:33.810 --> 00:04:35.810 of his error. 00:04:35.810 --> 00:04:37.810 And Allah the Almighty returned 00:04:37.810 --> 00:04:39.810 to him with forgiveness, 00:04:39.810 --> 00:04:41.899 and then with guidance thereafter. 00:04:41.899 --> 00:04:43.899 This meaning points 00:04:43.899 --> 00:04:45.899 to the fact that error is in the nature 00:04:45.899 --> 00:04:47.899 of the human being, and repentance 00:04:47.899 --> 00:04:49.899 is the character of the guided. 00:04:49.899 --> 00:04:52.060 And Allah the Almighty is Forgiving, 00:04:52.060 --> 00:04:54.060 Merciful. 00:04:54.620 --> 00:04:56.620 After the sin our mother Hawwa committed, 00:04:56.620 --> 00:04:58.620 which was eating from the tree, 00:04:58.620 --> 00:05:00.620 the one who caused 00:05:00.620 --> 00:05:02.620 this sin 00:05:02.620 --> 00:05:04.620 was Satan, 00:05:04.620 --> 00:05:06.620 for he always strives to lead 00:05:06.620 --> 00:05:08.620 the human being astray. 00:05:08.620 --> 00:05:10.620 But this sin also 00:05:10.620 --> 00:05:12.620 was a cause for the repentance 00:05:12.620 --> 00:05:14.620 of our mother Hawwa and her guidance. 00:05:14.620 --> 00:05:16.689 Al-Sa'di said, 00:05:16.689 --> 00:05:18.689 may Allah have mercy on him: 00:05:18.689 --> 00:05:20.689 "He was, after the repentance, better than he was before it." 00:05:20.689 --> 00:05:22.689 And the plot of the enemy turned 00:05:23.250 --> 00:05:25.250 against him, and his deception failed. 00:05:25.250 --> 00:05:27.250 Thus, the blessing was completed for him 00:05:27.250 --> 00:05:29.250 and for his descendants, 00:05:29.250 --> 00:05:31.250 and it became incumbent upon them to uphold it 00:05:31.250 --> 00:05:33.250 and to acknowledge it, 00:05:33.250 --> 00:05:35.250 and to be on guard 00:05:35.250 --> 00:05:37.250 against this enemy who is lying in wait, 00:05:37.250 --> 00:05:39.250 accompanying them night and day. 00:05:39.250 --> 00:05:41.500 And Ibn Taymiyyah said, 00:05:41.500 --> 00:05:43.500 may Allah have mercy on him: 00:05:43.500 --> 00:05:45.500 "Adam repented and turned back to Allah," 00:05:45.500 --> 00:05:47.500 and he and his wife said: 00:05:47.500 --> 00:05:49.500 ﴾Our Lord, we have wronged 00:05:49.500 --> 00:05:51.500 ourselves, 00:05:52.060 --> 00:05:54.060 and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, 00:05:54.060 --> 00:05:56.060 we will surely be among the losers.﴿ 00:05:56.060 --> 00:05:58.060 So Allah accepted his repentance, 00:05:58.060 --> 00:06:00.060 chose him, and guided him, 00:06:00.060 --> 00:06:02.060 and sent him down to the earth 00:06:02.060 --> 00:06:04.060 to work therein by His obedience, 00:06:04.060 --> 00:06:06.060 so that Allah might raise 00:06:06.060 --> 00:06:08.060 his rank thereby, 00:06:08.060 --> 00:06:10.060 and his entry into Paradise 00:06:10.060 --> 00:06:12.060 after this would be more perfect 00:06:12.060 --> 00:06:14.060 than it was before. 00:06:14.060 --> 00:06:16.060 So whoever among the children of Adam commits a sin, 00:06:16.060 --> 00:06:18.060 and follows the example of his father Adam 00:06:18.060 --> 00:06:20.060 in repentance, he will be successful. 00:06:20.620 --> 00:06:22.620 And if he repents, believes, and does righteous deeds, 00:06:22.620 --> 00:06:24.620 Allah will replace 00:06:24.620 --> 00:06:26.620 his evil deeds with good deeds, 00:06:26.620 --> 00:06:28.620 and he will be, after the repentance, 00:06:28.620 --> 00:06:30.620 better than he was before the sin, 00:06:30.620 --> 00:06:32.620 like all the allies of Allah, 00:06:32.620 --> 00:06:34.620 the righteous. 00:06:34.620 --> 00:06:37.300 O Hawwa, 00:06:37.300 --> 00:06:39.300 your state after repentance 00:06:39.300 --> 00:06:41.300 reveals the extent of the sincerity 00:06:41.300 --> 00:06:43.300 of your repentance. 00:06:43.300 --> 00:06:45.300 And your state after Ramadan 00:06:45.300 --> 00:06:47.300 reveals the sincerity of your deeds, 00:06:47.300 --> 00:06:49.579 your repentance, and your supplication. 00:06:50.139 --> 00:06:52.139 Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 00:06:52.139 --> 00:06:54.139 "This is why you find 00:06:54.139 --> 00:06:56.139 the sincere repentant person 00:06:56.139 --> 00:06:58.139 more steadfast in obedience, 00:06:58.139 --> 00:07:00.139 more desirous of it, 00:07:00.139 --> 00:07:02.139 and more cautious of sin 00:07:02.139 --> 00:07:04.139 than many of those 00:07:04.139 --> 00:07:06.139 who have not been tested with a sin. 00:07:06.139 --> 00:07:08.139 Repentance may even 00:07:08.139 --> 00:07:10.139 result in good deeds for him 00:07:10.139 --> 00:07:12.139 that would not be attained by one who was not 00:07:12.139 --> 00:07:14.240 like him, repentant from sin. 00:07:14.240 --> 00:07:16.240 And we do not say 00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:18.240 that everyone who sins and repents 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:20.240 is better than one who did not commit 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:22.240 that sin; 00:07:22.240 --> 00:07:24.240 rather, this varies according to 00:07:24.240 --> 00:07:26.240 the states of people. 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:28.240 For among people are those who become 00:07:28.240 --> 00:07:30.240 better after repentance, 00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:32.240 and among them are those who return to what they were, 00:07:32.240 --> 00:07:34.240 And among them are those who do not return 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:36.300 to their former state. 00:07:36.300 --> 00:07:38.300 As for these three categories, 00:07:38.300 --> 00:07:40.300 among them is one who is superior 00:07:40.300 --> 00:07:42.300 to one who did not sin and repent. 00:07:42.300 --> 00:07:44.300 Among them is one who is equal to him, 00:07:44.300 --> 00:07:46.300 and among them is one who is inferior to him. 00:07:46.300 --> 00:07:48.430 Ibn al-Qayyim, 00:07:48.430 --> 00:07:50.430 may Allah have mercy on him, explains the words of his teacher, 00:07:50.430 --> 00:07:52.430 Ibn Taymiyyah, saying: 00:07:52.430 --> 00:07:54.430 "This depends on the strength 00:07:54.430 --> 00:07:56.430 of the repentance and its perfection, 00:07:56.430 --> 00:07:58.430 and what the sin has produced 00:07:58.430 --> 00:08:00.430 in the servant in terms of humility, submissiveness, 00:08:00.430 --> 00:08:02.430 turning back to Allah, caution, 00:08:02.430 --> 00:08:04.430 fear of Allah, 00:08:04.430 --> 00:08:06.430 and weeping out of fear of Allah." 00:08:06.430 --> 00:08:08.430 For these matters may strengthen 00:08:08.430 --> 00:08:10.430 until the repentant person 00:08:10.430 --> 00:08:12.430 returns to a rank higher than his previous one, 00:08:12.430 --> 00:08:14.430 and he becomes, after 00:08:14.430 --> 00:08:16.430 his repentance, better than he was 00:08:16.430 --> 00:08:18.500 before the sin. 00:08:18.500 --> 00:08:20.500 Thus, the sin may be, 00:08:20.500 --> 00:08:22.500 in his case, a mercy, 00:08:22.500 --> 00:08:24.500 for it purged from him the disease of vanity, 00:08:24.500 --> 00:08:26.500 and freed him from his self-reliance 00:08:26.500 --> 00:08:28.500 and his pride 00:08:28.500 --> 00:08:30.500 in his own deeds. 00:08:30.500 --> 00:08:32.500 It placed his cheek of supplication, humility, 00:08:32.500 --> 00:08:34.500 and brokenness 00:08:34.500 --> 00:08:36.500 upon the threshold of the door of his Master 00:08:36.500 --> 00:08:38.500 and Protector. 00:08:38.500 --> 00:08:40.500 It made him know his own capacity, 00:08:40.500 --> 00:08:42.500 and made him witness his need 00:08:42.500 --> 00:08:44.500 for his Master’s protection of him, 00:08:44.500 --> 00:08:46.500 for His pardon, 00:08:46.500 --> 00:08:48.500 and for His forgiveness. 00:08:48.500 --> 00:08:50.500 It cast out from his heart 00:08:50.500 --> 00:08:52.500 the arrogance of obedience, 00:08:52.500 --> 00:08:54.500 and humbled his pride so that he would not boast 00:08:54.500 --> 00:08:56.500 of it, or become arrogant through it, 00:08:56.500 --> 00:08:58.500 or see himself through it 00:08:58.500 --> 00:09:00.500 as better than others. 00:09:00.500 --> 00:09:02.500 It caused him to stand before his Lord 00:09:02.500 --> 00:09:04.500 in the position of the sinful, the erring, 00:09:04.500 --> 00:09:06.500 with head bowed 00:09:06.500 --> 00:09:08.500 before his Lord, 00:09:08.500 --> 00:09:10.500 ashamed and fearful of Him, 00:09:10.500 --> 00:09:12.500 viewing his own obedience as insignificant, 00:09:12.500 --> 00:09:14.500 and viewing his disobedience as grave. 00:09:14.500 --> 00:09:16.500 He recognized himself 00:09:16.500 --> 00:09:18.500 by deficiency and blameworthiness, 00:09:18.500 --> 00:09:20.500 while his Lord is unique 00:09:20.500 --> 00:09:22.500 in perfection, praise, 00:09:22.500 --> 00:09:24.820 and faithfulness. 00:09:24.820 --> 00:09:26.820 So this category, O Hawwa', 00:09:26.820 --> 00:09:28.820 is the one that benefited from its sin 00:09:28.820 --> 00:09:30.820 through sincere repentance, 00:09:30.820 --> 00:09:32.820 so Allah guided him to the truth, 00:09:32.820 --> 00:09:34.820 and his states changed 00:09:34.820 --> 00:09:36.820 for the better, 00:09:36.820 --> 00:09:38.820 and the signs of guidance appeared upon him. 00:09:38.820 --> 00:09:40.820 May Allah make me and you 00:09:40.820 --> 00:09:42.820 of this category. 00:09:42.820 --> 00:09:45.039 We shall continue in a 00:09:45.039 --> 00:09:47.039 future meeting, if Allah wills. 00:09:47.039 --> 00:09:49.039 And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. 00:09:51.779 --> 00:09:53.779 The story of our mother Hawwa'.