Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (3) | Chapter of Repentance (1)

0:00 Riyad al-Salihin (The Meadows of the Righteous) from the Words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

0:09 Chapter on Repentance.

0:14 The scholars have said: Repentance is obligatory for every sin.

0:19 If the transgression is between the servant and Allah Almighty, involving no right of another human being,

0:26 then it has three conditions: the first is that one completely desists from the sin;

0:32 the second is that one feels remorse for having committed it;

0:35 and the third is that one firmly resolves never to return to it again.

0:40 If any of these three conditions is missing, one's repentance is invalid.

0:44 But if the transgression involves the right of another human being, then it has four conditions:

0:50 these three, and that one frees oneself from the rightful claim of that person.

0:54 If it involves property or the like, one must restore it to him;

0:58 if it involves an offense requiring a legal penalty for false accusation of unchastity or the like, one must surrender oneself to him or seek his pardon;

1:03 and if it involves backbiting, one must ask him for forgiveness.

1:07 This applies as long as seeking his pardon does not lead to an even greater harm;

1:12 otherwise, the obligation in that case is merely to pray for him.

1:17 A person is obligated to repent of all sins;

1:21 yet if one repents of some of them, one's repentance for that specific sin is valid according to the people of truth,

1:27 while the guilt for the remaining sins still rests upon him.

1:30 The proofs from the Book, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the Ummah concur on the obligation of repentance.

1:36 Allah Almighty said:

1:39 "And repent to Allah all of you, O believers, that you may succeed."

1:45 And the Almighty said:

1:47 "Seek forgiveness from your Lord and then repent to Him."

1:51 And the Almighty said:

1:53 “O ye who believe! Turn unto Allah in sincere repentance! It may be that your Lord will remit from you your evil deeds and bring you into Gardens underneath which rivers flow, on the day when Allah will not abase the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their light will run before them and on their right hands; they will say: Our Lord! Perfect our light for us, and forgive us! Lo! Thou art Able to do all things.” (66:8)

2:00 On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

2:04 I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:

2:09 "By Allah, I surely seek the forgiveness of Allah and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day."

2:16 Recorded by al-Bukhari.

2:19 "I seek forgiveness" means: I ask for pardon, which is the overlooking of the sin;

2:25 and "I turn to Him in repentance" means: I firmly resolve upon repenting.

2:29 Among the lessons of the hadith is urging the Ummah toward repentance and seeking forgiveness;

2:36 for though he, peace be upon him, was infallible and the best of creation,

2:42 and Allah had already forgiven him his past and future sins,

2:47 he would still seek forgiveness and repent seventy times a day to teach his Ummah,

2:53 and to further elevate his ranks with Allah.

2:57 One should frequently seek forgiveness and repent,

3:00 for a servant is never free from sin or shortcoming.

3:04 And on the authority of al-Agharr ibn Yasar al-Muzani (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

3:10 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

3:14 "O people, turn to Allah in repentance and seek His forgiveness,

3:19 for I turn to Him in repentance one hundred times a day."

3:23 Recorded by Muslim.

3:25 Among the lessons of the hadith:

3:29 Repentance is an individual obligation, because a command denotes obligation;

3:34 and the ones addressed are all people without exception.

3:38 The numbers mentioned in this hadith and the one before it

3:42 are not intended as a strict limit, but rather denote frequency and abundance.

3:47 And on the authority of Abu Hamzah, Anas ibn Malik al-Ansari,

3:52 the servant of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

3:58 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

4:02 "Allah is indeed more pleased with the repentance of His servant than one of you who suddenly finds his camel

4:07 after having lost it in a desolate desert land."

4:11 Agreed upon.

4:13 And in a narration of Muslim:

4:15 "Allah is surely more pleased with the repentance of His servant when he turns to Him in repentance

4:20 than one of you traveling upon his riding beast in a desolate wasteland,

4:24 when it suddenly escapes from him carrying his food and drink,

4:29 and he despairs of recovering it.

4:31 He then comes to a tree and lies down in its shade,

4:34 utterly despairing of his riding beast.

4:37 While he is in that state,

4:39 behold, it is standing right beside him!

4:42 So he takes hold of its halter,

4:44 and then cries out from excessive joy:

4:47 'O Allah, You are my servant and I am your lord!'

4:51 making a mistake out of sheer joy."

4:54 "He suddenly finds his camel"

4:58 means: he happens upon it and finds it unexpectedly.

5:01 "After having lost it"

5:03 means: it strayed from him without his intention,

5:06 and he did not know where it went.

5:08 "In a wasteland"

5:09 means: an expansive, deserted land.

5:12 "His riding beast"

5:14 refers to whatever a traveler mounts, whether a camel or otherwise.

5:18 "Its halter"

5:20 is a rope placed around the beast's muzzle

5:23 by which it is led.

5:25 Among the lessons of the hadith:

5:29 Affirmation of the attribute of joy for Allah,

5:32 and that it is an attribute befitting His majesty and perfection;

5:36 affirming it does not necessitate

5:38 that it resembles the joy of created beings.

5:41 The vastness of Allah Almighty's mercy,

5:44 which overlooks the wrongdoer,

5:46 accepts the doer of good,

5:48 receives repentance,

5:50 and pardons sin.

5:52 One is not held accountable for unintentional mistakes,

5:55 such as a person who errs in a state of utter shock and bewilderment.

5:59 Emulating the Prophet, peace be upon him,

6:04 in his manner of teaching

6:05 by striking parables,

6:06 using parables to bring the meaning closer to understanding and to increase clarity.

6:10 The permissibility of swearing an oath to emphasize something beneficial and of public interest.

6:16 Whoever relies upon other than Allah

6:18 will be abandoned by it at the time of greatest need;

6:22 for the man only fell asleep alone in the wasteland

6:25 out of reliance upon the provisions he had with him,

6:29 and when he depended upon them,

6:31 they slipped away and failed him—

6:33 had not Allah shown grace to him and returned his lost beast.

6:38 Surrendering to the command of Allah brings goodness and blessing,

6:42 for when this servant despaired of finding his mount,

6:46 he surrendered himself,

6:48 and so Allah favored him by returning his lost beast.

6:51 And on the authority of Abu Musa, 'Abdullah ibn Qays al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him),

6:58 from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:

7:02 "Indeed, Allah Almighty stretches out His Hand at night so that the sinner of the day may repent,

7:08 and He stretches out His Hand by day so that the sinner of the night may repent,

7:13 until the sun rises from its place of setting."

7:17 Recorded by Muslim.

7:20 And on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

7:24 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

7:28 "Whoever repents before the sun rises from its place of setting,

7:32 Allah will accept his repentance."

7:34 Recorded by Muslim.

7:37 Among the lessons of the hadith:

7:39 Affirmation of the attribute of the Hand for Allah,

7:42 and that He has two Hands befitting His majesty and perfection;

7:46 therefore, it is obligatory to believe in them

7:49 without inquiring into their modality.

7:52 The mercy of Allah encompasses all things.

7:55 Among the conditions for the acceptance of repentance

7:59 is that it occurs while one still has the opportunity,

8:02 which here means before the sun rises from its place of setting,

8:06 which is one of the major signs of the Hour.

8:10 Encouragement to hasten toward repentance

8:13 whenever a sin is committed, whether by night or by day.

8:16 And on the authority of Abu 'Abd al-Rahman, 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with them both),

8:24 from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:

8:28 "Indeed, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, accepts the servant's repentance as long as the death rattle has not reached his throat."

8:34 Recorded by al-Tirmidhi.

8:38 "As long as the death rattle has not reached his throat"

8:40 means: as long as his soul has not reached the throat,

8:43 which is the state of the death agony;

8:45 he is then in the condition of a sick person gargling,

8:50 which is to take a liquid into the mouth

8:52 and keep vibrating it at the back of the throat

8:55 without swallowing it.

8:58 Among the lessons of the hadith:

9:00 Repentance is not accepted during the death rattle,

9:04 which is the moment of the death agony.

9:06 The Almighty said:

9:08 “The forgiveness is not for those who do ill-deeds until, when death attendeth upon one of them, he saith: Lo! I repent now; nor yet for those who die while they are disbelievers. For such We have prepared a painful doom.” (4:18)

9:12 “The forgiveness is not for those who do ill-deeds until, when death attendeth upon one of them, he saith: Lo! I repent now; nor yet for those who die while they are disbelievers. For such We have prepared a painful doom.” (4:18)

9:15 “The forgiveness is not for those who do ill-deeds until, when death attendeth upon one of them, he saith: Lo! I repent now; nor yet for those who die while they are disbelievers. For such We have prepared a painful doom.” (4:18)

9:18 Among the conditions of repentance

9:20 is that it be made by the servant before reaching a state where survival is ordinarily impossible.

9:27 And on the authority of Zirr ibn Hubaysh, who said:

9:32 I came to Safwan ibn 'Assal (may Allah be pleased with him)

9:35 to ask him about wiping over leather socks.

9:38 He said:

9:40 "What has brought you, O Zirr?"

9:42 I said:

9:43 "The pursuit of knowledge."

9:45 He said:

9:47 "Indeed, the angels lower their wings for the seeker of knowledge

9:51 out of pleasure with what he seeks."

9:53 I said:

9:55 "A doubt arose in my chest regarding wiping over leather socks after defecation and urination,

10:01 and since you are one of the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

10:06 I came to ask you:

10:08 Did you hear him mention anything concerning that?"

10:11 He said: "Yes;

10:13 he used to instruct us, whenever we were on a journey or traveling,

10:17 not to remove our leather socks for three days and their nights, except in the case of major ritual impurity,

10:24 but not for defecation, urination, or sleep."

10:28 I said:

10:29 "Did you hear him mention anything concerning love and affection?"

10:33 He said: "Yes;

10:34 we were with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, on an expedition,

10:39 and while we were in his presence,

10:41 a Bedouin called out to him in a loud, booming voice:

10:46 'O Muhammad!'

10:48 The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, answered him in a voice similar to his own:

10:53 'Here I am!'

10:55 So I said to him:

10:56 'Woe to you!

10:57 Lower your voice,

10:59 for you are in the presence of the Prophet, peace be upon him,

11:03 and you have been forbidden from doing this!'

11:05 But he replied:

11:06 'By Allah, I will not lower it!'

11:09 The Bedouin then said:

11:11 'A man loves a people, but has not yet caught up with them in deeds.'

11:15 The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

11:18 'A man will be with those whom he loves on the Day of Resurrection.'

11:22 And he continued conversing with us

11:24 until he mentioned a gate in the west, whose width takes a journey of—

11:28 or a rider travels across its breadth for—

11:31 forty or seventy years."

11:34 Sufyan, one of the narrators, said:

11:36 "Toward the direction of the Levant;

11:38 Allah Almighty created it on the day He created the heavens and the earth,

11:42 wide open for repentance,

11:44 and it will not be closed until the sun rises through it."

11:48 Recorded by al-Tirmidhi.

11:51 "What has brought you?"

11:54 means: what prompted you to come?

11:57 "The pursuit of knowledge"

11:59 for the sake of seeking knowledge.

12:01 "Lay down their wings":

12:03 meaning they refrain from flying,

12:06 maintain stillness,

12:08 out of veneration for the seeker of knowledge and pleasure with what they do.

12:12 "It stirred in my chest":

12:14 meaning it wavered and hesitated,

12:16 and doubt arose within me concerning it.

12:18 Al-Gha'it (defecation):

12:21 originally refers to a low-lying piece of ground,

12:24 and human excrement was named after it by association with the place.

12:28 Safr:

12:29 the plural of safir, meaning travelers.

12:32 "Our leather socks (khifaf)":

12:34 plural of khuff,

12:35 which is footwear worn on the feet, resembling boots.

12:39 Janabah (major ritual impurity):

12:41 literally means distance,

12:42 and in Islamic law,

12:44 it refers to everything that necessitates a full ritual bath (ghusl), such as sexual intercourse, ejaculation, or a wet dream.

12:49 It was named as such

12:51 because a person becomes distanced from certain acts of worship they previously performed.

12:57 "Except from defecation":

12:59 meaning the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, instructed us

13:03 when we were traveling

13:05 to take off our leather socks for major ritual impurity during the specified period,

13:10 but not to remove them due to defecation, urination, or sleep during that duration.

13:16 Al-Hawa:

13:18 love.

13:19 A bedouin:

13:21 attributed to the desert dwellers,

13:22 who are the inhabitants of the wilderness.

13:25 Booming:

13:26 meaning loud and raised.

13:30 "In a tone similar to his":

13:32 meaning with a raised voice matching his own.

13:35 "Here I am" (Ha'um):

13:36 meaning take it, or here.

13:38 "Woe to you" (Wayhak):

13:39 a word expressing compassion and distress,

13:42 spoken to someone who has fallen into an unintended misfortune.

13:46 "Lower your voice":

13:48 meaning do not fail to lower your voice.

13:51 "Though he has not caught up with them":

13:53 meaning he has not performed deeds equal to theirs in perfection.

13:57 Among the benefits derived from the hadith:

14:01 Encouragement to seek knowledge.

14:04 The duty of the legally accountable individual to ask scholars about unclear religious matters,

14:09 as stated in the words of Allah the Exalted:

14:11 "So ask the people of the message if you do not know."

14:16 The questioner may ask the scholar for his evidence,

14:21 and the scholar should not take offense at that,

14:24 for accompanying a legal verdict with its evidence is a sign of truthfulness and sincerity,

14:30 as in the words of Allah the Exalted:

14:33 "Say, 'Produce your proof, if you should be truthful.'"

14:38 The permissibility of wiping over leather socks,

14:41 its duration being three days and nights for the traveler,

14:45 and a day and a night for the resident.

14:48 Wiping over leather socks substitutes for washing the feet

14:52 after defecation, urination, and sleep;

14:55 however, in the case of major ritual impurity, such as janabah, menses, or post-natal bleeding,

14:59 they must be removed and the feet washed.

15:03 Observing proper etiquette with scholars and lowering one's voice in their gatherings.

15:08 Teaching the unlearned proper etiquette and rules of conduct.

15:13 Sitting with righteous people and loving them,

15:16 for a person will be with whom they love on the Day of Resurrection,

15:20 and a man follows the religion of his close friend,

15:23 so let each of you look to whom he befriends;

15:26 and because love naturally pulls the lover along the path of the beloved

15:31 and leads them to obey them.

15:34 For this reason, it is said:

15:36 "A companion is a puller."

15:38 Emulating the Prophet, peace be upon him,

15:42 in his forbearance and noble character,

15:44 and in addressing people according to their level of knowledge and understanding.

15:49 Riyad al-Salihin.

Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (3) | Chapter of Repentance (1)

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