Summary of Letter:
Bismihi Ta’ala
Respected Mufti Saheb
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuh
My excessive sins have overwhelmed me and I have lost control. I greatly regret this and sometimes wish that the earth will split and swallow me up. Please comment.
Summary of Reply:
Bismihi Ta’ala
Respected Brother / Sister
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuh
Whatever regret and remorse you have expressed over your conditions, may the same remorse be deep down in your heart. Indeed, if a person is truly concerned about his islaah (reformation), his concern in itself is more effective in bringing about his reformation than any wazaaif (recitations of various zikr’s, etc. However, the concern that is merely expressed with the tongue but does not exist in the heart does not have this effect … May Allah Ta’ala assist you.
Summary of Letter:
Bismihi Ta’ala
Respected Mufti Saheb
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuh
I recall my previous sins and feel much remorse over them. Please advise me whether it is in order to recall one’s sins in this manner.
Summary of Reply:
Bismihi Ta’ala
Respected Brother / Sister
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuh
It is not sufficient to merely remember one’s sins in this manner. Sometimes recalling the previous sins itself very subtly incites the person to commit the same sin again. May Allah Ta’ala save us all. It is therefore necessary to instead visualize the Day of Qiyamah when an account of one’s deeds will be taken in front of all mankind. How utterly disgraced would one be! Every deed committed would be clearly recorded on one’s book of deeds. Moreover, one would be made to personally read out his book of deeds. In this world we feel greatly embarrassed if what we had done secretly is exposed. One should therefore consider how terribly embarrassing it will be to personally read out one’s sins in front of Allah Ta’ala. Hence if anyone wants to be saved from this unimaginable disgrace, it is essential that the sins are washed off from the book of deeds. The tears of regret and remorse in solitude is the water that washes off the sins from the book of deeds. May Allah Ta’ala grant us such tears of regret that washes off our sins from our books of deeds.
Hence merely recalling one’s sins is not sufficient. One must firmly visualize the Day of Qiyamah to gain the desired effect (Tarbiyatut Taalibeen, pg.122).
