Faraz Rabbani – The Rawha #155 Cure for Frequent Sin and Contravention
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You're listening to the Roja, daily guidance for
seekers with Sheikh Rasra Behni.
In our look at the blameworthy traits of
the self and their cure from Imam al
Soleimi's work
called,
We have reached the 31st
blameworthy trait.
And this trait is particularly
important
because
part of the manifestations
of the human beings' weakness
is that we're prone
to error. And our errors are both we
make mistakes in our worldly life,
but we make spiritual mistakes,
which are sins.
And
there is a great
we are responsible
to avoid sin,
but there is a wisdom
in our struggle.
Right?
There's a wisdom
in our struggle. Right? Ibn Atha'iullah says,
Were it not for the battlegrounds
of the lower self,
the spiritual journey of those travelling to Allah
will not would not be realized.
If you never sinned, you'd become arrogant,
become conceited.
You depend on yourself because if everything you
try to do you succeeded in, you say
I can do this. But no.
Allah teaches us in our stumbles
to be broken hearted,
to be humbled,
to feel our need for Allah
So there
one
views our challenges in 2 ways. 1 is
we have a moral responsibility,
an obligation to avoid sin.
But we also behold the wisdom
in this in the stumbles.
But this is particularly after the fact.
You don't approach a sin or there's a
wisdom in me committing this sin. No. There's
no wisdom in it. There's foolishness in it.
Because that's where so you approach
the test with responsibility.
But once it happens,
then you recognize there's wisdom. You are saddened
for your sin,
but you turn to Allah
with renewal of resolve,
with repentance
etc. And in that sense
the sin too is part of your journey
to Allah, not in the sin but in
how you responded to it.
And sometimes those
those moments after sinning could be some of
the most
blessed
moments in one's life.
Abu Mediyan says
The brokenheartedness
of the sinner
is more beloved to Allah
than the haughtiness
of the obedient.
So we never accept
committing sin.
We never accept having committed sin.
But and we are responsible
after the sin to sincerely
repent.
But we also recognize
that there is wisdom in this.
The other important thing to keep in mind
as we look at sin and disobedience
is that we do not attach
our hope
in ourselves,
we do not attach our hope in others,
we attach our hope only in Allah
The sincere believer does not lose any hope
when they commit sin. Why?
Because
hope, you don't hope in yourself, you hope
in Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
You do not have self reliance.
The servant of Allah has reliance upon
Allah.
We never think I can do this.
The the servant of Allah,
behold
I seek Allah's assistance in doing this.
It is you.
We worship, and it is you that we
depend upon
and that we seek assistance of.
So
he tells
us from its sins
is frequent
sin
and contravention.
Until the heart becomes hard hard.
And
Allah Subhana Wa Ta'la describes
those
who
their hearts become
became hard
until they're like
rocks.
Or even more hard
than rocks.
The cure for a hard heart.
And
by extension,
for
committing a lot of sin is frequent seeking
of forgiveness
and repenting to Allah. He says,
with each breath.
The prophet
has described sometimes as Saba would count him
making
70 istighfar
just in one sitting
and this is without sin.
So this is one of the things that
should be part of one's
regular
practice to make istighfar.
Abu Madyan says
and stand on the feet of fairness
seeking apology.
Right.
So seek forgiveness without reason. Why?
Because
you seek forgiveness both from sin, but also
from shortcoming that Oh Allah, you deserve better.
So sin is a renewal of commitment
to do the right thing, to do better,
to seek Allah more truly.
And repentance
1 and part of the key to repentance
is one does not accept one's sin. 1
does it does not accept one's sinful habit.
1 does not accept one's blameworthy trait. Rather
one accepts only what that which is acceptable
to Allah. If one's even stuck in a
in a sin,
right, one keeps renewing repentance.
That you remorse
for having
commit for committing that sin. You renew your
resolve to leave it,
and not to return to it.
And then he says,
and consistency
in fasting.
So when it comes to istighfar,
the prophet
said that he makes he seeks forgiveness 70
times a day, 100 times a day.
And praise has come in the Quran for
seeking forgiveness
and glorifying Allah by morning and by night.
So practically
one should have a routine of istighfar
in the morning
and before going to sleep.
And also
throughout the day. So one should set
goals
for how much istighfar
one
wants to do. Many of the Alimah suggested
300 because in the Quran mentions in the
beginning of the day, the end of the
day, and
throughout the day.
So if you do a 100 in the
morning, just from the sunnah, 100 at night,
100 throughout the day, that's a goal to
set in terms of seeking forgiveness.
Consistent fasting is to to to
you want to soften your heart?
Be distant from sin? And the prophet said
fasting is
a protective wall.
Junna and Jannah are from the same root
which is that which
is covered or walled,
right.
There
a between
you
and
harm.
So consistent fasting is to fast the sunnah
days. If you can fast 3 days of
each month first,
then try to make
then
try to fast Mondays Thursdays,
but to do it with the spirit of
fasting.
Right?
What
and performing night vigil worship.
Even if it's a little bit.
And the and that's a time of closeness
to Allah. And one of the things that's
come in this hadith of the prophet Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala calls out, who is there
to seek my forgiveness
so that I may forgive them?
Is there anyone to seek forgiveness so I
may forgive them?
Right? And to have
a sense of the inviolability.
A sense of nurturing,
a sense of inviolability,
and respect
for the people of good.
Both the people of religious good, people who
are teaching the religion, people who are calling
to Allah,
people who are serving
the dawah to Allah
to have a sense of their nurture a
sense of respect and viability. Because you will
only
try to be like those you respect. So
to nurture that respect for the ahlul khair,
for the people of good.
And to frequently sit with the righteous.
To frequent and this is a neglected sunnah
to just
to go visit
the learned, the righteous for the sake of
Allah.
And attending
the gatherings of remembrance. When we began
these roha sessions, we covered
40 hadiths on the merits of of group
zikr
early on in the text. And there are
dozens upon dozens of hadith of the Prophet
and the merits of gathering to remember Allah.
The angels seek out those gatherings,
and the angels flock to them so much
as come in authentic hadith, that they stack
upon each other reaching till beyond the sky.
When the angels look at God's earth,
the gatherings of remembrance
are like pillars of light to the heavens.
So what these are one should seek them
out and be regular therein.
So it is related the messenger said,
become close to remembrance
and make much
seeking of forgiveness.
For I seek Allah's forgiveness in the day
70 times, meaning no less than 70 times.
The messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam
said,
If the servant commits a sin, there is
a
dark spot
that is imprinted on their heart.
If they repent
and seek forgiveness,
it goes away.
And if they commit another sin,
then another
dark spot
is imprinted on their heart.
Until the heart becomes such becomes so
clouded over
that it can no it no longer distinguishes
between good and
evil.
It doesn't recognize the good and it does
not
dislike the wrong.
No. Truly,
their hearts became rusted
as a result
of what they would acquire of ill.
From Surah Al Mutafifin
verse 14.
So this
is one of the important,
So he mentions a few keys to softening
the heart.
Much seeking of forgiveness,
renewing repentance,
and we say so for example say,
I seek Allah's forgiveness and repent to Him.
At least a 100 times a day, if
one can do it in the morning and
at night and throughout the day.
And to mean it,
and to mean it. I seek Allah's forgiveness,
I ask Allah to cover over my way
more the qualities
and to manifest the good
in my because that's the meaning of
as Imam Al Ghazali explained.
To repent to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, to
renew the resolve not to go back to
sin, and one can make general repentance.
To bring fasting with consistency
into one's life,
to perform night vigil worship. And one can
begin with even 2 rakas after sleep,
before fajr.
And one of the sunnahs of getting up
at night is istighfar.
And they say if you do get up
at night and you you're not able
to get yourself to get up,
make a sikfar.
One, because Allah says in the far,
and in the depths of the night they
seek forgiveness. That's not a substitute for night
prayer,
but it is part of night worship.
Right? And if you make istighfar,
and they say astaghfirullah
astaghfirullah
astaghfirullah
that may actually
that the light of making a sikfar may
help you gather yourself to actually get up.
But even if you fell back asleep at
least at least you had some worship
at that time.
And to develop
respect
for the people of good,
and to visit them. This is the advice
that he gives, this important
in a trait
that one must get rid of which is
hardness
of heart.
And then InshaAllah tomorrow we are going to
look at
speaking ill of people
and
and related blameworthy traits,
of being busying oneself with things that are
of no benefit,
and potentially great harm.
So we ask Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala for
awareness of our states
and commitment
to turn to Him and to leave
our wayward ways.
Thank you for listening to the daily guidance
for seekers with Sheikh Farazrabani.
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