Waleed Basyouni – After A Long Time Of Not Praying Do I Have to Re-Take My Shahadah
AI: Summary ©
The host discusses the importance of actions and emotions in achieving success, and emphasizes the need to avoid regretting. They stress the importance of staying committed to one's prayer and making a positive impact in praying. The return to the "unsure" position is a serious sin, and it is important to make a lifestyle change. The speaker also shares a brother's deeds and gives advice on making a positive impact in praying.
AI: Summary ©
As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah, welcome to a
new episode of Ask the Imam, a program
that we host at the Clear Lake Islamic
Center.
You can see the answers to your questions
on our YouTube channel.
If you want to ask a question, send
us an email at asktheimam, one word, at
themasjid.org.
That is asktheimam at themasjid.org.
As-salamu alaykum, Sheikh Waleed.
Wa alaykum as-salam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.
I hope that your cough is good.
This is a double shot espresso.
I love it.
Nice.
Yes, it is good.
Okay.
Now, this is a long question, and I
actually, when I read the question, I spent
some time reading it.
If he would like to come and talk
to us one-on-one, that would be
really a very good idea.
We would like to meet this brother.
His question, he's an old man, he's in
his 60s.
Now, he is in a lot of distraught
and a lot of anxiety and distress because
he thinks that it's too late for him.
He has missed many years of prayer.
He said that he was born into Islam,
then he became an atheist, according to him,
when he was 13.
Then when he was 14, he took his
shahadah again and became Muslim, but he never
prayed.
So he, missing a lot of prayers, he
said, is it okay to restate my shahadah?
What do I do with all these prayers
that I have missed, that I can't even
count?
And he's really heartbroken about this, and it's
like a one page, a complete page of
explaining his emotions.
And we would like to really meet with
him, but what can you, in the meantime,
what can you tell this brother?
First of all, I would like to say,
Nabi ﷺ said, regret is a form of
tawbah, an-nadam tawbah.
You know, when you have a dead wound,
when you touch it, it doesn't hurt.
You don't feel it.
This is dead.
But when you touch it and it hurts,
it means it's still alive.
So what you're feeling, that feeling of guilt
and regret and fear, that shows that your
heart is alive, full of life.
And alhamdulillah, there is iman in it.
And that's a very good sign.
Not only that, that this iman is strong
enough to take you to take a step,
which is to do one of the greatest
acts of worship, which is to repent to
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
You know, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala told
the believers, he called upon the believer, utubu
ila Allahi jami'an ayyuhal mu'minoon, to repent
to Allah.
All of you, the believers, he called the
believer to repent to Allah.
So those who answer this call are believers.
And also, la'allakum tifrihoon, la'alla in
Quran it means you will.
You will achieve success.
So that's a guarantee from Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala that you will achieve success by
repenting to Him.
Also, Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is so happy
with your repentance, when you repent to Him,
more than the person who is in the
desert, lost his camel, lost his, and this
camel loaded with all his food and drink,
and he was completely, you know, by himself,
and he thought that he was going to
die.
So he said, let me die in peace
underneath this tree.
And all of a sudden, he found his
camel right next to his head when he
woke up.
He was so happy with it.
Imagine how happy this person is.
You think that he's the luckiest person in
the world.
You see how much happiness this person has?
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is happier than
that, when you go back to him.
And he doesn't need you.
This person needed the camel, Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala doesn't need you.
But still, he's so happy that you came
back to him.
So I want you to keep that in
mind.
Yes, leaving the salah is a great sin.
As a matter of fact, the debate is
the person who leaves the salah is Muslim
or not Muslim.
And that's something that you should be very
careful about, anyone listening to me.
You don't want to be in a position
where a Muslim is saying, are you Muslim
or a kafir?
You know, nobody who has a common sense
would like to be in that position.
So leaving the salah is a very, very
serious sin.
Going back to the salah, alhamdulillah, it is
a sign of tawbah.
So even if somebody will consider leaving the
salah completely, abandoning the salah for years like
this, not being Muslim, you start in praying
again, you don't need to redo your shahada.
You starting the salah again, it's basically renewing
your Islam.
And according to...
That's repentance.
That's repentance.
According to the scholar who believe that leaving
salah is kufr, they said how to go
back to Islam is by stop praying, like
the hanabira, for example.
Those who said it's not a kufr, but
it is a minor kufr, not a major
one, does not take you out of the
fold of Islam, they said your repentance and
declaration of repentance is enough.
I do believe that also you don't have
to make up the prayer for these years.
But what you need to do is to
make sure that you are so committed to
your prayer now.
And go on.
And increase it.
And increase also your volunteer prayers.
So, and I have something to share with
this brother as well.
That in the day of judgment, Allah bring
his servant close to him.
And he will show him the record of
his deeds.
And he see these small sins.
And he said, I'm done, I'm gonna go
to * fire.
I didn't even see the big ones yet.
And Allah said, what do you have to
say?
He said, nothing, I admit I was wrong.
Like you admitting now, my brother.
Allah said, I cover you in the dunya,
and I'll cover you today, I'm not gonna
expose you.
And every sin, I will forgive it, and
give you instead of it, a reward.
Then he would say, by the way, there
is also bigger ones, don't say that.
Allah will laugh, and Nabi shallallahu alaihi wa
sallam will laugh.
And he said, and all of them as
well.
So, yes, I know it's heavy.
But if you're sincere in your tawbah in
the day of judgment, I hope Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala, you will be among those
who Allah said in the Quran.
Those Allah will replace their sins to good
deeds.
So, have strong hope, trust in Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
And a commitment to pray on time, to
make your salah good, excellent, and to increase
your volunteer prayers.
JazakAllah khair.
You know the ayah says, illa man ta
'aba wa aamana wa aamila wa aamila aamana
sarih.
Which means it's the combination of these three.
Repentance, and firm belief, and then to continue
with the good deeds.
Your lifestyle has to change.
Exactly.
JazakAllah khair.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much for your questions.
We'll see you next episode.