Showing posts with label repentance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label repentance. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

A Poem on ‘Taubah’


On Repentance and Returning to Allah

The time has come for me to see after the darkness of ignorance
My old age is a morning that calls me to its dawning rays
The night of youth is short, so proceed deliberately
The morning is the end of the road for the night traveler.

How have I been deceived by the world and its adornment,
Building my home on the crumbling ground, at the edge of a precipice?
A home whose transgressions remain, but whose delights perish:
How wretched is such a home!

The happy one is not one who is delighted by his worldly trinkets;
Rather, the happy one is the one saved from the torment of Hell.
I have awakened from wickedness, fearful and trembling,
For Allah knows my deeds, open and secret.

If I hold my sins to be grave and they fill me with despair,
I can only hope that they will be eradicated,
By the One who alone can do so…
The All Forgiving.

---(Written by Hadhrat Abul Hasan Abdul Aziz al-Jurjani (ra). Translated from the Arabic by Zaid Shakir)

Friday, January 12, 2018

Islamic Precepts on Controlling Anger

 Anger/ Wrath

Anger/ Wrath - not to be confused with the divine wrath or the wrath that Allah makes appear on the features of His Messenger as a sign of disapproval of the actions of believers and also that of the unbelievers - is a factor through which the Devil brings men to commit sins such as insult, breaking relationships, physical aggression, or even to commit the irreparable, i.e. murder. So we have to be able to control our anger so that we do not commit such serious sins.

 Forgive Those who Wrong You

Allah says about the “Muttaqi”, i.e. those who repress their anger, in Chapter 3 (Al-Imran), Verse 135: “[...] those who restrain (their) anger and forgive the people [...]”.

Therefore, the Muttaqi - those to whom Allah will offer paradise - are those who control their anger, who despite their strength and courage manage to forgive those who have wronged them.

To control our anger is to preserve Islam. The repressing of our anger allows us to practice Islam in the best way. As long as a person manages to control his anger, his faith will be preserved. However, if the person gets carried away by anger, it will bring him nothing but regrets. “Why did I say / do that?” he will ask himself.

The Holy Prophet's Precepts

It is reported by Abu Hurayrah (ra) that a man had said to the prophet (pbuh): “Counsel me”. The prophet (pbuh) replied, “Do not get angry.” He repeated (the question) several times, and the prophet (pbuh) answered him: “Do not get angry.” (Bukhari)

“Strong” people do not hit others. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, “The strong man is not the one who triumphs over the opponent in a fight/ battle, but is the one who controls himself when he has a big anger.” (Bukhari)

The Messenger of Allah said, “Whosoever represses his anger when he can give free rein to it, Allah will call him on the Day of Resurrection before all creatures and invite him to choose one of the Houris who shall please him.” (Abu Dawud).