|

Ways to delete sins and elevate your rank

ByShaykh Haytham Tamim

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله تعالى عنه قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: ‏:‏ ‏”‏الصلوات الخمس،والجمعة إلى الجمعة، ورمضان إلى رمضان، مكفراتٌ ما بينهن إذا اجتُنبت الكبائر‏”‏. ‏(‏‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏

The five daily prayers, from one Friday to the next Friday, and from one Ramadan to the next Ramadan, are a way to remove the sins between them, as long as major sins are avoided.  (Muslim)

Ramadan is starting soon. It seems as though we left Ramadan yesterday and tomorrow we will receive Ramadan. Yesterday, we were young. Today we are old. This is how time flies. Allah out of His mercy created for us ways to improve our character.

Just as we see companies and platforms offering promotions, loyalty cards, and extra points to attract customers, Allah—out of His infinite mercy—has given us something far greater. He has created countless opportunities for us to rectify our mistakes, overcome our shortcomings, and erase our sins. But His generosity does not stop there.

He is not just offering us the chance to seek forgiveness; but the chance to elevate our status, draw closer to Him, and ascend in ranks, to transform, and attain new heights.

No matter how many mistakes we have made, we can seek forgiveness from Allah. How do we do this? There are many ways in the Quran and Sunnah to erase sins and elevate your status.

Pray five times a day

The first way is to pray regularly. Some people are not very regular with their five prayers, but they pray during Ramadan. That is a start, but Allah should be worshipped throughout the year, not only in Ramadan.

From one salah to the next, minor sins are forgiven, as long as you do not commit a major sin. Minor sins do not require repentance; they are washed away by wudu and salah, but major sins require repentance.

Abu Umamah al Bahili (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

عن أبي أُمَامَةَ، أَنَّ رَجُلاً، أَتَى النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي أَصَبْتُ حَدًّا فَأَقِمْهُ عَلَيَّ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ تَوَضَّأْتَ حِينَ أَقْبَلْتَ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ نَعَمْ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ هَلْ صَلَّيْتَ مَعَنَا حِينَ صَلَّيْنَا ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ نَعَمْ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ اذْهَبْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى قَدْ عَفَا عَنْكَ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ رواه أبو داود.

A man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, “O Messenger of Allah, I have committed a sin, so enforce the punishment upon me.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked, “Did you perform ablution when you came?” He replied, “Yes.” The Prophet then asked, “Did you pray with us when we prayed?” He answered, “Yes.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Go, for Allah has forgiven you.” (Abu Dawoud)

This means that while minor sins are deleted continuously for those who pray, they are accumulating for those who are not praying. Those who do not pray regularly are accumulating layers upon layers over their hearts and this will cloud their judgement and vision and mind – so they are not able to do the right deals and take the right direction.

How can they clear this? They should ask Allah for forgiveness and then all these clouds will be erased leaving clear vision and a pure heart. Between the salah and salah is forgiveness for those who long for His forgiveness.

Salah is a cleansing agent

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله تعالى عنه قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: ” أَرَأَيْتُمْ لَوْ أَنَّ نَهْرًا بِبَابِ أَحَدِكُمْ يَغْتَسِلُ فِيهِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ خَمْسًا هَلْ يَبْقَى مِنْ دَرَنِهِ شَيْءٌ؟ قَالُوا: لَا يَبْقَى مِنْ دَرَنِهِ شَيْءٌ. قَالَ: فَذَلِكَ مَثَلُ الصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسِ يَمْحُو اللَّهُ بِهِنَّ الْخَطَايَا”. متفق عليه.

Tell me, if there were a river at the door of one of you in which he washed five times daily, would any of his filthiness remain?” When he received the reply that none of it would remain, he said, “That is like the five times of prayer by which God obliterates sins. (Bukhari and Muslim)

The salah which purifies you is not the salah of speed and distraction. The supersonic salah does not bring forgiveness. We are not saying that you should spend all day praying, even the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not do that.

Salah is not a tick-box exercise that you squeeze into your schedule. Your salah is the core of your day – you should plan your schedule around your salah.

This is our commitment to Allah. Be with Him and He will ease our way. When you make Him a priority and He will make you a priority. If you do the opposite, you will see the negative results. No one can give you a better return than Allah. He rewards you for your time, efforts and intention. Let’s seek Allah’s forgiveness by following the footsteps of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

Doing wudu even when it is difficult

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:

 عن أبي هريرة رضي الله تعالى عنه قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم‏:‏ ‏”‏ ألا أدلكم على ما يمحو الله به الخطايا، ويرفع به الدرجات‏؟‏‏”‏ قالوا‏:‏ بلى يا رسول الله، قال‏:‏ ‏”‏ إسباغ الوضوء على المكاره، وكثرة الخطا إلى المساجد، وانتظار الصلاة بعد الصلاة، فذلكم الرباط‏”‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Shall I not guide you to that which erases sins and raises ranks?” They said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” He said, “Perfecting the ablution (wudu) in times of discomfort, frequenting the mosques, and waiting for the prayer after the prayer—this is the true devotion (ribaat).”  (Muslim)

Don’t neglect praying at work, because you don’t have wudu and you are embarrassed to do wudu at work in case people think you are an extremist. Praying is your identity. You can’t hide your identity, you should be proud of your religion.

Pray regularly in the mosque

Every step you take to the mosque erases your sins. It is easy but it requires intention.

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَنْ تَطَهَّرَ فِي بَيْتِهِ ثُمَّ مَشَى إِلَى بَيْتٍ مِنْ بُيُوتِ اللَّهِ لِيَقْضِيَ فَرِيضَةً مِنْ فَرَائِضِ اللَّهِ كَانَتْ خَطْوَتَاهُ إِحْدَاهُمَا تَحُطُّ خَطِيئَةً وَالْأُخْرَى تَرْفَعُ دَرَجَةً

Whoever purifies himself with ablution in his house, then he walks to a house among the houses of Allah to fulfill an obligation among the obligations of Allah, one step of his will expiate his sins and another step will raise his status. (Muslim)

Waiting in the mosque for the next prayer

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ أَلَا أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَى مَا يَمْحُو اللَّهُ بِهِ الْخَطَايَا وَيَرْفَعُ بِهِ الدَّرَجَاتِ قَالُوا بَلَى يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ إِسْبَاغُ الْوُضُوءِ عَلَى الْمَكَارِهِ وَكَثْرَةُ الْخُطَا إِلَى الْمَسَاجِدِ وَانْتِظَارُ الصَّلَاةِ بَعْدَ الصَّلَاةِ فَذَلِكُمْ الرِّبَاطُ

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Shall I not tell you of a deed by which Allah expiates your sins and raises your status?” They said, “Of course, O Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet said, “Thorough ablution despite difficulty, taking many steps to the mosque, and waiting for one prayer after another. That is like guarding the frontier.” (Muslim)

The word ribaat usually means guarding the borders of your country. Waiting for the next salah is like guarding the frontier of your imaan and your identity. If you do this, then you have the right intention and action and it deletes your sins and elevates your status.

Ribaat signifies the dedication of a Muslim. He remains engaged in acts of worship and devotion, which result in the forgiveness of sins and the elevation of their rank in the hereafter. Being connected to Allah gives you extra edge and closeness to Him.

Don’t be a part-time Muslim

There is a weekly forgiveness for those who attend prayers each Friday. Some people don’t pray except on Fridays. They are Friday worshipers. Allah is the Lord of Friday, and the whole week and the whole year, so we should worship Allah throughout the year, not just as a Ramadan worshipper. Allah wants to see you do better than that. He gave you all your faculties, so use them in a way that pleases Him.

Don’t just be a part-time Muslim. Don’t accept less when you can get more. In business you always try to get more, so why try to get less when it comes to your akhirah?

Those who are lost throughout the year, are being called back to Allah as Ramadan approaches.

Allah is shaking them saying “Ramadan is near. I am the one who forgives your sins. If you are lost I can guide you. I am the one who gives guidance. If you are in pain, I give you relief. If you are sad, I give you happiness. If you are poor, I will increase your provisions and rizq. Just come to me. You are either with me or with Shaytan.”

Ramadan is waiting for us. It’s very close. Let’s make the intention that this Ramadan will be better than any previous Ramadan, that we will behave better this Ramadan than any previous Ramadan. Let’s control our whims, desires and faculties (eyes, ears and tongues) more than any previous Ramadan.

If we do this, not only will we be forgiven but Allah will elevate our status.

Based on the khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 21st February 2020

Latest Blogs