بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

The end of the righteous believers, by the Rahmah (Mercy) of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, is Jannah.

But does this mean Jannah is confirmed for all of us?

Imam Ibn al-Qayyim rahimahullah said that Jannah is that which is good and pure, and therefore nothing may enter it, except those who are good and pure. Allah says:

“Those whose lives the angels take while they are in a pious state (i.e. purified from sins), saying: Salaamun ‘alaykum (peace be on you)! Enter you Jannah because of that which you used to do.” [Surah an-Nahl 16 : 32]

Jannah is attainable, bi idhnillah, but only when we completely purify ourselves from the sins we did in this dunya. Alhamdulillah, Allah ta’ala has made this possible through sincere tawbah and istighfar.

Rasulullah salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam (ﷺ) said: “The one who completely repented from sins is like one without sin.” [Sunan Ibn Majah 4250 | Graded Hasan by al-Albani]

And from the Rahmah of Allah ta’ala, He has given us additional ways to cleanse ourselves from sins. Here are two of them:

🟣 Through doing good deeds

The feeling of regret after sinning can be debilitating. While feeling regret after sinning is healthy, shaytan wants to exaggerate that further into despair. He wants us to give up and to lose all hope.

But our beautiful Deen teaches us to be hopeful in the Rahmah of Allah, and to be productive by replacing those sins with good deeds instead.

Allah says: “Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e. minor sins).” [Surah Hud 11 : 114]

Whenever we err, immediately seek Allah’s forgiveness, and then take a moment to think: What is that one easy good deed I can do at the spur of the moment?

Perhaps it’s opening the Qur’an app, and reading some ayaat with contemplation.

Or giving money in charity.

Or reciting some words of dhikrullah: Subhana Allah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu akbar.

Or making heartfelt supplications to Allah.

The examples of good deeds are endless. How miserable will the shayateen feel when they see the sons of Adam rising up after their fall!

And always remember that our Rabb is Al-Ghafoor (The Most Forgiving), Ar-Raheem (The Most Merciful). Have hope that He subhanahu wa ta'ala will accept our good deeds, and wipe away our sins.

🟣 By being patient when facing hardships 

Rasulullah ﷺ said: “No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but Allah expiates some of his sins due to it.” [Sahih al-Bukhari 5641, 5642]

If a small discomfort due to a prick of a thorn is not unmeaningful to Allah, then what about the unspoken grief that can only be expressed through tears? 

Each time we face any sort of hardship — even a small, minor discomfort — is a form of expiation of our sins. In this dunya, people often disregard our emotional pain. But Allah sees our anguish and grief, and He converts those pain as a means of extinguishing our sins. Nothing we go through in life, except that it wipes the wrong that we did as long as we remain patient. 

Indeed, our Rabb loves to forgive. No matter how much our sins have filled the sky, our Rabb is willing to wipe them all clean. Rasulullah ﷺ said that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said:

“O son of Adam! Were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky, then you sought [sincere] forgiveness from Me, I would forgive you, and I would not mind. So son of Adam! If you came to me with sins nearly as great as the earth, and then you met Me not associating anything with Me, I would come to you with forgiveness nearly as great as it.” [At-Tirmidhi 3540 | Graded Hasan by Darussalam]

Your sister in Deen,

Aida Msr