Aida Masuri Mustafa Brothers and sisters in Islam, no matter how many gentle and heart-touching reminders we listen on YouTube about tests and trials in life, we need to realize that among the reasons why we face difficulties in this dunya is because of our sins. And I write this article as a reminder for myself first and foremost before others.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in the Qur’an: “Whatever affliction befalls you is because of what your own hands have committed. And He pardons much.” [Surah Ash-Shuraa 42: 30]
Imam Ibn Kathir rahimahullah wrote in his tafsir regarding this ayah: “Whatever disasters happen to you, O mankind, are because of sins that you have committed in the past.”
And Rasulullah salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam (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 for that.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari 5641, 5642]
Meaning, some of the ways that Allah expiates our sins are actually through the afflictions of tests and trials.
However, it’s really important to mention in this article that we have zero knowledge in the matters of the unseen, and therefore have absolutely no right to pass our personal judgement on someone by saying:
“So-and-so was hit with that calamity / difficulty / loss of health, or wealth, or property, etc because he was sinful.”
Why? Because the Prophets were tested with a much greater degree than us, yet they were the most truthful and beloved servants to Allah. We absolutely do not know for certain whether a Muslim is tested as a result of his sins, or whether those tests were means to elevate his ranking in Jannah as a result of his beautiful patience while facing that trial.
Rather, this realisation (i.e. that our sins have consequences in this dunya) must benefit ourselves, so that we can do self-introspection that will drive us to istighfar. Know that istighfar is one of the greatest dzikrullah (remembrance of Allah). Rasulullah ﷺ said:
" طُوبَى لِمَنْ وَجَدَ فِي صَحِيفَتِهِ اسْتِغْفَارًا كَثِيرًا "
“Glad tidings to those who find many istighfar in the record of their deeds.” [Sunan Ibn Majah 3818 | Graded Hasan by Darussalam]
🌸 The Beautiful Meaning of Istighfar
I want to share with you this amazing gem that my teacher taught. But to get there, I have to first introduce two Arabic words to get the point across:
- {Al-Maghfirah | forgiveness}, and
- {Al-Mighfar | helmet}
Both of these words have the same root word in Arabic.
We basically know that istighfar means to seek {Al-Maghfirah | forgiveness} from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
But here’s the strange thing. {Al-Maghfirah | forgiveness} has a similar literal meaning with the word {Al-Mighfar | helmet}! That sounds so bizarre, right? Let me explain.
{Al-Mighfar} refers to the helmet that a warrior wears in wars and battles, and it must have the following two functions:
(1) It covers the wearer’s head, and
(2) It protects the wearer from enemies’ attacks.
Now here comes the gem. When we seek istighfar to Allah, we are also asking TWO things from Him subhanahu wa ta'ala:
(1) The first is that we are asking Allah to COVER our sins, to hide our shame and shortcomings. Because how truly awful would it be if Allah exposed every single one of our sins in this dunya? Nobody would want to be associated with us, or even be near us! If people knew every single one of our sins, we would be humiliated. Our reputation will be absolutely tarnished. And so when we say “Astaghfirullah | O Allah, forgive me”, we’re actually saying: “O Allah, cover my sins and hide my shortcomings.”
(2) The second thing that we ask is for Allah to PROTECT us from the consequences of our sins. Wallahi, every single sin that we do has negative effects on us. Rasulullah ﷺ said:
“Verily, when the servant (of Allah) commits a sin, a black spot appears on his heart. When he refrains from it, seeks forgiveness and repents, his heart is polished clean. But if he returns (to sin), it increases until it covers his entire heart. And that is the ‘Ran’ which Allah mentioned: Nay, but on their hearts is the Ran which they used to earn (Surah Al-Mutaffifin 83:14).” [At-Tirmidhi 3334 | Graded Hasan by Darussalam]
The smallest negative effect of any sin is that a black spot will appear on the sinner’s heart. And if that person continues to sin, the black spot increases continuously until the entire heart gets completely enveloped with darkness. At that point, he will be desensitised to sins, and it will become extremely difficult for this person to find his way back to Allah.
So when we say “Astaghfirullah”, not only do we ask Allah to cover our sins, but also to protect us from the evil consequences of those sins.
This is why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says: “...nor will He (Allah) punish them while they make istighfar.” [Surah Al-Anfal 8: 33]
This is the rich and comprehensive meaning of istighfar! So do not ever despair of the Rahmah of Allah upon us!
🌸 Allah Loves Us When We Repent
Before I end this article, I want to share this amazing observation in regard to the following ayah. Allah subhana wa ta’ala says:
“And He is {Al-Ghafoor | The Most Forgiving}, (Al-Wadood | the Most Loving}…” [Surah Al-Burooj 85: 14]
Sheikh As-Sa’di rahimahullah wrote this beautiful tafsir, that when Allah combines both His Names Al-Ghafoor and Al-Wadood together, He subhanahu wa ta'ala asserts that whenever His believing servants sins, and repents to Him, Allah will forgive their sins, and He will also LOVE them!
Please take a moment to internalise this.
Even if we have made so many mistakes, even if we’ve fallen into numerous sins, Allah LOVES us when we sincerely return and repent to Him.
Some people when they forgive will still hold resentment towards those who hurt them. The relationship they once had might not be the same any more - and this is only human nature. But when Allah forgives someone, He LOVES that person. When we truly and sincerely seek Allah’s Forgiveness, our connection with Him subhanahu wa ta'ala only becomes stronger. So never, ever despair of the Rahmah of Allah, for we have a Rabb that is not only the Most Forgiving, but also the Most Loving!
Alhamdulillah, how truly blessed we are to be Muslims!
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us His believing servants who love to turn to Him in repentance, and grant us His complete forgiveness so that all of our sins leave no trails and consequences in this dunya and akhirah. آمـــــــــين
Your sister in Deen,
Aida Msr 🌸
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References:
- Tafsir As-Sa’di
- Sunnah.com
- The Rich Meanings of Tawbah and Istighfar, by Huda TV
