ISLAMIC SPEECH REVIEW

NAME : MUHAMMAD SAFWAN BIN MOHAMED MASARIK

PROGRAMME : FOUNDATION IN ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC

ID : 18226

LECTURER : AHMAD RUSHDI BIN HARUN

RAMADHAAN THE MONTH OF REPENTANCE

By : Dr. Zakir Naik

Table of Contents

Contents PageTitle

Preface

Speaker Biography

Resources

Video Description

Video Transcription

Positive Feedback

Negative Feedback

Suggestion and Reccomendation

Point of Knowledge

Conclusion

Preface

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Taa’la Wabarokatuh’

First and foremost, praise and gratefull to Allah s.w.t for his blessings and occasion that he gave me such a great chance and opportunity to complete this errand. I’m glad that I have been given an opportunity to discover the truth about Islam as a Way of Life. Allah gave me hidayah to grasp this knowledge mentally and physically.

Next, my deepest and sincere thanks to Ustaz Ahmad Rushdi Bin Harun who is my beloved Islamic Studies lecturer. I can simply say that without him I wouldn’t discover the beauty of Islam. His way of presenting the lecture was too convicting and spiritual that I always had a full focus and interest in his class. As a result he taught me so much valuable Islamic knowledge, moral values, and motivational thoughts.

Lastly, I would love to thank all my class friends who gave me full support to complete this Islamic Speech Review task. I always believe that ‘ideas aren’t worth much alone’ which means working together is the best solution to create something great. My deepest thanks again to all my Foundation in Electrical and Electronic class members and not forgotten some of my fellow friends from other class. Thank you all for your dearest support.

Sincerely,

Muhammad Safwan Mohamed Masarik

Active-member,

Islamic Studies,

Foundation in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Zakir Abdul Karim Naik was born on 18 October 1965 in Mumbai,

India. He attended St. Peter's High School in Mumbai. Later he

enrolled at Kishinchand Chellaram College, before studying medicine

at Topiwala National Medical College and Nair Hospital and later

the University of Mumbai, where he obtained a Bachelor of Medicine

and Surgery (MBBS).

In 1991 he started working in the field of Dawah, and founded the IRF. Naik says he was inspired

by Ahmed Deedat, an Islamic preacher, having met him in 1987. (Naik is sometimes referred to as

"Deedat plus", a label given to him by Deedat himself). Naik says that his goal is to "concentrate on

the educated Muslim youth who have become apologetic about their own religion and have started to

feel the religion is outdated". He considers it a duty of every Muslim to remove perceived

misconceptions about Islam and to counter what he views as the Western media's anti-Islamic bias in

the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. Naik is the founder of

the Islamic International School in Mumbai.

Naik has held many debates and lectures around the world. One of Naik's most-cited debates was

with William Campbell in Chicago in April 2000 on the topic of "The Qur'an and the Bible: In the Light

of Science". Naik has said that "despite the strident anti-Islam campaign, 34,000 Americans have

embraced Islam from September 2001 to July 2002." He says Islam is a religion of reason and logic,

and that the Quran contains 1000 verses relating to science, which he says explains the number of

Western converts. A popular theme of Naik's is to try to demonstrate how scientific theories were

prophesised by the Quran. For example, he says certain verses of the Quran accurately

describe embryological development.

On 21 January 2006 Naik held an inter-religious debate with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Bangalore about

the concept of God in Islam and Hinduism.

SPEAKER’S BACKGROUND

Biography

Career

Lectures and Debates

Biological evolution

Naik has said that the theory of evolution is "only a hypothesis, and an unproven conjecture at best".

According to Naik, most scientists "support the theory, because it went against the Bible – not

because it was true.”

Religions apart from Islam

Naik says that Islam is the only correct religion (the equivalent of a maths teacher demonstrating that

2+2=4) while other religions are mistaken (the equivalent of saying that 2+2=3 or 2+2=6). He adds

that other religions should not be allowed to propagate, and he supports banning the construction of

non-Muslim houses of worship in Muslim lands.

Apostasy

Naik has said that any Muslim is free to convert from Islam if the person so chooses, but added that if

a Muslim converts and then speaks against Islam or propagates this other religion, it should be

considered treason. Naik stated that under Islamic law this is punishable by death.

Terrorism

Naik's views and statements on terrorism have at times been criticised in the media. In a YouTube

video, speaking of Osama bin Laden, Naik said that he would not criticise bin Laden because he had

not met him and did not know him personally. He added that, "If bin Laden is fighting enemies of

Islam, I am for him," and that "If he is terrorizing the terrorist, if he is terrorizing America – the terrorist,

biggest terrorist – I am with him. Every Muslim should be a terrorist. The thing is that if he is terrorizing

the terrorist, he is following Islam. Whether he is or not, I don’t know, but you as Muslims know that,

without checking up, laying allegations is also wrong." When Time hinted that this remark could have

inspired Najibullah Zazi's terrorist activities, Naik insisted: "I have always condemned terrorism,

because according to the glorious Koran, if you kill one innocent person, then you have killed the

whole of humanity".

Naik’s Views

Resources

Yusuf Chambers: Dear Brothers and sisters in Islam and Humanity, Assalamu Alaikum wa rahmatullahi wabarakatuh, may the peace mercy and blessings of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala be on all of you. Welcome to the show Ramadhaan- A date with Dr Zakir. I am your host Yusuf Chambers and today we will be discussing the topic - ‘Ramadhaan the month of repentance.’ Dr Zakir Assalamualaikum.

Dr. Zakir: Walaikum Assalam Wa Rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

Yusuf Chambers: Dr Zakir, Such an important topic. ‘The month of Repentance.’ Let’s start of by asking you a fundamental question. What is the meaning of the word Tawbah? And both in general terms Iwant to know it and in the Islamic context, please.

Dr. Zakir: The Arabic word Tawbah, literally means to return or to come back. And in the Islamic context, in the Shariah it means a person who leaves the things which Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala hasprohibited and he returns back to the things which Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has commanded. So in short it means a person leaving the acts which Allah has prohibited and he returns back to the acts which Allahsubhanahu wa ta’ala has commanded. And this aspect of Tawbah or repentance is present in all the religions that believe in the concept of God. And Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala speaks about Tawbah and repentance in the Quran in several places including Surah Noor Chapter 24 verse no. 31 Where Allah says:“O you who believe, turn all together in repentance to Allah, so that you may attain bliss.” Allah repeats a similar message in Surah Al Baqarah chapter 2 verse 222, where Allah says “Allah loves those who turn to Him in repentance and Allah loves those who are clean and pure.” And a similar message is given, in the Hadith of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) , it’s mentioned in Sahih Al Bukhari volume no. 8, Book of Supplications Hadith number 6309, where our beloved Prophet (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) said “Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala is more pleased when his servant seeks repentance than any one of you, when he finds his camel which has been lost in the desert.” That means Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala is very pleased when any one seeks His repentance, asks for forgiveness and He forgives them. So in short Tawbah means repentance which means leaving the act which is prohibited by Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and returning back to the acts which he has commanded. In short it is a journey from the disliked to the thing which is liked by Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala.

Yusuf Chambers: SubhanAllah, may Allah accept our Tawbah in that case.

Dr. Zakir: InshaAllah..Yusuf Chambers: Dr Zakir what is the essential difference between the term ‘Tawbah’ and the term ‘Magfirah’, meaning, I believe forgiveness?

Dr. Zakir: Magfirah means forgiveness, and Isteghfar meaning seeking forgiveness. Isteghfar the meaning is of two types, one type of meaning is when it comes along with the word Tawbah and the other meaning is when it comes individually. When it comes individually it has one and the same meaning, the meaning can be interchanged, it means exactly the same. But the Scholars, they say when it comes along with the word Tawbah, Isteghfar, it means that we are seeking protection from the past evils that we used to do. And Tawbah when it comes along with Isteghfar it means that we are repenting to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and we are seeking protection from the things which we may indulge in the future. So basically Isteghfar means seeking protection from the things of the past which we used to do and Tawbah, seeking protection from the things which may unfortunately we may indulge in the future. So this is the basic difference, if it comes separately the meaning is one and the same, if it comes together then it has two different meanings.

Yusuf Chambers: It’s good we are going through this technical definition phase in every episode. I think this is something which is missing amongst the brothers and sisters, this is the real understanding of the basic terms. The next question really for me would be why is it such a special thing to seek repentance during thisholy blessed month of Ramadhaan?

ISLAMIC SPEECH REVIEW

Dr. Zakir: This month is special because Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, He forgives his slaves, his servants the maximum in this month. Therefore it is given the title ‘Ramadhaan the month of forgiveness.’ And our beloved Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) said, it is mentioned in the Hadith of Tirmidhi, Book of Fasting, Hadith number 682 where our beloved Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) said that “When the first night of Ramadhaan comes, the devils and the demons, they are chained and the gates of hell are closed, not even asingle gate is open. And the gates of Heaven they are open, not even a single gate is closed. And the caller, he calls the people that O those who want to do good, please come. And those who are doing evil please desist. And Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala he ransoms his slaves and does that every night of Ramadhaan.” And our beloved prophet Muhammad(S.A.W) , he further said it is mentioned in a Sahih Hadith of Tirmidhi Hadith number 3545 where the beloved Prophet Muhammad(S.A.W) , “Once he goes on the pulpit before giving a khutba and he says Aameen, Aameen, Aameen thrice. The people asked O messenger Why? So the messenger of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says that archangel Gabriel had come to him and said that any one who does not have his sins forgiven after Ramadhaan has approached and enters the hell fire. Ask Allah to keep a distance from him. And then Gabriel says to Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) say “Aameen”. So Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) says “Aameen”. Means it is unfortunate that any one witnesses the month of Ramadhaan and does not have his sins forgiven, because this is the month of forgiveness”And our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) said it is mentioned in Sahih Bukhari volume number 3 in the Book of Fasting Hadith number 1901 that “If anyone fasts in the complete month of Ramadhaan with belief and seeking the reward of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, all his past sins willbe forgiven” That is the reason Ramadhaan is called as the month of forgiveness.

Yusuf Chambers: SubhanAllah, Dr Zakir we used to have a saying that in the days before I embraced in Islam, I wish it could be Christmas everyday and I am going to say I wish it could be Ramadhaan every day now. More appropriately.

Dr. Zakir: Alhumdulillah

Yusuf Chambers: What about the necessities of seeking repentance especially during this Holy month of Ramadhaan? And what are the merits of seeking forgiveness?

Dr. Zakir: It is compulsory for every believer of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, for every Muslim that if he does any sin, whether minor or major, small or big, he should repent as soon as possible. Repentance is compulsory for any sin that you have committed. And Allah says in the Quran in Surah Noor Chapter no. 24 verse no. 31 “O you who believe! Turn all together in repentance to Allah, so that you may attain bliss” So that you may become successful. So that you may enter Paradise. Allah gives a similar message in Surah Tahrim chapter 66 verse number 8 that “O you who believe! Turn to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala with sincere repentance” And Allah further says in the Quran in Surah Hud Chapter 11 verse 3 that “Ask for forgiveness to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and seek His repentance so that He may do good to you” Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says in the Quran in Surah Shoora Chapter 42 verse 25 that “He accepts repentance and forgives sins and ask His forgiveness, for Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala is oft forgiving and Most Merciful” And Allah says in the Quran in Surah Maidah Chapter no. 5 verse 39 that "If the thief, if he repents and if he changes his acts, after repenting, if he has changed his acts then Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala turns to him in forgiveness, for Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala is oft forgiving and most merciful” Allah repeats a similar message in Surah Maidah Chapter no. 5 verse74 that “Ask Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala for forgives, for He is oft Forgiving and Most Merciful.” Besides several verses of the Quran, there are several Hadith which speak about the merit of Tawbah for example if you read the Hadith of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) in Sahih Al Bukhari Volume Number 8 Book of Supplications Hadith number 6307 Where our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahualaihe wa sallam) , he says that “I ask for forgiveness and repentance more than seventy times a day” Imagine our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) who is the best of examples, who is the best human being on the face on the earth, he says that he asks for forgiveness and repentance to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala more than seventy times a day. It is further mentioned in Sahih Muslim Volume 4 in the Book of Dhikr Hadith number 6523 where our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) said “O believers you should repent and I repent everyday hundred times to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala”.It is mentioned in the Hadith of Sahih Muslim Volume number 4 in Book of repentance Hadith number 6644 that our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) said that “Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala stretches out his hand during the night for the people who repent for the sins they have committed from dawn to dusk, and Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala stretches out his hand during the day for the people who repent for

the sins they have committed from dusk to dawn. Until the sun rises from the west.” That means until the day of resurrection, that means Allah subhanah wa ta’ala will forgive your sins until the Day of Resurrection. A similar Hadith is mentioned in Sahih Muslim volume number 4 Book of Dhikr Hadith number 6525 where our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) said that “Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala will keep on forgiving for any one who repents until the sun rises from the west” that means Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala will forgive the sins until the Day of Resurrection if any of his slaves, any of his servants ask for forgiveness. Further it is mentioned in Sahih Bukhari Volume number 8 in the book of Riqaaq Hadith number 6438 where the beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) said that “If the son of Adam was given a valley of gold, he would yet want a second one and if a second valley of gold is given to him, he would want the third. For there is nothing that fills the stomach of the son of Adam except dust” This shows that the greed human beings have and irrespective of how much Niyamah Allah gives, he always seeks for more and more ratherhe should repent and ask for forgiveness. And there is a different version of the Hadith I quoted earlier, it ismentioned in Sahih Muslim volume number 4 in the Book of Dhikr Hadith number 6613 where our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) said that “Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala is more pleased when his servant repents, when his servant asks for forgiveness, than a person who while traveling on his camel in the desert. He stops for rest and he sleeps beneath a tree and when he wakes up he sees his camel laden withgoods, he is not there. So he climbs on a mount and he tries to find his camel and he does not find it. He climbs on the second mount, but yet does not find it. He climbs on the third mount, he doesn’t find it. Then he returns back to the original position and there he sees his camel laden with goods and he is so happy.” So Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala is more happy than a person who finds his lost camel laden with goods in the desert. Allah is more happy than that when a person asks for forgiveness when he repents. So these are the merits of repentance and Tawbah.

Yusuf Chambers: It reminds me of my own journey to Islam once again, month of Ramadhaan this is when I found my Fitra. Alhamdulillah Dr. Zakir, could you explain to us in brief or at length, depending on the answer what are the main benefits of seeking repentance during this blessed month of Ramadhaan?

Dr. Zakir: The benefits of seeking forgiveness, repentance, Tawbah is, according to Imam Rageb Iftiani, he gives three benefits for a person who repents. Number one, it patches up the fault that a person has and he realizesthe point of entry into the heart of the devil. He realizes this is the point which is weak through which the devil can enter and this makes the person more aware and evasive of the evil. Number two is that the person he feels embarrassed and he is fearful of the Lord, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, and that brings in him thehumility and the humbleness. Number three, a person who has tasted the evil and then comes back to the good. He has the taste of both the good and evil. He has the taste of sweet as well as the bitter. So when he sees other brothers, other human beings committing the same faults. He is soft towards them and he forgives them and he helps them. According to Imam Ibn Qayyim , he gives six benefits for a person whorepents. Number one, when a person repents it is the best things that Allah loves. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala loves when a person repents and he asks for forgiveness because when a person repents, he is very closeto Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and you find humility and humbleness. Number two, the act of repentance is one of the best acts of worship where Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, He realizes that His slave, that His servant, he has come to the true path, and he asks for forgiveness and he believes in Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and it makes Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, as I mentioned earlier, that more happier than a person when he finds his camel which is lost. Number three, it brings humility and humbleness in a person so he starts believing in the Creator, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, much more than before. Number four when the person repents his heart is broken and this is the time when Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, He hears the duas, the repentance. As our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) said, mentioned in Ibn Maajah Volume number 3 Book of Fasting Hadith 1752 that “Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala hears the supplication of three people, one is the just ruler or imam, second is the person who is fasting and the third is one who is oppressed” In another Hadith it says that Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala hears the supplication of three people, who are either traveling, fasting oroppressed. Here it indicates that all these three types of people whose hearts are broken, So Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala comes closer to the servants when the hearts are broken and Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala helps andgives them mercy. The fifth benefit is that when a person, he repents sincerely it is one of the best forms of worship and the saying of one of the Salafs that a person “A person may commit a sin and may repent and Allah will forgive him and he can enter paradise. On the other hand a person who does good deeds, and he may have conceit and because of that he may enter hell.” That means a person may be proud that you know,that he has made no mistake, no sin and that may take him to hellfire. The sixth benefit is as Allah says in the Quran in Surah Furqaan Chapter number 25 verse number 70 that “All those who believe and they repent and

they seek for forgiveness, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala turns to them and He forgives them and He changes their evil deed into good deed, for Allah is oft forgiving and most merciful” And according to Ibn Abbas may Allah be pleased with him, the moment this verse of the Quran was revealed, the beloved prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) he was the most happy. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, says that the most happy when Allah’s messenger was after any verse of the Quran was revealed it was this verse of Surah Furqaan chapter 25 verse 70 as well as of Surah Fatah Chapter 48 verse number 1 where Allah subhanahu wata’ala says, that “We have given you manifest victory” during Fatahe Makkah And Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says in Surah Ghaafir Chapter no. 40 verse 3 that “He is oft forgiving, and Allah accepts repentance and is the One who forgives” And it is mentioned in Surah Hijr chapter number 15 verse number 49 that “Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala is Oft forgiving and most Merciful”

Yusuf Chambers: JazakAllah Khair Dr. Zakir. Regarding another important aspect how Allah (swt) accepts Tawbah, repentance what are the prerequisites for sincere Tawbah and could you possibly enlighten us with some Prophetic traditions of some of the Prophets making Tawbah to Allah subhanahu ta’ala?

Dr. Zakir: Allah says in the Quran in Surah Tahreem ch. no. 66 verse no. 8 that “Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo”“O you who believe turn to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala with sincere repentance”And there are basically 5 prerequisites for Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala to accept the TawbahNo. 1 the person should accept that the act he is doing is wrongNo. 2 he should immediately stop itNo. 3 he should seek forgiveness from Allah subhanahu wa ta’alaNo. 4 he should not commit that act again And No. 5 if he has taken something from any other human being and if he can return it, he should return it back.For example if he has robbed some money, he should return the money back. If he has taken some wealth he should give the wealth back. If he can undo the harm, he should do it. And according to Ibn Qayyum, he says that repentance is accepted when the person does not do that evil act again and it further helpshim to do good deeds and prevents him from going back to that act. According to Imam An Nawawi, he says there are three prerequisites for any Tawbah to be accepted.No. 1 he should stop the act what he is doingNo. 2 he should ask for forgivenessNo. 3 he should not do it again.And he says that there is a 4th requirement if he has done some harm to any other human being then he should undo it if he can. And there are various examples in the Hadith which give that how people have asked for forgiveness. It’s mentioned in a Hadith of Sahih Bukhari Vol. no. 4 in the Book of Stories of the Prophets Hadith no. 3470 that “There was a person who had committed 99 murders so he wants to seek repentance so he asks the people that how can he do it. So they sent him to a monk. So monk says that you have killed 99 people, there is no chance of forgiveness! So that person, that murderer, he kills the monk too. And now he has committed 100 murders so he goes to another person and says that I want to seek repentance. So he says that if you want to seek repentance go to that land where people are worshipping Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and InshaAllah, you should leave the land in which you have committed the crime. And go to that land where people are seeking repentance and InshaAllah, Allah will grant you forgiveness. So he immediately goes towards that land but on his way death takes place and he dies and he turns his chest towards that village where people are repenting. Then both the angels, the angels of good and the angels of bad both come and they want to take him. The angels from the heaven say that we will take him because he wanted to repent but the angels for the bad deeds, the hell, they say No he has not committed a single good deed, we will take him. So Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala intervenes and he asks’ the village where people are repenting that it should come closer to the person who has committed murder and He commands to the place where he has committed the crime that he should go further away. So when they measure the distance, they find out that the person who committed the murder, he was one span closer to the village where people are repenting. So then Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala grants him Jannah.”So this is an example that a person commits hundred murders and he wants to repent only the Neeya of repenting and traveling towards that place… And a different version of that same Hadith says that “while dying he pushes himself towards the.. he looks towards the place where he can get forgiveness” So this shows that only the Niya and the intention to ask for forgiveness, Allah forgives. There is another example in Sahih Muslim Vol. no. 3 in the Book of Hudood Hadith no. 4207 “There is a lady from the tribe of Yohainna, she comes to the Prophet and she had committed adultery and she was pregnant so she comes to the Prophet and says that I have done so and so sin please give me punishment. So the Prophet calls her master and says take care of this

woman till she delivers the child. And after that get her to me. So the master he takes care of her and after she gives birth to a child he gets the woman. Then the Prophet says because of her adultery she has to be given death penalty and the lady she is asked to wrap around herself with her cloth and the people stone her to death and after she dies the Prophet, he prays for her. So Umar, may Allah be pleased with him says, that O Prophet you are praying for a woman who committed adultery! Then the Prophet replies that the way she hasrepented even if you distribute this repentance to 70 people of Madinah, it will be sufficient for them to go to Jannah. Who can repent better than the woman who is willing to give her life for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala?” A similar example is given in Sahih Muslim Vol. no. 3 in the Book of Hudood Hadith no. 4205 that“Ma’iz bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, he comes to the Prophet and he says that please purify me. The Prophet says Woe to you! Go and ask for forgiveness to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and you repent. The person he goes back, again he comes and says that O messenger please pardon me. He says Woe to you! Ask for forgiveness to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and you repent. Again the person goes again he comes for a third time O messenger of Allah please purify me. He says go away from here ask for repentance, ask for forgiveness from Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. Again the fourth time he comes and he says to the Prophet please pardon me. The Prophet says from what? So Ma’iz, may Allah be pleased with him, he says that from adultery. So he says are you mad, have you gone crazy? So the person says no I am not mad. Then the Prophet asks that are youdrunk? Did you have Khamr? Did you have wine? So the other people get up and they smell his mouth and they say No Prophet, he’s had no Khamr. So he said did you really commit adultery? He says yes I have committed adultery and I want the punishment for the sin I have committed. So Prophet Muhammad, (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam), ask the people to stone him and he was stoned to death After he was stoned to death there is a controversy between the Sahabas and there are 2 groups of people. One group of people saythat he has been undone that means that it’s a pity that he will not get Magfirat he’ll be undone. The other group says that Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has accepted, Ma’iz, may Allah be pleased with him, Allah has accepted his repentance. And he shall go to Jannah. This happened for 2 or 3 days then the beloved Prophet Muhammad, (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) , comes and he tells to the Sahabas that pray for Ma’iz ibn Malik because he has repented for his sin and if you distribute his repentance even in a large no. of people, in a group of people it would be sufficient” Here it shows that the people they committed a major sin but theyrepented. They were even willing to have themselves killed because both these people knew very well that the punishment for adultery was death it was stoning to death. So here it shows the high level of Taqwa they had. The sincere repentance that they asked form Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and Allah forgave them.

Yusuf Chambers: Some beautiful, examples and stories from wonderful companions of Prophet Muhammad, (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam). Thank you very much for that Dr. Zakir. What are the special elements which go together to make a sincere repentance?

Dr. Zakir: There are 4 things required. No. 1 a person should realize the power of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, His power and His greatness that if He wants to punish you, He can punish you immediately. So this would make a person repent and we should not look at the minuteness of our sin, we should look at the greatness, forgiveness of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. As Allah says in the Quran in Surah Nooh ch. no. 71 verse no. 13 and14, Allah says that “What has happened to you? don’t you have hope in the kindness and forgiveness of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala that He created you in different stages” So if you know the mightiness of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and He is going to forgive you, InshaAllah you will repent. No. 2 everyone should realize that one day he is going to die and he is going to go in his grave. Allah says in the Quran in Surah Ale Imran ch. no. 3 verse no. 185 “Kullu nafsin tha-iqatu almawt”“Every soul shall have a taste of death and on the Day of Judgment shall be the full recompense” That means everyone has to die but the final Hisaab-Kitaab…the final recompense will be on the Day of Judgment. And Allah says in the Quran in Surah Luqman ch. no. 31 verse no. 34 that “No one knows what will he earn tomorrow and no one knows in which land will he die” So you have to realize that every one has to die and we don’t know that when will that time come. So that will help us in repenting as soon as possible, we don’t know when is our last hour. The third point is that all then rewards for this world and the Aakhira is based on your deeds for your Aakhira. What you are going to do for your Aakhira. The deeds for you aakhira will actually reward you in this world and the Aakhira. That is very important. And Allah says in the Quran in Surah Fatir ch. 35 verse no. 5 that “The Promise of Allah is true and let not the present world deceive you and let not the chief deceiver deceive you against Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala” That means we have to be careful of all our acts an deeds should basically target about the Aakhira, about the hereafter. And there is a Hadith mentioned in Tirmidhi (Book of Zuhd) Hadith no. 2320 where the beloved Prophet Muhammad, (Sallallahu alaihe wa

sallam), said that “This world for Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala is equivalent to the wing of a fly and Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala would not allow a disbeliever even to have handful of water from it” This world in comparison to the hereafter is like a wing of a fly and He would not allow a disbeliever even to have a handful of water. A similar message is given in Sahih Muslim Vol. no. 4 in the Book of Paradise Hadith no. 6483 where the beloved Prophet said that “In the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala this world as compared to the hereafter is like a person putting his finger, the forefinger into the ocean and when he gets it out whatever is stuck to the forefinger is like he present world” The present world is just, hardly some little water that gets stuck to the forefinger that’s equivalent as compared to the mighty ocean i.e. the hereafter. So, so little is the significance of is world as compared to the hereafter. So therefore we should we should realize that this life isa test for the hereafter, As Allah says in the Quran in Surah Mulk ch. no. 67 verse no. 2 “Allathee khalaqa almawta waalhayata”“It is Allah who has created death and life to test which of you is good in deeds.”The fourth point is that human being should realize that the punishment can be expedient is this world and whatever punishment they get is because of their sin. Whatever calamity takes place in this it is basically for their sin. As Allah says in Surah Zukhruf ch. 43 verse no. 76 that “Nowise shall we be unjust to them: but it is They who have been unjust themselves”So these 4 points are very important to be remembered.

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