A man returns home from his shop on a winter night and finds his wife and children sitting in the veranda. He asks them surprizingly, “why are you sitting in the veranda in this cold weather?” His wife replies, a long black snake has entered the room in the evening.

The man then enters the room with a big stick and searches everywhere for the snake, but couldn’t find it. The wife says, I have seen the snake entering the room with my own eyes, and the children bear witness to it.
Upon hearing this, the man enters the room again and takes out everything from the room until the room is completely empty. Then he searches everything thoroughly and keeps it back in the room one by one, but still there is no sign of any snake.
He consoles his wife and children saying that the snake might have left the house from this drain and you might not have seen it go out. Hearing this, their fear is curtailed and they enter the room.

Now they have their dinner as usual and prepare to sleep. The man sits on his bed and starts checking his shop’s account. Suddenly he sees his shirt which was hanging on the wall moving slightly even though the fan is off due to cold and doors and windows are tightly shut. He thinks that the snake is hiding behind the shirt. Terrified, the man takes a stick and touches his shirt. Then he shakes it vigorously with the stick, but there is no snake. He picks up the shirt and hangs it inside the cupboard and returns to his bed.

Now he feels he is not interested in the shop’s account. So he switches the lights off and lies on his bed. He alone was awake in the house and everyone else had slept already. Suddenly the empty cup on the cupboard falls down on the floor. He again imagines the snake curled on top of the cupboard. He switches on the light while sitting on the bed itself. Then stands on his place and looks at the cupboard.

Once again he takes up courage and searches the room for the snake, but to no avail. Tired, he lies down again for sleeping without switching off the light this time.

To his astonishment, whenever he closes his eyes, he sees a long black snake in front of him. He opens his eyes out of fear. He spends his whole night turning from one side to other and could not sleep due to the fear of the snake…

His wife had informed him of a snake entering the room due to which he searched the room thrice but couldn’t find any trace of a snake. His wife might have lied to him, and used to lie at him sometimes. But believing in her report, he scanned the room thrice and could not sleep due to fear. Any small sound would make his hairs stand on their ends.

But the most truthful of all, our Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam has seen with his own eyes and informed us of various stages in the Hereafter. Let alone Jannat, Jahannum, Sirat, the Day of Resurrection, the Punishment of the Grave, etc and let alone the Power of Allah, His hidden Treasure, and His hidden System (of governing everything), if we only take the report that every human has two angels (Kiraman Katibeen) on their shoulders who record each and every deed; how many of our nights were spent sleepless due to the fear of these Kiraaman Kaatibeen?

Just due to the report of his wife seeing a snake he spent his whole night in fear, how many nights have we spent in fear due to these angels informed by our Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam? Let alone spending sleepless nights, how many times did we ever think of these angels continously monitoring us and our hairs have stood on their ends?

From: A brother’s mailing list

A man came to Ibrahim ibn Adham, may Allah be pleased with him, and said, “Abu Ishaq, I am unable to control myself. Please give me something to help me with it”

“If you accept five conditions,” said Ibrahim, “and are able to put them into practice, your disobedience will not cause you any problem.”

“Just tell me what they are, Abu Ishaq!” the man said. “The first is that when you want to disobey Allah you do not eat anything He provides.”

“Then how will I get anything to eat? Everything on the earth is from Him!”

“So is it right to eat His provision and disobey Him at the same time?” replied Ibrahim.

“No, it is not. What is the second condition?”

“When you want to disobey him, move off His land.”

“That is even more difficult! Exclaimed the man. “In that case where will I live?”

“Is it right to eat his provision and live on His land and then to disobey Him?” asked Ibrahim. “No, it is not.”

“What is the third condition?” “When you want to disobey Him in spite of eating His provision and living on His land, find a place where He will not see you and disobey Him there.”

“What do you mean, Ibrahim? He knows everything that happens even in the most hidden places!” “So is it right to disobey Him when you eat His provision and live on His land and when you know that He can see everything you do?” “It certainly is not!” the man replied.

“Tell me the fourth condition.” “That when the Angel of Death arrives to take your soul, you say to him, ‘Give me a reprieve so that I can repent and act righteously for Allah.’”

“But he won’t listen to me!” “Then if you cannot ward off death long enough to give yourself time to repent, and you know that when it comes there will be no reprieve, how can you hope to be saved?”

“What is the fifth?” “That when the angels of the Fire come to you to take you to the Fire, you do not go with them.” “They will take me whether I like it or not!” exclaimed the man.

“So how can you hope to be saved?”

“Enough, enough, Ibrahim! I ask Allah’s forgiveness and I turn to Him!”

The man’s repentance was sincere and from that time on he was assiduous in his worship and avoided acts of disobedience until the day he died. (FA)

7 Practical tips for praying Qiyam Al-Layl

Qiyam means standing and Qiyam Al-Layl means standing at night. In the Islamic terminology, both words refer to the voluntary night prayer, whose time extends from after Isha prayer until dawn.
Other common names for Qiyam Al-Layl are Salat-ul-Layl (the night prayer), Tahajjud (from hajada, meaning remained one who awake at night), and Taraweeh (resting).
A widespread misconception is that Tahajjud is a different night prayer than Qiyam or Taraweeh. It is important to clarify this misunderstanding and to make clear that the voluntary night prayer is known by different names.

1. Ikhlas (Sincerity)
Allah’s Help is required not only for worldly affairs but also for our worship. And Allah helps those who are sincere in their hearts. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “If you are truthful with Allah, then Allah will deliver to you what you wish for.” (An-Nasa’i, Al-Hakim and Sahih Al-Jami’’)
Therefore, one should have a sincere intention to pray Qiyam Al-Layl. One should seek the pleasure of Allah alone and avoid any desire of praise or fame. Allah says:

“And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allah, and worship none but Him Alone…” (Qur’an, 98:5)

Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim said: “The degree to which a person is helped and aided by Allah depends on the degree of his intention, drive, aim and hopes. Help from Allah comes to people in proportion to their drive, intention, hopes and fears. Failure comes to them in a similar manner.”

2. Know the virtue
Knowing the virtues and rewards of worship encourages us to perform them. The virtue of praying at night during Ramdan supersedes the virtue of praying any other night during the year. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) encouraged the people, without making it an absolute command, to perform Qiyam during Ramadan. He (peace be upon him) used to say: ‘Whoever stands (in Qiyam) in Ramadan out of faith and expectation (of Allah’s reward), all his previous sins will be forgiven.’ ” (Sahih Muslim)

3. Take a nap
Taking a nap before or after Zuhr Salah will reduce stress and give you sufficient energy to wake up late at night to stand in front of your Lord. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Take a nap, for the Shayateen (pl. of Shaytan) do not take naps.” (At-Tabarani, Al-Sahihah, no. 2647)

4. Sleep as per the Sunnah
• Sleep early! It’s a healthy habit and it was the practice of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). He would sleep immediately after performing the Isha prayer. Abu Barzah Al-Aslami said the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to prefer to delay Isha, and he did not like to sleep before it or talk after it.” (Al-Bukhari)

• Sleep in a state of taharah (cleanliness). Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Purify these bodies and Allah will purify you, for there is no slave who goes to sleep in a state of purity, but an Angel spends the night with him, and every time he turns over, (the Angel) says, ‘O Allah! Forgive Your slave, for he went to bed in a state of purity.’ ” (At-Tabarani, Sahih Al-Jami’, no. 3831)

• Choose a suitable bed. Extreme luxury and very soft mattresses provoke laziness. We tend to sleep more and become negligent. Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the pillow of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was made of leather stuffed with palm fibers.” (Abu Dawood and Musnad Ahmad, Sahih Al-Jami’, no. 4714)

• Keep the bed clean and lie on your right side. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “When any one of you goes to bed, let him clear his bed by hitting it with his garment, for he does not know what may have come onto it. Then let him lie down on his right side…” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

• Recite the Adhkar (supplications) mentioned in the Sunnah before sleeping. Among the Adhkar are reciting the last two verses of Surah Al-Baqarah; reciting Surah Al-Falaq, Al-Nas and Ikhlas and blowing in the palms and wiping as much of the body as possible – starting from the head, face and then the front of the body – three times; and saying Subhan Allah 33 times, Alhamdulillah 33 times and Allahu Akbar 34 times. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

5. Don’t eat too much
Eating and drinking too much are the main obstacles that make one lazy and negligent of Qiyam Al-Layl. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Man fills no vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to have a few mouthfuls to give him the strength he needs. If he has to fill his stomach, then let him leave one-third for food, one-third for drink and one-third for air.” (At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah, Sahih Al-Jami’, no. 5674)
Abu Juhayfah reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to a man who burped in his presence: “Stop your burping, for the people who eat the most in this life will be the most hungry on the Day of Resurrection.” (Al-Hakim, Sahih Al-Jami’, no. 1190)

6. Exert yourself
Exert yourself to get up and pray. Rise above your desires. Allah says in the Qur’an:

“And as for those who strive hard in Our Cause, We will surely guide them to Our Paths. And verily, Allah is with the Muhsinoon (good-doers).” (Qur’an, 29:69)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The Mujahid (one who strives in the Cuase of Allah) is the one who strives against his own self for the sake of Allah.” (Al-Tirmidhi, Al-Sahihah, no. 549)
He (peace be upon him) also said: “When a man from my Ummah gets up to pray at night, striving against his own self to get up and purify himself, there are knots on him. When he washes his hands in wudu, one knot is undone. When he washes his face, another knot is undone. When he wipes his head another knot is undone. When he washes his feet, another knot is undone. Then Allah says to those who are veiled (in the Unseen): ‘Look at this slave of Mine, he is striving against his own self and asking of Me. Whatever My slave asks of Me shall be his.” (Musnad Ahmad, Sahih Al-Targheeb, no. 627)

7. Regret if you missed it
Qiyam Al-Layl is a great blessing of Allah. He has kept numerous spiritual benefits and rewards for the believer in this prayer. Therefore, one should regret if he misses this great opportunity of achieving rewards and the Pleasure of Allah. Allah says in the Qur’an:

“O you who believe! Fear Allah and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what you do.” (Qur’an, 59:18)

Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim said, “If the slave is responsible and accountable for everything, even his hearing, sight and innermost thoughts, as Allah says, “…Verily, hearing, sight, and the heart of each of you will be questioned by Allah.” (Qur’an, 17:36), then he should check on himself before he is brought to account.” – As-Sunnah

Ref: ‘The Night Prayers’ by Muhammad Nasir-ud-Deen Al-Albani

From: Cool Guy Muslim’s Blog

To give up hope of the mercy of Allah, Ar-Rahman, is of the greatest of sins one can do, more greater than all your sins combined. This is among the most encouraging and deepest lectures I have ever heard. May Allah (swt) forgive our sins, wipe them clean, and make us purified, obedient slaves of His (yes, ‘abd means slave in its true form, not servant.) Ameen.

Directions to Giving Naseehah (Good Advice)
Kamil Mufti
Al Jumuah Magazine

MANNERS OF GIVING NASEEHAH

Seeking the Pleasure of Allah by giving Naseehah

It is necessary that a person has the intention of seeking the pleasure of Allah when giving naseehah. Only such an intention deserves reward from Allah and acceptance from His slaves.

If the intention is other than that, then that person deserves the anger and wrath of Allah as well as the hatred and rejection of the people – including the one being advised.

Not slandering the one being advised

This is an affliction that has befallen many Muslims. Many times, after taking a closer look, we find that the person giving naseehah actually wants to slander the person he is advising because of personal hatred. This does not befit the one being advised and may lead to a worse situation with no benefit resulting from the naseehah.

Naseehah is to be given in secret

Naseehah is most likely to bear its fruit when given to a person when he is by himself, for in such a situation the person is less likely to be affected by the thoughts of others. The sincere advisor should not aid the Devil over his brother by publicly rebuking him and letting Shaitaan beguile his brother into not taking the naseehah. This closes the doors of goodness and acceptance, and reduces the chances of the naseehah from being accepted.

This is why our pious predecessors used to give naseehah in secret. Hafidh Ibn Rajab writes, “When the righteous predecessors intended to give naseehah to someone, they admonished him privately, to the point that some of them said, “The one who exhorts his brother between him and himself , then it is naseehah. The one who exhorts him in front of people, then it is merely scolding!”

Fudail Ibn Ayyadh, one of the pious scholars from our predecessors, said, “A believer covers up and gives naseehah, whereas an evildoer exposes and humiliates.” Ibn Rajab commented on Fudail’s saying, “It is naseehah if it is with a cover, while humiliating is with broadcasting.”

Naseehah is to be given with kindness, gentleness and softness
A sincere advisor must be kind, soft and well-mannered in giving naseehah to others, as this might get the desired response from the one he is advising. One must understand that accepting naseehah is like opening a door, and that the door will not open without the proper key. The one who is given naseehah has a heart that has a lock in some matter – for he has abandoned something that Allah has demanded from him, or has committed something that Allah had forbidden him from. There is no better key to unlock the heart than kindness in giving advice, gentleness in exhortation and softness in speech as the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) has said, “Kindness is not to be found in anything but that it adds to its beauty, and it is not withdrawn from anything but it makes it defective.” [Muslim]

Do not compel others to follow one’s Naseehah

It is wajib (obligatory) on the advisor to render sincere advice to others, but it is not his right to compel others to follow his advice as well. That is the right of the Muslim ruler upon his subjects or a Muslim Qadhi (Judge) in his jurisdiction. A sincere advisor is one who guides toward goodness, but he is not to command others to act upon it.

Ibn Hazm writes that one should not give naseehah on the condition that it must be accepted, otherwise if one goes beyond this, he will be oppressing not advising, and seeking obedience and control. In another passage, Ibn Hazm writes that if a person is mistaken in his advice, he would be expecting people to follow him in his mistake.

Choosing the proper time to give Naseehah

The one giving naseehah must choose the right time to give his advice, since a person is not always ready to receive naseehah.A person may be angry about something, upset about not getting what he wanted, grieved for something he may have lost, or there may be some other reason that might prevent him from responding to the naseehah.

Abdul Hamid Bilali writes, “Choosing proper time and place is one of the greatest causes for the acceptance of naseehah and eradicating evil”, and as Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud said, “Hearts (sometimes) yearn and are attentive, but (sometimes) they go through lapses and feed repulsion. So take from them when they are (in a state of) yearning and are attentive, and leave them alone when they go through lapses and are feeling repulsion.”

Naseehah that is against Islam is not to be followed

Giving naseehah is part of Sharia. Therefore, if someone gives advice to leave a deen demanded by the Sharia or to perform a forbidden deed, then it is not called naseehah. The one giving such should quit doing that and the one being advised should not accept it. For instance, if someone tells you to shave your beard, to expose some part of the body by taking off the hijab, to shake hands with women on job interviews, to date the girl you are interested in, to take a job at a gas station that sells alcohol, or to go see the latest movie, then you should not obey. These matters are not counted as naseehah which the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) made part of the religion.

By Abu Tasneem Dawood Adeeb
Transcribed by: Umm Hasna Firdous Bint Jabir

Listen to audio @ troid.org 

Khutbatul Haajah 

“Say, O My Servant, those who have been excessive, those who have been extreme o*n their own soul, do not despair of the mercy of Allaah subhana wa ta’ala for surely Allaah forgives all sins. And surely Allaah, He is Al-Ghaffoor and Ar-Raheem. He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Merciful. He is extremely forgiving and extremely merciful.”

In this above Ayah, respected brothers and sisters in Islaam, Allaah among other things explains to us that He forgives our sins. He forgives all sins, whether they are Major or Minor. No matter what colour the sin may be, no matter what size the sin may be, how old or new it is, Allaah subhana is Al-Ghaffoor Ar-Raheem. And if the Muslim, the Abd (the Slave of Allaah subhana wa ta’ala) fulfills the conditions, Allaah will forgive. This type of forgiveness is a unique forgiveness. Allaah subhana wa ta’ala is unique as He says : 

“Qul Huw-Allaahu Ahad” — 

Say, He Allaah is unique.

For His forgiveness is not like any type of forgiveness and His Mercy is not like any type of Mercy. 

“Wa laisa kamislihi shaiun wa huwas Sameeul Baseer” � 

There is nothing like Him and He is As-Sameeh and Al-Baseer � He is the Hearer and He is the Seer.

This Jumma’ah we would like to talk about the methodology or the road that we can use, the way, the method that we can utilize in gaining the atonement and forgiveness of our sins. How we can gain the atonement, the expiation, the effacing, the erasing of our sins. What is the methodology of erasing these sins? What can we do to remove these sins? Because all of us are sinners as Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said in an authentic Hadith : 

“All of the children of Aadam are sinners and the best of sinners are those who repent.”

So we need to learn brothers and sisters in Islaam how we can efface, how we can remove, how we can make atonement for az-zunoob; How we can get rid of these sins. When we talk about the erasing and the atonement of sins according to the ahlul Ilm, according to the people of knowledge, there are two types (two ways to remove the sins) :

One as Allaah subhana wa ta’ala mentions : 

Follow up a bad deed with a good deed and it will wipe it out. It will erase it. This is the first type of removing (the erasing) of sins.

The second is the exchange of o*ne thing for another. As Allaah subhana wa ta’ala says : 

For them, those individuals who do these sins, Allaah will exchange for their bad deeds, good deeds. He will replace their bad deeds with good deeds and Allaah subhana wa ta’ala is Ghaffoorur Raheema. He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

There are many ways brothers and sisters and we can have many Khutba’as o*n this subject. But we would just like to site just a few of these ways that we can atone for and erase our sins. The first and foremost and Allaah subhana ‘alam, Allaah the Majestic, the Most High above all creation knows best is to accept Islaam. Alhamdulillaah, which we have all done. If a Kaafir from among the Kuffaar (no matter how good they may seem or how righteous they may seem in the eyes of the people), if they want to have their sins erased, (their tawbah is different from our tawbah) their tawbah is to accept Islaam. And there is no tawbah for them except this. 

Allaah subhana wa ta’ala says : 

Surely the Deen with Allaah is not Christianity, it is not Judaism, it is not Hinduism, it is Islaam.

And again Allaah subhana wa ta’ala says : 

Whoever seeks a Deen other than Islaam, it will never ever be accepted from him. And in the Last Day they will be the losers.

So those individuals who are among the Kuffar of this life, in order for their actions to be accepted and in order for them to be forgiven, they have to accept Islaam. And Allaah subhana wa ta’ala says : 

Say to the Kuffar if they seize (stop) what they did in the past, they will be forgiven.

What does that mean? It means that if they leave off their kufr, if they stop disbelieving, then Allaah will forgive them. 

So, the person who wants to have the forgiveness of Allaah, that is still among the groups of the Ahlul Kitaab and the Mushrikoon, they have to accept Islaam. And Allaah subhana wa ta’ala will remove their sins and He will forgive them. 

Those individuals whom Allaah subhana wa ta’ala had raised among the Sahaaba to accept Islaam when the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was alive, there is a clear, clear record of this. 

On the authority of Ibn Shumaasa al Mahri that he said : We went to Amr Ibn Al-Aas (radiallaahu anhu), he was about to die, (he was o*n his death�bed). He wept for a long time and turned his face towards the wall. �(Not clear�) The audience asked Amr : Didn’t the Messenger of Allaah not give you tidings of this? 

He turned his face towards the audience and said : The best thing which we can count upon is the testimony that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allaah and Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)is the Messenger of Allaah. For surely I have passed through three stages and this is what Allaah subhana wa ta’ala says in His Glorious Book : 

You shall certainly travel from stage to stage.

Within the first stage in which I found myself averse (disinclined) to none else more than I was averse to the Messenger of Allaah and there was no other desire stronger in my heart than the o*ne that I should over power him and kill him. Had I died in this stage, I would have been definitely been among the people of the Hell-Fire.
Because if a Kaafir dies without having accepted Islaam (this is the forgiveness and atonement of his sins), he will surely go to the Hell-fire as the Prophet’s example when visiting the young Jewish boy (who used to serve him), when he went to his house and invited him to Islaam while he was o*n his death-bed and his father standing at his side, the Prophet incited him to say: “Laa ilaaha illallaah”. And he turned and looked at his father for approval. And his father said : Obey, Abu Qassim. (The Kunya, the nickname of Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). So, the boy said : “Ash-hadu an Laailaaha illallaah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadar Rasoolullaah.” Then he died. 
Then the Messenger of Allaah left the house saying : Praise be to Allaah who saved this boy because of me from the Hell-Fire. So this is another proof that those individuals who do not accept Islaam and do not make this statement will be in the Hell-Fire. And those who do, Allaah will forgive them of their sins. 

So he said if he had died in that state, he would have been one of the inhabitants of the Hell-Fire. When Allaah instilled the love of Islaam in my heart, I came to the Messenger of Allaah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and I said : Stretch out your right hand O Messenger of Allaah so that I may make bai’aah (the pledge of allegiance) to you. He stretched out his right hand and I withdrew my hand. And he, the Messenger of Allaah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said : What has happened to you O Amr? 

I replied : I intend to lay down some conditions.

The Messenger of Allaah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) asked : What conditions do you intend to put forward?

I said : I should be granted forgiveness. 

He the Messenger of Allaah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)said : “Are you not aware of the fact that Islaam wipes out all previous sins? Verily Hijrah wipes out all previous sins. And truly Hajj wipes out all previous sins.” 

And then he (radiallahu anhu) said : “No one was more dear to me than the Messenger of Allaah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and none was more sublimer in my eyes than him. And I could never get up the courage to catch a full glimpse of his face due to its splendor. So if I am asked to describe the features of the Messenger of Allaah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), I am not able to do it because I have not looked at him fully. Had I died in this state, I have no reason to hope that I would ever be among the dwellers of the Paradise . I had every reason to hope that I would be among the people of Paradise.”
Then we are responsible for certain things in the light of which I am not able to know what is in store for me. When I die, let not the female mourner nor the fire accompany me. When you bury me, fill my grave well with earth and stand around it for a time in which a camel is slaughtered and the meat is distributed so that I may enjoy your intimacy (those individuals who stand around my grave) and I can ascertain what else I can give to the Angels of Allaah subhana wa ta’ala.

Another example of those things that will efface and atone for sins is following the Messenger of Allaah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). And we all know brothers and sisters that following the Messenger of Allaah is an incumbent act upon every male and female Muslim. Allaah subhana wa ta’ala says :

And believe in Allaah and His Messenger, the unlettered on, who believes in Allaah and His word and follow him so that perhaps you will gain success.

We also know that upon us it is the duty to obey the Messenger of Allaah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). And whoever obeys the Messenger has therefore obeyed Allaah. And it is incumbent upon every single Muslim to obey the Messenger of Allaah and obey those who are trusted in authority from the Messenger of Allaah among the Ulema. 

“O You who believe obey Allaah and obey His Messenger and those trusted in authority from among you.”

With all of this and other ahyahs and hadiths, we gain the understanding that if we believe in Allaah subhana wa ta’ala and if we follow the Messenger of Allaah, Allaah subhana wa ta’ala will forgive us our sins simply for obeying and following the Prophet. 

“Say, if you love Allaah, then follow me.” – Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is saying this from the Book of Allaah. He is commanding to all of us sitting here and all the Muslims until the Day of Resurrection : “if you really love Allaah, then follow me. And Allaah will love you and forgive you your sins.”
So in following the Prophet (just simply following him) with all the conditions of following him, if they are met, Allaah subhana wa ta’ala will forgive our sins. 

At-Taubah is a means of erasing sins, brothers and sisters. When we commit any sin, Allaah subhana wa ta’ala has instructed us in the Qura’an :

“O You who believe return to Allaah with sincere, unadulterated repentance. Perhaps your Lord will atone for you, your evil deeds.”

And the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)in an authentic narration collected by Imaam Ibn Maajah and others on the authority of Abdullaah Ibn Al-Masood (radiallahu anhu): 

“The person who repents from his sins is like the individual who didn’t have any sins at all.”

Also following up those evil things with good things. Allaah subhana wa ta’ala has mentioned in the Qura’an : 

“Verily the good deeds remove the evil deeds. This is a reminder for those who remember.” 

When we look at the tafseer of this particular ayah brothers and sisters, we find a very beautiful story. That a man came to the Messenger of Allaah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) saying : “O Messenger of Allaah, I kissed a woman.” 
(Is there anything wrong in kissing a woman? Of course if she is not your mother, if she is not your sister, if she is not your wife and if she is not your daughter or your maternal or paternal aunt, this this haraam).
And the Messenger of Allaah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) answered him by reciting this verse : 
“Truly the good deeds remove the evil deeds and this is a reminder for the mindful.” 

Also spreading the salaam, saying : “Assalamu alaykum” is a means of forgiveness for sins. Just simply saying, “Assalamu alaykum” you could be removed of your sins. And good speech is a means of removal of sins. And there is a Hadith that was collected in the Musnaad of Shia’ab that says that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said : 

“Truly some of the causes of forgiveness is the spreading of Salaams and good speech.”
(Not bad speech, but good speech. Just speaking good can remove and atone sins.) 
Another means of forgiveness and atonement of sins is simply shaking the hands of your brothers and sisters in Islaam. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said : 

“There are no two Muslims that meet each other, then they shake hands except that the both of them are forgiven of their sins before they leave each other.”

Simple !! Just shake your brother’s hand. And hold it and keep holding it so that sins can be removed. And the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) again said : 

“Truly the believer when he meets the other believer and then he says, “Assalamu Alaikum” and then he takes his hand and shakes his hand, both of their sins fall off like leaves fall from trees.”

From: AbdurRahman.org Islam Information Page 

Posted by Yasir Qadhi • May 18th, 2009 • Printer-friendly

This is, in many ways, an awkward post for me. Admitting one’s mistake is not easy to do. Claiming that one’s past opinions were wrong  – opinions that were defended publicly, in writing and speech, and championed for many, many years – is always a bitter pill to swallow. And this is even more difficult to do when the ‘mistake’ is not just one secondary matter or trivial opinion, but rather an entire framework or methodology.

But now, I am forced to make such a confession. I have given the matter great thought, and have realized there is no way forward unless I break clean of my past. And if I do so, I am not the first, nor shall I be the last, to make such a claim. Many great scholars in our tradition have gone through phases of their life, realizing later on that they followed an incorrect system in an earlier stage.

It is an open secret that there are two great traditions in our times competing with one another. Each of these two systems claims to be better and more perfect. Each one claims to be older, or more ‘orthodox’. Each one claims to have large numbers of followers. Each one presents an entire methodology – a holistic framework from which all other programs of one’s life should spring forth. Each one is eager for converts, critiquing the other tradition with utmost contempt (sometimes with very cheap and underhand tactics – as bloggers know all too well).

It is obvious that both of these systems cannot simultaneously be true in all that they say. One of the two MUST be the more correct and better.

For many years of my life, (in fact for ALL of the years that I have been of age), I had been an ardent follower of what I thought was the only system. As a young teenager, I never even knew that people followed other methodologies, and the first time I was exposed to the other system I truly found it incomprehensible. It seemed too difficult to follow, too ’strange’ and exotic. As I grew older, and learnt more about both systems, initially my faith in my own tradition grew stronger and stronger. It is actually ironic that I wrote many works, books and treatises in its framework. In many public and private gatherings, I had defended my own preferred methodology and mocked the other.

It is true that many people tried to convert me, and initially I rebuffed them quite easily. But as these efforts increased in earnestness, and I found close friends of mine, people whom I truly looked up to, convert one by one, I felt the seeds of doubt grow within me. Perhaps my system was not the best? Perhaps the framework that I had initially been led to believe was the truest and most perfect was not actually so?

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From: Road to Heaven