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.
As we see promotions by different companies and platforms – loyalty cards and extra points you get, Allah has given us better than that offer. He created ways for us to rectify mistakes, shortcomings and sins as well as elevate our status and rank. It is not just about erasing sins, but also about ascending levels.
No matter how many mistakes you have made, you can seek forgiveness from Allah. How do you 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 good but Allah should be worshipped throughout the year, not just 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 off 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. They are forming layers upon layers over the heart and this will cloud the judgement and vision and mind – they are not able to do the right deals and take the right direction. How to clear this? ask Allah for forgiveness and then all these clouds will be erased leaving clear vision and pure heart.
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 is not the salah of speed and distraction. The supersonic salah does not bring forgiveness. We are not saying that you spend all day praying, even the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not do that. Between the salah and salah is forgiveness for those who long for His forgiveness. It 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).
Don’t 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, then you have the right intention and action and it deletes your sins and elevates your status.
Such actions are a type of spiritual “ribaat” – guarding and preserving one’s faith and worship. It signifies the dedication of a Muslim to remain engaged in acts of worship and devotion, which results in the forgiveness of sins and the elevation of one’s rank in the hereafter. Being connected to Allah gives you extra edge and closeness to Him.
Jummuah to jummuah
This is a weekly forgiveness for those who attend each Friday. Some people don’t pray except on Fridays. They are Friday worshipers. Allah is the Lord of Friday, and the whole weekend the whole year. We should worship Allah all through the year. Not just a Ramadan worshipper. We can do better. He gave us all our faculties use it
Don’t accept less if you can get more. Do better and get more.
Based on the khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 21st February 2020