Allah the Exalted said:
ﻭﻭﺿﻌﻨﺎ ﻋﻨﻚ ﻭﺯﺭﻙ
And We removed from you your
burden
(Soorah As Sharh verse 2)
ﻭﺿﻌﻨﺎ ﻋﻨﻚ
Meaning: We removed,
pardoned, forgave, and disregard.
ﻭﺯﺭﻙ
Your burden
Meaning: your sins
ﺍﻟﺬﻱ ﺃﻧﻘﺾ ﻇﻬﺮﻙ
Which weighed down your back
Meaning that Allah the Exalted
forgave the Prophet ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ
ﻭﻋﻠﻰ ﺁﻟﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ his sins and mistakes
to the extent that he was
completely forgiven.
The result: Allah the Exalted
forgave the Prophet ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ
ﻭﻋﻠﻰ ﺁﻟﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ for his sins and He
explained that these sins had
been weighing down his back,
meaning they had been hard and
tiring upon him.
Thus if this was the sins of the
Prophet ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﺍﻟﺼﻼﺓ ﻭﺍﻟﺴﻼﻡ then how
about the sins of other than him?!
Our sins weigh down our backs.
Our sins are hard upon us and
tire us out but it is as though we
are not carrying anything, it is as
though we are not carrying
anything at all; this due to the
weakness of our faith, and our
lack of insight. We ask Allah to
encompass us with His
forgiveness.
Some narrations have mentioned
that the believer, when he
commits a sin it becomes like a
mountain hovering over his head.
As for the hypocrite, when he
commits a sin it becomes like a fly
that landed on his nose thus he
swipes at it, meaning it does not
concern him.
So the believer is concerned with
his sins, thus he attaches
importance to his sins until he can
free himself from them by way of
repentance and seeking
forgiveness or by performing
noble good deeds that will erase
the traces of his sins.
And you; if you find your heart
heedless concerning your sins
then know that your heart is sick.
Because it is not possible for the
heart which is alive to be pleased
with illness and the illness of the
heart is sins.
As Abdullah ibn Al Mubarak, may
Allah have mercy upon him said:
I found that sins kill the hearts
And they bring about humiliation
by being addicted to them
And abandoning sin gives life to
the hearts
And it is better for your soul that
you disobey it
At any rate I say, it is obligatory
upon us, and I direct this
statement to myself and I ask
Allah to assist me upon this
before I ask Him to assist you. I
direct this to myself before I direct
it towards you. And I hope for
Allah to assist us all.
I say, it is obligatory upon us to be
concerned with our souls and to
take them to account.
And if the merchant does not go
to sleep until he reviews his book
of sales; reviewing what he sold,
what he spent and what he
earned, then surely it is upon the
merchant of the next life to be
even more concerned because
the commerce is greater.
The commerce of the people of
this world, what does it benefit
them?
Most of the benefits, if it benefits
them, will only bring harm to their
bodies.
This type of commerce causes a
lot of anxiety and stress, if he
loses merchandise this causes
him stress, and if he is in his
country in fear of the highway
robbers or the thieves, this
causes even more stress.
But the commerce of the next life
is the opposite of this.
ﻳﺎ ﺃﻳﻬﺎ ﺍﻟﺬﻳﻦ ﺁﻣﻨﻮﺍ ﻫﻞ ﺃﺩﻟﻜﻢ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺗﺠﺎﺭﺓ ﺗﻨﺠﻴﻜﻢ
ﻣﻦ ﻋﺬﺍﺏ ﺃﻟﻴﻢ ، ﺗﺆﻣﻨﻮﻥ ﺑﺎﻟﻠﻪ ﻭﺭﺳﻮﻟﻪ
ﻭﺗﺠﺎﻫﺪﻭﻥ ﻓﻲ ﺳﺒﻴﻞ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺑﺄﻣﻮﺍﻟﻜﻢ ﻭﺃﻧﻔﺴﻜﻢ ﺫﻟﻜﻢ
ﺧﻴﺮ ﻟﻜﻢ ﺇﻥ ﻛﻨﺘﻢ ﺗﻌﻠﻤﻮﻥ ﻳﻐﻔﺮ ﻟﻜﻢ ﺫﻧﻮﺑﻜﻢ
ﻭﻳﺪﺧﻠﻜﻢ ﺟﻨﺎﺕ ﺗﺠﺮﻱ ﻣﻦ ﺗﺤﺘﻬﺎ ﺍﻟﺄﻧﻬﺎﺭ
ﻭﻣﺴﺎﻛﻦ ﻃﻴﺒﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺟﻨﺎﺕ ﻋﺪﻥ ﺫﻟﻚ ﺍﻟﻔﻮﺯ ﺍﻟﻌﻈﻴﻢ
Oh you who believe! Shall I lead
you to a bargain that will save
you from a grievous torment?
That you believe in Allah and
His Messenger, and that you
strive (your utmost) in the
cause of Allah, with your
property and your persons: that
will be best for you, if you but
knew!
He will forgive you your sins,
and admit you to Gardens
beneath which rivers flow
(Soorah As Saff verses 10, 11,
and 12)
Safety from the punishment, Allah
forgiving him for his sins, and
entrance into paradise. Gardens
of Eden meaning gardens of
eternity.
ﻭﻣﺴﺎﻛﻦ ﻃﻴﺒﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺟﻨﺎﺕ ﻋﺪﻥ
Beautiful mansions in gardens
of eternity
Mansions which are beautiful in
the manner in which they are
constructed and beautiful in the
material used to construct them.
Do you think the material used to
construct the mansions in
paradise is cement and gravel?
No!
As the Prophet ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ
said, ‘Two paradises with gold
utensils and everything in them is
gold. And two paradises with
silver utensils and everything in
them is silver.
I swear by Allah, if a person were
to remain prostrating from the
time he reached puberty until he
died, this would be a small price
to pay for such a great treasure.
Or if there were no other reward
other than the person being
saved from the fire this would be
enough.
Sometimes a person will
contemplate and they will say, ‘I
wish I was never born’. Or, ‘It will
be sufficient for me if I can be
saved from the fire’.
Take for example Umar Ibn Al
Khattab ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻨﻪ he said, ‘I
wish I could have been an
uprooted tree, I wish my mother
had never given birth to me.’
This is because the individual is
afraid.
He could think that he is safe
now, because he prays and fast,
gives charity, performs Hajj, and
honors his parents and things like
this.
But there could be in his heart—
and we ask Allah for safety and
security—some type of hatred
that leads him to an evil end; and
refuge is sought with Allah.
As the Messenger of Allah ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ
ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ said:
ﺇﻥ ﺃﺣﺪﻛﻢ ﻟﻴﻌﻤﻞ ﺑﻌﻤﻞ ﺃﻫﻞ ﺍﻟﺠﻨﺔ ﺣﺘﻰ ﻣﺎ ﻳﻜﻮﻥ
ﺑﻴﻨﻪ ﻭﺑﻴﻨﻬﺎ ﺇﻟﺎ ﺫﺭﺍﻉ
Verily one of you will perform the
actions of the people of paradise
until there does not remain
between him and it except for an
arms span.
Meaning the time span before his
death and it does not mean the
span of his actions because all of
his actions are in vain.
He, ‘performs the actions of the
people of paradise according that
what is apparent to the people
while (in reality) he is from the
people of the fire’; as appears in
an authentic narration.
His statement: Until there does
not remain between him and it
except for an arms span; does not
mean that his actions take him
close to paradise. No, the
meaning is, until he does not
remain upon it except for a short
period of his life and then he
performs the actions of the people
of the fire thus he enters it. But
this is if the actions of the person
were performed for the sake of
the people.
As the Messenger of Allah ﻋﻠﻴﻪ
ﺍﻟﺼﻼﺓ ﻭﺍﻟﺴﻼﻡ said:
ﺇﻥ ﺍﻟﺮﺟﻞ ﻟﻴﻌﻤﻞ ﺑﻌﻤﻞ ﺃﻫﻞ ﺍﻟﺠﻨﺔ ﻓﻴﻤﺎ ﻳﺒﺪﻭ
ﻟﻠﻨﺎﺱ ﻭﻫﻮ ﻣﻦ ﺃﻫﻞ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﺭ
Verily a person will perform the
actions of the people of paradise,
according to what is apparent to
the people while he is from the
people of the fire.
If a person comes across this type
of text he fears for himself. He
fears showing off. He fears being
impressed by himself. He fears
from being presumptuous over
Allah with his actions.
Thus we ask Allah the Blessed
and Exalted to protect us and you
all from the evil of our actions. Oh
Allah we seek refuge in you from
the evil of our souls and from the
evil of our actions; we seek Your
forgiveness and to You we turn in
repentance.
Translated by Rasheed ibn Estes
Barbee
Presented to you by Markaz
Tawheed was-Sunnah in
Durham, NC