Stories of Repentance (the Book)

During one of his journeys, Sari as-Saqati passed by a cave, from which he heard continuous sobbing. Aroused by curiosity, he entered the cave and saw a young man whose body seemed to be wasted away by grief and sadness. Having immediately perceived that the man was a righteous worshipper, Sari humbly asked, “O young man, how is safety achieved?”

He said, “By performing all prescribed acts of worship, by not wronging others, and by repenting to Allah.”

Sari asked, “Can you please deliver a sermon to me?”

The young man said, “The best sermon you can receive is by looking into your own self. But I will say this: be obedient to Allah when you are alone, for doing so will atone for your sins, and Allah will then display you to the inhabitants of the heavens.”

A righteous man was once asked to tell the story of the pivotal moment of his life, the moment in which he first began to apply the teachings of Islam, and the following was his answer:

When I was a young man, I would not hesitate to perpetrate any sin that was made available to me. Then, one day, I saw a young woman who was perhaps the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Much tempted by her, I indicated to her that I wanted her to approach me. She seemed nervous, but I thought that she would probably agree to satisfy my sexual desires for money. She approached me with what seemed to be a great deal of trepidation, and when she actually stood before me, she looked extremely terrified.

Feeling sorry for her, I said, ‘Do not fear, for I will not harm you.’

But my words did not lessen her terrible fright in the least; in fact, her situation worsened. She began to tremble like a palm tree leaf trembles with the wind.

I said, ‘Tell me your story.’

She said, ‘By Allah, o my brother, never before this day have I offered my body in this way. Dire need is what has driven me to this, for I have three daughters who have not eaten a single morsel of food for three days now. It was pity for them that brought me to this low point in my life.’

For the first time in my life, I felt pity; her story moved me, and I no longer entertained the intention of taking advantage of her. After she told me where she lived, I took a great deal of money, clothing and food to her house. When I returned to my house, I told my mother what had happened.

My mother knew that I had a book in which I would record all of my evil deeds, and so she said to me, ‘My son, you are a man who has never performed a good deed except for the good deed that you performed today. I know that you have a book in which you record your evil exploits, go now and write in it your good deed.’

I stood up, went to my book, opened it, and found that all of its pages were blank- except for the first page on which was written a single line.



At that very moment, I raised my hands to the sky and said, "By your Might and Majesty, never again will I disobey You."

Death may come upon us at any time, and it is our last deed that counts most. Put together, these two realities make it clear that we must continually repent for our sins and that it is utter foolishness to put off repentance for another day.

In relation to this point, there is an interesting story related about two brothers. One of them, who lived on the top floor of a house they shared together, was a pious worshipper; the other, who lived on the ground floor, was a prolific doer of evil deeds. The former was confident- in fact, a little too confident and self-complacent for his own good. He actually desired that Shaytaan should try to tempt him, so that he could resist temptation and soar to higher levels of righteousess. One day, Iblees did appear before him, perhaps in the form of a man [it is not mentioned in the narration]. Shaytaan said, "So very sad that you have spent 40 years inhibiting the satisfaction of your desires and tiring your body in worship. You have 40 more years left to live, why don't you enjoy yourself and follow your lusts for a while. Then you can always repent and return to worship later on. After all, Allah is Most-Forgiving, Most-Merciful."

The worshipper thought to himself, "I will go down to my brother on the first floor, and I will join him in the pursuit of pleasure for 20 years. Then, in the last 20 years of my life, I will repent to Allah and worship Him." He then began to descend the stairs to the first floor.

Meanwhile, his brother was going through a transformation of his own. He thought to himself, "I wasted away my entire life in sin. My brother, the worshipper, will enter Paradise, while I will enter the Hell-fire. By Allah, I will indeed repent, go up to my brother and join him for as long as I live, in the worship of Allah. Perhaps Allah will then forgive me."

He ascended the stairs, with the intention of repenting to Allah, while his brother was desceending with the intention of leading a life of sin. The latter slipped on one of the stairs, tumbled down, and knocked down his brother. Both of them died.

I mentioned it earlier, and I'll mention it here again: It is, of course, the last deed that counts most.

Ar-Rashid, a first century ruler, once said to al-Fudayl bin Iyaad, "Admonish me."

"O Leader of the believers!" said al-Fudayl. "Indeed your grandfather, al-Abbaas, the uncle of the Prophet , once went to the Prophet and said, 'O Messenger of Allah, appoint me to be a leader.' The Messenger of Allah said, 'My uncle, indeed, being a leader leads to sorrow, and regret on the Day of Resurrection. If you are able to go without ever being a leader, then do so!'"

Moved to tears, ar-Rashid said, "Give me more."

al-Fudayl looked at ar-Rashid and said, "O one who has a handsome face, if you are able to protect that face from the Hell-fire then do so. And beware of ever cheating or betraying your people."

Being much moved by al-Fudayl's words, ar-Rashid wanted to reward him.

"Do you have any debts?" he asked.

"To my Lord, yes, and He will hold me accountable for them," said al-Fudayl.

"I am of course referring to debts to other human beings," said ar-Rashid.

After al-Fudayl answered in the negative, ar-Rashid said to one of his assistants, "Give him 1000 dinars, which he can use to help his family."

Al-Fudayl was greatly offended by these words and said, "How perfect Allah is! I am guiding you to safety and you want to reward me with this paltry, worldly sum!"

He then left, having refused to take anything.

( The following story is simple enough, yet it teaches us two important lessons. First, when you make an intention to sin, you can still save yourself by backing down, even f you do so at the very last moment. Second, you can avoid certain sins but fulfill your desires if you take an alternative lawful path.--- Editor)

A very rich businessman was once relaxing in his home when he heard someone knock on his door. When he opened the door, there standing before him was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his entire life. He yearned for her and invited her to come inside. But it was not to fulfill his desires that she came; rather, she came because she was extremely poor and was forced to go around begging for money. He ignored her plea for help and instead insisted that she come inside. She answered him in a clear and dignified tone, "Death is better than disobeying my Lord."

She left but then returned after a number of days. Her situation had become more desperate and again she asked him to help her. The businessman answered her as he did the first time.

With tears flowing down her cheeks, the girl entered his house. Again she pleaded, "Please! Feed me for the Countenance of Allah!"

"Not unless you allow me to satisfy my desires with you," said the man, both coldly and hungrily.

"Death is better than the punishment of Allah," proclaimed the girl.

As she was leaving, her sincere words echoed in the mind of the businessman, and after a long life of sinning, sincere tears of remorse flowed from his eyes for the very first time. He repented to Allah and then fed the girl. He later married her and they enjoyed a happy marriage together.


[You see, in the end, he got what he wanted, except that he got it in a lawful manner. And that is what made all the difference].

The diversions of this world are often so enticing that those who are enjoying them do not see life for what it really is. That is why, it is so rare, and actually nice when it happens, to see a ruler or king who perceives the reality of life.

Al-Asma'i reported that the ruler ar-Rashid once ordered for many delicacies to be prepared for him. He wanted to have a party for himself, so he had a hall decorated for him and invited the famous poet Abul-'Ataahiyyah.

When the party began, ar-Rashid looked at Abul-'Ataahiyah and said, "Describe the pleasures of the world that we are enjoying."
It was often the case that kings and rulers requested poets to compose impromptu verses for them. Abul-'Ataahiyyah began thus:

Live in comfort as long as you please,
Under the shades of high and wonderful castles.

"Wonderful, wonderful. Please continue," said ar-Rashid.

Abul-'Ataahiyyah continued,

All that you desire is brought to you,
Quickly, both in the morning and in the evening.

"Wonderful, wonderful," chimed in ar-Rashid. "Please continue."

He resumed thus:

Then when the souls are parting,
Through the breast with a croaking sound.

It is then that one comes to know,
I have lived nothing but a life of deception.

Ar-Rashid began to weep profusely, and some of those present looked reproachfully at Abul-'Ataahiyyah and said, "The Leader of the believers has invited you to make him happy, yet all that you have succeded in doing is making him sad!"

"Leave him alone," said ar-Rashid. "He simply noticed that we were in a state of blindness, and disliked adding to it with even more blindness."

When passing through a mountain pass, a bedouin once came across an old man who was blind and who seemed to be afflicted with various ailments all over his body. It was clear that he was wasting away. He was even paralyzed and was constantly forced to remain in a seated position. The Bedouin could clearly hear him say, "All praise is for Allah, Who has kept me safe from ailments with which He has tesed many among His creation; and He has indeed preferred me over many among those that He created."

"My brother!" exclaimed the bedouin. "What have you been saved from? By Allah, I think that you have been afflicted with every single kind of ailment!"

"Go away from me," said the old man, as he raised his head. "Do I not still have a tongue with which I can pronounce His Oneness, and with which I can remember Him every single moment? And do I not still have a heart with which I can know Him?"

These words of the old man were enough for the bedouin to repent to Allah for his sins and ask Him for forgiveness.

Talq bin Habib said, "Indeed, the rights of Allah are too great for His slaves to be able to fulfill them. And indeed, His favors and blessings are too many for them to be able to enumerate them. Then [the only way to safety] is for you to wake up every morning and repent for your sins, and go to bed every night and repent for your sins."

Al-Fudayl bin Iyaad was famous for his piety and worship, but he was not always a practicing Muslim. In his early years, al-Fudayl was an infamous highway robber; he would prowl in the night for victims on the road from Abiward to Sarakhs. Between these two cities was a small village in which lived a girl that al-Fudayl was in love with. One night, out of desperation to be with her, al-Fudayl climbed the wall of her home. As he was climbing over it, he heard a voice recite:



At that moment, al-Fudayl answered, "O my Lord, the time has indeed come." He returned from where he came and sought refuge near a traveling party on the main road. They were busy engaging in a serious discussion. al-Fudayl heard one of them say, "Let us continue our journey now." Another answered, "No, not until the morning, for al-Fudayl is lurking on the road somewhere out there, just waiting to rob us."

Having heard the entire conversation, al-Fudayl thought to himself, "I go around in the night to sin, while a group of Muslims remain here because they fear me. Indeed i feel that Allah has brought me here to them only so that I can reform my character. O Allah, I indeed repent to you.."

Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali reported this story:

There was a young man among the children of Israel who worshipped Allah for twenty years. He then disobeyed Allah for twenty years. Then, one day, looking in the mirror, he noticed the whiteness of his beard and was taken aback by what he saw. He said, "O my Lord, I had obeyed you for twenty years and I then disobeyed you for twenty years. Now if I return to You, will You accept me?"

He then heard a caller say, "You loved Us and We loved You. You left Us, and so We left you. You disobeyed Us, and so We gave you respite. And if you return to Us, We will accept you."

Both of them lived in a small town that was populated by only tens or hundreds of people. He was in love with her, and so when he saw her walking alone one night, he followed her until he had her cornered. When he came near to her, he said, "Woman, I crave for you."

She said, "First go and see if all the people are asleep."

Very pleased at her response, he walked around the town and returned. "Everyone is asleep," he said.

"What about Allah Azza wa Jall?" she asked. "Is He sleeping at this hour?"

"Woman, what are you saying?" he exclaimed. "Indeed, Allah does not sleep: neither slumber nor sleep overtake Him."

"The One Who hasn't slept and doesn't sleep sees us, even if people don't see us," she said. "Do you not fear He Who neither sleeps nor is heedless of anything that happens?"

The man left her alone with tears flowing from his eyes, having nothing in mind except the desire to repent to the One Who neither sleeps nor is heedless (of anything that happens.)

Shaqiq said, "Weeping over past misdeeds, being afraid of perpetrating a sin again, forsaking the company of evildoers, and adhering to the company of the righteous- these are the hallmarks of a (sincere) repentance."



As two servants of the ruler, an-Naasir, were talking to one another, one of them said, "I wonder what the ruler is doing today?" The other said, "I never saw him more afraid and sincere than he is today. He is by himself, wearing course clothing and sitting down on dirt. He is crying out loud and acknowledging his sins. I heard him say, 'My Lord, here is my forelock in Your Hand, if You are to punish the people, and You are All-Wise and All-Just, then how will I, with all of my sins, escape your punishment?'"

At that moment, Mundhir bin Sa'eed was passing by, and he heard what the ruler's servant said. Mundhir looked at him and said, "O young servant, wear a raincoat back with you, for if the mighty one on earth becomes fearful of Allah's punishment, then the All-Mighty One in the heavens will have mercy on His slaves [and bless them with rain and sustenence]."

Abu Hamid al-Ghazaali reported that Musa asked al-Khidr to advise him. He said, "Be someone who constantly smiles, and not someone who is constantly angry. Be someone who benefits others, and not someone who harms others. Refrain from argumentation. Do not walk around without purpose. Do not laugh without a reason. Do not disparage wrongdoers by mentioning their mistakes to them. And cry over your misdeeds, O son of 'Imraan."




Abdullah bin Marzuq, who was a close friend of the ruler al-Mahdi, was drunk one day and consequently missed the congregational prayer. His female servant came to him with a piece of burning wood and placed it on his leg. He jumped up with an expression of pain on his face.

"If you cannot withstand the fire of the earth, then how will you withstand the Fire of the Hereafter [which is 70 times more intense than the fire of this world]?" asked the servant.

Having understood the point of the painful lesson, Abdullah bin Marzuq repented immediately. Thereafter, he performed his prayers on time and gave away a great deal in charity. After some time passed, al-Fudayl ibn Iyaad and Ibn Uyaynah visited him, and just by looking at him and the furniture of his home, they noticed a drastic change in his lifestyle. They asked, "No one forsakes something for Allah except that Allah compensates him with something equal or better, so what did Allah compensate you with for the (worldly pleasures) that you abandoned?"

"Contentment for the situation I find myself to be in," said Abdullah bin Marzuq.

Once, when Maimun bin Mihraan and Umar bin Abdul Azeez were visiting the graveyard, Umar began to cry. Turning to Maimun he said, "O Abu Ayyub, hese are the graves of my fathers from Banu Umayyah. When I see their graves now, it seems as if they never participated with the dwellers of the wold in their pleasures and lives. Do you not see how they are beset by trials? The insects are feeding off of their bodies..."

Umar then began to weep until he fainted. When he regained consciousness, he said, "Let us go, for by Allah, I do not know of anyone who is more blessed than he who comes to these graves, yet is saved from the punishment of Allah."



Bakr ibn Abdullah al-Muzani is the narrator of this story:

There was once a butcher who fell in love with the daughter of his neighbors. One day, the girl's parents sent her on an errand to the neighboring town. Seeing that she was alone, the butcher follwed her until she reached a secluded place, where he made his presence known to her. When he tried to seduce her, the girl said, "Do not do so! Indeed, I love you even more than you love me, but I fear Allah."

The butcher's jaws dropped and he said in self-reproach, "You fear Allah and I don't!" He left her alone and repented for his intentions.

On his way back, he became extremely thirsty. He soon came across a Prophet from the Prophets of the Children of Israel. Noticing the expression on the butcher's face, the Prophet asked, "What is the matter with you?"

"Extreme thirst," said the butcher.

"Let us go supplicate to Allah for rain."

"I have no good deed that makes my supplication worthy of being answered," said the butcher.

"Then let me invoke Allah while you say 'Amin' to my invocations," said the Prophet .

He then began to supplicate, and the butcher said, 'Amin,' after each of the supplications.

Suddenly, a cloud appeared, rain fell from it into the nearby town, after which it approached the two men. Wherever the butcher walked, the cloud followed after him, instead of hovering over the Prophet.

"You claim that you have no good deeds," said the Prophet . "Yet despite the fact that it was I who suplicated while you said 'amin' the cloud shaded the city and then it followed you. What is your story?"

The butcher the told him what happened with his neighbor's daughter.

Now having a clear understanding of the butcher's situation, the Prophet said "One who repents to Allah has a ranking that no other person can achieve."

Silah bin Ashyam used to spend his days worshiping near a graveyard; he probably chose that location so that he could see the graves from a distance and thus remember death and the Hereafter. Whenever he would walk to his designated place of worship, he would pass by a group of young men who would be wasting away the hours of the day in frivolous forms of entertainment. Silah used to stop and say to them, “Tell me — if a group of people intend to go on a journey, and if they spend their days playing on the road and their nights sleeping (in their tents), when will they reach their destination?” No doubt, the young men probably would have thought that he were crazy, had it not been for the fact that, in addition to those enigmatic words, he would admonish them and remind them about their religious duties.

One day, he passed by them and asked the same question that he always asked. One young man who was present in the group now understood Silah’s words, and so turning to his companions, he said, “0 people! By Allah, he is referring particularly to us, for we play during the day and sleep during the night (i.e., so how will we reach Paradise).” He then followed Silah and, until he died, became his companion in worship - may Allah have mercy on them both.

Rain had not fallen for a long time, and as a result, the crops had withered away and the livestock had died. I am referring here to a specific time in the history of the Children of Israel, during the era of Musa . The situation had become quite dire, and so, along with the common people, Musa and 70 men from the descendents of Prophets (Alayhum As-Salam) left the city to invoke Allah for rain, if one could have seen them all gathered there in the desert, I am sure that he would have witnessed quite a moving scene: people raising their hands with humility and invoking Allah with tears flowing down their cheeks, in a prayer session that lasted for three days.

But even after three days of constant prayer, no rain fell from the sky. Musa said, “0 Allah, You are the One Who says: Invoke Me, and I will answer you. I along with Your slaves have indeed invoked you, and we are in a state of need, poverty, and humiliation.” Allah then inspired Musa with the information that among them was he whose nourishment was unlawful (Haram), and among them was he whose tongue was constantly busy with slander and backbiting. And in so many words, Allah said: These deserve that I should send My anger down upon them, yet you demand mercy for them!

Musa said, “And who are they, my Lord, so that we can banish them from among ourselves?” Allah the Most Merciful of the merciful ones said: “0 Musa, I am not One Who exposes (those who sin). Instead, 0 Musa, let all of you repent with sincere hearts, for perhaps they will repent with you, so that I will then be generous with My Blessings upon you.”

Musa then announced that everyone should gather around him. When everyone was gathered together, Mâsa Musa :aleihi salam:told them what Allah had revealed to him, and the sinners referred to above listened attentively to his words. They committed grave sins, yet Allah protected them from exposure and shame. Their eyes swelled with tears, and they raised their hands, as did the rest of the people who were there.

They said, “0 our God, we have come to You, fleeing from our sins, and we have returned to Your door, seeking out (Your help); so have mercy on us, 0 Most Merciful of the merciful ones.” They continued to repent in that manner until relief came and rain descended from the sky.

As Al-Hasan Al-Basri was riding away from the funeral of Abu Rajâ’ Al-’Utâridi on his mule, Al-Farazdaq rode alongside him on his prized camel. Pointing towards the people who attended the funeral, Al-Farazdaq turned to Al-Hasan and said, “0 Abu Sa’id, do you know what these people are saying? They are saying, ‘Here goes the best Shaikh in Basrah (i.e., Al-Hasan), and here goes the most evil Shaikh of Al-Basrah (i.e., Al-Farazdaq).” They vilified Al-Farazdaq because he had wrongfully accused chaste women of perpetrating lewd and wicked crimes.

“Then they are not telling the truth,” said Al-Hasan, whose words probably took Al-Farazdaq by surprise, for Al-Farazdaq was well acquainted with his own misdeeds. Al-Hasan continued: “There are many Shaikhs (Shaikh here meaning old man, and not religious scholar) in Basrah who associate partners with Allah in worship, and so they are more evil than Al-Farazdaq. And there are many Shaikhs in Basrah who own all but two tattered garments and are not given any attention by the people, but if they were to make an oath by Allah, Allah would cause it to be fulfilled for them and so these are better than Al-Hasan.” Al-Hasan then turned to Al-Farazdaq and said, “0 Abu Firâs (i.e., Al-Farazdaq), what have you prepared for this day (i.e., death)?”

“The testimony that none has the right to be worshiped except Allah, a testimony that I have believed in for 80 years now,” said Al-Farazdaq. “0 Abu Sa’id, can even I repent?”

“Yes, by Allah,” said Al-Hasan.

“0 Abu Sa’id, what should I do about wrongfully accusing chaste women?” asked Al-Farazdaq.

“Repent immediately and make a solid oath to Allah that you will never do it again,” said Al-Hasan.

“Then indeed, I make a solid oath to Allah that I will never again wrongfully accuse any chaste woman,” said Al-Farazdaq.

The following story is mentioned in an authentic Hadith that is narrated by Abu Hurairah :

“A man who had never performed a good deed throughout his life gave these instructions to his family: VVhen I die, burn me and scatter half of my remains on land, and the other half in the sea. For by Allah, if Allah is able to get me, He will punish me as He punishes no one else from the entire creation!

“When lie died, his family followed his instructions to the letter. Allah then ordered the land to gather together his remains that were scattered on it, and the sea to gather together his remains that were scattered in it. Then when the man was brought together again, Allah asked him why he did what he did. He said,

“From fear of You, 0 my Lord! And You know best (as to what was in my heart).

Allah then forgave him.”


(Al-Bukhari 7506 and Muslim 2756)

When the Messenger of Allah resolved to go to Tabuk in order to face the Romans, he ordered all of his Companions to make preparations for the expedition.

Almost everyone went. Some who stayed behind were either too weak or too poor to be able to afford the journey; others remained behind because they were
hypocrites; and there were three particular Companions (Radhi Allahu Anhum) that remained behind, despite the fact that they were neither weak nor guilty of being hypocrites. One of these three was Ka’b bin Málik .

Although Ka’b was a sincere Muslim, he continued to procrastinate until it became too late: the Muslims had left for the expedition, and the only people he saw when he went out into the marketplace were weak, sick, or poor Muslims who were not able to make the journey; as well as people — slightly more than eighty in total — who stayed behind without any sound excuse.

When the Muslims returned from the expedition, Ka’b and his two companions (Radhi Allah Anhum) were boycotted: No one was allowed to speak to or greet them. Of course, by now Ka’b realized his error and felt a great deal of remorse. The entire earth, despite its wideness, felt constricted for him. Feeling sad and forlorn, Ka’b would weep uncontrollably as he asked Allih to forgive him. To be sure, his repentance was sincere, for Allah then revealed this Verse, informing the Muslims that He had accepted the repentance of Ka’b and his two companions (Radhi Allah Anhum):

"Allah has forgiven the Prophet, the Muhajirun (Muslim emigrants who left their homes and came to Al-M adinah) and the Ansâr (Muslims of Al-Madinah) who followed him (Muhammad] in the times of distress (Tabuk expedition, etc.), after the hearts of a party of them had nearly deviated (from the Right Path), but He accepted their repentance. Certainly, He is unto them full of Kindness, Most Merciful.” (Surah At-Taubah 9:117)

Abu Ja’far A1-Bâqir narrated that his father ‘Ali bin Al-Husain said, “Indeed, Allah loves the sinner who constantly repents.”

Prevention Is The Best Remedy

To be sure, every single one of us is a sinner, and the best among us are those who constantly repent. But it is nonetheless dangerous for one sin on purpose with the intention of repenting later on, for perhaps he might not live long enough to repent, or perhaps he will somehow -because of his sin and his brazenness in performing it — be prevented from repenting.

Al-Hasan once said, “0 son of Adam, to abstain from a sin is easier for you than curing it later on through repentance. How can you be sure that you will not
perpetrate a deed so grave in its wickedness that the door of repentance will be closed before you...”



When in the company of others, one cannot easily contemplate his situation in life, for he will be too conscious of those around him to engage in sincere introspection. It is only when one is alone that he can think clearly enough to assess his deeds and to repent his misdeeds.

Ibrâhim bin Adham once said, “Whoever wants to repent, then let him come out of darkness, and let him forsake the company of people. Otherwise, he
will.....

It is reported that, during the era of Müsa , the people were afflicted with a severe drought. They asked Musa to go out and pray for rain.

“Come out with me to the mountain,” Müsa said. When they were all together at the top of the mountain, Müsa said, “Let no man who has sinned follow me.”

More than half of the people left then. “Let no one who has sinned follow,” repeated Müsa With the exception of a one-eyed man, whose name was Barkh Al-’Abid, everyone then parted.

“Did you not hear what I said?” asked Müsa

“Yes indeed,” the man replied.

“And you have never perpetrated a sin?” asked Müsa

“I do not know if what I did is a sin unless I mention it (for you to judge). If it was really a sin, then I will leave.

What did you do?” asked Müsa

While I was walking on the road, I came across a home whose door was wide open. I stole a glance inside with my eye that is now missing, and I saw the form of some person. [Coming back to my senses (for it is unlawful to look into the home of another person)], I said to my eye, ‘You are a part of my body and you have hastened to commit a sin. You will no longer be a part of me!" I then dug my finger into the eye-socket and pulled my eye out. If what I did was a sin, then I will leave now.”

“It was not a sin,” said Müsa . “Pray for rain, 0 Barkh.” Honored by Müsa’s request, the man then began to pray for rain.

It is reported that Ibn Mas’üd ) said, “There used to be two towns, one inhabited by righteous people and the wicked people. One of the male dwellers of the evil city once decided to go to the city of righteous. (But he never completed his journey, for) the angel of death came to him where Allah willed (i.e. willed for the man to die).

Once there, the angel (of death) and the Devil got into a dispute. “By Allah, he has never disobeyed me," said the Devil.

“He came out (of the the evil city) with the intention of repenting,” answered the Angel.

In order for a judgment to be made between them, it was decided that a measurement should be made to see which of the two towns the man was closest to.

They found that he was closer, albeit only by the span of a hand, to the city of the righteous. And so he was forgiven
(for his sins).”

The narrator of this story is Zaid bin Aslam:

Among the Children of Israel there once lived a man who devoted his life to worshiping Allah in his monastery. He stayed busy inside for a long time, until one day, he decided to look over the wall of his monastery to see what was going on outside. There near the wall stood a beautiful woman. Never having had such feelings before, the worshipper now desperately wanted to be with her and have her. He placed his leg through the window in order to go out to her, but no sooner did he manage to get one leg outside than Allah guided him back to his senses.

“What is it that I am trying to do?” he asked himself in astonishment. He felt a great deal of remorse for his evil intention, so much so that he refused to bring his leg
inside again. “Never!” he exclaimed. “A leg that has gone outside to disobey Allah will never return with me to my monastery.” He remained in the position he was in for a very long time, with his leg hanging outside. And throughout the various seasons of the year, that leg was subjected to fierce winds, to rain, to the sun, and to snow —until his leg became so wasted away that it had to be amputated. Such was the sincerity of his repentance. (1)




[1] A repentance that involves self-inflicting harm may have been acceptable in the laws that previous Prophets came with, but it is certainly not
acceptable in the Shariah of Muhammad — Editor

‘Abdullah bin Mas’üd narrated that a man once kissed a woman who was unlawful to him, then went to the Prophet , and informed him of what had happened. This Verse was then revealed:

“And perform As-Salât (Iqârnatas-Salat), at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night [i.e., the five compulsory Salât (prayer)]. Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e small sins). That is a reminder (an advice) for the mindful (those who accept advice)." (Qur'an 11.114)


The man asked, “0 Messenger of Allah, is this for me?”

“It is for anyone from my nation who applies it,” answered the Prophet



‘Abdullah narrated that a man went to the Prophet and said, "O Messenger of Allah! I have indeed been with a woman (i.e., I was fondling her) at the furthest end of Al-Madinah; I had her without touching her (i.e. without having sexual intercourse with her). Now here I am, so issue whatever judgment you please against me.”

‘Umar said to the man, “Allah would have indeed covered you (i.e., covered your sin), had you covered yourself (i.e., had you not told anyone about your sin, but instead repented in secret).” Meanwhile, the Prophet said nothing. The man then stood up and left. The Prophet sent a messenger to go after him and to recite this Verse to him:

“And perform As-Salât (Iqârnatas-Salat), at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night [i.e., the five compulsory Salât (prayer)]. Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e small sins). That is a reminder (an advice) for the mindful (those who accept advice)." (Qur'an 11.114)


“0 Prophet of Allah, is this particular to him?” asked a man who was present.
“Rather, it is for all people,” answered the Prophet .

Anas ( narrated that a man went to the Prophet and said, “0 Messenger of Allah, I have perpetrated a sin for which there is a prescribed punishment, so apply it on me.” As it was time for the congregational prayer, the man then stayed to pray with the Messenger of Allah .

When the prayer was finished, the man went to the Prophet and repeated what he had said earlier: “0 Messenger of Allah, I have perpetrated a sin for which
there is a prescribed punishment, so apply on me that which is in the Book of Allah.”

The Prophet asked: “Did you perform prayer with us?”

“Yes,” said the man.

The Prophet said :

“Then you have indeed been forgiven. “

(Al-Bukhari 6823 and Muslim 2764)

A Similar Text To The Previous One

Abu Umâmah said, “While we were seated with the Messenger of Allah in the Masjid, a man came and said, ‘0 Messenger of Allah, I have indeed perpetrated a sin for which there is a prescribed punishment, so apply it (the punishment) on me.” After the man finished speaking, the Prophet remained silent, and the prayer then commenced.

Abu Umâmah continued: “Afterwards, the man followed of the Messenger Allah as he left, and I too followed of Allah the Messenger, wanting to see what response he would give to the man. When the man caught up to the Messenger of Allah , he said, ‘0 Messenger of Allah, I perpetrated a sin for which there is a prescribed punishment, so apply it on me.’ The Messenger of Allah

‘Remember when you left your home: did you not perform ablution and perform it well?’

‘Yes, 0 Messenger of Allah,’ said the man.

‘Then you attended the prayer with us?’ asked the Prophet .

‘Yes, 0 Messenger of Allah,’ answered the man. The Messenger of Allah then said:


"Then Allah has indeed forgiven your Hadd (punishment) (or he said: 'forgiven your sin')."

(Muslim 2765 Abu Dawud 4381)