“Truly, Allah loves those who repent, and He loves those who cleanse themselves.” [al-Baqarah 2:222]

“O Allah ! Make me among those who, when they commit an act of virtue, feel good, and when they commit a mistake, they seek forgiveness.” [Ibn Majah]

Tawbah (repentance) and Istighfar (seeking forgiveness from Allah ) are among the most meritorious acts of virtue for the believers. Tawbah means feeling remorse for our actions or omissions. Istighfar means expressing that remorse in words and begging Allah for forgiveness.

The act for which we perform tawbah and istighfar is not necessarily a sin, or an act of disobedience to Allah ; it also includes our shortcomings. As we realize Allah ’s immense favors to us, all of our thankfulness and devotion clearly appears to be inadequate. As we realize the grandeur of Allah , Most High, our acts of worship and obedience clearly are seen to be insufficient. The higher a person is on the scale of taqwa, piety and God consciousness, the greater is this sense of inadequacy. Consequently the greater is his/her practice of istighfar.

That is why all the Prophets (as) preached and practiced tawbah and istighfar. We do not have to invent any sins, inherited or personal, to explain their repentance. In fact all the prophets were free of sin, as Allah appointed them as role models for humanity and Allah did not send defective role models.

The leader of all the prophets was Prophet Muhammad (saw) a fact which was also symbolized in his leading of all the prophets in Salah (prayer) in Jerusalem during Isra’. And what did the prayer leader of the prophets use to do after every prayer? He used to say astaghfirullah (I seek Allah ’s forgiveness) three times! This is the istighfar that comes out of the highest level of God consciousness! He taught us to perform istighfar profusely, as he himself practiced. The Companions have reported that he used to do istighfar hundreds of times during the course of a day.

Istighfar is also a means of enhancing that consciousness of Allah and strengthening our relationship with Him. We turn to no one except Allah in repentance. We confess our deepest errors, shortcomings, failures, and sins to Him and Him alone. In contrast, Christianity made a fatal mistake when it instituted confession to priests. As Martin Luther (1537) observed, “What torture, rascality, and idolatry such confession has produced is more than can be related”. We seek His forgiveness, knowing that He alone has knowledge about all our deeds and thoughts and He alone can forgive us and save us from the consequences of our actions. Istighfar, thus, is a most intimate conversation with Allah . And during that conversation we are at our humblest. We can see why tawbah and istighfar are the essence of our servitude and submission to Allah !

We need istighfar to constantly purify and cleanse our heart. We are not born in sin, but we are born in weakness. We are prone to fall prey to the many temptations that are part of our test in this life. And when we do fall and commit a sin, it produces a dark spot in our heart. A famous hadith, reported by Abu Huraira (ra) describes this process. When a person shows remorse and repents, that dark spot is removed. Otherwise it will stay there and grow with each additional sin. A time may come when his heart is full of darkness because of un-repented sins. We can see this gradual darkness of the heart as people advance in their sinful behavior. In the beginning they have a lot of inhibitions. They commit the wrong hesitatingly and feel bad about it. If they do not turn back, they get used to it, so it just feels normal. Then a stage comes when vice becomes virtue and virtue vice. They defend and advocate evil and shun good.

Today, unfortunately, we see so many examples of this all around us. In the “everything goes” post-modern world, good and evil do not mean anything anymore. Then there is a whole crop of misguided psychologists who are ready to assure you that the only guilt you should feel is for feeling guilty in the first place! Is it any wonder that in the English language the word sin is now normally used to describe things that are delicious, attractive, fun, and highly desirable? That this darkness of the heart should be considered enlightenment only completes the inversion.

But there is hope for those who seek hope. No matter how corrupt we might have become, we can always make a U-turn. We can repent and seek forgiveness from our Beneficent and Merciful Creator Who is always ready to forgive those who turn to Him in sincerity. “O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah . Verily, Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” [az-Zumar 39:53]. Further a hadith declares: “When a person has repented from a sin, it is as if he had never committed that sin”.

The Prophet Muhammad (saw) has taught us many words of repentance and it is good if we learn, understand, and use them. Of these one has been mentioned as Syed-ul-Istighfar (the master of forgiveness). A hadith explains its extraordinary significance: “If a believer says this with complete faith and sincerity in the morning and dies before that evening, he will enter paradise. If he says it during the night and dies before the morning, he will enter paradise.” This powerful du’a is our daily pledge of allegiance. We will do well to memorize it in Arabic and never let a day or night go by without saying it with full consciousness:

“O Allah ! You are my Lord. There is no God except You. You created me and I am Your slave. To the best of my ability, I will abide by my covenant and pledge to You. I seek Your protection from the evil of my own creation. I acknowledge Your favors to me and I admit my sins. So please forgive me for no one can forgive sins except You.”

(courtesy of http://www.albalagh.net)

• Give Allah what’s right not what’s left.

• The one who only samples the Word of Allah never acquires much of a taste for it.

• Allah does allow U-turns.

• Man’s way leads to a hopeless end - Allah ’s way leads to an endless hope.

• A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.

• He who kneels before Allah can stand before anyone.

• In the sentence of life, the devil may be a comma - but never let him be the period.

• Don’t put a question mark where Allah puts a period.

• Are you wrinkled with burden? Come to the mosque for a face-lift.

• When praying, don’t give Allah instructions -just report for duty.

• Don’t wait for six strong men to take you to the mosque.

• We don’t change Allah ’s message - His message changes us.

• The mosque is prayer-conditioned.

• When Allah ordains, He sustains.

• WARNING: Heedlessness to Allah my cause burning.

• Plan ahead - It wasn’t raining “when Noah built the ark.

• Most people want to serve Allah , but only in an advisory position.

• Suffering from truth decay. Brush up on your Qur’an.

• Exercise daily - walk, with Allah .

• Never give the devil a ride - he will always want to drive.

• Nothing else ruins the truth like stretching it.

• Compassion is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back.

• He who angers you controls you.

• Worry is the darkroom in which negatives can develop.

• Be ye fishers of men - you catch them & He’ll clean them.

• Allah doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Courtesy of Islamic Center of Southern California

In the Quran life in this world is an inseparable part of a continuum, a unified whole - life, death, life - which gives our life a context and relevance. In this context, the life of the individual is made meaningful and enriched inasmuch as it is full of ‘good works’. Life in this world leads to the afterlife, a belief which is fundamental in the Quran. The afterlife is not treated in the Quran in a separate chapter, or as something on its own, for its own sake, but always in relation to life in this world.

All this heightens the believer’s sense of responsibility for actions in this life. In fact the principles and details of religion are meant to be seen within the framework of the interdependence of this life and the afterlife and to color the Muslims’ conception of life and the universe and have a bearing on their actions in this life.

A painting showing Uyghur Muslims enjoying a musical gathering.

Among the entertainments which may comfort the soul, please the heart, and refresh the ear is singing. Islam permits singing under the condition that it not be in any way obscene or harmful to Islamic morals. There is no harm in its being accompanied by music which is not exciting.

In order to create an atmosphere of joy and happiness, singing is recommended on festive occasions such as the days of ‘Eid, weddings and wedding feasts, births, ‘aqiqat (the celebration of the birth of a baby by the slaughter of sheep), and on the return of a traveler.

‘Aishah narrated that when a woman was married to an Ansari man, the Prophet (peace be on him) said, ” ‘Aishah, did they have any entertainment? The Ansar are fond of entertainment.” (Reported by al-Bukhari.)

Ibn ‘Abbas said, ” ‘Aishah gave a girl relative of hers in marriage to a man of the Ansar. The Prophet (peace be on him) came and asked, ‘Did you send a singer along with her?’ ‘No,’ said ‘Aishah. The Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) then said, The Ansar are a people who love poetry. You should have sent along someone who would sing, ‘Here we come, to you we come, greet us as we greet you.’ ” (Reported by Ibn Majah.)

‘Aishah narrated that during the days of Mina, on the day of ‘Eid al-Adha, two girls were with her, singing and playing on a hand drum. The Prophet (peace be on him) was present, listening to them with his head under a shawl. Abu Bakr then entered and scolded the girls. The Prophet (peace be on him), uncovering his face, told him, “Let them be, Abu Bakr. These are the days of ‘Eid.” (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)

In his book, Ihya ulum al-deen, (In the quarter on “Habits”, in the book Listening to Singing.), Imam al-Ghazzali mentions the ahadith about the singing girls, the Abyssinians playing with spears in the Prophet’s Mosque, the Prophet’s encouraging them by saying, “Carry on, O Bani Arfidah,” his asking his wife, ‘Aishah, “Would you like to watch?” and standing there with her until she herself became tired and went away, and ‘Aishah’s playing with dolls with her friends. He then says:

All these ahadith are reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim in the two Sahihs, and they clearly prove that singing and playing are not haram. From them we may deduce the following:

First: The permissibility of playing; the Abyssinians were in the habit of dancing and playing.

Second: Doing this in the mosque.

Third: The Prophet’s saying, ‘Carry on, O Bani Arfidah,’ was a command and a request that they should play; then how can their play be considered haram?

Fourth: The Prophet (peace be on him) prevented Abu Bakr and ‘Umar from interrupting and scolding the players and singers. He told Abu Bakr that ‘Eid was a joyous occasion and that singing was a means of enjoyment.

Fifth: On both occasions he stayed for a long time with ‘Aishah, letting her watch the show of the Abyssinians and listening with her to the singing of the girls. This proves that it is far better to be good-humored in pleasing women and children with games than to express such disapproval of such amusements out of a sense of harsh piety and asceticism.

Sixth: The Prophet (peace be on him) himself encouraged ‘Aishah by asking her, “Would you like to watch?” (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)

Seventh: The permissibility of singing and playing on the drum…

Yusuf Islam performing during a fund-raising concert for tsunami victims in Jakarta, Indonesia in Jan. 31, 2005

and what follows, to the end of al-Ghazzali’s discussion on singing.

It is reported that many Companions of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with them) as well as second generation Muslim scholars used to listen to singing and did not see anything wrong with it. As for the ahadith which have been reported against singing, they are all weak and have been shown by researchers to be unsound. The jurist Abu Bakr al-’Arabi says, “No sound hadith is available concerning the prohibition of singing,” while Ibn Hazm says, “All that is reported on this subject is false and fabricated. “

However, since singing is in many cases is associated with drinking parties and night clubs, many scholars have declared it to be haram or at least makruh.  They state that singing constitutes that kind of idle talk which is mentioned in the ayah,

And among the people is the one who buys idle talk (at the expense of his soul) in order to lead (people) astray from the path of Allah without knowledge, holding it in mockery; for such there will be a humiliating punishment. (Quran 31:6)

Ibn Hazm says :

This verse condemns a particular behavior, that of doing something to mock the path of Allah . Anyone who does this is an unbeliever; if he even should buy a copy of the Qur’an, doing so in order to make it the object of his mockery and thereby leading people astray, he would be an unbeliever. It is this type of behavior which is condemned by Allah and not the idle talk in which one may indulge for mere relaxation, without intending to lead people astray from the path of Allah .

Ibn Hazm also refutes the argument of those who say that since singing is not of “the truth” it must be of “error,” referring to the verse, “And what is beyond the truth except error?” (Quran 10:32). He comments,

The Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) said, ‘Deeds will be judged according to intentions, and everyone will get what he intended.’ (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim.). Accordingly, the one who listens to singing with the intention of using it in support of a sin is a sinner, and this holds true of anything other than singing (as well), while one who listens to singing with the intention of refreshing his soul in order to gain strength to do his duty toward Allah Ta’ala and to do good deeds, is a good and obedient servant of Allah , and his action is of the truth. And he who listens to singing intending neither obedience nor disobedience is doing something neutral and harmless, which is similar to going to the park and walking around, standing by a window and looking at the sky, wearing blue or green cloths, and so on.

However, there are some limitations to be observed in the matter of singing:

1. The subject matter of songs should not be against the teachings of Islam. For example, if the song is in praise of wine, and it invites people to drink, singing or listening to it is haram. 

2. Although the subject matter itself may not be against the Islamic teachings, the manner of singing may render it haram; this would be the case, for example, if the singing were accompanied by suggestive sexual movement.

3. Islam fights against excess and extravagance in anything, even in worship; how, then, can it tolerate excessive involvement with entertainment? Too much time should not be wasted in such activities; after all, what is time but life itself? One cannot dispute the fact that spending time in permissible activities consumes time which ought to be resaved for carrying out religious obligations and doing good deeds. It is aptly said, “There is no excess except at the expense of a neglected duty.”

4. Each individual is the best judge of himself. If a certain type of singing arouses one’s passions, leads him towards sin, excites the animal instincts, and dulls spirituality, he must avoid it, thus closing the door to temptations.

5. There is unanimous agreement that if singing is done in conjunction with haram activities - for example, at a drinking party, or if it is mixed with obscenity and sin - it is haram. The Prophet (peace be on him) warned of a severe punishment for people who sing or listen to singing in such a situation when he said,

Some people of my ummah will drink wine, calling it by another name, while they listen to singers accompanied by musical instruments. Allah will cause the earth to swallow them and will turn some of them into monkeys and swine. (Reported by Ibn Majah.)

This does not mean that they will be physically transformed into the bodies and outward form of monkeys and swine but rather in heart and soul, carrying the heart of a monkey and the soul of a pig in their human bodies.”

Excerpted from the book “The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam” by Yusuf Al-Qaradawi. (Photos, not part of the original article.)

As a non-Muslim living in Western society, the idea of modesty was not exactly foremost in my mind. Like all other women of my generation and mind-set, I thought such ideas were antiquated and excessive. I felt pity for the poor Muslim woman who had to “wear all that junk,” or “walk around in bed - sheets” as I used to call it 

One of the factors which attracted me to this great deen of ours was the fact that so much of it can be understood based on logic and reason.  Islam is a great religion that satisfies all of our basic intellectual and emotional needs; it does this simply because it is the truth, and the truth is always easy to understand and defend.