💠 Fifth Quality of Muttaqeen: Realising your mistakes

وَالَّذِيۡنَ اِذَا فَعَلُوۡا فَاحِشَةً اَوۡ ظَلَمُوۡۤا اَنۡفُسَهُمۡ ذَكَرُوا اللّٰهَ
And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah
(Ali’ Imran 3: 135)

Things that lead a person astray, include:
🔹Shayateen Ins (Shayateen from humans)
🔹Shayateen Jinn (Shayateen from Jinn)
🔹Nafs Ammarah (Overwhelming desires of your inner self)

A bad companion or friend, Shaytan or your own inner self, forces you to commit a sin. Muttaqeen (pious) are not free from sin, nor does Taqwa mean being free from sin.

Taqwa is that a person remembers and fears Allah as soon as a sin is committed by him. He realises his mistake and sin, regrets and repents over his sin.

This realisation of sin is an attribute of Muttaqeen.

اِنَّ الَّذِيۡنَ اتَّقَوۡا اِذَا مَسَّهُمۡ طٰۤٮِٕفٌ مِّنَ الشَّيۡطٰنِ تَذَكَّرُوۡا فَاِذَا هُمۡ مُّبۡصِرُوۡنَ‌ۚ‏*
Indeed, those who fear Allah - when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember [Him] and at once they have insight.
(Al-A’raf 7:201)

🌿 Example:
A believer has recited the Kalima, believes in one Allah and is willing to die for Islam but does not pray all year long.
He knows he is missing his Salah but does not feel that he is committing a grave sin, nor does he regret his sin or repent over his mistakes.
This shows that his heart is devoid of any Taqwa.

📚 Hadith:
Abdullah bin Masood related to us two narrations: One from the Prophet ﷺ and the other from himself, saying: A believer sees his sins as if he were sitting under a mountain which, he is afraid, may fall on him; whereas the wicked person considers his sins as flies passing over his nose and he just drives them away like this." Abu Shihab (the sub-narrator) moved his hand over his nose in illustration.
[Sahih Bukhari: 6308]

Imam Hasan Basri said:
“The people of Taqwa (pious people) fear Allah even after doing good deeds, unsure whether their good deeds have been accepted or not.”

The people of Taqwa fear Allah even after doing good deeds, unsure of their acceptance, while the evil or wicked remain happy and unworried even after comittings grave sins.

💠 6th Quality of Muttaqeen: Seeking Forgiveness for Sins

One of the major reasons for the humiliation, distress and various other calamities that the Muslims are facing today is being distant from repentance and seeking forgiveness from Allah.

People keep on committing sins but fail to regret and repent over them.

قلب میں سوز نہیں , روح میں احساس نہیں
کچھ بھی پیغامِ محمد کا تجھے پاس نہیں

(Your) Heart does not feel (any) distress, nor does (your) soul feel any pain
You do not have any consideration for the Message of Muhammad ﷺ

The Muttaqeen (people of Taqwa) try to stay away from sins. However, being a human, when they commit a sin, under the influence of a bad person, Shaytan or their own inner self, they at once regret it and seek Allah’s forgiveness.

* فَاسۡتَغۡفَرُوۡا لِذُنُوۡبِهِمۡ*
seek forgiveness for their sins
[Aali’ Imran 3:135]

Regretting and repenting over your sins is one of the greatest deeds before Allah.

وَمَنۡ يَّغۡفِرُ الذُّنُوۡبَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ
and who is there to forgive sins except Allah?
(Aali’ Imran 3:135)

The greatest quality of the Muttaqeen is that they believe that there is none except Allah who can accept their repentance.

فَاسۡتَقِيۡمُوۡۤا اِلَيۡهِ وَاسۡتَغۡفِرُوۡهُ‌ؕ
so take a straight course to Him and seek His forgiveness
[Fussilat 41:6]

We fail to realise that the remedy for all distress, all calamities is in seeking forgiveness from Allah and repentance.

📚 The Prophet ﷺ said:
“If anyone continually asks pardon, Allah will appoint for him a way out of every distress, and a relief from every anxiety, and will provide for him from where he did not reckon”.
[Abi Dawood 1518]

This hadith is supported by many verses of Quran:

وَمَنۡ یَّتَّقِ اللّٰہَ یَجۡعَلۡ لَّہٗ مَخۡرَجًا وَّ یَرۡزُقۡہُ مِنۡ حَیۡثُ لَا یَحۡتَسِبُ
And whoever is mindful of Allah, He will make a way out for them, (2)
and provide for them from sources they could never imagine (3)
[At-Talaq 65:2-3]

💠 Seventh Quality of Muttaqeen: They do not insist on sins:

وَلَمۡ يُصِرُّوۡا عَلٰى مَا فَعَلُوۡا وَهُمۡ يَعۡلَمُوۡنَ‏
and do not persist in what they have done, knowingly.
[Aali’ Imran 3: 135]

The Muttaqeen do not continue committing sins once they have mistakenly committed a sin.

They do not persist in what they had committed mistakenly, but regret and repent over it, seeking Allah’s forgiveness for their sin.

If you find these qualities in you, then you have found success in this Ramadan and have attained Taqwa.

The first step is self reflection and the next is correction. Reflect on yourself and change for the better.