واصف علی واصف

          It is time to repent if your own home fails to provide you contentment.

          If someone is not sensible enough to alleviate his own condition and circumstances he had better give up calling himself an intellectual.

          If the thoughts about one’s future are confounded by the memories of the past it is only proper to repent.

          If someone can only find wicked leaders and guides even after making an earnest effort e should give up all ideas of being dutiful.

          If someone is unable to fend off sorrow, anxiety, poverty, exile or death he should never claim again that he is a free agent and can do what he likes.

          If someone stumbles twice against the some stone he must give up his obstinate pursuit of the right path.

          If someone is worried because of his youth and handsome looks he should repent of his efforts to beautify himself.

          If someone no longer feels elated at his success and can recall the number of lies he told in order to be successful he must repent.

          If a man realizes that he is at fault or a sinner he should know that it is time to repent. To become aware of one’s sinfulness is the beginning of repentance. If no one has seen you sin you should repent in privacy. And if you have sinned in front of the entire nation you should repent also in front of it.

          As a matter of fact the very notion of repentance is a propitious sign. He who thinks that his sin is not a sin is unfortunate. The Satan failed to realize that he must repent of his error and consequently became damned and accursed forever.  Man continues to repent his disobedience and therefore he is the noblest of all creation. The unbeliever thinks that his unbelief is as good as a religion and he will meet chastisement.

          There are some people who believe that it is a sin to act against one’s nature. It is absolutely incorrect. To sin is not to act against one’s nature but to act against Allah’s commandment.

          In order to determine what constitutes a sin it is no use referring to ethics. We can do so only by referring to religion. The religion of ethics and the ethics of religion are far apart.

          To tell the truth is a moral as well as religious duty. But religion also describes verities which differ vastly from ethical verities and are far beyond them. Allah, the angels, the prophets, the hereafter and the soul are verities which ethics is unable to understand. Ethics is the name of a code of life drawn up by human beings and religion is the name of a code of life drawn up by Allah. To sin is to reject the commandments of Allah.

          The basic difference between a prophet and a moral thinker is this: the prophet also speaks of the actuality of another world. On the other hand the thinkers is concerned only with reforming this world and its social setup. Ethics is a part of religion but theology has a much higher status than ethics.  In other words one can say that theology is the name of the merger of ethics and metaphysics.

          In any case, repentance is not to be seen as devolving on personal likes and dislikes. It has to be seen in the light of Allah’s likes and dislikes.  We repent of those acts of our which lead to Allah’s disapproval. By this are meant not only evil deeds and that kind of worship which is merely a form of dissemblance but also the sort of hypocrisy which is taken up only because it happens to be fashionable.  Each of our acts which Allah dislikes is a sin and to repent of it is the surest means of saving oneself from divine punishment.

          There is a vast difference between the temperament of Allah and man. This difference is in addition to the one which sterns from the fact that the creator and the created belong to different categories. If the lordship of the earth were to be handed over o a fanatic mullah for a short period which changes indeed would he force upon it. He would annihilate the unbelievers, cast the jews into hellfire and destroy the un-Islamic societies. In short, he would compel the rest of the world to become a Muslim exactly like him.

          This would man’s omnipotence. Allah’s omnipotence is as it is. Islam is Allah’s favourite religion but he goes on creating unbelievers, gives them strength and power, and  quickly watches the plight of the Muslims. Allah alone is capable of this. We must ponder on the difference which is there between Allah’s action and man’s. Any of our objectives which is in addition to those set for us by Allah can be a mistake and it is incumbent upon us to repent of our mistake. We desire a life for ourselves, a different kind of life. Allah desires a life for us, a different kind of life. If our object and Allah’s don’t tally there must be some mistake. It is a sin to like a life of another style than the one liked by Allah. We must repent of it.

          The prophets are immaculate. It is, therefore, mystifying to see them by forgivenen of the Almighty. The reason is simple. Every time they moved to a higher place in the holy hierarchy. They asked to be forgiven for having been satisfied with the place they previously occupied. To move to a new pinnacle is to move towards repentance and thanks giving. It is to express one’s gratitude for attaining a new height and to repent for having been content with a lower place. It means that even for someone whose life is devoted completely t piety and conforming to Allah’s revelations the act of repentance is in exact consonance with the will of Allah. To repent is to acquire Allah’s goodwill.

          One of the questions most often asked is this: What if you err repeatedly and repent again and again? If one is not ashamed of sinning why should he feel ashamed of repenting? One must not forego the act of repentance. It is better that a man should die which he is in a state of repentance rather than while in a state of sin. And no one knows when death will overtake him.

          If one were to become aware of sin one would certainly develop a dislike for it. By developing an aversion for it one would resolve not to sin again. To decide not to sin again _____ that is all there is to repentance. To make Allah your witness, to apologize for your error and to promise not to repeat it _____ this is called repentance.

          The sin is never repeated if your repentance is accepted. When your sin is pardoned you don’t ever remember it. With Allah’s favour man is liberated from darkness and brought into light. His previous vices are changed into virtues. Allah is very kind to those who repent. Adam (A.S.) repented and was crowned with the sovereignty of the earth. Yunus (A.S.) repented and was delivered. Allah allows those who repent to come closer to Him. There is only one condition. You must repent in earnest and in future keep away from the path, which may possibly lead you into error again.

          Those who repent find their lives changed. Only by seeking Allah’s grace can one ensure the permanence of one’s repentance. The man who goes back on his repentance is a lost creature. He loses his self-esteem. He no longer has a sense of honour. His prayers become ineffective. His acts of worship are of no avail.

          Of all the sins the worst is that of going back on one’s repentance. This repudiation of one’s commitment disrupts a person’s inner being. Even though outwardly he may appear to be flawless, inwardly his personality goes to pieces.

          In fact, sin is an act, which usually harms a man. Man does not realize it. If your creator asks you to desist from an act, the very act of abstaining becomes a means for acquiring blessedness.

          If in the field of literature an author were to write a book which incites or prompts the reader to commit a sin, his output would be nothing but iniquity itself. One must repent of such a sin. The author acts by writing a book and his act will ultimately be classified either as good or evil. He who incites others to sin will come to an end for more dreadful than that of the sinner. To put someone on the path of righteousness is the most praiseworthy of deeds. The author passes away but the literature produced by him lives on and keeps spreading its influence.

          He who is able, even after his death, to influence others goes on adding to his tally of good and bad deeds. He is blessed if his readers are persuaded to be righteous but dawned if the readers learn nothing but wickedness from his example. The more people one is able to reform, the ampler would be his reward.

          The author should repent of his writings, which are get and foster sinfulness. In the case of his repentance being acceptable he would be rewarded with an awareness conducive to writings of a righteous nature. He would then be blessed for what he writes by all the ages to come. What the future eras will think of his work, whether they will bless or curse him for it, will in a large measure determine the fate of the deceased.

          If you only intended to sin it is enough to repent of your intention. You shall be pardoned. If you have acted sinfully repent of your act and you shall be absolved. If you have sinned in your writings, repent of it in your writing and you shall be forgiven.

          The magnitude of your sin should be matched by the magnitude of your repentance. The writing of a man who is able to influence others will feature in the full record of his doings. Each man will have to account for the exceptional talent he was endowed with. If someone’s wealth consists of a rich vocabulary he would certainly be asked to explain if he made proper use of his particulars opulence. Such a person, if luck favours him, should write in order to make the world a better place. The very purpose of repenting of your past misdeeds is to ensure that in future your words will reflect your deeds.

          Whether a man is a politician or a lawyer, an educationalist or a trader, when the balance sheet of his deeds is drawn up on the Day of Judgement the way he used words will definitely play a part in it.

          The more influential a man, the greater his sin. We lend authenticity to our sins in our sphere of influence and in this manner invite greater punishment. A sin committed openly cannot be forgiven unless you also repent for it openly. A lie becomes al the more bigger when it is spoken before a big crowd and the punishment for it is correspondingly bigger. The only way to attain forgiveness is either to repent before an equally large crowd or to vow never to appear before a crowd again.