Read this sentence carefully!

“O my Lord, You have brought me up in Your gifts and bounties since I was youthful, and elevated my designation as I grew older. So, O’ the One who brought me up in this life with His Benevolence, bountifulness and blessings, and indicated to me His forgiveness and generosity in the Hereafter. My knowledge, O’ my Master, is that which guides me to You and my love is my intercessor to You…”

Or:

“If I contemplate my sins, O’ my Lord, I become scared but when I remember Your generosity I yearn. So, if You forgive me, You are the Most Merciful and if You punish me, You have not unjustly judged”.

These sentences are from the supplication of Abu Hamza Thumali. All the sentences of this supplication are soulful and they take the reader on a spiritual journey towards the heaven. The selection of sentences from this supplication is not possible, because all the sentences are selected. These sentences take man towards Allah and makes him travel from sins towards the true repentance.

In Islam, repentance is possible for everyone. Every person, wherever he might be, if he had a dark and remorseful past, he can forget it by repentance and seeking forgiveness; and if he sheds a few drops of tears, and expresses humility and servitude in the threshold of Allah, then he is extremely fortunate.

The program of repentance and forgiveness is this:

“Whoever commits evil or wrongs himself and then pleads to Allah for forgiveness, will find Allah all-forgiving, all-merciful”.

And also:

“Your Lord has made mercy incumbent upon Himself: whoever of you commits an evil [deed] out of ignorance and then repents after that and reforms, then He is indeed all-forgiving, all-merciful”.

In the month of Ramadan, the programs of repentance and forgiveness freshens and all the Muslims, in whichever situation or condition they might be, sit on this vast dining cloth of forgiveness and divine mercy, and each one of them, as per his present condition, welcomes a better and more dignified future for himself. Because apart from this case:

“An unfortunate man is someone who deprives himself of divine forgiveness in this great month, and who cannot change himself by leaving all the sins and evils aside”.

From the beginning of the month of Ramadan till its end, the tongue of a fasting believer, must open to seek forgiveness.

The supplications of nights, dawns, daytime and Iftar time, all comprise of seeking forgiveness. Especially, the nights of Qadr, for repentance and reformation of condition, and for a change in method, and an intellectual and moral movement, are the most valuable opportunities losing which depicts incapability of a person.

Long live Islam! Which has come with such teachings and delivering programs for the aid of humanity and has guided mankind to the loftiest moral values.

A writer named “Franzistal” writes in one of his articles which was published in different magazines, after comparing between the movement of moral values and the viewpoint of “Dr. Frank Bookman”, the founder of “Moral arming forum", has concluded that Islam precedes them with regard to Moral arming. He writes:

“In Islam, repentance is a medium for people to reform themselves and is a weapon for high moral values; because it includes regret and reformation of condition.

It this author was aware of the programs of the month of Ramadan, and of the supplications which the faithful men recite, and of the conditions, moanings, whisperings and lamentation, he would know that the mediums of moral arming that are at the disposal of Muslims, are not at the disposal of any other nation or society.

Unfortunately, these mediums are not utilized in the manner they could or should be used, and it is saddening that we didn’t acknowledge this school of upbringing, and did not become familiar with its truths and motives.

Dear brother and sister! Understand the worth of all these gates of mercy which have opened for you. Repent and seek forgiveness, reform yourselves and mend yourselves according to the teachings of Islam. Now that Allah has given you the opportunity and have helped you understand the month of Ramadan, and you participate in the sessions of Quranic recitation, supplication, advices and moral values, and in the mosques and congregational prayers and other rituals, then utilize it. There is not much distance between the person who travels towards Allah. “And the traveller towards you has little distance to cover”.

Repent sincerely. Make a decision to reform yourself and change your condition. Make commitment to distance yourself from sins and sinners.

Undoubtedly, if you do not adorn the attribute of the repenters and the ones who seek forgiveness and only pronounce “Astaghfirullah” verbally, your repentance won’t accepted.

Remind yourselves of your sins and refer to your memory, then between you and your Allah, accept and confess, and repent on all the sinners, and do not postpone this repentance even for a moment; because many a times, the opportunity of repentance is not obtained.

Weep, shed tears, and consider this opportunity as a fortunate one, and invoke Allah with a blazed heart, then say:

“My Master! I am asking You what I do not deserve but You are the Lord of righteousness and the Lord of forgiveness. So, forgive for me and veil me from Your sight with a cloak that masks all my liabilities, thus forgiving me so that I may never be reclaimed with it. Indeed, You are the possessor of ancient favour, great pardon and generous forgiveness”.