Question:
A person may sorrowfully ask: “I want to repent, but do I have to
go and confess the sins I have committed? Is it a condition of
repentance that I should tell the qaadi (judge) in the court
about everything that I have done, and ask him to carry out the
appropriate punishment on me? What is the meaning of the story I
have just read about the repentance of Maa’iz, of the Ghaamidi
woman and of the man who kissed a woman in the garden?”
Answer:
My response to you is that the slave’s direct relationship with
Allaah, with no intermediaries, is one of the most important
aspects of the belief in Tawheed (Divine Unity) with which
Allaah is pleased. He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then
(answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My knowledge). I
respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on
Me (without any mediator or intercessor).” [al-Baqarah 2:186].
If we believe that repentance is only for Allaah, then confession
is only for Allaah too. In fact, the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) used to pray in his du’aa’s asking for
forgiveness: “Aboo’u laka bi na’matika wa aboo’u bi dhanbi (I
acknowledge Your blessings and I acknowledge (i.e. confess) my sin
to You).” This is a confession to Allaah. We are not, by the grace
of Allaah, like the Christians, with the priest, the chair of
confession, the documents of forgiveness, etc. Indeed, Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
“Know they not that Allaah accepts repentance from His slaves.?”
[al-Tawbah 9:104],
I.e., He accepts repentance from His slaves without any mediator
or intercessor.
As regards the carrying out of punishments, if the deed has not
come to the official attention of the imaam, ruler or qaadi, a
person does not have to go to them and confess. If Allaah has
covered the sins of a person, there is nothing wrong with him
covering his own sins. It is sufficient for him to repent to
Allaah, and the matter is between him and his Lord. One of the
Names of Allaah is al-Sitteer, meaning the One Who covers or
conceals (the faults of His slaves), and He likes His slaves to
conceal sins too. As far as the Sahaabah such as Maa’iz, the
Ghaamidi woman who committed zinaa, and the man who kissed the
woman in the garden are concerned, all of them did something
which they were not obliged to do, may Allaah be pleased with
them, because they were so keen to purify themselves. The
evidence for this is the fact that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) turned away from Maa’iz and
from the Ghaamidi woman at first. When `Umar said to the man
who had kissed the woman in the garden, “Allaah covered his sin.
He should have covered it himself?” the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) remained silent, indicating
that he concurred with these words.
So it is not necessary to go to the court and register an
official confession, if Allaah has covered one’s sins. Nor is
it necessary to go to the imaam of a mosque and ask him to
carry out the appropriate punishment, or to ask a friend to
carry out the punishment of lashing inside the house, as some
people imagine.
The following story will teach you how important it is to be
careful of the attitude of some ignorant people towards those
who repent: a man who wanted to repent went to the ignorant
imaam of a mosque, confessed his sins to him and asked him what
he should do. The imaam said, “Go to the court and confess your
sins officially. They will carry out the appropriate punishment
on you. Then we will see what to do next.” The poor man saw
that he would not be able to do this, so he forgot about
repenting and went back to his old ways.
Here I will take the opportunity to add an important comment:
knowing about the rules of Islam, and seeking them from the
correct sources is a trust. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meanings):
“.so ask of those who know the Scripture, if you know not.”
[al-Nahl 16:43]
“The Most Beneficent! Ask Him, as He is al-Khabeer (the
All-Knower of everything).” [al-Furqaan 25:59]
Not every preacher is qualified to issue fataawaa (rulings or
edicts). Not every imaam or muezzin, speaker or storyteller,
is qualified to deliver rulings to the people. But the Muslim
is responsible for knowing from where he can take rulings. This
is an important matter of religion. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) feared what might befall his
ummah at the hands of misguided imaams. One of the salaf (early
generation of Islam) said: “Knowledge is religion, so pay
attention to who it is you are taking your religion from.”
Beware of these pitfalls, and only consult trustworthy scholars
when you are in doubt about an issue. And Allaah is the source
of help.
Sheikh Mohammad Saalih al-Munajjid
“No leaf falls except that He knows of it, and no rain drop forms except that He has willed it.”