Ruhul Adab

Commentary of Imam Hassan Cisse

        Allah SWT gave glad tidings to the prophet SAW in the Qur’an 48:1-2 when He said: “Verity We have granted you (Oh Prophet) a manifest victory, that Allah may forgive your past and future sins…”

        The above statement of Allah is enough to put the Prophet SAW in no need of forgiveness. The Prophet SAW has declared: “I seek forgiveness from Allah seventy times a day” and in another narration one hundred times.

         The Prophet SAW has also said: “Your sickness is your sin and its remedy is to always seek for forgiveness”.

          Allah has said in the Qur’an 8:33

“And it is not for Allah to punish them as long as you are within them Nor will Allah punish them as long as they continuously seek forgiveness.”

           The above verse shows that the Muslim community has the assurance of safety form the wrath of Allah in two ways. One, is if the Prophet SAW is in their midst and the second is if they continuously seek forgiveness. If we then look carefully, only the second option is open to the Muslim community in the present circumstance. In a Divine Hadith, that is considered pure, Allah says: “All of you commit sins always, but I forgive all sins,” Since none are infallible but Allah SWT and Hi Apostle SAW, the first act  enjoined by Shaykh Ahmad Tijânî as he calls to the path of the Prophet SAW is that the Muslim should return to Allah by realizing his wrong doings and saying the forgiveness formula “Astaghfirullah.” This is the first thing enjoined by the Tijâniyya Tarîqa on his disciples.

(To be continued insha Allah)