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The Secret to Allah’s Forgiveness | Khutbah by Dr. Omar Suleiman
What is the tawbah that Allah never rejects? Many of us struggle with guilt, wondering if our prayers for forgiveness are actually being heard.
In today’s khutbah, Dr. Omar Suleiman explains the spiritual mechanics of Allah’s forgiveness and why admitting your sins is the key to unlocking divine mercy.
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings.
We begin by praising Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and bearing witness that none has the right to be worshipped or unconditionally obeyed except for Him, and we bear witness that Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam is His final messenger.
We ask Allah to send His peace and blessings upon him, the prophets and messengers that came before him, his family and companions that served alongside him, and those that follow in his blessed path until the Day of Judgment. And we ask Allah to make us amongst them. Allahumma ameen.
Dear brothers and sisters, Abu Bakr as-Siddiq radiAllahu ta'ala anhu—and he rarely has narrations like this— he said that I asked the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, sa'altu rasoolAllahi sallallahu alayhi wasallam,
alimni du'a'an ad'u bihi fee salati, "O Messenger of Allah, teach me a du'a that I can start to say in my prayers."
You know the person asking and you know the person being asked, sallallahu alayhi wasallam. You know the status of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq radiAllahu ta'ala anhu in the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and his goodness.
And he's asking the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, "Give me a du'a that I can say in my prayer." So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said to him, "Say: Allahumma inni dhalamtu nafsi dhulman kathira,
wa la yaghfiru adh-dhunooba illa Ant, faghfir li maghfiratan min 'indika warhamni innaka Anta al-Ghafur ar-Raheem." I'm going to repeat it again.
Allahumma inni dhalamtu nafsi dhulman kathira. "O Allah, I have wronged myself tremendously. Dhulman kathira. Wa la yaghfiru adh-dhunooba illa Ant.
And there is no one who can forgive sins except for You. Faghfir li maghfiratan min 'indik. So forgive me with a forgiveness from You. Warhamni. And have mercy upon me.
Innaka Anta al-Ghafur ar-Raheem. Verily, You are the Most Forgiving and the Most Merciful." Now, we rarely have narrations like this from Abu Bakr as-Siddiq radiAllahu ta'ala anhu because of the time that he passed away.
And these aren't the types of conversations that we typically have between the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wasallam and Abu Bakr as-Siddiq radiAllahu ta'ala anhu.
But the formula of that du'a is incredible. And the ulama talk about this idea of what is the secret of tawbah
that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam has embedded in all of the supplications that he taught to his companions.
And how is it that no one is exempt from some of the parts of that formula? You know when someone didn't really do anything wrong but they ask you for some advice,
and you have to give them a million qualifiers and say, "Listen, it's not you, it's not like you did anything wrong, you're good. But for somebody else, if they wanted to say this, this is what they would say." But the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam is telling Abu Bakr to say
inni dhalamtu nafsi dhulman kathira, that "I've wronged myself tremendously," without all of the qualifiers that, "No, it's not you, O Abu Bakr." And this is talking about other people in the ummah that have fallen to this.
He tells Abu Bakr radiAllahu ta'ala anhu, because there is at the core of this du'a an essential ingredient to tawbah
and something that perfectly captures the relationship between the servant and his Lord. And that is that when a person sins— and we've been talking about this in the last ten nights—
they've forgotten either themselves or they've forgotten who their Lord is, or it's a combination of the two. They've forgotten themselves or they've forgotten who their Lord is, or it's a combination of the two, building on that idea of
wa la takunu ka alladheena nasu Allaha fa-ansahum anfusahum. "Don't be like those who forgot Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, so Allah caused them to forget themselves."
And the first words that capture that essential ingredient of tawbah of not forgetting yourself is dhalamtu nafsi.
"I wronged myself." When Adam alayhi as-salam returned back to Allah along with his wife Hawa, Rabbana dhalamna anfusana.
"O our Lord, we wronged ourselves." And I'll just stop with that for a moment. Dhalamna anfusana. "We wronged ourselves." When Yunus alayhi as-salam was in the bottom of the ocean
in the stomach of that whale, and he called out to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in darkness: La ilaha illa Anta subhanaka inni kuntu min adh-dhalimeen.
"There is no god but You, how perfect are You? I was amongst the transgressors." The only way that Adam alayhi as-salam and Hawa are describing themselves,
and the only way that Yunus alayhi as-salam is describing himself, and the only way that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam is teaching Abu Bakr as-Siddiq radiAllahu ta'ala anhu—
who is the best after the prophets—to describe himself is that "I wronged myself," dhalamtu nafsi, with absolutely no qualifiers whatsoever. And so the first ingredient that the scholars mention
is what the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said: An-nadamu tawbah. "Regret is repentance." And the first part of regret is al-i'tiraf bi adh-dhanb,
to recognize that you committed the sin and that there was absolutely no excuse for you to commit that sin and that you should not qualify your regret in any way whatsoever
by saying, "Ya Allah, I was young. Ya Allah, I was angry. Ya Allah, but You know how this person was. Ya Allah, but You know what I was going through at this particular time." No. An-nadamu tawbah, as the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said,
"Regret is repentance." It is absolute i'tiraf. Absolute i'tiraf. To acknowledge what you did and to feel the regret for what you did. Now subhanAllah, you might be thinking,
"Well, how does this not lead to a sense of self-hatred and despair?" And the scholars say that because every single person at some point— fa-i'tarafna bi-dhunubina—
every single person will come to acknowledge their sins. Some of them acknowledge their sins in this life. Some of them acknowledge their sins in the next life. The only ones who should despair are the ones who delay their acknowledgement to the next life.
And Allah azza wa jal even uses a different word for it altogether so that they don't get confused. The word is hasrah. Ya hasrata 'ala al-'ibad. Ya hasrata 'ala ma farrattu fee janbi Allah.
Hasrah is a word of regret that I cannot come back from. Nadam is a word of regret that I can still come back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with.
Allah azza wa jal never mixes the two concepts, because so long as you're still here, so long as you're still alive and able to acknowledge what you have done, the admitting of that sin— no matter how painful it is,
no matter how big the sin was, no matter how shameful it was, no matter how long you abstained from repenting to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for it, no matter how many people you took on a ride along the way—
as long as it's before you stop breathing, it can still be nadam and not hasrah. Now the ulama mention that there could be hasrah in this life as well,
and that is the person who knows that they messed up, who acknowledges that they messed up, but acknowledges no desire whatsoever to come back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. "Yeah, I messed up, so what? It is what it is. I'm going to Hell.
It's okay." You know, subhanAllah, I was in a Muslim country two months ago, and it was really sad to me. There was a non-Muslim that was considering becoming Muslim that was telling me about a Muslim friend
that secretly drinks alcohol. And this non-Muslim is saying that I told my Muslim friend— because it was Ramadan and they were drinking alcohol— "Wait a minute, it's Ramadan, don't you at least quit for that?"
And the Muslim was saying, "You know, I closed the door on Heaven for myself a long time ago. I already know that I'm going to Hell." A non-Muslim who's thinking about becoming Muslim is telling me this —right?— about a Muslim friend.
That's a dramatic example. But you find people that will say, "Yeah, I made this mistake in my life, but I'll live with it. Hopefully all the other good stuff that I do will cover for it." That's an expression of hasrah,
because there's no desire whatsoever to come back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with that sin. But the first part of this is dhalamtu nafsi.
SubhanAllah, Imam al-Qayyim, rahimahullah, he compares this to Iblis, to the devil, and how shaytan said,
"Rabbi bi-ma aghwaytani, my Lord, because You led me astray." And what does it mean when he says "bi-ma aghwaytani"? What exactly is Iblis blaming?
Is he saying that "You led me astray because You led me to believe that I was going to be this certain creature with You, and then suddenly You shot me down"?
Was he saying that, "You know, I was getting up this whole time just to be smacked down"? "Because You led me astray by putting Adam alayhi as-salam in front of me. You know how much I hate people being in front of me, and You put Adam alayhi as-salam in front of me,
and I couldn't handle that. Bi-ma aghwaytani." What was he blaming? What's the human equivalent of that? And subhanAllah, he says something in Madarij as-Salikeen. I'll paraphrase it because it's a long section, which is really interesting.
He said, "Ihtaja bil-qadr." That what he's blaming is divine decree. Look at the difference. Adam alayhi as-salam i'tarafa bi adh-dhanb, fajtabahu rabbuhu wa hada.
Adam alayhi as-salam acknowledged the sin, so Allah chose him and guided him. Iblis ihtaja bil-qadr. Iblis blamed the divine decree. "You wrote this upon me.
You wrote this upon me." So Allah azza wa jal cursed him and broke him. See the difference? Adam alayhi as-salam i'tarafa bi adh-dhanb.
He acknowledged it, so Allah chose him. Not just forgave him— Allah chose him and guided him. Iblis ihtaja bil-qadr. He blamed the divine decree.
"You wrote this upon me. You already knew this was going to happen. This was the grand setup. Not my choice in it. This was all the grand setup all the time. I was going to be a shaytan ar-rajeem."
So Allah cursed him and broke him, expelled him, made him rajeem, distant from Him. So what's the human tendency that falls within them? The human tendency
is not just that a person explicitly blamed someone else for the sins that they've committed in life or for their sinful tendencies— like "Yeah, but I ended up with this person, and I have this person, I have these people around me, and I was at this phase in my life, and had I not been in this particular situation,
I would have done this." It's not just that. It's that a person says to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, "I did not have enough incentive to stay away from committing that sin."
You see, just as in Ramadan we're paying attention to the blessings that we often take for granted, that even if there were certain elements in your life that pulled you towards that sin, there was always enough
from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for you not to commit that sin in the first place. Ihtaja bil-qadr is when you're apologizing to someone and you're saying, "But you know, you did this,
and you know how this sets me off, and you know how this happens, and you know how this plays a role in that." Adam alayhi as-salam did not say any of that. Dhalamtu nafsi. Dhalamtu nafsi. "I wronged myself."
Yunus alayhi as-salam— "Ya Allah, You know how annoying my people are." No. "You know how hard of a time they gave me." No. Adam alayhi as-salam—"You know how tempting the tree was." No. Abu Bakr radiAllahu ta'ala anhu— "Ya Allah, You know my status with You."
No. Every single person has to have that i'tiraf with them, that acknowledging the sin. Now here's the next part of that. The ulama mention that there are sins
that go unrepented for in the past. They exist in the past. Now someone might be saying, "Well, wait a minute. Isn't it ghufira lahu ma taqaddama min dhanbihi— Ramadan forgives everything, Laylat al-Qadr forgives everything?"
Yes, it may be that Allah forgave everything. But that coming to terms with something that you did is one of the greatest ways to finally come close to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and remove all of the barriers.
The vulnerability of i'tarafna bi-dhunubina— like, I don't care if I'm seventy years old and I think back to something that I did that was wrong when I was thirty years old, and
"Ya Allah, I never actually came to terms with it. Faghfir li. Forgive me for what I did. Forgive me for what I did." And when it comes to people and the conflicts that you have with people—
how many of us have these unresolved conflicts that are sitting in our closet, and we're like, "Yeah, hopefully they moved on, and, you know, there was some give and take here that took place." Let Allah azza wa jal do
the giving for what you took. The giving for what you took Of hardship If you can reopen that file and clean it I mean, isn't it beautiful that you can go back
And delete your history? No, you know what? I had some wrongdoings too ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي And as Uthman r.a. When he told the young boy That he poked
You know, to pinch his ear He said, pinch it Even though he was an old man He said, قِصَاصُ الدُّنْيَا أَهْوَنُ مِنْ قِصَاصِ الْآخِرَةِ I'd rather feel The avenging for that in this dunya Than in the akhirah
Let yourself acknowledge it Like, you know, no, I was really wrong What's the worst that can come out of that? You know what the worst that can come out of that is? In most situations Wow, you know, thank you for apologizing Maybe they did actually move on
Maybe they did actually move on But you're building a relationship now Right? There's some khair that comes out of that Some goodness that comes out of that رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنْفُسَنَا
لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ الْإِعْتِرَافُ بِالذَّنْبِ The second ingredient that the ulema mentioned It's from the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ that a person said رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي ذَنْبِي The person said, my Lord, forgive me for my sin
And what did Allah azza wa jal say to the heavens? عَلِمَ عَبْدِي أَنَّ لَهُ رَبًّا يَغْفِرُ الذَّنْبَ وَيَأْخُذُ بِالذَّنْبِ My servant knows that he has a Lord That not just holds accountable for sin
But forgives for sins رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي ظُلْمًا كَثِيرًا وَلَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنتَ And no one forgives those sins Except for You
You're the one who forgives those sins وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا اللَّهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَن يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ Those who when they commit those deeds
And they remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala And they seek forgiveness for what they do Who will forgive their sins Except for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala My servant knows he has a Lord who forgives قَدْ غَفَرْتُ لَهُ
So I forgave him Remember in the first part you forgot who you were But in the second part If you're not coming back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala You forgot who He is And this part of وَلَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنتَ
You think Abu Bakr radiAllahu anhu doesn't know that? Think the Prophet ﷺ doesn't know that? It's reigniting that connection It's reaffirming that you know who your Lord is
That not only did you not have the right to commit that sin But that He's the only one that can pull you out of it Because sometimes when a person falls They start to think about What can I do to get myself out of this situation?
And they think of all of these ways to get around it Instead of facing it And the reason why they don't want to face it Is because they worry about the consequence But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala can remove that consequence
In an instance if you know who He is subhanahu wa ta'ala وَلَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنتَ No one forgives those sins except for You No one can pull me out of this except for You And so dear brothers and sisters
There are these two domains that are embedded Especially in these last ten nights Because coming close to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Of knowing who He is and knowing who you are Requires you to say, O Allah, I broke it
O Allah, only You can fix it O Allah, I broke it O Allah, only You can fix it And those two things have to be embedded No matter how old you are No matter how righteous you think you are No matter how much you think you've been wronged in life
Those ingredients have to be there In order for there to be a meaningful tawbah to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala In these last ten and beyond We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Who is the only one, al-Ghafoor al-Raheem Who can forgive us
To forgive us for what we have committed against ourselves and others And we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala To put in us the pain of regret that inspires repentance Not the pain of remorse that inspires paralysis
And we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala To remove from us the barriers of ego And arrogance and self-righteousness That stop us from coming close to Him And stop us from removing
That which has caused us to hurt other people as well Allahumma ameen I say this and I ask forgiveness for the sins of the Muslims So ask forgiveness, He is the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful
Alhamdulillah And peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah And upon his family and companions and those who follow him O Allah, forgive the believing men and believing women And the Muslim men and Muslim women The living and the dead You are the All-Hearing, the All-Near The Responder to prayers
O Allah, forgive us and have mercy on us And pardon us and do not punish us Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves And if You do not forgive us and have mercy on us We will be among the losers O Allah, You are the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful You love forgiveness, so forgive us O Allah, forgive our parents
O Lord, have mercy on them as they raised us when we were young O Lord, grant us from our spouses and our offspring The comfort of our eyes And make us leaders for the righteous O Allah, help the oppressed brothers in the east and west O Allah, help the oppressed brothers in Palestine
And in Sudan and everywhere O Allah, protect us from Your enemies, the enemies of religion O Allah, show the wrongdoers the wonders of Your power O Allah, destroy the wrongdoers with the wrongdoers And bring forth from them our brothers in peace O servants of Allah, Allah commands justice and good conduct And giving to relatives
And forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression He admonishes you that you may remember So remember Allah, He will remember you And thank Him for His blessings, He will increase you And the remembrance of Allah is greater And Allah knows what you do May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you

































































































































































































































































































