A message to every Muslim: How to keep to obedience

All praise be to Allah and peace be upon His Messenger.

This is a message to every Muslim in which we give some advices that will help Muslims to keep to obeying Allah.

We start our speech by the power of Allah:

Dear Muslim, the road of repentance to Allah is easy without complications or impossibilities, but it is just a sincere repentance that combines the following: Giving up sins, regretting doing them, making up your mind not to commit them again, and if these sins are connected with the rights of a human being, you have to render these rights back to their owners.

Dear valued Muslim brother, we offer you eight advices; if you follow them, they will give you ease in this world as well as in the Hereafter by the permission of Allah:

First, seek help with Allah, keep to invocations, and implore Allah in your prostration to grant you guidance and make you firm on religion. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, used to recite this invocation frequently: «O Allah, Who turns the hearts, make your heart firm on Your Religion» (Al Albany graded it as authentic).

Second, you have to seek Allah's Forgiveness, particularly saying: "Astaghfiru Allah Al `Azhim Alladhy La Ilaha Illa Huwa Al Hayyul-Qayyumu wa'atubu Ilayh (I seek the forgiveness of Allah, the great, who have no other deity, the Ever-Living, and I seek His Forgiveness)."

Allah (may He be Exalted) says:

{وَأَنِ اسْتَغْفِرُ‌وا رَ‌بَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ يُمَتِّعْكُم مَّتَاعًا حَسَنًا إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى}

‘Translation’ {And (commanding you): Seek the forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him in repentance, that He may grant you good enjoyment, for a term appointed} [Hud:3].

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: «Allah, may He be Exalted, says: "O son of Adam, I shall go on forgiving you so long as you pray to Me and aspire for My forgiveness whatever may be your sins. O son of Adam! I do not care even if your sins should pile up to the sky and should you beg pardon of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam! If you come to Me with an earthful of sins and meet Me, not associating anything with Me in worship, I will certainly grant you as much pardon as will fill the earth» (Al Albany graded it as authentic).

Third, let it be known that your Salah in the masjid is one of greatest means of firmness on religion as it has a great reward at Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He.

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: «The congregational Salah better than Salat performed individually with seven and twenty degree» (Reported by Al Bukhari and Muslim).

Fourth, keep to good company if you want to keep to your repentance and righteousness. Beware of bad companions for they are of the greatest reasons of sins and hold fast to them.

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: «A person follows the religion of his companion, so let a person choose his friends carefully» (Ibn Baz ranked this Hadith as authentic: Ibn Baz in Majmu` Fatawa, Ibn Baz, and Al Albany graded it as good).

Fifth, keep away from what reminds you of sins and link you with them such as places, pictures, and CDs. Beware not to neglect that, for these methods have been always a way for people to go to the way of whims and Satan.

Sixth, be keen on listening the Glorious Qur'an, sermons, and religious lectures which help you on firmness on religion, by the permission of Allah, remind you of the Hereafter, and remind you that you are mortal in this world and you are in abode of test. If you fail in this test, god forbid, there is no scope to repeat it and the final destination shall be terrible: A fire which is heat is 69 times more intensive than the fire of the world.

Seventh, keep away from listening to songs and if you are truthful in your repentance, try this way which was a reason for the repentance of more than 83 persons by the favor of Allah. Some people said that this way was the cause of their repentance. The way is to abandon listening to songs for 24 hours and by the permission of Allah, you shall abandon listening to them ultimately, you shall love righteous deeds and hate committing of sins.

`Umar ibn `Abdul-`Aziz wrote to the instructor of his son: Let the first thing they learn from you is to hate amusements which are emerged from Satan and end with the wrath of the Compassionate. I have come to know from trustworthy people that the sound of amusements, songs and suchlike generates hypocrisy as grass grows on water.

Eighth, do not forget reciting the Glorious Qur'an for it is the best speech and its reward is great at Allah, may He be Exalted.

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: «Whoever recites a letter from the Book of Allah, he will be credited with a good deed, And that reward will be multiplied by ten. I am not saying that Alif-Lam-Mim is one letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter and Mim is a letter» (Reported by At-Tirmidhy with an authentic chain of narration).

Dear Muslim brother, If you follow these eight advices, you shall be happy and pious in the world, and in the Hereafter you shall be with the Prophets, the faithful, martyrs, and the pious by the will of Allah.

Dear Muslim brother, constrain yourself and be keen to righteous deeds, particularly obligatory duties such as Salah, fasting, filial gratitude, and other obligatory duties, for it is not permissible for any Muslim to neglect them. Dear brother, keep away from prohibited matters for they are the cause of wretchedness in this world and in the Hereafter. Allah, Glory be to Him, says:

{وَمَنْ أَعْرَ‌ضَ عَن ذِكْرِ‌ي فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنكًا وَنَحْشُرُ‌هُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَعْمَىٰ}

‘Translation’ {But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Qur'ân nor acts on its teachings.) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection} [Taha:124].

Dear Muslim brother, sell the temporary life to buy the everlasting Hereafter. Keep away from Hell-Fire, keep away from the wrath of Allah, and work hard to win paradise and the pleasure of the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

We ask Allah, the great, to guide and forgive us, make us firm on religion, and to avoid us apparent and hidden trials, for He is the Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

`Ammar Khalifah