Islamic Studies

The Prophet [صلى الله عليه وسلم] and the Sinner

by Suhaib Webb
September 21, 2007
3 min read

Once a man came into the Mosque of the prophet [صلى الله عليه وسلم] lamenting over his sins. The man was so overcome and saddened by his state that the Prophet [صلى الله عليه وسلم] said to him, “Say this:

اللهم مغفرتك أوسع من ذنوبي ورحمتك أرجى عندي من عملي

Allahuma maghfiratoka awsaa’ min thonoobi
Wa rahmatoka arja ‘andey min ‘amaley

Oh Allah, your forgiveness is greater than my sins and my hope in Your mercy is greater to me than my actions”

The man said this and the Prophet [صلى الله عليه وسلم] said to him, “Say it again.” The man repeated it then the Prophet said to him, “Say it again.” The man did it and the Prophet [صلى الله عليه وسلم] said to him, “Arise for, indeed, Allah has forgiven you.”*

During this month there will be, inshallah, a large number of Muslims coming in and out of the mosque. Let’s keep the Prophetic model of compassion and mercy in mind. We are all coming with sins, mistakes, errors and the like. And all of us desire to hear the same thing from our Lord, “I forgive you My servant. I’m pleased with you. Enter Paradise.”

The people who attend the Mosques must not forget that they are a sub-culture which represents a larger Muslim community. 18,000 Muslims recently attended an independence day celebration for a Muslim country but how many Muslim attend ‘Eid? This doesn’t mean we should look down, nor chastise these people. In fact, what it really means is that we are not doing our job. We are not reaching those who, as the Prophet said about the believer, “Are like horses that stray away from their bridle only to return.” Thus, let be humble, take account of our own shortcomings and flee to Allah. Once a sister, who was going through some real difficulties, told me, after I adviced her to seek guidance with her ethnic group and the local Mosque, “They are the last people I can go to for help. They will chastise me. The will take pleasure in my faults and destroy me and my family.” I was very shocked. Why do many feel that the last place they can turn is their local faith community? It is high time that we adopt the Prophetic model of mercy and compassion.

We ask Allah to bless us, forgive us and raise us. We ask Allah to make our hope in His mercy and forgiveness greater than the saddness we feel over our sins.

Suhaib

*This incident was related by al-Hakim with a sound chain that he considered to match the standards of Imam Muslim.

 

 

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About the author

Suhaib Webb

Suhaib Webb is a contemporary American-Muslim educator, activist, and lecturer. His work bridges classical and contemporary Islamic thought, addressing issues of cultural, social and political relevance to Muslims in the West. After converting to Islam in 1992, Webb left his career in the music industry to pursue his passion in education. He earned a Bachelor’s in Education from the University of Central Oklahoma and received intensive private training in the Islamic Sciences under a renowned Muslim Scholar of Senegalese descent. Webb was hired as the Imam at the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, where he gave khutbas (sermons), taught religious classes, and provided counselling to families and young people; he also served as an Imam and resident scholar in communities across the U.S.

From 2004-2010, Suhaib Webb studied at the world’s preeminent Islamic institution of learning, Al-Azhar University, in the College of Shari`ah. During this time, after several years of studying the Arabic Language and the Islamic legal tradition, he also served as the head of the English Translation Department at Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah.

Outside of his studies at Al-Azhar, Suhaib Webb completed the memorization of the Quran in the city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. He has been granted numerous traditional teaching licenses (ijazat), adhering to centuries-old Islamic scholarly practice of ensuring the highest standards of scholarship. Webb was named one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center in 2010.

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18 Comments

  • Assalamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu

    Jazakallah for this great dua. Although i can read Arabic, alhamdulillah, i have some trouble without the harakahs. Could you please put them in, or type out the English transliteration?

    Jazakallah khair, once again!

    Wa’salam

    Reply

  • اللهمّ مَغفِرَتُكَ أَوسعَ مِن ذنُوبِ وَ رَحمَتُكَ أَرجَى عَندِي مِن عَمَلِ

    Allahuma maghfiratoka awsaa’ min thonoobi
    Wa rahmatoka arja ‘andey min ‘amaley

    Reply

  • JEZAAK ALLAAHU KHAYRYN IMAM SUHAIB

    Allahuma, sali ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala alee Muhammad, kama salayta ‘ala Ibraheem wa ‘ala alee Ibraheem innaka Hameedon Majeed. Allahuma barik ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala alee Muhammad, kama barikta ala Ibraheem wa ala alee Ibraheem innaka Hameedun Majeed.

    Reply

  • assalamualaykom,

    Imam Suhaib, I love you for Allah and I love your style.

    and then I think about how close I feel to Allah [SWT] when I listen to you speaking and then I think…man, who is he following? what teaching method is he following? he’s following the PROPHET sallahualayhiwasallam. then i love the Prophet salallahualayhiwasallaam even more. indeed, the Prophet salallahualayhiwasallam was the BEST teacher. look at his salallahualayhiwasallam students.

    Reply

  • Just what the doctor ordered, thanks for the reminder.

    Hope your Ramadan is going well, looks like you’re gonna be the busy Imam – good stuff, I’m gonna get my cousin to go to some programs, he lives in San Diego, insha Allah.

    Question: Islamofacism Awareness Week is coming, not exactly the IAW we’re used to. Any thoughts on responding to it? I think it’s in mid-October; any advice would be good advice, insha Allah.

    Take it easy, Imam Muscle Milk

    Ma’Salaam

    Reply

  • Assalamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu Imam Suahib

    that was a wonderful dua, another timely reminder just when i thought i was loosing myself. May Allah lengthen your life, and shower his mercy upon you and your family and all of us.

    May you be reworded and may your sins be forgiven along with us for every time we make this dua, if it were not for you I may have never know this incident or the dua.

    Yaa Shakyh if you don’t mind can you please email me as I have a few question I could like to ask/ discuss with you.

    Jazakallah khair

    Wa’salaam

    Reply

  • Great dua! I remember when I used to be in the sufi circle, they recited this dua:

    Ilahi lastu lil fidausi ahla, wa la aqwa ‘alan naaril jaheemi. Allahu fahablee taubatan waghfir thunoobi, fainnaka ghafiru thanbil atheemi”

    My Lord, I am not qualified for your Firdaus, but neither can I bear your hell fire. Allah grant me repentance and forgive my sins for indeed You are the Forgiver of big sins”

    I never bothered to ask the sources but it was really penetrating.

    Reply

  • I so needed to hear this right now. Thank you Imam.
    This is especially inspiring during this 2nd part of Ramadan that is signified by Mercy. May Allah (swt) have mercy on us all.

    Reply

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