. J (cont.)

1 ( 1; '9 j l , , · ,,'9 -; j l , , · , ઘJ.-a"'i""i U) .r---4 ู '4>J ฺ '" if .;..A-I .:> J::->- .;..A-I .:> --- - ,,.. ,,. ,,. ,,,. ,,,. "O Children of Adam! We have bestowed clothing upon you to cover yourselves and as an adornment. And the covering of taqwa (righteousness), that is better. Such are among the signs of Allah, that they may remember" (al­ Araaf 26). Hence, one needs a physical covering as well as a spiritual covering. lbn Uthaimeen goes on to say that those people who interpret dreams state that if a person sees himself naked in a dream, he should seek forgiveness from Allah as that is a sign that he has a shortcoming in his taqwa, as taqwa is a covering.2 Ibn Uthaimeen states that seeking clothing from Allah is to be done in a fashion similar to what was stated concerning seeking food from Allah. It must be done both with statements and actions.3 ____ Finally, ibn Uthaimeen discusses the tie between these three portions of this hadith concerning guidance, food and clothing. He states that food is clothing for the stomach as when one is hungry, it means that the stomach is not lined with food. He then states that clothing covers the outer body. Guidance covers the most important part of the body, the heart and soul, from the blemish of sins. 4 1 lbn Daqeeq al-Eid, Sharh, p. 66; al-Haitami, Fath, p. 1 95. 2 lbn Uthaimeen, Sharh Riyaadh, vol. 3, pp. 153-154. 3 lbn Uthaimeen, Sharh Riyaadh, vol. 3, p. 155. 4 lbn Uthaimeen, Sharh Riyaadh, vol. 3, p. 155. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi "O My servants, you sin by night and by day, and I forgive all sins. Therefore, seek forgiveness from Me and I will forgive you." Besides providing guidance, food and clothing, Allah offers humanity another great bounty: the bounty of forgiveness for one's sins. This bounty is as important as the previously mentioned bounties because, as Allah states here, mankind is bound to commit sins. 1 Daytime and nighttime means that at all times humans commit sins. Every believer should be ashamed of this fact. During the daytime, in general, his actions are witnessed by others and he should be too shy to commit sins in view of others. During the nighttime, he is not seen by anyone and this is the best time for him to perform good deeds that are free of any form of show and display. Instead, that time is often used to commit sins. However, Allah calls out to His servants. He informs them that He forgives sins. He is, in fact, the Forgiving, the Merciful. If the sinning humans . would repent to Him and seek His forgiveness, He is willing to forgive them. All humans are prone to commit sins. However, what distinguishes some sinners from others is the admission of committing the sin, the feeling that it was wrong and the want to ask Allah for forgiveness. This was made clear by the Prophet (peace be upon him) when he said, ,,.. .... .... - ,,, _ O J · '\"'.:'t1 ;· •1 l;. 11 ' •;. ; 1 1;. ;;1 . •1 I - i ଢ r..r "All humans are sinners. And the best sinners are those who repent much."2 This is an important point for the human psyche. If Allah were to refuse to accept repentance and pleas for forgiveness, then all of mankind would be doomed, because all of mankind is apt to commit sins. If they would be doomed, there would be no hope of redemption. Indeed, there would even be no need to reform and change one's sinful ways. However, Allah makes it clear that no one should ever despair of Allah's mercy and forgiveness. The door to repentance and forgiveness is always open as long as the person is still alive and the pangs of death have not reached him. Allah says, J b\ 01 .&\ ௉j .x i#a;; Ʒt 11;,. ip;J ϰ.:JI ϱDϲ "l'•  ,,. ,.. ,,. \· ; .... ƶ ,,.. ,.. ,,. u 1 The word lb.I (which has a four-letter root) implies that a person did something wrong, whether intentionally or unintentionally. However, _,il.LiJI ("the sinner"), which is from the three-letter root Ķ. implies one who does something wrong intentionally. This is the word that is being used in this hadith. See al-Haitami, Fath, p. 195; al-Qaari, vol. 5, p. 125. 2 Recorded by Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasaai and ibn Maajah. According to al-Hilaali, it is sahih. See al-Hilaali, Eeqaadh, p. 345. However, according to al-Arnaoot and Baajis, its chain may be considered hasan. See al-Arnaoot and Baajis, vol. 2, p. 4 1 . Hadith #24: "O My Servants, I have Forbidden Wrongdoing . . . " "Say: 0 My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by committing sins], despair not of the Mercy of Allah. Verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful" (al-Zumar 53).