Have you ever felt some of the effects of sins in the depth of your soul? Have you felt the effects, particularly of grave sins that make you feel like one of the worst people on earth? Have you felt sometimes that you are crying inside, you can neither rest nor sleep well, and you hardly get any joy from anything? Are you plagued with the thoughts that Allaah may not forgive your sins or there may be no way out for you? Do not fall into despair; know that whoever repents sincerely, Allaah accepts his repentance and Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
He has promised the one who repents to Him that He will forgive him his sins. He says:
"Say: 'O ‘ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressd against themselves (by commiting evil deeds sins) Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, Verily Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft Forgiving & Most Merciful (Q39 [Zumar]:53)
When Allaah promises, something. He does not break His promise. And Allaah says:
"Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those. Allaah will change their sins into good deeds and Allaah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful. And whosoever repents and does righteous good deeds; then verily,he repents towom Alklah, with true repentonce- (Q25[Furqoon]:70-71)
How Can I Get Rid Of My Sin?
This is an important matter, for these are the means by which sins are expiated. In the above aayah, Allaah tells us that He will replace the bad deeds of the one who repents into good deeds, and this is one of the blessings of repentance. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (RAH) mentioned ten things from a person by which sin is expiated or the punishment for sin is lifted. Among them are: repentance praying for forgiveness and doing a lot of good deeds that wipe off those sins. The Rasul (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
"The expiation for the fitnah caused to a man by his family. wealth and children’s prayer, fasting, enjoining what is good and forbidding what’s evil."(Bukhaari)
And he said:
Whoever frees a believing slave, for each of the slave's limbs, Allaah will free one of his limbs from the Fire... - (Muslim)
Also, he said: Charity extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire, but hasad (malicous envy) consumes good deeds as fire consumes wood". These and similar ahaadeeth are narrated in the books of Saheeh. Among them is the severe event that happens to the believer such as calamities by means of which Allaah expiates sins in this world.
The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
"No tiredness, exhaustion, worry, grief, distress or harm befalls a believer in this world, not even a thorn that pricks him, but Allaah expiates some of his sins thereby." (Bukhaari).
Others relate to events after the believer's death; such as the du'aa' of other believers for the deceased. For example, when they pray the funeral prayer for him good deeds which can be done for the deceased, such as giving in charity (on his behalf), the torment, squeezing and terror that happens in the grave and the horrors, distress and hardship of the Day of Resurrection. These are also things by means of which sins are expiated.
Also included is the intercession of the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) and others on the Day of Resurrection for those who have committed sins. This is narrated in the mutawaatir ahaadeeth about intercession, such as the hadeeth in which he (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
"My intercession will be for those among my ummah who have committed major sins." (Saheeh Abi Dawood).
And he said:
"I was given the choice between admitting haIf of my ummah to Paradise and intercession, and I chose intercession." (Saheeh al-Jaami').
The tenth is the mercy and forgiveness of Allaah, with no cause on the part of His slaves. [See: Majmoo' Fataawa Ibn Taymiyah, vol. 7, p. 487-50 I]
Kaffaarah - What it is
Further to the above, Abu Hurayrah (RA) reported that the Messenger (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
"Verily, when Allaah created creation He wrote a book which is with Him above the 'Arsh -'Verily My Mercy exceeds my anger.'" (Muslim),
So the Most Merciful has written that His Mercy over His creation exceeds His anger. Thus to expiate for his sins which gets man closer to the anger of his Creator and to bring him closer to the mercy of The Most Merciful, Kaffaarah is prescribed.
When someone covers up something the verb Ka-fa-ra describes his action he covered up (something). So, Kaffaarah (sing) refers to that which is used.to cover up something (Kaffaaraat pl.). Thus the word Kaffaarah is employed to refer .to atonement or expiation because it covers up or makes up for the act of sin so that it is like an act never committed and the one who makes Kaffaarah is like one who did not commit the 'act for which the Kaffaara was made. (Fath al-Baaree) This is because the one that Allaah covers up (his sins) in this world is not held responsible for them in the Hereafter Inshaa Allaah.
Thus referring to the disobedience of the People of the Book, the Jews and Christians, their association of partners with Allaah and other acts of sins including their perversion of the Messagesof the Prophets sent to them, Allaah mentions their Kaffaarah (expiation or atonement) when He said:
"And if only the people of the Scripture jews and Christians) had believed (in Muhammad) and warded off evil (ascribing partners to Allaah) and had become Al-Muttaqun (pious) We would indeed have blotted out their sins and admitted them to Gardens of pleasure (in Paradise)." (Q5[Maidah]:65).
So when Allaah makes avoidance of Shirk, belief in the Messenger (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) and being pious the atonement for their sins, acting upon it brings about admission to His Mercy which the sins had put them away from.
For the Muslim who already believes in Allaah and His Messenger (salallahu alayhi wa sallam), besides generally sincerely making Tawbah - (repentance), Allaah has prescribed Kaffaaraat for him for some of his inadequacies, the fulfillment of which covers up the inadequacies; and brings him close to the mercy of his Lord – The Most High.
Some of these are hereby discussed. The first of such sins requiring kaffaarah is failing to fulfil our vows. Others are killing a soul, sexual intercourse in the afternoon of Ramadan and likening the back of one's wife to one's mother's.