Stories of Repentance #3

A righteous man was once asked to tell the story of his life, the moment in which he first began to apply the teachings of Islam, and the following was his answer:

“When I was a young man, I would not hesitate to perpetrate any sin that was made available to me. Then, one day, I saw a young woman who was perhaps the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Much tempted by her, I indicated to her that I wanted her to approach me. She seemed nervous, but I thought that she would probably agree to satisfy my desires for money. She approached me with what seemed to be a great deal of apprehension, and when she actually stood before me, she looked extremely terrified.Feeling sorry for her, I said, 'Do not fear, for I will not harm you.'
But my words did not lessen her terrible fright in the least; in fact, her situation worsened. She began to tremble like a palm tree leaf trembles with the wind.I said, 'Tell me your story.' She said, 'By Allah, O my brother, never before this day have I offered my body in this way. Dire need is what has driven me to this, for I have three daughters who have not eaten a single morsel of food for three days now. It was pity for them that brought me to this low point in my life.'For the first time in my life, I felt pity; her story moved me, and I no longer entertained the intention of taking advantage of her.

After she told me where she lived, I took a great deal of money, clothing and food to her house. When I returned to my house, I told my mother what had happened.My mother knew that I had a book in which I would record all of my evil deeds, and so she said to me, 'My son, you are a man who has never performed a good deed except for the good deed that you performed today. I know that you have a book in which you record your evil exploits, go now and write in it your good deed.'I stood up, went to my book, opened it, and found that all of its pages were blank- except for the first page on which was written a single line.

اِنَّ الۡحَسَنٰتِ يُذۡهِبۡنَ السَّيِّاٰتِ
"...Indeed, good deeds remove the evil deeds..." Surat al-Hud [11:114]

At that very moment, I raised my hands to the sky and said, 'By your Might and Majesty, never again will I disobey You.' ”

Stories of Repentance #2

A burglar scaled the wall of Hazrat Maalik ibn Deenaarرحمة لله علیھ's house one night and easily managed to get inside. Once inside the house, the thief was disappointed to see that there was nothing actually worth stealing inside. The owner of the home was inside at the time, busy performing Salaah. Realizing that he was not alone, Hazrat Maalikرحمة لله علیھ quickly ended his Salaah and turned around to face the thief. Without showing any sign of being shocked or afraid, Hazrat Maalikرحمة لله علیھ calmly extended greetings of peace and then said, "My brother, may Allah forgive you. You entered my home and found nothing that is worth taking, yet I do not want you to leave my home without taking away some benefit."He stood up, went to another part of the room, and came back with a jug full of water. He looked into the eyes of the burglar and said, 
"Make ablution and perform two rakaats of Salaah, for if you do so, you will leave my home with a greater treasure than you had initially sought when you entered it." Much humbled by Hazrat Maalikرحمة لله علیھ's manners and words, the thief said,"Yes, that is a generous offer indeed."

After making ablution and performing two rakaats of Salaah, the burglar said, "O Maalik رحمة لله علیھ, would you mind if I stayed for a while, for I want to stay to perform two more rakaats of salaah?"Hazrat Maalik رحمة لله علیھ said, "Stay for whatever amount of Salaah Allah decrees for you to perform now."The thief ended up spending the entire night at Hazrat Maalikرحمة لله علیھ's house. He continued to pray until the morning. Then Hazrat Maalikرحمة لله علیھ said, "Leave now and be good."But instead of leaving, the thief said, "Would you mind if I stayed here with you today, for I have made an intention to fast the day?"Hazrat Maalikرحمة لله علیھ said, "Stay as long as you wish,". The burglar ended up staying for a number of days, reading Salaah during the late hours of each night and fasting throughout the duration of each day. When he finally decided to leave, the burglar said, "O Maalikرحمة لله علیھ, I have made a firm resolve to repent for my sins and for my former way of life."Hazrat Maalikرحمة لله علیھ said, "Indeed, that is in the Hand of Allah."The man did mend his ways and began to lead a life of righteousness and obedience to Allah. Later on, he came across another burglar he knew. His friend said to him, "Have you found your treasure yet?"He said, "My brother, what I found is Maalik ibn Deenaarرحمة لله علیھ, I went to steal from him, but it was he who ended up stealing my heart. I have indeed repented to Allah, and I will remain at the door [of His Mercy and Forgiveness] until I achieve what his obedient, loving slaves have achieved."