Rafiq ibn Jubair
If you have recently returned back from Hajj I pray that Allah accepted it from you. InshaAllah you have returned like the day you were born, with a clean slate, with zero sins.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Prophet ﷺ say: “Whoever performs Hajj for the sake of Allah and does not utter any obscene speech or do any evil deed, will go back (free of sin) as his mother gave him birth.” (Bukhari & Muslim).
Even if you have not had the opportunity to perform Hajj, you can get all your sins forgiven by making sincere repentance to Allah.
With that in mind, here are a few things you can do to ensure that you keep a clean slate after Hajj. Remember, you may not get an opportunity to perform Hajj again.
1. Be the best of sinners
We are all human and it’s in our very nature that we will make mistakes. Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet ﷺ said, “All of the children of Adam are sinners, and the best sinners are those who repent.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhī)
This hadith is not giving a green light to sin but it simply acknowledges the fact that everyone will fall into sins at some point in their lives (except for the prophets who were protected). The important thing is to ensure that if you slip, don’t stay down. Get up and carry on. As soon as you slip up or make a mistake, immediately ask Allah to forgive you.
2. Regularly take account of yourself
At the end of each day or each week, go through all the sins and mistakes you have committed and make tawbah and istighfar for that day’s sins. Maybe every month look back and see which sins you are regularly committing and find ways to help you avoid falling into that sin in the future. For example, you may have certain friends who regularly backbite others and you find yourself joining in. Try to advise them and if you find that they are not taking heed, ask yourself if it’s worth keeping that sort of company.
In addition, remember to ask forgiveness for things you did without realising out of heedlessness and try to be more conscious of those sins in the future.
3. Be particularly conscious of the rights of others
Try not to backbite or slander others. Backbiting is saying something truthful about a person which the other person does not like being mentioned to others. Slander is falsely attributing something negative to another person. If we engaging in backbiting and do not seek forgiveness from that person, we will have to give our good deeds to that person on the day of judgement.
4. Add to your good deeds.
Remember, Allah has wiped out all of your bad deeds but out of His mercy, He has kept all of your good deeds which you have done and you have grown your good deeds during Hajj by performing salah in the haramain. Performing Hajj itself carries huge rewards.
Allah says: “Establish prayer at both ends of the day, and in the early hours of the night. Surely, good deeds erase bad deeds. That is a reminder for the mindful.” (Surah Hud, 114)
The Prophet ﷺ has said: “Have taqwa (consciousness) of Allah wherever you may be, and follow up a bad deed with a good deed, it will wipe it out, and behave well towards the people.” (At-Tirmidhi)
5. Ask Allah to help you
We should constantly ask Allah to help us avoid sins and assist us in remembering Him. Try to recite the following after every salah:
Mu’adh (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ took hold of my hand and said, “O Mu’adh! By Allah I love you, so I advise you to never forget to recite after every prayer:
اللَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّي عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ وَشُكْرِكَ وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ
“Allahumma a’inni ala dhikrika, wa shukrika, wa husni ‘ibadatika (O Allah, help me remember You, to be grateful to You, and to worship You in an excellent manner).” (Abu Dawud)
