STAYING AWAY FROM FORBIDDEN MATTERS AND PERFORMING THE OBLIGATORY DEEDS:
Allah tells us in the Quran that doing good deeds can help us in erasing our bad deeds.
He says in the Quran:
“Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e. small sins). That is a reminder (an advice) for the mindful (those who accept advice).”
(Hud 11:114)
Focusing on the obligatory acts and steering clear of what Allah has forbidden, thus helps one distance from sins.
If an evil action has been committed, it should be followed up with a good one. Righteous actions expiate the evil actions as the Prophet (S.A.W.S) said:
“The five daily prayers and one Jumu’ah to the next, and one Ramadan to the next Ramadan, is expiation for what lies between them as a long as one refrains from the major sins.” [Sahih Muslim]
And he said:
“One Umrah to the next is an expiation for what is in between them.”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari]
PRACTICING SELF CONTROL:
One can stay away from sins by practicing self control. We can practice self control using that the prophet (S.A.W.S.) taught us. For example, we are asked to stem anger by reciting
*”A’udhu Billahi min ash-shaytaan-i’r rajeem”* (I seek refuge in Allah against the accursed Satan),
whenever we get angry and are about to do or say something in a fit of anger.
Sins pertaining to fulfillment of desires in the haraam, forbidden way, require self control as well. This should be accompanied with supplications to Allah, as we constantly need His help to strengthen ourselves. To help us in such situations where self control needs to be brought forth, we should think of the rewards that Allah Most Merciful has promised those who exercise patience and restrain themselves from reacting with anger or in any negative manner. Those rewards should not be lost!
WEEPING OUT OF FEAR OF ALLAH:
Anas bin Malik (R.A.) reported: The Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.S) delivered a Khutbah to us the like of which I had never heard from him before. In the course of the Khutbah, he said:
“If you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much.”
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Abu Hurairah (R.A.A) reported: Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.S) said:
“One who weeps out of fear of Allah, will not enter Hell till milk returns back in the udder…”
[At-Tirmidhi]