عن أنَسِ بن مالكٍ الأنصاريِّ رضي اللّه عنه، خادمِ رسول اللّه صلّى اللّه عليه وسلّم قال: قال رسول اللّه صلّى اللّه عليه وسلّم: «لَلَّهُ أَفرحُ بتوبَةِ عبدِه من أحدِكُم سَقَطَ على بَعيرِه وقد أضَلَّه في أرضٍ فَلاة». متفق عليه • وفي رواية لمسلم: «لَلَّهُ أَشَدُّ فَرَحًا بِتَوْبَةِ عَبْدِهِ حِينَ يَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ أَحَدِكُمْ كَانَ عَلَى رَاحِلَتِهِ بِأَرْضٍ فَلَاةٍ فَانْفَلَتَتْ مِنْهُ وَعَلَيْهَا طَعَامُهُ وَشَرَابُهُ فَأَيِسَ مِنْهَا فَأَتَى شَجَرَةً فَاضْطَجَعَ فِي ظِلِّهَا وقَدْ أَيِسَ مِنْ رَاحِلَتِهِ فَبَيْنَما هُوَ كَذَلِكَ إِذَا هُوَ بِهَا قَائِمَةً عِنْدَهُ فَأَخَذَ بِخِطَامِهَا ثُمَّ قَالَ مِنْ شِدَّةِ الْفَرَحِ اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ عَبْدِي وَأَنَا رَبُّكَ أَخْطَأَ مِنْ شِدَّةِ الْفَرَحِ». ولها ثلاثة أركان: الإقلاع عن المعصية، والندم على فعلها، والعزم على ألّا يعود إليها أبدًا، فإن كانت المعصية لحق آدمي فلها ركن رابع، وهو التحلل من صاحب ذلك الحقّ.
On the authority of Anas ibn Malik al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him), the servant of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Allah is more delighted with the repentance of His servant than one of you who finds his camel after having lost it in a barren desert." Agreed upon (narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim). In a narration by Muslim: "Allah is more delighted with the repentance of His servant when he turns to Him in repentance than one of you who was on his mount in a barren desert, and it escaped from him with his food and drink upon it. He despaired of finding it, so he came to a tree and lay down in its shade, having given up hope of his mount. While he was in that state, suddenly there it was, standing beside him. He grabbed its reins, then from overwhelming joy he said: 'O Allah, You are my servant and I am Your Lord!' -- making a mistake out of the intensity of his joy." Repentance has three pillars: ceasing the sin, feeling remorse for having committed it, and resolving never to return to it. If the sin involves the right of another person, then there is a fourth pillar: making amends to the wronged party.
الشرح · explanation
أفرح: أي أشدّ فرحًا. سقط على بعيره: عثرَ على موضعِه. أضله: ضيَّعه. فلاة: أرض واسعة لا نبات بها ولا ماء. راحلته: ما يركبه المسافر من ناقة أو غيرها. بخطامها: حبل يربط به البعير.
"More delighted" (afrah): meaning more intensely pleased. "Finds his camel" (saqata 'ala ba'irihi): stumbled upon its location. "Lost it" (adallahu): misplaced it. "Barren desert" (falah): a vast land with no vegetation or water. "His mount" (rahilatuhu): what the traveler rides, such as a camel or otherwise. "Its reins" (bi-khitamiha): the rope by which a camel is tied.
الدروس · lessons
أصل التوبة في اللغة: الرجوع. أن التوبة من جميع المعاصي واجبة على الفور، لا يجوز تأخيرها، سواء كانت المعصية صغيرة أو كبيرة. تحقّق صاحب الراحلة أنّه سيموت في مكان لا يدري به أحد، وسيكون قبره في بطون السباع، وحواصل الطير. جواز القسم للتأكيد على ما فيه فائدة ومصلحة. اللّه أشد فرحًا بتوبة العبد وهو أغنى الأغنياء تبارك وتعالى، غنيّ عنا وعن توبتنا. الفرح من اللّه عز جل مثل سائر صفاته، كالرضا والغضب والرحمة والمحبة وغير ذلك، يجب إثباتها له، على الوجه اللائق به سبحانه وتعالى، وليست من جنس صفات المخلوقين. فيه دليل على أنّ الإنسان إذا أخطأ في قول من الأقوال ولو كان كفرًا سبق لسانه إليه فلا يؤاخذ عليه. بركة الاستسلام لأمر اللّه والخروج عن الحول والقوة. الحثّ على المسارعة في التوبة إذا وقعت المعصية في ليل أو نهار. سَعة رحمة اللّه وإحسانه لعباده أنْ شرّع لهم التوبة وفتح لهم أبوابها. قبول التوبة مستمرّ ما دام بابها مفتوحًا.
The linguistic origin of repentance (tawbah) is: returning. Repentance from all sins is obligatory immediately and may not be delayed, whether the sin is minor or major. The owner of the mount was certain he would die in a place where no one would know about him, and his grave would be in the bellies of wild beasts and the crops of birds. It is permissible to take an oath to emphasize what is beneficial and of interest. Allah is more delighted with the repentance of His servant, and He is the Richest of all, the Blessed and Most High, free of any need for us or our repentance. Delight (farah) from Allah the Almighty is like His other attributes -- such as pleasure, anger, mercy, and love -- which must be affirmed for Him in a manner befitting Him, Most Glorified and Most High, and they are not of the same nature as the attributes of created beings. This is evidence that if a person makes an error in speech, even if it constitutes disbelief but his tongue slipped, he is not held accountable for it. There is blessing in surrendering to Allah's decree and relinquishing one's own power and strength. The encouragement to hasten in repentance whenever a sin occurs, whether by night or by day. The vastness of Allah's mercy and His benevolence toward His servants in that He legislated repentance for them and opened its doors. The acceptance of repentance continues as long as its door remains open.