"I Want to Repent but..." by Sh.Suhaib Webb @ KGPA

Sheikh Suhaib Webb was in KL last week.It`s glad to see him coming over to Malaysia again after he made his previous visit a few days before Ramadhan 1432H started(at least his previous talk @ KGPA). Sheikh mentioned that Malaysia is his second home since his wife is a Malaysian and thus he would frequently offer visits to Malaysia to see his in laws. As Malaysians, it is true blessing and advantage for us to be able to have him giving talk during his stay here for holiday.I guess he was left with only limited time to spend with his in laws here since his schedule was pretty hectic as he had to deliver a few talks here and there around KL. However I hope he has managed to use the limited time as fulfilled as possible with his in laws.

While I was in the US, I wasn`t really big fan of him. The only lecture that I listened to delivered by him was the series of The Wives of the Prophets pbuh. It is really a captivating lectures of history of our Ummu Mukminin. But now,since he is the only scholar hailed from US who has made regular visits to Malaysia and delivers talk here, I have started to know more about him, and now Alhamdulillah I have become so eager to attend more and more of his talks whenever I get chance, inshaAllah. The content of his talks are full of wisdom and easy-to-grab points and he would also elaborate it in related analogy that makes me couldn`t agree more with him. He also sheds lights on matters that we, perhaps already know, but due to our ignorance, not putting much thought about it.

The talk of "I want to Repent but.." was about repentance,

essence of repentance, why people don`t repent, and how to offer our repentance. He also touched on greatness and uniqueness of Surah Fatihah in that, according to him, should be our main guidance and the surah itself contains so much benefits and hidden meanings that we can derive. Repentance is for some people is quite a dry subject, as it is so easy to say and ask people t repent. It needs just a word: "Repent!". But why, on the other side, it is so hard for people to do it? We, as weak human being , tend to take the word and action of repentance to light.It is just so easy to hear the word, then forget it just in seconds! Indeed (Inna), the act of repentance is something that we should always remember and keep doing it without fail. Why? Apart from it purifies our sins, we should repent in frequent basis because we simply never know when our little 'qiyamat' will come! It can be right in the middle of us doing sin while a while ago we was doing a good deed, without us having a moment to istighfar and repent!

So why people don`t repent? Many reasons can be cited. But according to sheikh, being despair of mercy of Allah and his forgiveness is one of top reasons and it is indeed a great sin! Some people feel like he/she is full of sins and thus feel not deserving forgiveness from Allah for the sins. It is indeed a recipe for disaster. Allah`s mercy is much much much more that we should never ever underestimate. Remember the story of a man who kills 99 people and finally 100 people, but yet Allah forgives him? As a human, it is well acknowledged that we keep doing sinful actions in our daily life. No physically and mentally sound people would do away without any sin. What we should do is to remember our sin, feel regret, try to do as much as we can to leave it. Then have high hope of Allah`s mercy to grant us forgiveness. InshaAllah. Ask Allah to help us get rid of our sinful actions and strive for the better. But remember the key point is, to have a gut to feel guilty of our sinful actions first! Without it, the urge to repent would never come, unless it Allah wills. It is the condition of repentance.

I would like to share here the talk from Suhaib Webb as recorded by the organizer. Jazakumullahukhayran katheeran for their efforts! May Allah reward them.