Unbelievably, time has passed and we are already entering the month of Rajab. As we all know, Rajab itself is a very special month in Islam alongside Zulkaedah, Zulhijjah, and Muharram.

In Rajab, we prepare ourselves to welcome the month of Ramadan. And in preparation for Ramadan, we can start by asking for forgiveness from Allah to remove all of our sins.

Being human beings, we cannot escape from sins and making mistakes. Nonetheless Allah is All-Forgiving and extends forgiveness to all His servants who carry out these Islamic practices:

Recite Syahadah

Reciting syahadah la ilaha illallah is the mark of entrance into Islam. With the recitation of syahadah, all of our past sins will be forgiven. As the Prophet ﷺ said: 

Islam destroys that which came before it.

[Ahmad]

Istighfar

Istighfar means asking for Allah for forgiveness, at least by saying astaghfirullahalazim. There is also an istighfar that had been taught by The Prophet ﷺ known as ‘sayyidul istighfar’. With this dua, Allah forgives His servant’s sins.

The Prophet ﷺ said in Hadith Qudsi: 

Allah said: “…O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you.”

[at-Tirmidzi]

Worship None Other Than Allah

Shirk means to associate Allah with something or someone else. Those who perform shirk believe there are other beings that act like God to grant their wishes and save them from disasters and more. Shirk is a sin that will not be forgiven.

The Prophet ﷺ explained in Hadith Qudsi:

Allah said: “… O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.”

[at-Tirmidzi]

Follow the Footsteps of the Prophet ﷺ

Following the Prophet’s ﷺ footsteps means to follow everything that has been taught by the Prophet ﷺ whether in matters of faith, ibadah, muamalat, and others. By following the Prophet ﷺ, we are following Allah’s command, and by that, Allah forgives the sins of His servants.

Go to the Mosque

Going to the mosque for prayers is very demanding for men. However, not only will you receive an overflow of reward, you will also receive great reward for every step that you take. The Prophet ﷺ said:

Whoever purifies himself in his house then walks to one of the houses of Allah in order to perform one of the duties enjoined by Allah, for every two steps he takes, one will erase a sin and the other will raise him one degree in status.

[Muslim]

With all the various above practices insyaAllah, may Allah accept our ibadah and remove the sins that we have committed. May we also be better prepared to welcome Ramadan.

Ustaz Abdul Rahman Rahuni is a graduate of the Islamic University of Madinah studying in the field of Islamic Sharia. He is currently an instructor at Sekolah Menengah Ugama Islamiah, Tawau, Sabah.