صَلُّوۡا عَلَى الۡحَبِيۡب                                     صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

The example of the repenting believer

Once, Prophet ꜤĪsā عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلاَم was sitting with his disciples, when a beautiful bird came and began to roll on the ground in front of him. It rubbed itself on the ground so much that its skin came off. It was now red, featherless, and extremely ugly. It then went into a muddy patch and began to move around in it, causing it to become even more unsightly. After this, it went to some flowing water and washed itself, resulting in its previous beauty to return. The mud was washed away, the bird grew new skin, and returned to its former state.

Seeing this, Prophet ꜤĪsā عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلاَم said to his disciples, “This bird has been sent to you as a sign; it is an example of the believer. A believer commits a sin, thereby making himself unpleasant and dirty, and then when he repents, the darkness of sins is removed from him, and he returns to his former beauty.”^[1]

Dear Islamic brothers, these are the blessings of repentance. We must sit alone and think, “Why did I come into this world, and what am I doing? Ah! I will have to stand before my Lord.” This realisation, regret, shame, and sincere repentance are the solution to all complaints in life.

Do not persist in sins

Dear Islamic brothers, we should learn how to feel regretful. Remember, it is unfortunate to persist in sins, meaning, making a habit to commit them and become stubborn in this regard and not feel any regret. Allah Almighty has mentioned a quality of His righteous slaves that when they sin, they do not persist in it, rather they repent and