The Best Spot Cleaner in the World!
I woke up to a sudden “Knock Knock Knock!” on my apartment door. I waited, hoping whoever it was would leave. To my dismay the “knocker” became the “pounder” and began pounding on my door instead. So I went to the door and there stood a woman. “Oh!” she says. I’m sorry to wake you! Interrupting I demand an explanation for the pounding on the door that gave me a pounding in my head. She opens a bag and pulls forth from the deep, black, ugly bag a bottle that says, “Best Spot Cleaner in the World!”
I am certain this has happened to others and they understand what look I probably gave her. My bird, Safi the sun conure – May Allah grant him a long life and a softer screech – flies on my shoulder and starts doing a horrid screech. At this point my mind being tired, throbbing from the pounding as well as the screeching of the bird, I blurt out rather loudly – ALHAMDULILAH! “What?” she says in an inquisitive tone. “Well Mam,” I say with a tone of controlled anger. ”I am tired, have a headache, my bird is screeching, and you, Mam are trying to sell me “The best spot cleaner in the world!” The least I could do is Thank God that I haven’t exploded on you.” I’m not interested, but thank you for the visit anyhow, I say, and then shut the door.
I go back to bed, but due to the oppression I just experienced, I can not sleep. So, as my mind usually does, I start to think about what just happened to me. ”Best Spot Cleaner in the World?”, I ask myself. In my reflection I recalled a lecture that I had with Shaykh ‘Alaa’ud-deen Al-Hamawy in the madrasah. He spoke of the aayah in the Qur’aan,
كَلَّا بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ
“By no means! but on their hearts is the stain of the (ill) which they do!” [83:14]
In the lecture, and it is one that I remember vaguely, Shaykh ‘Alaa was explaining the word “Raan“, translated here as “Stain”. He stated that the stain is caused by sins, and the only way to clean these stains is through correct tawbah to Allah ta’alaa.
The mufassireen of this Ummah explain this verse with an authentic narration from the Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) that reads,
إِنَّ الْعَبْد إِذَا أَذْنَبَ ذَنْبًا كَانَتْ نُكْتَة سَوْدَاء فِي قَلْبه فَإِنْ تَابَ مِنْهَا صُقِلَ قَلْبه وَإِنْ زَادَ زَادَتْ ” فَذَلِكَ قَوْل اللَّه تَعَالَى ” كَلَّا بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبهمْ مَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ
“Indeed, when the slave (of Allah) commits a sin, a black spot appears in his heart. If he repents from it, his heart is cleansed, and if he increases (in sin) then the spot will increase. So that [is the meaning] of the saying of Allah ta’alaa, “By no means! But on their hearts is the stain of the (ill) which they do!”.
At-Tirmidhi declared this hadith “Hasan Sahih”. It is reported with similar wording by An-Nasaa’i, Ibn Maajah, At-Tabari in his tafseer, Baghawi, Ahmad in his Musna, Ibn Hibbaan in his Sahih, and others.
So what is the best spot cleaner? Sincere Tawbah to Allah, following up the bad deed with a good deed, and being aware of Allah in everything you do. In one word, “Islaam!”
We should be trying to give that away free, instead of knocking on people’s doors while sleeping beneath cool sheets and the cold side of a soft pillow, only to attempt to sell them some chemical mixture that probably contains some weird carcinogen!
So May Allah cleanse our hearts and remove its spots. May He bring us closer to Him, by means of Loving Him, turning to Him in times of need and remembering Him in all affairs. Aameen!
wa Sallallahu ‘alaa sayyidunaa Muhammad wa ‘alaa Aalihi wa Sahbihi wa Sallam!
Beautiful.
I really enjoy your blog.
MashaALlah.