Welcome to the 10th weekly episode of the series Mohammad, Radiant Sun of Guidance. One of the approaches of the divine religion of Islam for forgiveness of sins is repentance and prayers to God, and call for the intercession of the Infallible Imams (Peace be upon them), which has been urged by Islam and is in accordance to the traditions of Prophet of Islam, Mohammad (Blessings of God upon him and his progeny).

Today, we become more familiar with the conditions of repentance and call for the intercession of the infallible Imams.

Upon sunset, people, after a day of hard work, return to their families; birds go back to their nests; forests are mired in silence; and gradually all living creatures fall asleep. In such moments, the servitudes of God wake up to pray and to worship the one and only creator of the world, God Almighty. They observe nightly prayers and are fully and selflessly devoted to God.

In the 79^th ayah of Surat al-Isra, God tells the Prophet of Islam: “And keep vigil for a part of the night, as a supererogatory for you. It may be that your Lord will raise you to a praiseworthy station.”

The Prophet of Islam as of his divine appointment was faced with huge wave of oppositions and conspiracies. The extent of pressure pile upon him was unbearable for an ordinary person. The Prophet of Islam, other than receipt of divine revelations, felt tired like other human beings and thereafter needed to take a rest.

All of a sudden, in one of these days, he heard a heavenly voice which said:  “O you wrapped up in your mantle! Stand vigil through the night, except a little, a half, or reduce a little from that or add to it, and recite the Quran in a measured tone.”

According to religious experts, in the beginning everyone was duty-bound to observe nightly prayers. However, given that observance of nightly prayers was not possible for all; it only became a necessity for the Prophet of Islam, although some of the faithful and pious Muslims continue to follow the tradition of the Prophet of Islam and wake up at night, while others are sleep, to worship and pray to God. The Prophet of Islam notes: Whenever a servant of God wakes up at the heart of the night to worship God, the creator of the world lights up His servitude’s heart.

One of the prominent Islamic figures who observed nightly prayers was the First Infallible Imam of the Prophet of Islam’s Household, Imam Ali (Peace be upon him). His mystical, nightly prayers inspired the devotees of God.

Meanwhile, Angel of God, Gabriel, in order to signify the importance of nightly prayers and its constructive role, told the Prophet of Islam: The honor of a faithful person is tied to his observance of nightly prayers.

Observance of nightly prayers is one of the important and prominent traditions of Prophet Mohammad, and the true followers of the Prophet of Islam, in addition to observance of daily prayers, should commit themselves to stand vigil at night and to observe nightly prayers.

The Prophet of Islam, in an address to Muslims noted: Standing vigil at night is the tradition of your Prophet. It is the righteous path of the chaste individuals and also remedies your physical pains and ailments.

The important fact that this Hadith conveys is that observance of nightly prayers, in addition to its spiritual rewards, leaves a highly positive impact on the physical health of people. This fact has also been proved by psychologists who strongly believe that the health of one’s spirit and one’s body are tied to each other.

Despite the fact that observance of nightly prayers is highly treasured in Islamic culture, not everyone who stands vigil at night necessarily maintains an especial status. Obviously, only those who stand vigil at night with a profound sense of awareness and alertness are praiseworthy. These faithful Muslims fully believe that the universe maintains a purpose and a goal and highly enjoy their mystical prayers before God. However, those, who are not characterized by these traits, never understand and experience the joy that servitudes and true devotees of God feel in observance of nightly prayers.

Nights are the best time for worshippers to plead to God for forgiveness of their sins. The servants of God, irrespective of the measures that they take to serve God, never consider themselves immune of wrongdoings. Hence, they stand vigil at night, seeking God’s forgiveness, hoping that divine blessings would be bestowed upon them.

The 17^th and 18^th ayahs of Surat Al-Dhariyat in Holy Quran describe the pious, noting: They used to sleep a little during the night, and at dawns they would plead for forgiveness.

God Almighty in order to instill the rays of hope in His servants and in order to prevent their fall into the abyss of despair, tells the Prophet of Islam: Inform my servants that I am indeed the All-forgiving, the All-merciful.

Repentance and forgiveness of sins maintains an especial status in the Prophet of Islam’s tradition.

Meanwhile, those, who have committed major sins, may feel that if they directly seek forgiveness, their repentance may not be accepted. Hence, these sinners seek the intercession of those, who are highly respected and valued by God. Meanwhile, God Almighty, who is fully aware of these sinners’ concerns, addresses the Prophet of Islam in the 64^th ayah of Surat al-Nisa in Holy Quran: “…Had they, when they wronged themselves, come to you and pleaded to Allah for forgiveness, and the Apostle had pleaded for forgiveness for them, they would have surely found Allah all-clement, all merciful.”

God Almighty has permitted Muslims to be forgiven for their unintentional sins and wrongdoings in the honor of Prophet of Islam. God in the 33^rd ayah of Surat Al-Anfal says: “But Allah will not punish them while you are in their midst, nor will Allah punish them while they plead for forgiveness.”

Meanwhile, repentance is accepted when the sinner truly regrets his misdeeds and never intends to commit that sin again.

MR/SS