Chapter I: Repentance
evil deeds and its God-fear. He gets salvation, who purifies it
and he is ruined who pollutes it-91 : 7. The Prophet said : A man
may continue to do good deeds upto seventy years. Even the
people then say that he is one of the inmates of Paradise. There is
then the distance of half a cubit between him and Paradise. Then
suddenly his fate comes forward and he begins to work the deeds
of the inmates of Hell and then he enters Hell. So there is the fear
of death before his Tauba. Man's every breath may be his last
breath and death maybe linked up with that breath.
4. Fourth class of repentants : These persons repent and remain in that condition for some days and then again return to sin. They feel no sorrow for their sins and do not mind to repent.
These persons are included within the habitual sinners. Such a soul is called Nafse Ammarah or a soul prone the evils. Such a soul runs towards evils after returning from good deeds. There is fear for such a man in the end. If he dies upon good and upon Tauba, he will await his release from hell although it will occur after some time. So to seek forgiveness by divine service is like acquiring education by efforts arid like seeking wealth by trade by crossing the big seas. All the people, except the learned are deprived of fortune. All the learned men except those who do good deeds are deprive of fortune. All the doers of goods deeds are deprived of fortune except those who sincerely do good for the sake of God. They also remain in anxieties. Those who hope for God's forgiveness without any good deed at their credit are fools, as God says "There is nothing for man except what he strives for." The wealth of the world is short lived, still it is subject to hard labour. How can you expect rewards without hard labour and sincere efforts in the next world ?
EXPLANATION OF VOLUNTARY AND INVOLUNTARY SINS
If a man commits a sin, he has got two compulsory duties- Tauba or repentance, and then doing a good deed. A thing can be destroyed by its opposite, such as cold by heat. So a bad deed can
Vol-IV THE BOOK OF CONSTRUCTIVE VIRTUES 45