ReStarting Afresh: 7 Steps to reStart Afresh with Allah

Abstract:

In this article, I’m sharing how to restart afresh with Allah, after one has fallen to his weakness away from Allah's commands, for a long time. The good news is, no matter how heavy your evil deeds, Allah's Mercy encompasses them and beyond. Thus, it’s not too late to restart afresh.

ReStart Afresh: Introduction

Alhamdulillah… Infinite praise and thanks are due to the Almighty Allah, the Most-Forgiving and the Most-Merciful. Complete blessings and salutations go to the best giver of glad tidings, Sayyidinā Muhammad, his household, his companions, and all those who follow his guided path till the end of time.

The first part of (this) life is unpredictable in nature. That’s what makes it a dynamic place of transit, a home for real challenges and trials, and a platform for working hard towards winning Allah’s pleasure and abstaining from His anger. It’s therefore, not surprising that circumstances may push many of us or impose on them a certain lifestyle that keeps them away from their purpose of been created and brought to this world.

When that happens, it becomes easy for one perceive as normal crime, transgression, tyranny and all sorts of evil. This ruins him until Allah opens his heart, one fine day, to realize that he’s derailed from the right path that leads to Allah’s pleasure. It’s only when he’s given the chance to realize, that he knows how far he has been away from the righteous path.

In this article, I’m sharing with you where to start, how to start and move on when one regains his consciousness as a Muslim and responsible vicegerent on earth, and decides to reroute through the correct path, that leads to Allah’s eternal Heavens.

ReStarting Afresh: The Guide to ReStart Afresh

When one strays away from the commands of Allah, he may commit the most heinous crimes unimaginable. He may be engaged in all forms of fraud. Since everything has a consequence, involving in a lifestyle of such a nature could lead one to one of the most depressed situations in life.

The good news is, there’s a way out and an effective solution to any problem, if only we involve Allah in finding the solution. You are lucky if after staying away from Him for long, you eventually receive the inspiration to think of going back to Him. You’re not the first to experience this and will definitely not be the last to. But as far as you’re concerned, you have this chance to take up the challenge and reconcile with Him.

In a ḥadīth reported by Imām al-Bukhārī and Muslim, Sayyidunā Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudriyy raḍiya Allāhu ‘anhu narrates, that The Prophet Muhammad ṣallā Allāh ‘alayhi wa sallam narrated to them a story and said:

”كانَ فِيمَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ رَجُلٌ قَتَلَ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ نَفْسًا. فَسَأَلَ عَنْ أَعْلَمِ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ، فَدُلَّ عَلَى رَاهِبٍ. فَأَتَاهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ قَتَلَ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ نَفْسًا، فَهَلْ لَهُ مِنَ تَوْبَةٍ؟ فَقَالَ: لاَ. فَقَتَلَهُ فَكَمَّلَ بِهِ مِائَةً. ثُمَّ سَأَلَ عَنْ أَعْلَمِ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ، فَدُلَّ عَلَى رَجُلٍ عَالِمٍ. فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ قَتَلَ مِائَةَ نَفْسٍ فَهَلْ لَهُ مِنْ تَوْبَةٍ؟ فَقَالَ: نَعَمْ وَمَنْ يَحُولُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ التَّوْبَةِ؟ انْطَلِقْ إِلَى أَرْضِ كَذَا وَكَذَا. فَإِنَّ بِهَا أُنَاسًا يَعْبُدُونَ اللَّهَ فَاعْبُدِ اللَّهَ مَعَهُمْ، وَلاَ تَرْجِعْ إِلَى أَرْضِكَ، فَإِنَّهَا أَرْضُ سَوْءٍ. فَانْطَلَقَ حَتَّى إِذَا نَصَفَ الطَّرِيقَ أَتَاهُ الْمَوْتُ. فَاخْتَصَمَتْ فِيهِ مَلاَئِكَةُ الرَّحْمَةِ وَمَلاَئِكَةُ الْعَذَابِ. فَقَالَتْ مَلاَئِكَةُ الرَّحْمَةِ جَاءَ تَائِبًا مُقْبِلاً بِقَلْبِهِ إِلَى اللَّهِ. وَقَالَتْ مَلاَئِكَةُ الْعَذَابِ إِنَّهُ لَمْ يَعْمَلْ خَيْرًا قَطُّ. فَأَتَاهُمْ مَلَكٌ فِي صُورَةِ آدَمِيٍّ، فَجَعَلُوهُ بَيْنَهُمْ. فَقَالَ: قِيسُوا مَا بَيْنَ الأَرْضَيْنِ، فَإِلَى أَيَّتِهِمَا كَانَ أَدْنَى فَهُوَ لَهُ. فَقَاسُوهُ فَوَجَدُوهُ أَدْنَى إِلَى الأَرْضِ الَّتِي أَرَادَ، فَقَبَضَتْهُ مَلاَئِكَةُ الرَّحْمَةِ.“

“There was a person before you who had killed 99 persons, and then made an inquiry about the most learned person on earth. He was directed to a monk. He came to him and told him that he had killed 99 persons and asked him whether there was any chance for his repentance to be accepted. He said: No. He killed him also and thus completed 100. He then asked about the most learned person on earth and he was directed to a scholar, and he told him that he had killed 100 persons and asked him whether there was any chance for his repentance to be accepted. He said: Yes; what stands between you and the repentance? You better go to such and such land; there are people devoted to prayer and worship, you should also worship along with them and do not come back to the land of yours since it was an evil land. So, he went away, and he had hardly covered half the distance when death came to him. The there was a dispute between the angels of mercy and the angels of punishment. The angels of mercy said: This man has come as a repentant and remorseful to Allah. And the angels of punishment said: He has done no good at all. Then there came another angel in the form of a human being in order to decide between them. He said:  Measure the land to which he has drawn near. They measured it and found him nearer to the land where he intended to go (the land of piety). And so, the angels of mercy took possession of him.”

There are many lessons we can derive from this ḥadīth. One of such is that, no matter how weighty your wrongdoings, Allah’s oceans of mercy is forever enough to accommodate them and His light is strong and sharp enough to render you a clean blank page.

The question that one may desperately ask at this point is, “where do I start from?”

ReStarting Afresh: Where Do I reStart From?

It’s not unusual to lose your way in any journey you embark on. It’s, however, unusual to realize that you’re lost, and refuse to accept the fact and make the necessary changes to find your way to your intended destination.

When you navigate using any given navigation app on your mobile device, there may come some time when the app crashes, your phone shuts down (due to overheating) or the app simply loses the way. In situations like these, the app won’t take you back to where you started your journey and restart all over again. It rather reroutes your journey from the point it encountered the problem and then recalculates the journey and the distance ahead.

The same analogy is true in our journey to Allah. The path of our journey to Allah is clouded with many distractions. Such distractions could cause you to lose focus, feel lazy or relaxed. In fact, one may deviate totally from the route of his journey.

The assumption is that you’re lost, confused and hence, looking for a restarting. Rest assured that you’re safe. You’re safe because you’ve realized your loss. Many others go longer than you’ve gone, without realizing, or they realize but refuse to accept the suggestion to reform. The fact that you’re looking for a restarting point means you’re ready to transform and change. Therefore, this moment is your starting point.

Once you realize you’ve been walking (living) in the wrong direction, you have to restart from the point of your realization. The point you have realised that you have been in deviation all this while. The point when you came to the realisation of your dire need of Allah. And the point when you realize that you’re not meant to lead the lifestyle you’re presently leading.

However, you may rightly have some concerns. Deeply, one of such may be about the intense of the crimes, wrongdoings or many other evil deeds one might has committed. But I say, yes… one might has committed the worst of evil. But it’s not too late to restart afresh.

Some other serious and legitimate concerns include been followed by the shadow of one’s past. But then again, I say, yes… it may take some time to overcome the shadow of one’s past. But it’s worth knowing that Allah won’t judge you basing on the shadow of your past (after you’ve sincerely repented), rather based on the sincere repentance you make to Him.

No matter how ugly one’s past may look–and who doesn’t have an ugly past?, always remember that nothing can be done to undo the past. But we have the choice to contribute in making a brighter, pleasant and righteous future for ourselves, inshā Allah.

ReStarting Afresh: Will Allah Accept Me?

In many cases, when one decides to restart afresh, this is the burning question Satan uses to distract and deter him from turning to Allah. He keeps whispering in his ears, that the accumulation of his sins have emerged as high as the highest mountain, and that there’s no way Allah will accept him when he turns to Him. But the truth and reality are, as long as you turn to Him, Allah will accept you.

Again, the fact that Allah has inspired you with the realisation of your situation is a significant indication that He wants you back to the right path. You might have committed heinous crimes. But no matter what, His Mercy encompasses everything. Remember in the ḥadīth above, the man killed 100 people. Yet, Allah granted him a full pardon. Why? Simply because, he turned to Him at the end of the day; when he realised the need to change.

قُلْ يَـٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ ٱللَّـهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّـهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ﴿٥٣﴾ـ

“Say, [Allah says] “O My servants, who have committed excesses against their own souls, do not despair of Allah’s mercy, for Allah surely forgives all sins. He is truly the Most-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful” (Surah al-Zumar, 39:53).

ReStarting Afresh: How Do I reStart?

The assumption is that you’re lost, confused. Fortunately, you looked for where to restart afresh from and have received the answer. Now, you’re searching for how to restart afresh. To tell you the truth, my friend, I’m glad you’ve read to this point. Because this is the most exciting part. It signifies that you’re now ready to reclaim your heart and enjoy the sweetness of īmān, which you’ve missed for a long time. Soon, very soon, you’ll enjoy a truly sound sleep, inshā Allah!

I’m suggesting some seven steps to follow when one decides to start afresh with Allah. Note that some may not be applicable at all times. But the first, second and seventh steps are always applicable, regardless of your situation.

#1: To ReStart Afresh, Start with a Genuine Repentance

Genuine repentance is a prerequisite to restart afresh with Allah. Even when one commits no evil or sins that are known to him, the Muslim is encouraged to repent and seek Allah forgiveness. What more when he’s aware of his own wrongdoings? Allah encourages us, every Muslim and every believer, to repent to him. He says in Sūrah al-Tahrim, 66:8:

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ تُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّـهِ تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحًا عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَن يُكَفِّرَ عَنكُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمْ وَيُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ يَوْمَ لَا يُخْزِى ٱللَّـهُ ٱلنَّبِىَّ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ ۖ نُورُهُمْ يَسْعَىٰ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَبِأَيْمَـٰنِهِمْ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ أَتْمِمْ لَنَا نُورَنَا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَآ ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ﴿٨﴾ـ

Believers, turn to Allah in sincere repentance. Your Lord may well forgive your bad deeds and admit you into gardens watered by running streams, on a Day when Allah will not abase the Prophet and those who have believed with him. Their light will shine out ahead of them and on their right, and they will say: “Lord perfect our light for us, and forgive us; You have power over all things.”

Once you’ve repented genuinely, and have started your process of restarting afresh with Him, it’s time to look into the root cause of the problem. What might have contributed to your situation? Consider changing your lifestyle.

#2: To ReStart Afresh, Change Your Lifestyle

When you restart an operating system, say a laptop or a mobile phone, many things, especially unwanted files are removed for the system, broken links are fixed, some bugs are eliminated, and as a result the functionality is improved. This means, your current situation might have resulted from your choice of lifestyle. And one’s lifestyle definitely affects his happiness and relationship with Allah.

Naturally, man desires comfort and luxury. The good news is, Islam does not prohibit you from enjoying comfort and luxury as long as you earn them from halal means. Any comfort or luxury that is accumulated from haram means has huge implications and consequences. The more of it you consume, the more you want more. Sadly, once one is addicted to haram-earned comfort, the readier he becomes to commit any evil, as long as it satisfies his addiction.

You know better what your lifestyle is made up of, and the lifestyle you’re living. I’m not asking you to dump it altogether. No. I’m rather suggesting that you review it, and make changes where necessary. Remember, that you can’t get a different result by doing the same thing or living the same lifestyle.

#3: To ReStart Afresh, Change Your Circle of Friends

They say, “Birds of feather flock together.” If your lifestyle has imposed on you to hang out with people whom you know to be criminals, gangsters, womanizers, corrupt and whatnot, then it’s high time you say good bye to them. Replace them with those who will remind you of Allah, those who will invite you to the mosque, those who will be there to pray for your dead body when you’re laid in a coffin, to be taken to the grave.

In other words, to change your lifestyle, you may need to change the circle of friends, with whom you hang out. “But why?!” you may wonder. The possibility is that, they have contributed in leading you to your current state. No friend has no influence in his friends.

Replacing your circle of friends has to be beyond your real life friends to include your virtual friends. Friends, whether from the real life circle or the online sphere come in three main forms: those who add value to your life, those who bring harm to your life, and those who neither add value nor bring harm to your life. You will have to kick out those who bring harm to your life.

Bringing harm to your life is not only by hurting you physically. Make no mistake. It includes exposing you to sins that you could never have the courage to think about, let alone commit them, until you met them. For instance, some friends on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter may consistently share materials that encourage zina, pornography, violence or terrorism, immorality, racism and whatnot. If you have friends of this nature, don’t think twice before kicking them out of your friends list.

Your focus now is not to change them by “trying to guide them” to do good. Rather, you have to focus on yourself first. Save yourself first. Then let the fun begin, if ever you get the time for that. Once you succeed in saving yourself, then you may consider finding effective and efficient ways to help others.

Think about a group of people who are drowning in the sea. The most experienced among them can only help save others after he has ensured he’s equipped with an effective life jacket, and it’s safe for him to help other before doing so. Isn’t it?

#4: To ReStart Afresh, What About Your Neighbourhood?

Likewise your circle of friends, if the nature of your neighbourhood has contributed to your situation, then you should consider moving a neighbourhood. In the ḥadīth above, the scholar advised the sinner to move to a particular land, where the majority of its people are devoted to worshipping and righteousness. We can’t deny the fact that environment plays a big role in shaping our worldview and setting our values and moral compasses.

So, reflect and figure out how your neighbourhood gets you close to Allah or keeps you away from Him.

#5 To ReStart Afresh, Hang Out at the Mosque

Next, make the mosque one of your regular hangouts. For one, it’s the house of Allah. Two, you’re likely to be inspired to ask and learn while in the mosque. Also, you’ll be pleased to take your last breath in the mosque, who knows, that may as well happen when you’re in sujud.

One of the ways to make the mosque a regular hangout is to strive to offer our daily prayers in the mosque. This, definitely, requires a lot of effort, commitment and consistency, even if you’re living next to the mosque. Also, one of the ways to hook yourself with a mosque is to subscribe to offering a volunteering service to a mosque, in a way that will require you to frequent to the mosque.

#6: To ReStart Afresh, Take it Easy on Yourself

One of the big mistakes we make when we restart afresh with Allah is that we compare ourselves with those whom we perceive to have been righteous their whole life. That’s unfair to them as well as to ourselves. Mind you; only Allah knows who’s truly righteous.

Perhaps, one of the ways to measure our progress is to compare. Fine. But we should only compare ourselves with ourselves. Not with others. For instance, let’s say today I have managed to abstain from racism, violence or any form of evil act. How would I know I have done well today? I reflect and compare myself today with me whom committed those wrongdoings yesterday, and I will see the difference. But if I compare myself with someone who has never committed any those evil acts (at least to my knowledge), then I won’t ever see progress in myself. Furthermore, even if I compare myself with someone who is same level with me in evil doings, it’s still not fair. Because he might have had valid reasons to commit them, where by in my case I have none.

This is to say, as you transform, don’t expect a miraculous change in 24 hours, or even within 24 weeks. Take it easy on yourself. Take the time to learn more about your essential needs as a Muslim. Be consistent in reaching out to Allah, by praying and supplicating. Also, learn to read the Qur’an, if you don’t know how to. And be honest and sincere in all that.

#7: To ReStart Afresh, Persevere with Consistency

One of the most important keys to success is perseverance with consistency. Committing evil is very much liked by the soul. And carrying out righteous deeds requires courage and intrinsic will, and it requires effort. To achieve this, one has to constantly remind himself, that no one seeks Allah and gets denied by Him!

وَٱلَّذِينَ جَـٰهَدُوا۟ فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّـهَ لَمَعَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿٦٩﴾ـ

“We will surely guide in Our ways those who strive hard for Our cause, Allah is surely with the righteous” (Sūrah al-‘Ankabūt, 29:69).

Do supplicate to Him, that He makes your feet firm in righteousness. This will support you with a strong will in the face of the many distractions that already exist and will certainly come your way. It’s worth noting that these distractions get stronger by the day.

ReStarting Afresh: Conclusion

This ḥadīth above doesn’t encourage, by any means, that one freely goes about and gets engaged in crimes and evil acts with the hope that Allah will forgive him. Instead, it delivers the good news to those who might have fallen to their weakness, and have realized their wrongdoings and are looking for the way to restart afresh with Allah. It also gives hope to those who might have committed wrongdoings out of ignorance or against their will.

However, at any point, if one wrongs himself and commits any acts that invite Allah’s anger, he should know that, no matter how grave our sins, Allah’s mercy is much greater than anything in existence.

When you really need to restart afresh your computer, you may have to reformat it, or replace it. This is possible with machines. It’s not possible with human beings. The way human beings do it is totally different. I hope this article, together with the accompanying video have succeeded in suggesting an effective way to restarting afresh with Allah. I also hope that this article helps anyone, Muslim or non-Muslim, who wants to restart afresh with Allah.

May Allah grant every lost son of Adam, the strength and courage he or she needs to take the first step towards restarting afresh with Him. For first steps are game changers in our lives. May He grant us the will we need to remain steadfast and consistent, once we’ve restarted afresh with Him. Āmīn!

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Allah knows best.
Allahu Hafiz 🙂