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“… He (Allah) does not change the state (of goodness) of anyone till we change our state (of goodness) ourselves (Quran 13:11)” Trials with hardships are influenced by our sins and will never be lifted without true repentance. Anyone who wants peace of mind should seek a cure for this disease called sin. The traits of true believers are such that regardless of their good deeds, they still fear their Lord and never stop turning to him in repentance. Since you’re here searching for how to cure your sins, you really possess the traits of a true Muslim. Let’s learn something from this beautiful discourse. Hasan Basri stated that once he was accompanying a young pious worshipper on a journey. On their way, they met a physician. In front of this physician were a lot of people including women and children holding bottles of water in their hands, waiting to get medicine for their diseases. The young worshipper asked the physician, ‘Do you have any cure for sins?’ The physician said yes. Then the young man said, ‘Please tell me the cure.’ The physician then replied that the cure for the disease of sins consists of the following 10 remedies: Take a root from the tree of destitution and humbleness. Add a mixture of repentance to it. Put it into the bowl of Divine will. Crush it properly with the press of contentment. Put it then into the pot of piety and asceticism. Add water of modesty to it. Boil it on the fire of Divine love. Pour it into the bowl of thankfulness. Cool it with the fan of hope. Then drink it with the spoon of (Divine) praise. Let’s take a look at them one after the other to get the points clarified Insha-Allah. Take a root from the tree of destitution and humbleness. It is so hard to be humble. Our sinful diseases also start just there. I think it’s safe to say humility arise from seeing ourselves before Allah Almighty. That’s why I think not all people are humble. For instance, an atheist or an agnostic cannot be humble. Such people can either be modest or maybe sober-minded about their abilities, which cannot compare to the humility we know in the Quran. The direct opposite of humility is obviously pride. And the idea is that pride leads to sin, which is stemmed from the fact that human pride calls for the notion of self-sufficient, hence jeopardizing the need for humility towards Allah Almighty Himself. When you flip your Quran to Surah Al-A’raf 7:55, Allah almighty said: “Call upon your Lord with humility and in private. Verily, He does not love transgressors” Therefore, with humility and destitution, it means we have secured the best source of remedy to discipline our desires Insha-Allah. Add a mixture of repentance to it. Referring to the life of our beloved Prophet (pbuh), Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “By Allah, I seek forgiveness from Allah and I repent to him more than seventy times in a day.” – Sahih al-Bukhari 5948 Upon knowing that the Prophet never sin but seeks forgiveness each day, yet this glorious act seems rather like an unpleasant thing that we have to force ourselves to do. It’s like taking a medicine which is very bitter. It’s not in our interest to take it but we end up forcing it down our throats anyway, as we believe it’s supposed to be good for us. It’s about time you refrain from repenting in this manner, it’s not the way our beloved Prophet use to do it. Rather, in a nutshell, you should recognize your sin, give it up and return to your Maker (Allah Almighty). Put it into the bowl of Divine will. Another element to add to our remedy for the cure of sin is Tawakul. To believe that Allah alone can ward off the harms of this world, provide us with some blessings and ease our challenges. It’s also safe to say that Tawakul is about accepting the results that Allah decides regardless of how they may turn out to be. Reading from the Glorious Quran, Surah Talaq 65:3, Allah said: “And he will provide him from where he never could imagine. And whoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allah has set a measure for all things.” (Quran 65:3) That’s reliance on Allah Almighty. You trust and accept whatever He decides, notwithstanding of the results. With this in mind, no need to go to the extreme of disobeying Allah, no sins, no nothing except a pure heart. To trust in Allah and be free from all manner of fears really sounds wonderful. It seems difficult at first though. But trust me, in reality, it is a very easy and natural thing to do. Crush it properly with the press of contentment. If what you desire does not happen, I think it is safe to desire that which does. Be content with whatever Allah has apportioned for you and cross not the line, I mean displeasing Allah for your desires. Allah may bless people with wealth, noble lineage and high status, and deprive them of sanity. You will see them as the strongest and wealthiest of all, yet they are being deprived of health. Some are lying in bed for years responding to treatment, what use are their wealth and their noble lineages? There are others whom Allah gives strength, health, and intellect and deprives them of wealth. You will see them carrying their loads in marketplaces all the time, or as unprivileged and poor people who continue switching between humble jobs and hardly earn enough to suffice their hunger. This is how Allah blesses people with some things and depriving them of others. Our Lord creates what He wills and chooses. We have no choice, so cherishing what is apportioned to us will be much better than going to the extreme of disobeying Allah. It is befitting for you who is afflicted with a calamity to recall Allah’s favours before looking at the calamities He is testing you with. If He has deprived you of wealth, He has blessed you with health. But if He has deprived you of both, He has granted you intellect. Yet if He has deprived you of all, don’t lose heart, at least He has gifted you with Islam. Congratulations to you for being a Muslim and dying upon it. I think you may shout at the top of your voice and say, ‘Al-hamdulillah!’ Put it then into the pot of piety and asceticism. You can also call it Taqwa, the spiritual and divine state which prevents a man from sin. Piety is a great asset which helps worshipers of Allah to seek the path of prosperity as they travel the course of life. Without Taqwa, one cannot achieve this. It’s all about walking in the knowledge and truth, knowing the difference between good and evil and knowing who Allah is in a constructive manner; i.e., what he is like at rational level. Once a person becomes pious, he is free from the diseases of sin as Allah the Exalted will show him the way to escape and free himself from hardships. Allah Almighty promises that once a person has piety, deliverance from problems and hardships will follow. What a great pleasure! Add water of modesty to it. No one is saying you should be extremely shy, quiet, or saintly to be modest, NO. You simply have to avoid Riya (showing off) and know how to make others feel good about their nature. That’s modesty! Modesty plays a special role in the affairs of the Creator (Allah, the Exalted) and the created. All the prophets and messengers encourage this glorious act at every turn. The Glorious Quran says: “Tell the believing men to lower their gaze, and be modest. That is purer for them. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what they do” Then boil it on the fire of Divine love. Love all and hate none even if they hate you. Treat everyone in such a manner that they think of themselves as the most beloved of all people. For instance, you should treat your mother so nicely that she begins to believe you have never treated anyone in such a fine manner. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was an expert in this. Whoever read about the seerah (life of the Prophet) will find that he would deal with everyone in an excellent way. Whoever he met, he would be gladly welcoming and cheerful such that the person would begin to think that he was the most beloved of all to him, and thus, the Prophet the Exalted would also become the most beloved to that person. How awesome! This way, no sign of hatred will ever exist in your heart and also in the heart of others around you, and hence reduce the temptation of sin in your life. Then pour it into the bowl of thankfulness. It can seem very difficult for some people to find something to be thankful for in this stressful and troubled world we live today. When we read or listen to the news, it is often unpleasant news that is reported. Crimes and terrorism, tragedies and disasters are all over. The truth is that we’ll never run out of reasons to be grateful to Allah. We should rejoice and thank him at every turn! As the Ummah of the beloved Mohammad, peace, and blessings be upon him, we should always be ready to thank Allah during our state of ease, and during the times when storms are raging. Allah said in the Holy Quran: “Therefore remember Me (by praying, glorifying). I will remember you, and be grateful to Me (for My countless Favours on you) and never be ungrateful to Me.” (2:152) Being grateful to people who deserve it and also grateful to Allah is an awesome thing to do. It frees the heart from jealousy, envy, and greed. When we are grateful to Allah Almighty, we remain mindful of Him and His Mercy towards us, which in return humble us and improve our character. The amazing fact that we have Islam on our side should be a source of continual thanks. Allah says: “Surely We have shown him the way: he may be thankful.” (76:3) Cool it with the fan of hope. It is common to see that everyone looks in the direction of his/her future life either by planning ahead or just daydreaming about what can happen. We live with hopes and struggles. A mother will feed her baby with hope. A farmer will always sow his seeds with hope. A young man will also marry with the hope of making an awesome family and prosperous future. As for the faithful fellow, he knows that any condition is sent by Allah. He takes things easily, meanwhile, recalling what Allah Almighty has advised in Surah Bakarah: “…and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know.” (Quran 2:216 Then drink it with the spoon of remembrance and (Divine) praise. Do you want to have the joy of Allah? Learn to praise Him better. You need to realize that the source of your joy, your confidence, and your hope is Allah. Just like being thankful to Him, the difficulties we experience in life often cloud our vision and keep us from praising Allah, forgetting what has been granted already as blessings. Allah said: “Lo! Worship guards one against lewdness and iniquity, but verily, remembrance of Allah is greatest/more important.” (29:45). Remembrance of Allah should, therefore, be the least we can do in order to acknowledge the gifts and blessings he has bestowed upon us. It is the foundation of good deeds though. The more we remember Him, the closer we will get to Him, and the farther we will stay away from sin.