Is Gradual Change Permissible in Islam?
Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi
Question
Is it permissible to change gradually? I feel as though if you don’t leave the sins and bad habits in one go and don’t try recompensing past sins like missed Salah, zakat, and Sawm immediately, the tawba is not accepted. I get very technical with the conditions of tawba. If a person had a collection of sins or bad habits to let go of, how would this be possible straight away? Is it okay to work on one sin at a time, and would it still be a sincere repentance? I feel too overwhelmed.
For example, I’ve only just started getting firm with salah with rawatib, and I’m already thinking about making up qada right now, or I won’t be forgiven.
Answer
In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
I pray this finds you in the best of states.
Jazakum Allah Khair for your question!
The easiest way to deal with your situation is to find a local trustworthy scholar to whom you can expose your struggles and who will be able to help to get you through your difficulties.
If you are not able to find someone locally, it is not farfetched to start thinking about traveling from time to time to visit a reliable scholar in order to get your answers. [Sanussi, Sharh Umm al-Barahin]
Allah, Most High, says: “If you do not know, then ask those who have knowledge.” [Quran, 16:43]
In short, don’t remain alone!
To answer your questions:
Yes, being progressive in implementing the teachings of our religion is a duty, especially when being too hasty and ambitious will lead to giving up everything because one has become overwhelmed. [Ghazali, Ihya]
The above can be understood in many sayings of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace).
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) has said: “The religion is firm. Thus delve into it gently.” [Bayhaqi]
Imam Munawi (Allah be pleased with him) explains this hadith in the following manner:
“The religion is firm and difficult. Thus delve into it gently and don’t impose on yourself what you cannot bear of worship. Because if you do, you won’t be able to fulfill your obligations towards Allah (Most High), and your striving will come to a halt.” [Munawi, Fayd al-Qadir]
Imam Ghazali (Allah be pleased with him) adds:
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) wanted through those words to indicate that one should not impose on himself acts of worship that defy the norm. Rather, one should try to improve one’s practice gently and gradually, and one should not try to change at once to reach perfection. This is because human nature will fight this change, and one is only able to leave bad traits little by little. [Ghazali, Ihya ‘Ulum al-Din]
Partial Repentance
Partial repentance can be accepted in Islam. [Dardir, Sharh al-Kharida al-Bahiyya]
Thus a believer drinking alcohol and stealing can hope to see his repentance accepted regarding drinking even if he continues to steal.
Nonetheless, many scholars agree that a full repentance is necessary to start one’s spiritual journey into knowing Allah (Most High) and reaching the highest degrees of faith. [Ibid]
Imam Ghazali (Allah be pleased with him) says:
From the subtleties of training souls into excellence, is that if a spiritual guide finds one of his students unable to leave sin at once, he should direct his student to a lesser sin first before bringing him to a state where he will be able to leave sinning completely. Just as one unable to wash blood directly with water can use first urine to remove the blood and then water to achieve the cleaning. [Ghazali, Ihya ‘Ulum al-Din]
Of course, being able to make those choices requires a lot of experience and wisdom in the Islamic teachings. This is why I was urging you first to try to find a local scholar to help you in your journey.
Nonetheless, if you are unable to do so, please don’t give up on trying to improve yourself. Reading books of spiritual guidance will help you tremendously in this endeavor, even alone or online with a teacher.
Finding a beneficial religious friend, even if not learned, and keeping his company can also help you a lot in making real progress. [Ghazali, Ihya ‘Ulum al-Din]
Making Up Prayers
This answer by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani (Allah preserve him) will be of help regarding your struggles in making up prayers:
Please see this answer: Praying the Confirmed Sunnas With Make-Ups: I Feel Overwhelmed
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found. Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani. He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others. He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.
