Maulana Ali’s (‘as) Wording of Grounds of Islam and the Reality of Repentance and Seeking Forgiveness37
Kumayl Ibn Ziyad related: I asked Amir al-Mu’minin (‘as) about the grounds of Islam. He answered:
The grounds of Islam are seven. The first of them is the mind on which tolerance is based. The second is the preservation of the honor and the truthfulness. The third is reciting the Qur’an properly. The fourth is to love and hate for God’s sake. The fifth is the recognition of the family of Muhammad (SAW) and the loyalty to their leadership. The sixth is the fulfillment of the friends’ rights and the protection of them. The seventh is to show good neighborhood with people.
Kumayl Ibn Ziyad said: I asked, “It happens that a servant of God commits a sin then seeks the forgiveness of God. What is the limit of seeking God’s forgiveness?” Maulana Ali (‘as) answered: “It is repentance, son of Ziyad.” “Only?” wondered I. “No,” answered he. “How then?” I asked. He answered, “When a servant commits a sin, he says, ‘I seek God’s forgiveness,’ by movement.” “What is that movement?” asked I. Maulana Ali (‘as) answered, “It is the movement of the two lips and the tongue. He should attach the reality to that movement.” “What is that reality?” I asked. “It is a certification in the heart and a determination of avoiding committing the sin from which it was repented,” answered the Imam. “If I do so, will I be regarded as one of the repentant?” asked I. “No,” answered the Imam. “How is that?” wondered I. “This is because you have not attained the origin yet,” explained the Imam. “What is the origin of seeking God’s forgiveness, then?” asked I. The Imam replied:
The origin of seeking forgiveness of God is to refer to the repentance from the sin from which you have sought God’s forgiveness. This is the first grade of the worshippers. The abandonment of sins and the seeking of God’s forgiveness have six indications. First is to feel sorry for the past deeds. Second is to determine not to commit that sin ever again. Third is to fulfill the rights of the other creatures that are obligatory upon you. Fourth is to fulfill the rights of God in every obligatory matter. Fifth is to dissolve the flesh, which was composed due to forbidden and ill-gotten things, until the skin touches the bones. Only then you may start to build new flesh. Sixth is to cause your body to suffer the pain of acts of obedience of God as harshly as that when you caused it to taste the pleasures of acts of disobedience to God.