notifications_active Weekly Meshkat-e Noor Session: Thursdays at 20:30 at Haj Reza Mosque
Peace be upon you. In passage 27 of the prayer for forgiveness of our master, the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS), he says, “the sin I committed through my deeds.” Which of our behaviours count as deeds in this sense? Please give some examples. Thank you.
َّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيمِ
In passage 27 of the Commander of the Faithful’s (AS) prayer for forgiveness, he refers to various kinds of sin: sins of the tongue, such as misplaced praise; sins of the heart, involving what passes within it; sins of thought and feeling; and sins committed through what one has written by hand. The phrase «أتیته بفعالی» refers to sins committed through one’s actions, which are left unnamed because of their shameful nature. It includes conduct carried out through one’s deeds.
اللَّهُمَّ وَ أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ لِكُلِّ ذَنْبٍ مَدَحْتُهُ بِلِسَانِي أَوْ أَضْمَرَهُ جِنَانِي أَوْ هَشَّتْ إِلَيْهِ نَفْسِي أَوْ أَتَيْتُهُ بِفِعَالِي أَوْ كَتَبْتُهُ بِيَدِي فَصَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ اغْفِرْهُ لِي يَا خَيْرَ الْغَافِرِينَ
O God, I seek Your forgiveness for every sin that I described with my tongue, entertained in my heart, felt my soul drawn to, committed through my actions, or wrote down with my hand. So bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, and forgive me for such sins, O Best of Forgivers!
The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) makes a beautiful reference to sins of the tongue—such as praising those who should not be praised—and also to sins of the heart, mind, thought, feeling, and writing. In the phrase «أَتَيْتُهُ بِفِعَالِي», he refers to a sin committed through an act by the sinner. Since all sins, even those of the inner faculties, are counted among a person’s actions, the phrase «أَتَيْتُهُ بِفِعَالِي» points to reprehensible deeds so vile and shameful that he does not name them explicitly, but refers to them obliquely.
Addendum to question #3469: The car was in good condition. To prevent this sin, someone said, “My car is broken.” Is this kind of lie permissible?