A Confession To Make: The Confession Box

 بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد

The advent of “Confession” pages on Facebook and on twitter is spreading like wildfire. This matter has even attracted the attention of the local daily to report about the stir that they are causing. These “Confession” pages are either based on people living in the same society or country; or for people who have studied in the same school/colleges etc.

The real problem is that some of the Muslim brothers and sisters are involved in this, who – somehow – fail to realize the graveness of the sins they are committing.

Those who are involved in this in anyway – either by administrating these pages/accounts or by contributing in it or by sharing it – need to understand that they are crossing the limit in the following matters:

1. 
   Confession only to Allaah تعالى alone.
2. Exception in this.
3. Prohibition of bragging about the bad deeds.
4. Punishment for spreading evil in the society.
5. This path opens road for other evils.
6. Following the ways of the Christians.

1. Confession is to be made to Allaah تعالى only:

The purpose of making a confession is for acknowledging the mistake done and repenting for it:

a. The repentance of Aadam عليه السلام:

{قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ}

{They said: “Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers.”} [Surah al-A`raaf (7): 23]

b. The repentance of Yunus عليه السلام:

{فَنَادَىٰ فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ أَن لَّا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ}

{But he cried through the darkness (saying): “Laa ilaaha illaa Anta [none has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allaah)], Glorified (and Exalted) are You [above all that (evil) they associate with You]. Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers.”} [Surah al-Anbiyaa’ (21): 87]

c. The Du`aa taught by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم:

In the Du`aa – Sayyid al-Istighfaar – the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم taught us to repent to Allaah تعالى with the following words:

أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَىَّ وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِيفَا غْفِرْ لِي

“…I acknowledge Your favor upon me and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me…” [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (6306)]

2. Exception in this:

The exception in this is when the person is remorseful for the sin he has done and confesses to a judge or the authorities so that they meet the punishment here in this life and are free of sins in the Hereafter. The evidences for these are many in the Sunnah:

Narrated Imraan ibn Husayn رضي الله عنه: A woman belonging to the tribe of Juhaynah came to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and said that she had committed fornication and that she was pregnant. The Apostle of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم called her guardian. Then the Apostle of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم said to him: “Be good to her, and when she bears a child, bring her (to me). When she gave birth to the child, he brought her (to him). The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم gave orders regarding her, and her clothes were tied to her. He then commanded regarding her and she was stoned to death. He commanded the people (to pray) and they prayed over her. Thereupon `Umar رضي الله عنه said: Are you praying over her, Apostle of Allaah, when she has committed fornication? He صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “By Him in Whose hand my soul is, she has repented to such an extent that if it were divided among the seventy people of Madeenah, it would have been enough for them all. And what do you find better than the fact that she gave her life.” [Sunan Abu Dawood (4440) and graded as “Saheeh” by Shaikh al-Albaanee]

3. Prohibition of bragging about sin:

But those who are posting on these pages – by sending private messages to the admins of these pages - are not remorseful. Rather they are publicizing their sins:

Narrated Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه: I heard Allaah’s Apostle صلى الله عليه وسلم saying: “All the sins of my followers will be forgiven except those of the Mujaahireen (those who commit a sin openly or disclose their sins to the people). An example of such disclosure is that a person commits a sin at night and though Allaah screens it from the public, then he comes in the morning, and says: 'O so-and-so, I did such-and-such (evil) deed yesterday,’ though he spent his night screened by his Lord (none knowing about his sin) and in the morning he removes Allaah’s screen from himself.” [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (6069) and Saheeh Muslim (7124)]

Even though their names might be hidden, but their sins are not.

Had they been remorseful, they would have kept their sins as private matters:

`Abdullaah Ibn Mas`ood رضي الله عنه said: “A believer sees his sins as if he were sitting under a mountain which, he is afraid, may fall on him; whereas the wicked person considers his sins as flies passing over his nose and he just drives them away like this” (by moving his hand over his nose). [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (6308)]

4. Punishment for spreading evil in the society:

The boys and girls posting about the crush they had for someone is only helping in spreading the evil.

{إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَن تَشِيعَ الْفَاحِشَةُ فِي الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ ۚ وَاللَّـهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ}

{ Indeed, those who like that immorality should be spread [or publicized] among those who have believed will have a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter. And Allah knows and you do not know.} [Surah al-Noor (24): 19]

5. This path opens road to other evils:

Allaah تعالى says:

{وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا الزِّنَىٰ ۖ إِنَّهُ كَانَ فَاحِشَةً وَسَاءَ سَبِيلًا}

{And come not near to adultery: for it is a shameful (deed) and an evil, opening the road (to other evils).} [Surah al-Israa’ (17): 32]

Those who are contributing in this are unconsciously encouraging others to follow suit.

6. Following the ways of the Christians:

This is purely the ways of the Christians. Confessing the crimes to the pope or the pastor is in the religion of the Christians. The admins of these pages have adopted the roles of the pastor. They, at the very least, know the name and the sin the person has committed.

Narrated Abu Sa`eed رضي الله عنه: The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “You will follow the wrong ways, of your predecessors, span by span and cubit by cubit (i.e., inch by inch; i.e. so completely and literally) that if they should go into the hole of a mastigure (the desert lizard), you too will go there.” We said: O Allaah’s Apostle! Do you mean the Jews and the Christians? He صلى الله عليه وسلم replied: “Whom else?” (Meaning, of course, the Jews and the Christians.) [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (3456, 7320) and Saheeh Muslim (6448)]

We seek Allaah’s forgiveness for our shortcoming and ask Him for our well-being in this world and the Hereafter.