Messages of Supplication for Day 23 of Ramadan
In the supplication dedicated to day 23 of the blessed month of Ramadan, we read: "O Allah, on this day, wash away my sins, purify me from all flaws, examine my heart with (for) the piety of the hearts, O One who overlooks the shortcomings of the sinners."
Message 1: Washing sins away
The sins create darkness in the hearts of humans. The necessary preparation for washing the sins away is to confess to the sins before God and ask for His mercy and blessing.
How to wash away sins
1) Confessing to sins before God
2) Truly repenting. According to Imam Ali (AS) true repentance has six features; regretting past deeds, the decision to not repeat the sin, observing people's rights, implementing compulsory acts that one may have not carried out properly, getting rid of the flesh in the body that has been created by Haram (through sadness), and experiencing the suffering of prayer just like the way that one has experienced the pleasure of sins. One can say Istighfar after doing these.
3) Saying obligatory prayers. The five obligatory prayers have been described as five springs of water that humans can use to wash their sins.
4) Saying night prayers
5) Reciting the Holy Quran
6) Saying Dhikr and remembering the attributes of God Almighty
7) Doing Hajj and Umrah. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said that those performing Hajj will be rewarded by Jannah and that Umrah is the Kaffarah for each sin.
8) Saying peace to Prophet Mohammad and his family
9) Good manners. According to Imam Sadiq (AS), good manners will erase sins like the warmth of the sun.
10) Prostration. A person came to the Holy Prophet and pointed to his amounting sins. The Holy Prophet told him to prostrate a lot, noting that the act will lead to the fall of sins just like how winds lead to the fall of leaves.
11) Infaq. The Kaffarah for major sins is to help the needy, Imam Ali (AS) said.
Message 2: Purifying from flaws
Internal flaws that sometimes manifest in our deeds and behaviors are wrong moral traits that have found roots in us. We need to uproot them so that we can genuinely serve God Almighty.
Message 3: God accepts repentance
We should ask Allah Almighty to accept our repentance as the Quran has reminded us: "Do they not know that it is God who accepts the repentance of His servants?" (Surah At-Tawbah, verse 104)
This article was derived from a book written in Persian by Hojat-ol-Islam Ruhollah Bidram.
