for ten thousand, the payment deferred for one year. The debtor then leaves without so much as moving the goods from their spot, only to sell them back to the shopkeeper for nine thousand, for example. Thus this poor man is devoured from two directions: by the lender on one side and by the shopkeeper on the other. Yet they insist, “This is perfectly lawful!” In fact, they call it “rectification.” One of them will say, “Come, let me rectify this for you—let me put it right.” Glory be to Allah! Is that rectification? It is nothing but smearing oneself with sin—may Allah protect us!

Therefore, if we are sincere with Allah, exalted is He, in our repentance, we must abandon sins and acts of disobedience altogether, loathe them, and regret ever committing them, so that our repentance may be genuine.

These two hadiths show that our Prophet Muhammad—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—was the most devoted of all people in worshipping Allah. Indeed, he was the most God-fearing, the most pious, and the most knowledgeable of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.

They also prove that he, peace and blessings be upon him, was the teacher of goodness by both word and deed. He would seek Allah’s forgiveness and instruct the people to do likewise, so they could follow his example—obeying the command and imitating the act.

This reflects the perfection of his sincere counsel for his community. We, too, should follow his lead: when we command people to do something, we should be the first to fulfill it; and when we forbid them from something, we should be the first to abstain—this is the very essence of calling others to Allah. True daʿwah to Allah Most High is to practice what you enjoin and to avoid what you forbid, just as the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, would command us to repent while he himself