Start Anew: A Content Analysis of the Traditions Related to the Reward of Forgiveness of the Sins

Abstract

A considerable part of the Islamic teachings relates to the rewards of the good deeds. One wildly-used reward is the forgiveness of the sins. The reward of the forgiveness of the sins has been mentioned in different forms, one of which is: "whoever does a good deed, an angel addresses him, saying: 'Ista'naf al-'amal', start your deed anew, your sins were forgiven". The present study aimed to categorize the good deeds the reward of which is the forgiveness of the sins. The analysis revealed that 25 traditions, collected from the Jāmi' al-Ḥadith Software, had used the notion of "Ista'naf al- 'amal". Analysis of the content of the data resulted in 9 sub-themes, and a further analysis let to six main themes or categories, including: 1. Ṣalāh, 2. Fasting, 3. Pilgrimage, 4. Serving people, 5. Having affection for Imām 'Alī and 6. Recitation of Sūrah al-Qadr in one of the night prayers.