Quran Garden

In today's video, we start a mini-series about repentance (Tawba) in Islam.  Join us as we dive into the heartfelt process of seeking forgiveness, the best time of day to repent, and the amazing ways it can genuinely change your life.  If you're curious about starting fresh, stick around, and let's explore together. 

Session 558

Chapter 4

Verse 17

With God is the acceptance of repentance for those who commit an evil act out of ignorance, then repent promptly.  It is such whose repentance God will accept, and God is all-knowing, all-wise.  (Chapter 4: Verse 17)

Repentance is wonderful!  Since I can ask God for forgiveness anytime, I am free to sin as I wish and repent later.  Many people think this way, and some act like it.  If you are one of them, I would like to remind you of the uncertainty of the time of your death.  Are you sure you will live long enough to repent?  Will you be around 10 minutes from now?  Death could strike suddenly while you are in sin.  God says, "With God is the acceptance of repentance for those who commit an evil act out of ignorance, then repent promptly."

Committing an evil act out of ignorance means you fail to consider the punishment fully.  Had you indeed contemplated the consequences of your action, you would have stopped.  Most people are so immersed in the momentary pleasure that they forget the punishment.  Our beloved Prophet said, "The adulterer does not commit adultery while being a believer, nor does the thief steal while being a believer, nor does the drinker drink alcohol while being a believer."  In other words, if your faith were intact, you would recall that God forbids adultery and theft.  Flogging, stoning, and Hellfire would be vivid in your mind. 

Here, I must warn you against a grave mistake many people fall into that casts them out of God's forgiveness: planning for and taking pride in sin.  God forgives "those who commit an evil act out of ignorance." Let's take the example of two men traveling to Paris for business.  Weeks in advance, the first man starts looking for people who have lived in Paris to find out about the best places to meet women and the most popular nightclubs.  As soon as he arrives in France, he dives into the party scene.  When he returns home, he meets his friends to brag about his adventures and the beautiful women he entertained.  The second man goes to Paris to attend a conference.  After a long day, he rests in the Hotel lobby and meets a woman who tempts and prods him.  In the heat of the moment, he gives in to temptation.  As soon as the moment of pleasure passes, he feels deep remorse, scolds himself for being weak, and never mentions his sin to anyone.  Do you see the difference between the two men?  Who do you think is more deserving of God's forgiveness?

By instituting repentance, Our Lord showered humanity with mercy because, without repentance, the world would drown in evil.  The young man who sinned out of ignorance in Paris would lose all hope and plunge into a life of sin.  But God's mercy goes way beyond offering forgiveness.  Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "God will accept the repentance of His servant and forgive as long as the soul is not departing the body." Allah's door of forgiveness is wide open before you at all times.  However, I advise you not to delay repentance for a single minute because you do not know if the next minute will be your last. 

Listen to the dialogue between Almighty and satan,

then he said to God, "Because You have put me in the wrong, I will lure mankind on earth and put them in the wrong, all except Your devoted servants."(15:39-40)

Satan's goal is to lead all humankind astray and drag them into Hellfire with him.  But God extended His mercy to accept the sincere repentance of any person up to the moments before death.  Keep in mind that if you repent when death is imminent, you leave behind a lot of the damage you did to others unfixed.  God may forgive His right, but you still have to pay for the rights you robbed from other people.  Thus, I again advise you to repent now and fix the wrongs you did so you can spare yourself and the community from the consequences of your actions.  Never despair even if your sins are grave because Allah's mercy is vast beyond belief. 

Prophet Muhammad, Peace be upon him, said, "Amongst the men of the Children of Israel was a man who had murdered ninety-nine people.  He set out to repent, asking whether God would forgive him.  He came upon a monk and asked, "Is there any repentance for a man like me?" The monk replied in the negative, so the man killed him.  He walked the earth asking around until he found a righteous man who advised him to go to a certain village and live there as it was filled with sincere believers.  He started walking to the village, but death overtook him on the way.  While dying, he crawled towards that village.  The angels of mercy and the angels of punishment quarreled over who should take his soul to the heavens.  The Almighty ordered the village where he was headed to draw closer and the village he left behind to move further, and then He ordered the angels to measure the distances between his body and the two villages.  The man was found to be one hand span closer to the righteous village.  So God forgave him."  God says,

 Say, "O My servants who have sinned excessively against yourselves, do not despair of God's mercy.  God forgives all sins: He is truly the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful." (39:53)

We hope today's Tafsir gave you a fresh perspective on seeking forgiveness.  Join us next week as we uncover more inspiring aspects of repentance that help bring you peace.  Don't forget to subscribe and hit the bell icon so you won't miss out on our next captivating episode.