From sin to forgiveness22 min read
Relationships with Sin and Atonement
Contents
Does Allah demand perfection? What is perfection? 2
How are our sins and mistakes removed? 4
One: asking for forgiveness and pardon. 4
Two: Patience through trials of life. 5
Three: Good deeds, general and specific. 6
Do we inherit the sin of our parents or our father Adam as “original sin”? 7
Regarding Tawbah – Repentance and Returning. 10
Are any sins unforgivable? Yes and no. 14
This article is meant to clarify for new and returning Muslims some important aspects about our relationship with our own misdeeds. Understanding the nature of sin and how to receive Allah’s Mercy is among the most fundamental subjects every Muslim should understand.
Sin in Islam
Arabic words used for sin include the following, each of which are sometimes translated slightly differently, but when mentioned in the Quran, are almost synonymous in intent.
- Ma`siyah, disobedience [ مَعْصِيةٌ / مَعاصي ]
- Sayyi’ah, bad deed [ سَيِّئةٌ / سَيِّئات ]
- Ithm, sin [ إِثْمٌ / آثَامٌ ]
- Khaṭee’ah, mistake [ خَطِيئةٌ / خَطايا ]
- Dhanb/dhunoob, sin [ ذَنْبٌ / ذُنُوبٌ ]
In some contexts, when dhanb is mentioned with ithm or sayyi’ah, then the latter may refer to “minor sins” while dhanb may refer to “major sins”. But normally, a major sin in Arabic is a kabeerah, pl kabaa’ir (كَبِيرةٌ / كَبائر).
Does Allah demand perfection? What is perfection?
Some verses of the Quran may suggest that, such as Allah’s saying:
{بَلَى مَنْ كَسَبَ سَيِّئَةً وَأَحَاطَتْ بِهِ خَطِيئَتُهُ فَأُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ (81)} سورة البقرة
“Indeed, whoever earns a misdeed and their mistake has surrounded them, then they are the companions of the Fire. They, therein, are abiding.” [2:81]
Yet, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “Every child of Adam is a mistaker and the best of the mistakers are the repenters.” He also said, “If you did not sin, Allah would replace you with a people who sinned, and asked forgiveness so that He could forgive them.”
This suggests that humans are predisposed to sin, and of course Allah made them that way, but what Allah really wants from us is to continuously seek forgiveness. Allah says:
{وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا (7) فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا (8)} سورة الشمس
“And by the soul, and He who proportioned it, and inspired it with its wickedness and its cautiousness.” [91:7-8]
Similarly, Allah relates a quote:
{ وَمَا أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِي إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّي إِنَّ رَبِّي غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (53)} سورة يوسف
“And I do not claim myself to be entirely innocent, truly, the soul is ever-commanding towards evil, except whom My Lord is merciful to. Truly my Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.” [12:53]
In fact, nowhere in the Quran are we commanded to be perfect, only to do our best, which is a great enough challenge. In fact, it is a challenge that one cannot keep up because of how their own willpower waxes and wanes throughout life and even throughout the day. So Allah says:
{وَسَارِعُوا إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ (133) الَّذِينَ يُنْفِقُونَ فِي السَّرَّاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ وَالْعَافِينَ عَنِ النَّاسِ وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ (134) وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا اللَّهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَنْ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا عَلَى مَا فَعَلُوا وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ (135) أُولَئِكَ جَزَاؤُهُمْ مَغْفِرَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَجَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَنِعْمَ أَجْرُ الْعَامِلِينَ (136)} سورة آلِ عِمْران
“Race each other to forgiveness from your Lord and a Garden whose width is the heavens and the earth, prepared for the pious: those who spend [in the cause of Allah ] during ease and hardship and who restrain anger and who pardon the people – and Allah loves the doers of good; And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins – and who can forgive sins except Allah ? – and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know. Those – their reward is forgiveness from their Lord and gardens beneath which rivers flow [in Paradise], wherein they will abide eternally; and excellent is the reward of the [righteous] workers.” [3:133-6]
As you’ll learn, you do not have a free pass to sin. But you have a free pass to seek forgiveness for when you are sinful.
How are our sins and mistakes removed?
If sin is natural yet hated by Allah, then how can we make sure to meet Him without our sins?
Not every human who does a misdeed has earned a sin. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “The pen has been lifted from three: the asleep until they wake, the child until pubescent, and the disturbed until they recover.” In addition, he said, “Truly, Allah has overlooked for me of my Ummah accidents, forgetfulness, and what they are coerced into.”
These exceptions essentially tell us that whatever chosen and intended words or actions coming from us as sober conscience teens and adults are eligible to be held against us. In Allah’s mercy He has offered methods of redemption and atonement.
There are four primary ways that sins are removed:
One: asking for forgiveness and pardon
Simply saying “O Allah, forgive me!”
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “A slave committed a sin and he said: O Allah, forgive me my sin! Allah said: My servant committed a sin and he knew he has a Lord Who forgives sin and arrests for sin. He went back and committed a sin and said: My Lord, forgive me my sin! And Allah said: said: My servant committed a sin and he knew he has a Lord Who forgives sin and arrests for sin. He went back and committed a sin and said: My Lord, forgive me my sin! And Allah said: said: My servant committed a sin and he knew he has a Lord Who forgives sin and arrests for sin. O servant, do as you will for I have forgiven you.”
And for the Night of Decree Lailat al-Qadr, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said that the best invocation is “O Allah, You are the Pardoner, You love to Pardon, so pardon me!”
This is the simplest method of earning forgiveness. Allah created us to worship Him, recognize His favors, recognize His mercy and capacity for forgiveness. In fact, it is incumbent upon believers to ask Allah for forgiveness, and recognize our own neediness of Allah. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ once denounced a philanthropist of the pre-Islamic times saying, “He never once said My Lord, forgive me my sin on the Day of Recompense.”
Two: Patience through trials of life
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick of a thorn, except that Allah expiates by it some of his sins.” Allah says:
{وَلَا تَقُولُوا لِمَنْ يُقْتَلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَمْوَاتٌ بَلْ أَحْيَاءٌ وَلَكِنْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ (154) وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنْفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ (155) الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ (156) أُولَئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ (157)} سورة البقرة
“And do not say of those killed in the Path of Allah they are dead, rather they are alive, but you cannot perceive. And We will surely test you with something of fear, hunger, and loss of wealth, life and fruits. Give glad tidings to the patient. Those who, if stricken by calamity, said: truly to Allah we belong and to Him we are returning! They, upon them are salawaat from their Lord, and mercy, and they are the guided.” [2:154-157]
Three: Good deeds, general and specific
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “Follow up a bad deed with a good deed and it will erase it.” And he said, “The five prayers, jumu`ah to jumu`ah, and Ramadan to Ramadan are expiators of what is in between them, if he avoids the major sins.” He also said, “When a believing slave washes his face (in ablution), every sin he earned with his eyes, will be washed away from his face along with water, or with the last drop of water; when he washes his hands, every sin they wrought will be effaced from his hands with the water, or with the last drop of water; and when he washes his feet, every sin towards which his feet have walked will be washed away with the water or with the last drop of water with the result that he comes out pure from all sin.” And he said to one newest his companions, “Did you not know that Islam destroys what was before [of sin], and that migration [to the Muslim lands] destroys what was before, and that hajj pilgrimage destroys what was before?” And he ﷺ said, “For the martyr, … they’ll be forgiven with the first blood flow…”
Even honesty:
{يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا (70) يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا (71)} سورة الأحزاب
“O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak an apposite word. He will rectify your deeds for you and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger then they’ve won a great victory.” [33:70-71]
And charity, as the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “charity extinguishes the misdeed as water extinguishes fire.”
And forgiving others, as the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “be merciful to those on earth and the One above the heavens shall be merciful to you.”
{…وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (22)} سورة النور
“And let them pardon and forgive, do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” [24:22]
And of course, patience and seeking forgiveness, as has preceded, and repentance, which are all good deeds.
Do we inherit the sin of our parents or our father Adam as “original sin”?
St Augustine (d. 430 CE), the most famous theologian of Christianity was the first to outline the concept of original sin. He described humanity, the descendants of Adam and Eve, as being in a state of sin, essentially cursed and doomed, due to the “rebellion” of Adam and Eve, and their “fall from grace”. This doctrine is not held by all Christians, but the vast majority, and not embraced by Jews nor us Muslims.
One Biblical verse that echoes our own beliefs is Ezekiel 18:20 “…The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.”
Allah says in the Quran:
{وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى وَإِنْ تَدْعُ مُثْقَلَةٌ إِلَى حِمْلِهَا لَا يُحْمَلْ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَا قُرْبَى إِنَّمَا تُنْذِرُ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ بِالْغَيْبِ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَمَنْ تَزَكَّى فَإِنَّمَا يَتَزَكَّى لِنَفْسِهِ وَإِلَى اللَّهِ الْمَصِيرُ (18)} سورة فاطر
“And no bearer of burdens bears the burden of another. And if a burdened soul calls to its load, nothing of it will be transferred, even if a close relative. You can only warn those who fear their Lord unseen and established prayer. And whoever purified only purifies for his own self. And to Allah is the Becoming.” [35:18]
So rather, we have capacity to good and capacity to evil. We may suffer the consequences of the sins of others, including those of Adam and Eve, by living a short life on earth, but it is all part of Allah’s Plan, Wisdom and Mercy.
Concerning Adam and Eve, Allah says:
{قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنْفُسَنَا وَإِنْ لَمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ (23) قَالَ اهْبِطُوا بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ وَلَكُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ مُسْتَقَرٌّ وَمَتَاعٌ إِلَى حِينٍ (24) قَالَ فِيهَا تَحْيَوْنَ وَفِيهَا تَمُوتُونَ وَمِنْهَا تُخْرَجُونَ (25)} سورة الأعراف
“They both said Our Lord we’ve hurt ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we will definitely be among the losers! He said: Fall. You shall be to each other an enemy. And for you all in this earth is a dwelling and enjoyment until a time. He said in it you shall live and in it you shall die and from it you shall leave.” [7:23-25]
{فَتَلَقَّى آدَمُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ كَلِمَاتٍ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ إِنَّهُ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ (37)} سورة البقرة
“So Adam received from his Lord words, so He returned to him, Truly He is the Accepting, the Merciful.” [2:37]
Levels of Sin
A sin is any lapse in following Allah’s guidance. It could be a lapse in following direction or avoiding caution, whether of the limbs, the tongue or the heart. But some lapses and transgressions are greater than others. Allah says:
And avoiding major sins in general,
{إِنْ تَجْتَنِبُوا كَبَائِرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَنُدْخِلْكُمْ مُدْخَلًا كَرِيمًا (31)} سورة النساء
“If you avoid the grave sins you are prohibited from, We will cover up your lesser iniquities and We will escort you through a noble entrance.” [4:31]
So what distinguishes between a major sin and a minor sin? Scholars say that major sins are known to be described with a specific penalty, whether that is worldly, like flogging, imprisonment or execution; or threat of specific punishment in the Hereafter, whether in the grave, on the Day of Resurrection, or with or in the Fire; or threatened with Allah’s curse, anger or unacknowledgement; or simply listed as being a major sin or being “not among us”.
Here are nearly all of the major sins: shirk in all of its forms (4:116) including showing off with worship (), going against the consensus of Muslims (4:115), murder (2:178) and attempted murder, claiming knowledge of the unseen (6:93), speaking about Islam without knowledge (7:33), refusal to dispense knowledge or attempt to conceal it (3:187-188), consuming unlawfully killed meat (5:3), fornicating (25:68), backbiting (49:12), running away from the battlefield (8:16), disrespecting parents, invoking curses upon others without right, arrogance, envy, ill will towards any part or practice of Islam (9:65, 47:9), inexcusably refusing to leave a land where one cannot practice Islam (4:97), cutting ties of kinship, theft (5:38), slander, betrayal of trust, false testimony, complacency with disobedience nearby (5:79, 4:140, 7:165), intoxicants and gambling (2:219, 5:90-91), suicide, declaring allegiance to non-Muslims and fighting for an un-Islamic cause, cuckoldry, plotting around Allah’s prohibitions (7:163), offering or accepting bribery, not purifying one’s self from urine or leaving off ablution, skipping prayer, withholding zakat, inexcusably breaking a Ramadan fast, learning sacred knowledge for attention, oppression of one’s subjects or dependents, aiding the oppressor, disinterest in the Hereafter but only the material world (11:15-16), eavesdropping and voyeurism, making portraits and statues, tribalism, eating from gold and silver utensils, ascribing to false parentage, false product representation, swearing by Allah over the quality of a product, eating interest (2:275-276), resembling the other gender or adopting unIslamic traditions, renegading from the government, innovating in the religion of Islam, inequality between multiple spouses, changing the creation of Allah (4:119) through tattooing teeth-spacing and eyebrow removal, disinterest in the Prophet’s Sunnah (3:31-32), despair of Allah’s mercy (12:87), feeling secure from Allah’s punishment, no concern for the rest of the Muslims, consistent intentional unexcused neglect of congregational prayer, and belittling disobedience to Allah or His Messenger ﷺ with persistence in any “minor” sin.
All other shortcomings as Muslims are minor sins. For the sake of not letting the reader belittle any such sin, I will refrain from mentioning any. And there is a saying, “there is no major sin with repentance, and no minor sin with persistence.”
And even though texts from the Quran and Sunnah suggest otherwise as we’ve seen previously, most scholars say that major sins are not removed by good deeds or duaa alone, but can only be removed through tawbah, which is repentance.
Regarding Tawbah – Repentance and Returning
Scholars have stated that the conditions of repentance are four:
Firstly, regret, as the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “regret is repentance.” And Allah says, swearing in magnification and esteem:
{لَا أُقْسِمُ بِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ (1) وَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالنَّفْسِ اللَّوَّامَةِ (2)} سورة القيامة
“I truly swear by the Day of Resurrection, and I indeed swear by the self-reproaching soul.” [75:1-2]
Second, ceasing and desist,
{ثُمَّ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لِلَّذِينَ عَمِلُوا السُّوءَ بِجَهَالَةٍ ثُمَّ تَابُوا مِن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ وَأَصْلَحُوا إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِن بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ} ﴿١١٩﴾ سورة النحل
“Then, verily, your Lord – for those who do evil in ignorance and afterward repent and do righteous deeds, verily, your Lord thereafter, is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [16:119]
Third, resolving not to return is also a requirement of repentance. That could mean taking steps to make returning difficult, if not impossible. Usually that has to do with disassociating with toxic company, and surrounding one’s self with righteous company, and spending all extra time in the masjid to detox.
Finally, offering reparations to those harmed, if the sin hurt their wealth, reputation, or inflicted bodily harm. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “Whoever has a wrong against another concerning their dignity or anything else, he should get release from him today, before there is no gold nor silver [on the Day of Resurrection], but if he has good deeds, they will be taken from him according to his oppression, and if he has no good deeds, the sins of the oppressed will be loaded onto him.”
If one does all that, turning that part of their life around, from bad habits to good habits, then the spiritual effects of tawbah are unimaginable and a proof to Allah’s unmatched generosity and mercy:
{وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ وَلَا يَقْتُلُونَ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَلَا يَزْنُونَ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا (68) يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَانًا (69) إِلَّا مَنْ تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُولَئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا (70) وَمَنْ تَابَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَإِنَّهُ يَتُوبُ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَتَابًا (71)} سورة الفرقان
“And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the soul which Allah has sanctified, except by right, and do not fornicate. And whoever does that will meet sin. Multiplied for him is the punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated – Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will exchange their evil deeds with good deeds. And Allah has been Forgiving and Merciful. And whoever repented and worked righteousness, then indeed turns to Allah with repentance.” [25:68-71]
On a side note, those verses, about sin and repentance, come in the middle of a greater passage describing “the worshipers of al-Rahman”. It is as if Allah is conveying to us that committing sins does not remove us from the status of being Allah’s great worshipers, as long as we continue to worship and repent and up our game in response to our shortcomings.
One of the great deceptions of the devil where he has tricked the children of Adam is to make them think that because of their sin, and Allah’s anger over their sin, that Allah has renounced them, essentially, and wants nothing else to do with them. But while Allah’s anger is real, His capacity and eagerness to forgive and show mercy are incomparable to humans, who are so weak and miserly that we don’t like to forgive others, as we think we’ll be trampled over.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “Allah is happier with the repentance of a servant as he turns towards Him for repentance than one among you upon his camel in a waterless desert carrying his provision of food and drink and it goes missing. And he having lost all hope lies down in the shadow crestfallen about his camel and suddenly he finds his camel standing before him. He takes hold of its nosering and then out of boundless joy says: O Lord, You are my slave and I am Your Lord. He misspoke out of extreme joy.”
Risks and dangers of sin
When learning about the great mercy of Allah, it is natural to feel more at peace. But we should not feel at peace with our sins like you and your sins are all good together and can keep up the relationship. Rather, whenever we return to our sins, there is always a quick and simple path to forgiveness.
Otherwise, there are many dangers associated with disobeying Allah. After all, Allah is Strong and Mighty and is not happy with disobedience—He is happy with repentance, not with the disobedience that brought you there before you repent.
One of the greatest dangers of sin is letting it become an automatic habit. For example, whenever one finds themselves bored they open their device and subject their eyes and ears to forbidden media. When sin brings some enjoyment via the senses, it could turn into an addiction. It then becomes harder to repent from. Some sins lead to other greater sins, like a rabbit’s hole that goes further and further down before it ever comes up.
When in a state of continuous sin, a variety of dangers accompany one another:
- Guilt fatigue. As your body and mind have “recovered” from the guilt of its first occurrence, suddenly you may forget that you even have a sin anymore. You expected a lightning bolt to come down from the sky or the earth to shake, but you forgot that this life is a test, and Allah gave you the knowledge to do and know better.
- Then while it becomes habitual and enjoyable, addictive or even seemingly profitable, what was once shame becomes audacity, denial, or even justification.
- A worse affect however is when one is in sin, and those around him know it, or even if they don’t know it, but the sinner hates to be reminded of the sinfulness of their sin. So they hate to be reminded, and they hate and avoid those who remind them, and then seek the company of those who accept them. This is when the sin has escalated into hypocrisy, and the sinner may even wish ill for the believers and for Islam in general, because Islam is what gets between them and the practice of their lust and greed.
- All that is the consequence of what happens to the heart when the sin is committed and not repented from. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “When an `abd commits a sin, a black spot is placed on his heart. If he ceases, seeks forgiveness and repents, then it is polished clean. If he returns then it is covered more. And that is the raan covering that Allah mentioned,” and he recited:
{كَلَّا بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ (14)} سورة المطففين
“Nay but on their hearts is a covering of what they used to earn.” [83:14]
And keeping our heart pure until death is essentially the goal of our faith, as Allah says:
{يَوْمَ لَا يَنْفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ (88) إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ (89)} سورة الشعراء
“The day that no wealth shall benefit them nor children, except him who comes to Allah with a pure heart.” [26:88-89]
With any sin, major or minor, we haven’t desisted and sought atonement from, then our heart is stained.
Are any sins unforgivable? Yes and no
On one hand, Allah says:
{قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ (53) وَأَنِيبُوا إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ وَأَسْلِمُوا لَهُ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَكُمُ الْعَذَابُ ثُمَّ لَا تُنْصَرُونَ (54)} سورة الزمر
“Say to my slaves who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah, for Allah is forgiving all sins, for He is the Forgiving, the Merciful. And turn penitently to your Lord and submit to Him before the punishment comes to you and then you are not helped.” [39:53-54]
Then, on the other hand, Allah says there is a kind of sin He does not forgive:
{إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ …(116)} سورة النساء
“Truly Allah does not forgive that partners be made with Him, but He forgives other than that to whomever He wills…” [4:116]
The reconciliation between those two verses is here:
{وَلَيْسَتِ التَّوْبَةُ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ إِنِّي تُبْتُ الْآنَ وَلَا الَّذِينَ يَمُوتُونَ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ ۚ أُولَـٰئِكَ أَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا} ﴿١٨﴾ سورة النساء
“And of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil deeds until death faces one of them and he says: ‘Now I repent!’ nor of those who die while they are disbelievers. For them We have prepared a painful torment.” [4:18]
To summarize, the only sin which will never be forgiven is shirk on the condition that a person died upon it, and never renounced it with Islam and tawheed. But many people guilty of polytheism and idolatry have turned back to Islam and been forgiven, as was the case of most of the Prophet’s companions, and converts to Islam till today. Even if a practicing Muslim falls into idolatry, they can seek Allah’s forgiveness for that.
Should human standards be more severe and critical than Allah’s? Or is there a social responsibility towards sin?
Considering what we’ve learned, that we are designed to make mistakes, and that what Allah wants more from us is continuous repentance and hard work, it makes us wonder why some people, especially those in authority, whether they are imams or parents, why they appear to demand perfection and castigate those who err.
To answer that question, we look to the Quran, where Allah says:
{قُلْ لَا يَسْتَوِي الْخَبِيثُ وَالطَّيِّبُ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكَ كَثْرَةُ الْخَبِيثِ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ يَا أُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ (100)} سورة المائدة
“Say: not equal are the wicked and the good, even if the proliferation of wickedness delights you, so fear Allah O people of understanding, that you might be Successful” [5:100]
In other words, once something we may like—for example drinking—spreads and becomes “socially acceptable” that does not mean that Allah all of a sudden has to ease up His Law and forego punishment. In fact, the opposite may be true. And remember that Allah revealed the Laws when no one was following them. Imagine if the Prophet or the Muslims rejected those laws? Allah says:
{وَإِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُنَا بَيِّنَاتٍ قَالَ الَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَاءَنَا ائْتِ بِقُرْآنٍ غَيْرِ هَذَا أَوْ بَدِّلْهُ قُلْ مَا يَكُونُ لِي أَنْ أُبَدِّلَهُ مِنْ تِلْقَاءِ نَفْسِي إِنْ أَتَّبِعُ إِلَّا مَا يُوحَى إِلَيَّ إِنِّي أَخَافُ إِنْ عَصَيْتُ رَبِّي عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ (15)} سورة يونس
“And when Our signs are recited upon them, those without hope in Our meeting say bring a recitation other than this one or change it. Say: it is not for me to change it of my own self, I only follow what is being revealed to me, I fear if I disobeyed my Lord, the punishment of a great Day.” [10:15]
But here, more importantly, Allah says:
{وَاتَّقُوا فِتْنَةً لَا تُصِيبَنَّ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنْكُمْ خَاصَّةً وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ (25)} سورة الأنفال
“And beware a tribulation that does not target the wrong doers of you exclusively, and know that Allah is severe in punishment.” [8:25]
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was asked, would we be destroyed while righteous are among us? To which he responded, “yes, if wickedness increases within you.” It seems to be a kind of pattern with Allah to “reset” a people of wickedness becomes overwhelmingly prevalent and accepted.
And if a sin is public or proclaimed, it is no longer between the worshiper and their creator only. And when people boast about it, as if it is an accomplishment or daring Allah to punish them, then this is arrogance and pride for something that was already bad.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “All of my ummah are forgiven except the mujaahirun…those perform a sin in the night under the cover and protection of Allah, and then the next day throw off Allah’s cover and say I did this and that.”
And just like the verse telling us that good and evil will never be equal, it is an even greater sin to delight in and promote the wickedness of fellow Muslims:
{إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَنْ تَشِيعَ الْفَاحِشَةُ فِي الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ … (19)} سورة النور
“Truly those who love to see lewdness spread among those who’ve believed, for them is a painful punishment in this life and the Hereafter…”
Even though these lessons are still being preached as I write and publish them, the number of listeners seems to decrease with each generation. Hence the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “Before the Hour are four signs: knowledge being raised, ignorance staying firm, alcohol being drank, and fornication being prominent.”
As Muslims following Islam, our religion, as the last and final message of Allah until the Day of Resurrection, a message meant for all humanity, not just the Arabs nor just those who already have familiarity with Islam, we have an important responsibility and obligation:
{وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا…(143)} سورة البقرة
“And thus we have made you a wasat Middle nation, so that you be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger be a witness over you…” [2:143]
{وَلْتَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ (104)} سورة آل عمران
“And let there be among you an ummah inviting to all good and commanding with virtue and prohibiting vice, and it is they who are the successful.” [3:104]
{كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ …(110)} سورة آل عمران
“You were the best ummah brought forth for humanity, you are commanding towards virtue and prohibiting vice, and you believe in Allah… ” [3:110]
These verses, among others, affirm the unnegotiable obligation of commanding towards good and forbidding evil. With such a great responsibility, it is no wonder that many caring individuals share in it, as we all should.
May Allah give us strength and guide us to what pleases Him
والله أعلم وصلى الله على نبيه محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم
