Understanding The Mercy Of Allah

Hoping to receive the Forgiveness and Mercy of Allah, while insisting on disobedience and wrongdoing, is a kind of betrayal and foolishness.

I’ll start with a sincere apology for getting this week’s edition across to you this late. The good thing is that now you have it, and we will continue our discussion on why we sin and what we can do about it.

In a previous edition, the various forces at play against us that make it difficult to avoid sinning were highlighted and in the following edition, the Forgiveness and Mercy of Allah was described. It was emphasized that every soul is worthy of coming back to Allah, and there is no amount of sin too great for Him to forgive.

Thus, it can be said that while it is human to err, it is Divine to forgive. And that is true, Allah forgives all sins. He has called on everyone who has transgressed against their souls, by committing evil deeds and sins, not to despair of His Mercy. He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. However, the Mercy of Allah should not be misconstrued and relied upon - by going against His injunctions with the belief and assurance of His forgiveness after committing sins.

Ibn Al-Jawzi wrote; “you should know that the majority of wrongdoers and sinners rely on the Mercy, Forgiveness and Generosity of Allah, while at the same time, neglecting and overlooking His Severe Punishment. This biased understanding occurred to them because they wrongly assumed the Mercy of Allah is like tenderness… As for he who seeks forgiveness while still insisting on committing sins, then indeed, he is like a stubborn person ignoring all the warnings.” (Disturber of the Hearts by ibn al-Jawzi - Page 21)

It is generally known that there are three conditions for repentance to be accepted; giving up on the sin, regretting the act, and resolving to never go back to it. Thus, as Shaykh Uthaymeen noted; “praying for forgiveness is of no benefit when one persists in sins because it is closer to a mockery of faith.”

It is also important to remember that truly, Allah is the Ever-Forgiving, Ever-Merciful. However, He is also severe in punishment.

“Verily, the Grip (Punishment) of your Lord is severe!” Al Qur’an, 85:12

How then can you hope to receive the Mercy of the One to Whom you insist on being disobedient? Do you rely on the Forgiveness and Mercy of Allah while you neglect and overlook His Severe Punishment?

“Hoping to receive the Mercy of the One who you insist on being disobedient to, is a kind of betrayal and foolishness.” Ma’ruf al-Karkhi (Hilyahal-Awliya - Page 8)

By Allah, Allah is the Ever-Forgiving, Ever-Merciful and He will forgive your sins even though they fill what is between the heavens and earth upon sincere repentance, and then, He will bless you. Nevertheless, repentance must be sincere and this includes the firm resolve never to repeat the sin.

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Even after sincere repentance with a firm resolve not to return to sin, we sometimes find ourselves falling short again despite our best intention and efforts. This is not uncommon, it is a reminder for us that we are human. In such cases, we should repeat our sincere repentance and renew our resolve not to return to it. We should then put measures in place that will help us to avoid the pitfalls, while recognizing our limitations as humans and the forces at play against us.

In the next edition, we will in sha Allah start discussing each of the forces and how we can manage them to stay firm on the path of righteousness.

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