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[20:123] He said, “Go down therefrom, all of you. You are enemies of one another. When guidance comes to you from Me, anyone who follows My guidance will not go astray, nor suffer any misery.
Everything depends on how we make use of our God-given faculties and how we use the guidance He has provided us.
God gives us the gift of repentance and reform. In all its various forms “repent” is mentioned in Quran 61 times, “reform” 12 times.
To repent, we must first realise our fault and pledge in ourselves not to repeat it ever again. [66:8] O you who believe, you shall repent to GOD a firm repentance. Your Lord will then remit your sins and admit you into gardens with flowing streams. On that day, GOD will not disappoint the prophet and those who believed with him. Their light will radiate in front of them and to their right. They will say, “Our Lord, perfect our light for us, and forgive us; You are Omnipotent.”
To repent you need a firm faith that God alone is worthy of worship, that He is the Best Knower and that He knows everything we think and do and that only He can forgive our sins.
We have to fear God as we have to realise that God is fully aware of what we do and we will be equitably judged for it. This will not be merely the expression of regret over the wrong done but also the firm resolve of not doing it again which means a reformation. If we do not solemnly intend never to repeat the wrong again then this cannot be considered repentance.
Look at Adam and Eve. They did what they were forbidden to do.
[7:22-23] He thus duped them with lies. As soon as they tasted the tree, their bodies became visible to them, and they tried to cover themselves with the leaves of Paradise. Their Lord called upon them: “Did I not enjoin you from that tree, and warn you that the devil is your most ardent enemy?” They said, “Our Lord, we have wronged our souls, and unless You forgive us and have mercy on us, we will be losers.”
See Moses when he committed manslaughter. [28:15-16] Once he entered the city unexpectedly, without being recognized by the people. He found two men fighting; one was (a Hebrew) from his people, and the other was (an Egyptian) from his enemies. The one from his people called on him for help against his enemy. Moses punched him, killing him. He said, “This is the work of the devil; he is a real enemy, and a profound misleader.” He said, “My Lord, I have wronged my soul. Please forgive me,” and He forgave him. He is the Forgiver, Most Merciful.
Take the example of Jonah. [21:87] And Zan-Noon (Jonah, “the one with an ‘N’ in his name”), abandoned his mission in protest, thinking that we could not control him. He ended up imploring from the darkness (of the big fish’s belly): “There is no god other than You. Be You glorified. I have committed a gross sin.”
Three great cases – what they all had in common was the expression of their regret and their unambiguous recognition that it was they who had initially wronged themselves.
God knows that we will sin. [42:30] Anything bad that happens to you is a consequence of your own deeds, and He overlooks many (of your sins).
But we must certainly avoid major sins – [42:37] They avoid gross sins and vice, and when angered they forgive.
We need to use God’s guidance, our fear of God and our God-given abilities with a solid unfaltering faith in the compassion and benevolence of God
to help us achieve a happy life both now and in the Hereafter.
[89:27-30] As for you, O content soul. Return to your Lord, pleased and pleasing. Welcome into My servants. Welcome into My Paradise.
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The Quran talks about and emphasizes Forgiveness in a strong manner in many verses. In fact, a verse dealing with the First Commandment states:
Lã Elãha Ellã Allãh: First Commandment
[47:19] You shall know that: “There is no other god beside GOD,” and ask forgiveness of your sins and the sins of all believing men and women. GOD is fully aware of your decisions and your ultimate destiny.
Forgiveness can liberate an individual from resentment and promote inner peace. We need to let go of grudges and thereby find a more positive outlook on life. Some people even say that when you forgive others, you forgive yourself because it is based in the understanding that all human beings make mistakes.
[3:110] You are the best community ever raised among the people: you advocate righteousness and forbid evil, and you believe in GOD. If the followers of the scripture believed, it would be better for them. Some of them do believe, but the majority of them are wicked.
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