Good News for Sinners 1

As people drown in shameful sins willfully, they usually come to the point of getting bored of the life of sin that makes them feel unworthy and unsatisfied, no matter how comfortable their life may seem. They desire to start a meaningful life full of purity and enlightenment. However, they hear their hearts beat with burning, impressing questions: Can Allah forgive us? Will He accept our repentance despite the untold sins we committed? What assures us that we will be forgiven? In this article, I will elaborate on one verse that speaks of God’s firm promise for forgiving the sins of those who turn to Him in repentance. We believe that God’s promise is eternally honored and cannot be broken.

Allah says in the Quran: “Say O My servants, who have committed sins in great excess against their selves, never despair of Allah’s mercy; indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He alone Who is the All-forgiving, the All-merciful” (Quran 39:53).

            In their collections of the Prophet’s ﷺ sayings, Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim mentioned the reason why the above-cited verse was revealed. They narrated, on the authority of Ibn Abbas, that some polytheists killed people and committed adultery. Then they came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: “All that you are preaching is so great, only if you tell us that there is forgiveness for what we committed.” Following their wish, the verse was revealed along with a more detailed one which reads: “And they [the close servants of Allah the All-merciful] are the ones who do not invoke any other god besides Allah. Nor do they kill a soul -which Allah has forbidden to be killed- except for a just cause. Nor do they commit illicit sexual intercourse. For whoever commits these sins shall meet a severe penalty: torment shall be multiplied for them on the Day of Resurrection. And -in disgrace – they shall abide therein forever —except for those who repent and believe and do righteous deeds; for then God shall change their misdeeds into good deeds. And Allah is All-forgiving, All-merciful. And for those who repent and do righteous deeds, Allah will surely accept their repentance” (Quran 25:68-71).

           Imam al-Razi and other commentators contemplated over the verse under discussion and noticed that it discloses Allah’s total forgiveness and all-comprehensive mercy so powerfully that each word in the verse gave great assurance for the forgiveness of sins. Let us meditate on each word and how it contributes to clearing up the doubts that Devil casts in our hearts regarding divine forgiveness.

1. Servants

Allah refers to the “sinner” as “servant”—a word that implies need and humbleness. Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Gracious, is generously expected to shower the needy and the poverty-stricken with mercy and blessings.

2.     My Servants

Allah associated the sinners with Himself by using the possessive pronoun “My”. This association is so honorable that it guarantees them salvation from any form of torment in the Hereafter. Remember that being “servant of Allah” is the highest level of faith one could aspire to reach. Given the fact that the verse addresses the sinners, one leaves with the impression that “sinners” can turn into “saints”.

3. Who Committed Sins Excessively

Imam al-Qushayri imagines two groups of people listening to this verse: the pious and the wicked. Then he records their immediate reactions to the beginning of the verse, “O My servants”. He writes: “When Allah said: “O My servants,” the pious – with their heads held high – presumed that the verse would address them. On the other hand, the wicked bowed their heads in shame – saying in despair: “Who are we to think that this call is for us?” But rather when Allah said: “Those who have committed sins in great excess,” the situation changed roots and all. Those who hung their heads in shame restored and felt worthy, while the pious whose hearts swelled with pride lost their upper hand and felt embarrassed! Furthermore, Allah is promising forgiveness for the sinners who left no sin uncommitted. If Allah invites those sinners to repent, do you think He will reject those who draw close to Him? Never let the Devil make you feel hopeless, no matter how many times you slip.

4. Against their selves

The relative clause “who have committed sins against their own selves” signifies that the sins they committed did not cause Allah any injury but caused them a lot of harm. Hence, it would be enough for them to bear the consequences of their sins in this present life, and there would be no need to inflict them with additional harm in the Hereafter!

5. Never despair

We know a lot of forbidden acts in Islam. Now add to that list of prohibitions the following sin: “giving up on gaining Allah’s mercy and forgiveness”. Therefore, it is a major sin to feel any despair of gaining Allah’s forgiveness, no matter how heinous your sins might be. Believing that Allah will not forgive you is like distrusting this Quranic verse. That is why despairing of Allah’s forgiveness is more dangerous than any other sin.

6. Of Allah’s Mercy

It is grammatically expected for the verse to say “never despair of My mercy” without repeating the word Allah on the assumption that the verse started with: “O my servants.” However, Allah said, “Never despair of Allah’s mercy,” simply because the word “Allah” is the greatest and most supreme of Allah’s names. Therefore, the mercy associated with Allah must be the greatest and most supreme of its kind.

7. Indeed,

This word corresponds to إن in Arabic, which emphasizes the following sentence.

8. Allah Forgives all sins

If Allah said, “Allah forgives sins”, it would be linguistically enough to refer to His forgiveness. However, Allah emphasizes the sentence with “all” to dispel any doubt that may occur to our minds.

9. Indeed, it is He alone who is …

The Arabic style with which the verse ends, “Indeed it is He alone Who is …” emphasizes that forgiveness and mercy are exclusive to Allah; that is, no one could ever be forgiven or showered with mercy except through Allah. This “exclusiveness” is highly expressive of the perfection of Allah’s forgiveness and mercy.”

10. The All-Forgiving, the all-Merciful

Here, Allah describes Himself as the “All-Forgiving” which refers to removing away all that leads to imposing punishment. He is also the “All-Merciful,” which refers to Him bestowing Divine blessings.

        No wonder this verse was considered by some of the Prophet’s ﷺ companions, like Ali ibn Abi Talib and Ibn Mas’ud, as the most inspiring and hopeful verse in the Quran. Ibn Abbas is reported to have said: “Having read this verse, driving people to despair of Allah’s mercy is a gross denial of Allah’s Book.” All in all, do not allow immoral friends, satanic whisperings, or negative self-talk to keep you away from turning to Allah in repentance

By Sh. Ahmed Arafat