Repentance, Redemption, & Salvation: An Islamic Framework | Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research (2024)

“Every son of Adam commits sin, and the best of those who commit sin are those who repent.”

While seemingly counterintuitive, this profound statement from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is a cornerstone in the understanding of repentance (tawba) within the framework of Islamic theology. Much can be gleaned from these few words; perhaps the most striking question is how one in a continual state of sin and repentance can at the very same time be regarded as the best of humanity? This question is even more significant giventhedarkness and negativity often associated with sinwithin our collective imagination, an association that islikely the result of a fusion of religious doctrine and encounters with culture, folklore, mythology, and literature such as Dante’sInferno.Haunting special effects depicting scenes of the journey to the underworld, often used to characterize man’s fall from grace into an abyss, distant from redemption, further contribute to this view. Yet, one of the defining characteristics oftawbais that it in fact enablesoneto attain a more righteous outcome and noble standing with God.

Tawbaplays an essential role in shaping a believer’s outlook on life, making it a means of fortifying one’s faith, such that without it, one is susceptible to doubt and despair.This paper discusses the Islamic discourse on repentance and highlights the critical role it plays in the life of a believer. The core beliefs in regard totawbafrom Islam’s primary sources, the Qur’an and theSunnah, are described along with its distinct features, particularly in light of more common interpretations of the word “repentance.” This word is typically used to identify the process of remorse and subsequent seeking of redemption for one’s sins in the sight of God—and isoften associated with the Judeo-Christian traditions which share some common beliefs with Islambutfundamentally differ with respect to others.

Tawbais both an outward (comprising specific actions) as well as an inward (hidden from public view) endeavor the believer undertakes. A follow-up paper to this theological study oftawbawill address its practical applications,introduceits vast spiritual dimensions whichinvolveexamination ofone’s innercondition, the obstacles totawbaone may encounter, and the stages of the spiritual journey undertaken to gain closeness to Allah as taught and implemented by the Prophet ﷺ. It is ultimately one’s self-awareness and convictionintawbawhich naturally guide one’s approachtolifeand providethe moral compass by which to live.This conviction also providesthe motivation necessary to drive one towardtawbawhile safeguarding one from sin, disillusionment,and despair—thus making it a crucial component of faith and an act of worship to appreciate and inculcate for one’s well-being and salvation.

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Belief in life after death, in accountability for one’s actions in this life, and in the subsequent need for repentance varies the world over. While the focus of this study istawba, it is important to briefly mention a few prevalent beliefs in order to have reference points from which to compare, contrast, and develop a better understanding of the Islamic perspective and draw from its many benefits. Humanity for the most part intuitively holds to belief in God with projections of growing numbers of adherents globally for all the world’s major religious groups.

However, it must also be noted that an increasing segment of the world’s population subscribes to a spectrum of secular liberal ideologiesthatare either characterized by doubts and misconceptions about God and religion, orthatdeny the existence of God altogether. This, in turn, leads to the denial of the existence of, and the motivation to work toward, an afterlife in which to reap the rewards of life’s work—placing all emphasis instead on life in this world.In this view,notions of morality and justice sit squarely in the hands of humans, whose reasoning and capability is presumedsufficient formanaging their affairs for the relatively short time they have on earth.

With no sense of accountability to God, the need for repentance is also dissolved—and with it a core element that, from the Islamic perspective, serves to facilitate moral development.As 'A'isha once reported, “I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, the son of Jud'an established ties of relationship, [and] fed the poor. Would that be of any avail to him?’ He said, ‘It would be of no avail to him as he did not ever say: O my Lord, pardon my sins on the Day of Resurrection.’”

Tawbainvolves a recognition of one’s own fallibility in one’s moral choices and of one’s potential for evil,and an acknowledgment that theseneed amending. Furthermore, the very essence of Islam involves total submission to one’s Creator and Master, God Almighty,so itshouldcome as no surprise that the Qur’an clearlydistinguishesbetween the consequencesofheedlessness and denial (of thosewhounderstand its message) and the reward He promises to those who choose belief and righteousness:

As for those who believe in supreme divine authority, we can broadly categorize them into two groups—Eastern faiths and Abrahamic faiths. Eastern faithssuch as Hinduism and Buddhism

focus on refining the inner self, and generally subscribe to divine incarnation, reincarnation, andkarmaasthe means to salvation.Thus, salvation is achievedthrough one’s deeds in that human beingsface accountability for the good and eviltheycarried out in this world through cycles of rebirth; this approachleaves no room forthe role of God and His forgiveness in regard to man’s final destiny.Reincarnation is described as a cyclical course of life and death along which the individual’s soul journeys through life into death. With each cycle of rebirth, it returns once again to this world in a different body representative of its new statusina hierarchicalsystem. Thus, a soul may be returned to this world ranging anywhere from the lowest rankingcasteas a consequence of one’s evil deeds, to that of those humans considered to have the most noble and high status (the priestly and warrior classes) for having lived a life of good.All of this is based on one’s conduct in the previous life with the goal of ultimately attaining the state ofnirvana, at which point one has reached the highest spiritual elevation and “release from earthly existence as well as from pain, desire, and sorrow”

—that of becoming one with the divine Absolute/Supreme Essence in eternity—a lofty goal only a select few are believed to attain, and also onethatserves as inspiration for a number of mystic traditions.

A common thread among these religious traditions involves seeking seclusion and to great extent, denialof oneself and ofthe world in order to realize and nurture one’s spirituality—an approach which could potentially bring the world to a complete halt had its practice been the only path to salvation. In contrast, Islam prescribes the perfect balance of striving to benefit oneself and others. One is to take from the tangible good of this world provided by God, stay engaged and contribute to society, and endure the challengesthataccompany the temptations and harm that may come from doing so,all thewhile strivingfor moral growth and spiritual gains throughtawbato attain His pleasure in both this worldandthe Hereafter.

Islam is pure in its monotheism, rejecting any and all forms of polytheism, assignment of partners to God, and anthropomorphism. It is made abundantly clear that all humans are created equal in the sight of Allah, regardless of race or worldly status, that they are the most noble of His creation, and that they have been given life for the sole purpose of worshipping Him alone. Ultimately we will all return to Him to be judged and subsequently rewarded or punished in the eternal Hereafter.

The other grouping is that of the Abrahamic faiths. Judaism, Christianity,and Islamalltrace their roots back to the prophet Abraham and all claim belief in, and worship of, the same God.Yeteach also holds that it alone provides thesolepathto salvation(salvific exclusivity).

However, each has its own theological understandings, teachings,and practices with respect tohumanfallibility, need for repentanceandforgiveness from God,and life in the Hereafter. It is important to acknowledge the existence of countless denominations and sects within the orthodox and reform movements of eachof thesemajor world religionsthatdiffer significantly,with someeven rejectingparticular theological conceptsthat others hold to be fundamental.The continuedexistence of such concepts, as well as specific references to them in the Qur’an andSunnah, necessitate their being discussedwith regard totheirrelevanceto theconceptoftawba.

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Derived from a verb in the Arabic language which literally means “to return,”

the wordtawbain the Islamic context refers to the act of abandoning something prohibited (haram) by Allah (and therefore deemed sinful) for that which is in accordance with the commands of Allah.

Halalis a significantly broader category comprising everything within the realm of permissibility as well as those acts which carry specific reward from Allah;these include mosteveryday matters as well as legislated acts of worship dedicated only to Allah.Tawbais thus in essence a “return” to Allah witha humbleadmission of one’s fallibility in which the servant expresses remorse while seeking forgiveness (istighfar) and redemption fromtheMaster for having erredorfalleninto sin. Included withinthe concept oftawbais the intention of restrain, reform, and moral self-improvement going forward.Tawbais defined early on in thesecond chapter of theQur’an in the story of the prophet Adam, his wife,Hawwa(Eve),andIblis(Satan). The creation story is documented in all three scriptures:the Torah, the Bible, and the Qur’an.The Qur’anmentionsit in several chapters; this story iswoven throughout as a frequent reminder tousofourorigin,ourrelationship with Allah,ourfallibility, the purpose of life on earth,andourfinal return to Allah for judgment:

The creation story provides the foundation for human existence and understanding of life itself, containing within it the methodology with which to approachtawba,and a description of bothits practical and spiritual dimensions. It eloquently illustratesthe human’s relationship with Allah—first and foremost establishing that Allah created Adam as the first human

and subsequently from his progeny all of mankind, with the sole purpose of worshipping and obeying Him. Adam was given knowledge

and instruction—to live with his spouse in Paradise and to benefit from its plentiful provision as they wished, with the exception of a single tree He forbade them both from approaching.Allah, from His divine providence, bestowed onAdamintellect and the capacity for free will,giving him the ability to do both good and evil as a meansoftestinghim. What ensued in the Garden serves as a paramount lesson for all time. Adam andHawwawere both tempted into disobedience byIblis, causing them to be removed from Paradise. Yet, as a phenomenal gesture of mercy and generosity, Allah taught Adam the very words oftawbawith which he and his progeny are to seek forgiveness from Him. Hence, Allah madetawbathe means of forgiveness and redemption in the struggle on earth between good and evil, and the meansthrough which one gainsbothHis pleasurein this world andeternal salvation upon final return to Him on the Day of Resurrection.

Furthermore, the story of Adam andIblisserves as the framework for the greatest challengewewill face on earth:an unrelenting battle from the cradle to the grave against a deceitful enemy who will often pose asourconfidante,just as he did inJannah,in order to misleadusinto disobedience.

AmongIblis’smany tactics is thatheskillfully instills inushis own attributes of despair and arrogance (the first expression of racisminvolvedIblisthinking himself superior to Adam) to impede man from makingtawba.He does soby convincingusto despair ofourworthiness in the sight of Allah in approaching Him directly.Those who despair in this way oftenseek forgiveness through the help of a pious intermediary whomtheyview as being closer to Allah and thereby fall intoshirk

(assigning partnerstoGod). He may even convinceustogive up and not turn back to Allah at all. Likewise,Ibliswill strategically appeal toour egos, causingusto become heedless. He may convinceusthatwedo not need to maketawbaasourworldly achievementsindicateourhonorable status with Allah, or that Allah’s mercy alone guaranteesussalvation—all prevalent misconceptionsto this day.

This is ourstruggle on earth. To be humanis to be flawed and to sin—as only Allah is Perfect; thus,falling into sin and makingtawbaare perpetual states for the believer. The creation story teaches usthathuman fallibilityispart ofthe deliberate and perfect divine plan such that,just aswe arenaturally inclined to worship Allah and seek guidance,we arealso inclined to sin. Hence,tawbais the greatest of blessings and of the most beautiful acts of worship taught tous, onethrough whichwefulfillourpurpose, develop humility,and strengthenourconnection with Allah, while increasingourlove for Him through reflection and hope for His Mercy, Forgiveness,and Generosity.

The Prophet ﷺ describedJannahas“Bricks of silver and bricks of gold. Its mortar is musk of a strong fragrance, and its pebbles are pearls and rubies, and its earth is saffron. Whoever enters it shall live and shall not suffer, and shall feel joy and shall not die, nor shall their clothes wear out, nor shall their youth come to an end.”

It logically follows that the sole authority to forgive belongs to Allah

—therefore,repentance can only be made toHim. Islam forbids any form of intermediary to whom sins are to be confessed or through whom forgiveness can be sought.Here, Islam distinguishes itself from other doctrines in and safeguards the believer from calling upon intermediaries such as idolsrepresentingGod, or any prophet of God. All of the noble prophets were appointed by Him from among the best of humanity, yet were mortal and sent as role models to mankind with the divine message to worship Him alone (tawhid) as was the case with both Jesus and Muhammad.

Another category of intermediaries are thepious people of the past who have been raised to sainthood by their followers. They are often invoked and their graves have become sanctified as places of worship because they are believed to either have earned the status and power to intercede with God, or to themselves possess divine attributes. Sadly,such views havebecome widespread across religious lines, including some sects identifying with Islam. Also included are the clergy to whom confessions

are made with the promise of being forgiven by God, as well as any aggrandizement of another or oneself with respect to authority overanyone’s final destiny. All of these, as well as the doctrine of the Trinity

in its deification of Jesus as the means to atonement and salvation for the sins of man, as introduced to Christian theology by the apostle Paul, are defined as forms ofshirkin Islam.

No doubt, Islam came to rectify agroup of peoplealready immersed inshirk, making it forbidden and hated in the sight of Allah as the worst of sins—one requiringtawbain this life.

Even more notably, from the perspective oftawba, this also firmly establishes the overarching mercy of Allah toward His servants in that there is no sin, regardless of its magnitude or proportion, includingshirk, except that there exists a path of return for the one who is sincere intawba.As Allah Himself has said,“…O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful."[Qur’an 39:53]

AnothercentralprincipleinIslam is that all matters legislated by Allah (Shariah) inherently carry good for the preservation and well-being of humanity and protection against harm. As Ibn Al-Qayyim (d. 1347 CE) summarized, “The Islamic law is all about wisdom and achieving people’s welfare in this life and the afterlife. It is all about justice, mercy, wisdom, and good. Thus, any ruling that replaces justice with injustice, mercy with its opposite, common good with mischief, or wisdom with nonsense, is a ruling that does not belong to the Islamic law, even if it is claimed to be so according to some interpretation.”

Even a cursory examination of the prohibition ofshirkunearths a wealth of benefits —the most obvious of them with regard totawbais the direct connection it establishes between us and God. Rationally, it makes perfect sense to directly approach the One Who has fashioned us, the One Who always answers those who call on Him, and the only Lawmaker and Judge who knows our true intentions and has ultimate power and authority over us to forgive us.Tawbainvolves beingproactiveand involves going straight to the Source of forgiveness, and ensures protection from those who are not only incapable and unsanctioned to speak on behalf of Allah, but also from the potential harm associated with opportunists looking to take advantage of the vulnerable. At the very least, such people may be harsh and lack compassion for those grappling with the inner struggles associated with immorality and sin. Simply put, no one can surpass the mercy of Allah.

The Qur’an and theSunnahclearly deny the idea that humans shoulder the sin of Adam or that Eve was the temptress and therefore women for all time to come must bear the consequence of her actions (as posited by some early theologians).

The belief that all humans inherit the sin of Adam and Eve arose from the doctrine of Original Sin

advanced by Augustine of Hippo (334-430 CE).

He theorized that all humans are born sinful and must accordingly seek salvation through sacramental channels such as penance and baptism to absolve them of sin. This doctrine was opposed by some Christian scholars and was later revised by the Roman Catholic Church with regard to the fate of those who die in infancy, and is no longer held to universally; some still conduct infant baptism and others limit it to adults entering the faith.

Islam stands in stark contrast when it comes to Original Sin as well as to other doctrines with similar claims. One such claim is that of the belief inkarma, the result of which a person born into a lowercasteor below the system entirely such as theDalits(Untouchables) are virtually exiled as the lowest of society. Historically, their station was on the sole basis of their birth into the ancient Hindu hierarchy which once considered them punished and unworthy with no scope for redemption in this life for the misdeeds of a past life. This has since turned into the practice of subjecting them to severe social and economic injustice to this day, despite the reform movements within the religion in addition to the global outcry for civil rights—classifying it nothing short of an oppressive apartheid.

That is not to say that the rest of humanity hasn’t been plagued by its own forms of religious and social classism which are unfortunately rampant in the divisiveness, racism, and injustice visible in most if not all societies throughout history. It would be remiss to not point out that even the Muslim world has regrettably strayed from its own teachings in this regard and has not been spared from such ignorance and tyranny.The Qur’an states that Adam andHawwawere both tempted into disobedience of Allah, both sought forgiveness, and were both subsequently forgiven before being sent to earth.

Furthermore, the Qur’an establishes individual responsibility forone’sactions.Theconsequencesofone’sactions, whether salvation or damnation, cannot be shouldered by anyone else, regardless of who they are. Sin cannot be inherited or passed on to another; nor can anyone intercede for another without the permission of Allah—yet another reminder of Allah’s supreme mercy and justice. The great theologian and jurist, Al-Ghazali (d. 1111 CE), who wrote extensively on the topic of repentance, dedicating an entirebook to it in his monumental work,The Revival of Religious Sciences, describes the nature of the covenant between human and God as being an individual one between the servant and his Master, while also pointing out that society as a whole has a collective responsibility to safeguard itself from injustice and transgression. “The community is not the source of salvation but rather it is, by divine will and command, an area of responsibility in which man can either pursue obedience or disobedience.”

This is apparent in the communal responsibility to seek knowledge, enjoin good, and forbid evil as taught by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ who said, “Whoever among you sees an evil action, and he is able to change it with his hand, then change it with his hand (by taking action); if he cannot (do so) with his hand, then with his tongue (by speaking out); and if he cannot, then with his heart (by hating it and feeling that it is wrong), and that is the weakest of faith.”

It is also understood from this that one’s actions may have positive or negative effects on others such that both the individual as well as the one inspired to do good will have their own share of reward for doing so and likewise the one inspired to do evil as a result will have his/her own share of sin.

The Prophet ﷺ further explained that all of humanity is in actuality born innocent. He said, "Every child is born with a true faith of Islam ([fitrahor intuition] to worship none but Allah Alone) and his parents convert him to Judaism or Christianity or Magianism, as an animal delivers a perfect baby animal. Do you find it mutilated?"

This means that humans are born with the capability of recognizing Allah and are naturally inclined to worship Him. However, they are influenced by their surroundings and life experiences. Every humanhas been given sufficient intellect, capability, and the will to directthemself—yet, one may be overcome by these influences, causing thefitrahto become buried. Such influences can eventually succeed in drawing one away from Islam, even if temporarily, until one is able to return to thefitrahand seek the path of truth and guidance to Allah. Many have done so, and continue to do so upon the realization that a crucial element of one’s existence is missing and must be pursued in order to experience a life of purpose and fulfillment. Allah’s mercy, justice, and wisdom decree that He only holds individuals responsible to the extent of their limited capability, and only once they have received knowledge of Islam.

In the past, this was done through His sending prophets and books to specific nations to guide them, and from the advent of Islam and the final Prophet, Muhammad ﷺ, it remains in the final revelation to all of humanity, the Qur’an andSunnah.

One of the most remarkable attributes of sinceretawbais its wiping out of all the sins which preceded it. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The one who repents from sin is like one who did not sin”

—about which Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 1328 CE) said, “The one who repents from sin is like one who did not sin, and if the sin is removed, then the punishment and consequences are also removed”.

Hence,tawbaoffersa tremendous opportunity for anyone seeking a way out from false beliefs and a lifestyle they have come to realize is not the true path to Allah. ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas said, “When Allah put Islam in my heart, I came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: “Give me your right hand so that I may swear allegiance to you.” He held out his hand and I withdrew my hand. He said, “What is the matter, O ‘Amr?” I said, “I want to stipulate a condition.” He said, “What do you want to stipulate?” I said, “That I will be forgiven.” He said, “Do you not know that Islam destroys that which came before it?”

In stating this, the Prophet ﷺ was reassuring ‘Amr—who had been among the more prominent of the Quraysh in his opposition to Islam and was from the later companions to accept it—that by abandoning disbelief and sin for Islam—essentially,tawba—all his previous sins had been forgivenand it wasas if he were returned to his pure state on the day he had been born. The Qur’an itself is a call to all of humanity to this very return to Allah—an indication of the universality of Islam which promises salvation to anyone who sincerely enters its doors.

But what of the sins of the believer—does every sin necessitatetawba? Cansomesinsput one out of the fold of Islam?These among other fundamental questions became the subject of discussion in the quest of early theologians to better understand and define Islamic theology. The need to do so arose with the spread of Islam beyond the Arabian Peninsula during its formative stage, encountering growth and with it the infusion of external political and philosophical ideologies.It is important to note the dangers of ignorance and extremismwhich can misleadoneto misconstrue the true essence oftawbaand forgiveness. One example is seen in thebelief held by the early Kharijite movement which “argued that sins themselves were a form ofkufr(disbelief in God). They argued that if you commit a sin, you are in effect a disbeliever in God and thus could be fought and killed, even if you were a Companion of the Prophet ﷺ or a caliph...”

While the movement itself was short-lived, this kind of extreme thought is still evident in the atrocities being carried out in our times, largely against Muslims—a result of similar distortions of Islam by modern-day politically driven groups responsible for widespread devastation and the rise of Islamophobia. Not surprising were the counter movements which also formed in those early days, such as those postulating that human behavior is solely the result of divine decree (qadr). This belief left no room for free will and responsibility for one’s own actions;

the problematic nature of this view is obvious in light of the true teachings of Islam. Bothextremes illustrate the crucial role of the correct understanding oftawbaand the role it plays in one’s faith, outlook,and subsequent actions.

The renowned scholar Al-Tahawi (d. 933 CE) summarized in his highly acclaimed work,Al-'Aqidah, the authentic Islamic position by consensus (Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah) in regard to sin and redemption. It holds that God has commanded man to obey Him and forbids him from disobedience; but that no one is to be excommunicated on the basis of that disobedience or sin as long as one is not claiming it lawful—though sinning may have harmful effects on one’s faith. The believers live in hope of Allah’s forgiveness without assumption of its certainty, and they pray for the sinful among them, having concern for their salvation without despairing in regard to it.All humanswill be resurrected after death and brought to judgment before Allah.Theirdeeds will be presented tothemandtheywill be recompensed fortheiractions with reward or punishment in the Hereafter. Even those followers of the Prophet ﷺ under the heaviest burden of sin for which they have not repented will eventually, by Allah’s mercy, justice, and special permission for the pious to intercede on their behalf, enter Paradise, though they may face punishment in the hellfire initially for a period of time in accordance with His will and divine wisdom.

Scholars, from the time of the Companions, have extrapolated from the primary sources and attempted to categorize the nature of sin as being eithermajororminor; differing in their compilations as to exactly which sinsbelonged ineach category. It is generally acceptedthatsins for which Allah has designated a specific punishment to be carried out in this world and sinsthatcarry the threat of punishment in the hereafter are considered major sins for which makingtawbais obligatory;for example,the unjust taking of life andshirk.

This doesn’t mean that one can afford to become negligent with regard to what may be perceived as a minor sin. The believerwas cautioned against doing so by the Prophet ﷺ when he said, “Beware of minor sins like a people who descend into the bottom of a valley, so one comes with a stick and another with a stick until they have fire to cook their bread. Verily, when a person is held accountable for these minor sins they will destroy him”

giving a visual sense of small sins piling up on one another until they accumulate to the level of a major sin depicted by the raging fire. When asked about the number of major sins, the companion and great scholar Ibn Abbas said, “They are closer to seven hundred than only seven, but no sin is an enormity if forgiveness is sought and no sin is minor if it is stubbornly repeated.”

Ibn Taymiyyah took this a step further, pointing out thattawbais not only to be made for having committed evil; rather one should additionally repent for falling short in performing good deeds. He stated that repentance is obligatory on every responsible human for the abandonment of obligatory deeds and for committing that which is forbidden. However, he added that repentance is highly recommended for one who has not refrained from acts which are discouraged, though permissible to the extent they are not sinful (makruh), and for not having performed recommended acts (mandub) which, though not obligatory, are pleasing to Allah and rewarded. He goes on to say that the people who make both of these kinds oftawbaare among the closest to Allah.

It is no doubt from the immense mercy of Allah that minor sins are forgiven readily with virtually every good deed and act of worship. Examples of thisinclude: in being charitable and kind; between every two consecutive obligatory prayers and from one Friday prayer to the next; in the obligatory fasting of Ramadan as well as the recommended fasts, particularly the days of Arafah and Ashura; and with every remembrance of Allah in general as will be further elaborated in the discussion of the practical aspects oftawba. In this is demonstrated two of Allah’s most generous attributes, that He isAl-Ghafoor,

the One Who is Exceedingly Forgiving and Who conceals our sins, protecting us from being exposed, and He isAl-‘Afu,

the One who consistently overlooks and effaces sins, blotting them out of one’s record of deeds as if they never occurred—leaving no trace of ill-effect in their wake. Imam Al-Ghazali shares a beautiful reflection, suggesting that perhaps the exact number of major sins isdesignedto remain unknown so as to keep the servant more vigilant in avoiding them—just as was the case in His keeping the Night of Power in Ramadan hidden in order for the servant to strive that much more to observe it.

Perhaps the most rewarding aspect of researching the topic oftawbais the overwhelming realization and reinforcement of the mercy of Allah over His creation—albeit a glimpse of it,giventhatHe has reserved ninety-nine parts of its one hundred for the Day of Reckoning.

What began with Allah “turning” toward Adam in mercy that allowed Adam to seek forgiveness indicates His wish forusto successfully pass through life’s tests. The goal is to return to Him with a book of deeds which, as a consequence of His divine mercy, will weigh heavy on the scale inourfavorif we havebeen sincere in belief and effort to worship Allah—despite falling short innumerable times along the way. Allah is in reality the One who perpetually turns toward His servants—He isAl-Tawwab: “Then He turned to them so they could repent. Indeed, Allah is the Accepting of repentance [Al-Tawwab], the Merciful.”[Qur’an 9:118]

One of the most fundamental statements of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ confirms this when he said, “Deeds are considered by the intentions, and a person will get the reward according to his intention.”

From this comes the understanding that no good intention will go unrewarded even whenoneis unable to follow through with action, nor willonebe unjustly punished for whatonedoes unintentionally. It is important, however, thatonebe conscientious to notallow evil intent to take root by steering clear of evil thoughts, and thereby the accountability one may have to face should they turn into the resolve to act upon them, and lead one to committing evil.When the companions, fearing the consequences of involuntary evil thoughts and the whispers of Satan in passing thoughts, asked the Prophet ﷺ about them, he responded saying, “Allah, may He beGlorified andExalted, will forgive myummahfor whatever crosses their minds so long as they do not act upon it or speak of it.”

Can one ever know or even imagine anyone else capable of such generosity and mercy? Yet, Our Creator and Master not only continues to bless humanity with His Mercy, but He is actually appreciative and most pleased withourrepentance, makingtawbathe path to fortifying our faith, seeking His pleasure and ultimately the means to sustained contentment, reward, and eternal salvation. For all the times one feels regret or questions whether it is too late or whether one is even capable of change—know that this is a call to action and that the door to repentance is wide open as long as one is alive.

Repentance is not only the basis for redemption, but it is in fact to be conscientiously and strategically used to better the future, to gain the pleasure of Allah and an even higher and more noble standing before Him—amazingly so for having sinned, sought forgiveness, and reformed. Ibn Taymiyyah sums it up beautifully in saying, “The servant is always between a blessing that requires his thanks and a sin that requires the seeking of forgiveness. Both of these circ*mstances, by necessity, are always with the servant. He is constantly moving among the blessings and bounties of Allah and he is always sinful and in need of repentance and asking for forgiveness. For that reason, the chief of all humans and the leader of the pious, Muhammad ﷺ, would seek forgiveness in all situations.”

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27"Original sin." Original sin - New World Encyclopedia.http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Original_sin

30Catechism of the Catholic Church - IntraText.http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P1C.HTM

31"How Can I Help." Dalits and Untouchability.https://www.dalitsolidarity.org/dalits-and-untoucchability.html

33Sunan Ibn MajahEnglish reference: Vol. 1, Book 5,Hadith1275 Arabic reference: Book 5,Hadith1334

Also, “And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful.” [Qur’an 3:104]

47Arabic-English Lexiconby Edward William Lane.http://www.tyndalearchive.com/tabs/lane/p. 2274

48Arabic-English Lexiconby Edward William Lane.http://www.tyndalearchive.com/tabs/lane/p. 2094