With the forum discussing what it means to apologize and to ask for forgiveness, I thought it would be timely to look at what the Qur'an and the Prophet have to say about God's response to our repentance.
From the Qur'an:
5:39 But whoso repents after his wrongdoing and amends, lo! Allah will relent toward him. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
6:54 And when those who believe in Our revelations come to you, then say: Peace be unto you! Your Lord has prescribed for Himself mercy. Whoso of you does evil and repents of it and afterward does right, for him, surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
16:119 But verily your Lord -- to those who do wrong in ignorance, but who thereafter repent and make amends - you Lord, after this, is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
20:82 And lo! verily I am Forgiving toward the one who repents and believes and does good, and afterward walks aright.
39:53 Say: My worshippers who have transgressed against their own souls! Despair not of the mercy of Allah, Who forgiveth all sins. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
And this lovely passage from the hadith:
“O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great at it.” (Al-Tirmidhi)
And another:
Abu Hurayrah states the Holy prophet said: "When Allah created the creatures He wrote in the Book which is with Him in the highest heaven: ‘My mercy shall prevail over my anger.’ (Bukhari and Muslim)
And finally because some folks (both Muslim and non-Muslim) seem to think that in Islam good deeds are traded like coins to buy you rewards in heaven:
The Prophet said, "Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and rejoice, for no one's good deeds will put him in Paradise." The Companions asked, "Not even you O Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "Not even me unless Allah bestows His pardon and mercy on me."
Thus is it not our good deeds, nor even our repentance, but the sheer Grace of God that grants us Heaven. Good deeds make the world a better place, and repentence eases our hearts and purifies our souls -- both worthwhile goals in an of themselves.
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