Will our sins/wrongdoings be forgiven just by praying for forgiveness?
-
Peace everyone,
Will our sins/wrongdoings be forgiven just by praying for forgiveness? Or do we have to right our wrongs to be forgiven? I believe that the answer to these questions can be found in the Quran. I would like to share some interesting and informative paragraphs from the book "The life in the hereafter" with you.
A few paragraphs from page 78-80 in the book
6.4 ?Tauba? - Repentance
If you wish to travel to some village and take a wrong turning at a bifurcation of the road which is not sign posted, and after this from subsequent signs or from inquiring of someone, you become aware that you have taken a wrong turn, what do you do having realised your mistake. You retrace your steps and return to that same junction and after that turn in the direction of the right path. Have you pondered on what you had to do in order to reach the correct destination?
-
First of all, you realised your mistake in that you had headed in the wrong direction. If you had not become aware of this or not known about this, then you would have continued in this direction, and as a consequence you would never have reached the desired destination. Your time and energy which you would have expended on this journey would have been squandered.
-
If, after realising your mistake you had stopped going further, but stayed at the very place where you were, even then you would never have reached your destination.
-
After realising your mistake, you returned to the junction from where you could take the right direction. This return to the correct place after realising your mistake is called in Arabic and in Quranic terminology ?Tauba?.
-
If having returned to the junction, you had not subsequently taken the correct direction, and had instead remained there, even then you would never have reached your desired destination. So going in the right direction is called ?Islah? as per the Quran i.e. realising and accepting your mistake, then taking steps to compensate for your loss.
The Quran has called both parts of this programme ?Taub o Islah? (realising your mistake and then taking the right direction). This is the way the effects of any mistakes are removed. We have seen that Tauba does not mean to just recite something and pray for forgiveness. It means to take some kind of action to counter the loss. The place at which you realised that you had taken the wrong direction, if you had sat there for a hundred years and prayed, ?O Allah forgive me, O Allah forgive me!?, you would have never reached your desired destination. The way to compensate for the loss resulting from wrong decisions in life, is to do so many righteous deeds that their constructive results can compensate for the destructive results of your wrong actions. The Quran has declared this to be a Permanent Value
?For those things that are good, remove those that are evil ? (11114)
In relation to the example cited above, the Quran has directed us
? to those who repent (Taba), believe (Amana), and do right (Amala Sale-ah), who, in fine, are ready to receive true guidance (Ahtada). (2082)
Analysing the above verse ? ?Taba? means turning back from the wrong direction and determining the correct direction, ?Amana? means the desire and conviction to tread on the right path, and to do righteous deeds is known as ?Amala Sale-ah?, and being on the right path is called ?Ahtada?. This is what the Quran declares
Unless he repents, believes, and works righteous deeds, for Allah will change the evil of such persons into good? (2570)
This verse covers all the steps discussed earlier22. In Surah Al-Qasas this is elaborated further
But any that (in this life) had repented, believed, and worked righteousness, will have hopes to be among those who achieve success. (2867) See also (407, 2711)
In the functioning of the Law of Requital, the inclusion of this procedure to eliminate the effects of wrong deeds, is called ?Rehmat? or mercy from Allah. This is why Allah calls Himself ?Tawwa-bur-Raheem?, the One who helps someone to reach his destination ? that is whichever person turns away from the wrong direction and opts instead to turn towards the right direction. This is called His Mercy and is only for the person who adopts the right path after abandoning the wrong path.
In Surah Baqra this is summed up
Except those who repent and make amends and openly declare (the Truth) To them I turn; for I am Oft-returning (Tawwab), Most Merciful (Raheem). (2160)
Only that individual can take the right path who first accepts his mistake. The one who does not accept his mistake can never take the right path. This fundamental reality has been referred to in the Quran in a metaphorical and very beautiful way in the story of Adam. Adam made a mistake and when he realised it he said
??Our Sustainer! We have wronged our own self If You forgive us not and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be lost.? (723)
In reply to this Allah said, when you realised your mistake and accepted your responsibility then there arose a chance for you to rectify your mistake. A mistake was also made by ?Iblees? (Satan). When it was said to him, why have you done this, he replied, how can I have done this
(Iblees) said ?O my Cherisher! because You have put me in the wrong,?? (1539)
In reply to this, when you do not accept responsibility for choosing the wrong path, then how will you able to reform yourself. Therefore the doors of Tauba closed on Iblees.
Let us look at another example. If a person takes poison by mistake, when he realises this and after going to the doctor takes the antidote according to instructions, then he has a hope of saving himself and getting better. Contrary to this, if another person takes poison deliberately with a view to committing suicide, when the effects of the poison become apparent, he becomes satisfied that the poison is doing its job, and that in a short while he will achieve his objective, i.e. he will be dead. For this person the question of rectifying his mistake does not arise. He does not consider taking the poison as a mistake, therefore why should he worry about rectifying his mistake. In Surah Nissa this aspect is noted
Allah accepts the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and repent soon afterwards; to them will Allah turn in mercy For Allah is full of knowledge (Aleem) and wisdom (Hakeem). (417)
The opportunity of repentance and remedy to counter any mistakes made, is in reality a mercy (Rehmat) from Allah. Otherwise, if the situation is such that if a mistake is made and a person is condemned for ever for it, and there is no possibility of removing the effects of the mistake and all paths of repentance are closed to him, then this perpetual state of hopelessness on a human psyche can be clearly imagined. In Surah Zumr it is stated
Say O my Servants who have transgressed against their self! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, for Allah provides protection from all sin (as per His Laws) for He is Oft-Forgiving (Ghafoor), Most Merciful (Raheem). (3953)
In His Law of Requital all this is included, but only for those who, after realising their mistakes, make efforts and take practical steps to rectify these.
And those who, having done something to be ashamed of, or wronged their own self, earnestly bring Allah to mind, and ask for protection (from the effects) for their sins? (3134)
It is not the case that they should be stuck in their wrong paths and then expect that Allah will forgive them through His Mercy (Rehmat).
-
-
You're posting good stuff, like a hero!
-
Peace everyone,
Will our sins/wrongdoings be forgiven just by praying for forgiveness? Or do we have to right our wrongs to be forgiven? I believe that the answer to these questions can be found in the Quran. I would like to share some interesting and informative paragraphs from the book "The life in the hereafter" with you.
A few paragraphs from page 78-80 in the book
The book was written by a Pakistani scholar Allama Ghulam Ahmad Parwez. The details of his research on Touba are detailed in his Arabic Dictionary Lughat-ul-Quran "here"
-
The book was written by a Pakistani scholar Allama Ghulam Ahmad Parwez. The details of his research on Touba are detailed in his Arabic Dictionary Lughat-ul-Quran "here"
Peace Novice,
I recommend this thread.
http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9606707.0
-
(Iblees) said ?O my Cherisher! because You have put me in the wrong,?? (1539)
I think this is a very poor translation. Can a malaika be in the wrong? I would not make any such assumption without fearing for the atonement it will require later. To me Iblis did exactly what God wanted Iblis to do. To rebel.
I already covered in a much older post how any connotations of Iblis being in the right or wrong is invalidated by the Quran saying Iblis will be of the ones given respite (of Judgment). Then why all this pre-emptive judging of Iblis?
I'm pretty sure, just like you and me, Iblis will only accept Gods judgment to be final and valid. When the job is done. There is no final score yet on the scoreboard. Once Iblis has a count of every soul he made disloyal to God (this is Iblis motivation for refusing to sujud), then God can judge Iblis. People judging Iblis now before the game is over are only adding up the score count for Iblis I'm afraid. I know thats a harsh statement but those judging Iblis most likely don't understand the absurdity of this good/bad style of thinking and most likely apply it to others in their environment as well. Judging them while they should be of no concern to them. Just leave the judging to God mmmkay? (Regardless whether they are human, jinn or malaika).
Peace
-
I think this is a very poor translation. Can a malaika be in the wrong? I would not make any such assumption without fearing for the atonement it will require later. To me Iblis did exactly what God wanted Iblis to do. To rebel.
I already covered in a much older post how any connotations of Iblis being in the right or wrong is invalidated by the Quran saying Iblis will be of the ones given respite (of Judgment). Then why all this pre-emptive judging of Iblis?
I'm pretty sure, just like you and me, Iblis will only accept Gods judgment to be final and valid. When the job is done. There is no final score yet on the scoreboard. Once Iblis has a count of every soul he made disloyal to God (this is Iblis motivation for refusing to sujud), then God can judge Iblis. People judging Iblis now before the game is over are only adding up the score count for Iblis I'm afraid. I know thats a harsh statement but those judging Iblis most likely don't understand the absurdity of this good/bad style of thinking and most likely apply it to others in their environment as well. Judging them while they should be of no concern to them. Just leave the judging to God mmmkay? (Regardless whether they are human, jinn or malaika).
Peace
Iblis was said to be of the jinn, and everything it seems does exactly what Allah wills, including Iblis, like you said.
-
Peace Novice,
I recommend this thread.
http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9606707.0
Peace Taro
Thanks for the link. I have learned a lot from his original Lughat-ul-Qur'an in Urdu language after I started learning Qur'anic Arabic about 10 years ago. No doubt he was a scholar of high caliber who helped many to understand Qur'an. Its amazing that how Qur'anic terms were twisted by the ancient scholars to promote their philosophies. Looks like there was a race going on where every one was proving that He knows the best.
May our Rabb guide us to His straight path.
-
Iblis was said to be of the jinn, and everything it seems does exactly what Allah wills, including Iblis, like you said.
Our Rabb's words give us following picture in 711-12
( (
Traditional translation by Taqi Usmani
We created you, then gave you a shape, then We said to the angels, ?Prostrate yourselves before ?Adam.? So, they all prostrated themselves, except Iblis (Satan). He did not join those who fell prostrate. (11) Allah said, ?What has prevented you from prostrating when I ordered you?? He said, ?I am better than him. You have created me of fire, and created him of clay.? (12)
So Iblis was commanded to prostrate and not otherwise.
May our Rabb guide us to His Guidance
-
If you think that is True novice you are contradicted by Quran where it states Iblis is given respite.
One can not judge an act if God decreed respite of judgment.
Not only does your understanding make Quran contradict. It also implies Adam, and all his progeny - including you - are already in the wrong. This logic demands, because the same respite was given to Adam and everyone of us.
So congratulations you've just condemned yourself to hell already, together with Iblis.
Is respite more meaningful to you now when it involves yourself?
Anyone wants more original sin? I have them on discount. Come claim yours now!*
*offer is only valid as long as we have enough space in hell
Peace
-
Iblis was said to be of the jinn, and everything it seems does exactly what Allah wills, including Iblis, like you said.
A jinn sneaking in among the malaika? God orders the malaika to sujud. Not the jinn. The argument of association by exclusion is very weak imho. Even if it's valid, if he was a jinn he wasn't addressed to sujud to begin with. And his defense would be supereasy like God be like "yo iblis why you no getting on yo knees buddy?" Iblis be like "hey but wait a minute, you didnt even mention me ... i'm a jinn, not a malaika. Booyakasha! In your face!" God be like "oh I see, then you too!" etc.
Sneaky little jinn... always sneaking around...
Peace
-
Our Rabb's words give us following picture in 711-12
( (
Traditional translation by Taqi Usmani
We created you, then gave you a shape, then We said to the angels, ?Prostrate yourselves before ?Adam.? So, they all prostrated themselves, except Iblis (Satan). He did not join those who fell prostrate. (11) Allah said, ?What has prevented you from prostrating when I ordered you?? He said, ?I am better than him. You have created me of fire, and created him of clay.? (12)
So Iblis was commanded to prostrate and not otherwise.
May our Rabb guide us to His Guidance
Yep, and many are commanded things by Allah in the Qur'an, they do not follow it. It is Allah's will that they do not follow it, Allah's will doesn't fail. If Allah willed it, they would follow it or the command. That does not mean not following it is good for them, but whoever Allah has made to err, it is Allah who can harm freely whoever, help freely whoever.
-
Yep, and many are commanded things by Allah in the Qur'an, they do not follow it. It is Allah's will that they do not follow it, Allah's will doesn't fail. If Allah willed it, they would follow it or the command. That does not mean not following it is good for them, but whoever Allah has made to err, it is Allah who can harm freely whoever, help freely whoever.
Question is are there legitimate reasons to err? Err has negative connotation. The question concerning Iblis is not a judgment in either bad or wrong but arrogance or rightful pride. Look at Iblis' motivation of his act he warns God this new creation of His will not remain loyal. Whether that was rightful pride, or arrogance is a matter of time. Every decision we make in our lives will affect that outcome and will be used as evidence in Iblis trial.
Peace
-
Yep, and many are commanded things by Allah in the Qur'an, they do not follow it. It is Allah's will that they do not follow it, Allah's will doesn't fail. If Allah willed it, they would follow it or the command. That does not mean not following it is good for them, but whoever Allah has made to err, it is Allah who can harm freely whoever, help freely whoever.
This is what Iblis said when he disobeyed the command putting responsibility of his wrong on God.
(
He said, ?Now that You have led me astray, I will certainly sit for them (in ambush) on Your straight path.
(716) -
This is what Iblis said when he disobeyed the command putting responsibility of his wrong on God.
(
He said, ?Now that You have led me astray, I will certainly sit for them (in ambush) on Your straight path.
(716)Way better translation. God leads Iblis astray and makes him sit for them on Gods straight path. It is what Iblis was made to do. There is no good or wrong in it. Iblis is prevented from obeying an order. He is not disobeying God by doing so as he is led astray by Gods will.
Peace
-
If you think that is True novice you are contradicted by Quran where it states Iblis is given respite.
One can not judge an act if God decreed respite of judgment.
Was the respite for judgement or to give time till day of resurrection to misguide people from straight path?
( ( ( (
He said, ?Then give me respite until a day when all will be resurrected. (14) He (Allah) said, ?You are granted respite??. (15) He said, ?Now that You have led me astray, I will certainly sit for them (in ambush) on Your straight path. (16) Then I will come upon them from their front side and from their behind, and from their right and from their left. You will not find most of them grateful. (17) (Not my translation.)
Not only does your understanding make Quran contradict. It also implies Adam, and all his progeny - including you - are already in the wrong. This logic demands, because the same respite was given to Adam and everyone of us.
What is your evidence for red part above from Quran?
So congratulations you've just condemned yourself to hell already, together with Iblis.
Only our Rabb knows who is condemned to hell.
-
Way better translation. God leads Iblis astray and makes him sit for them on Gods straight path. It is what Iblis was made to do. There is no good or wrong in it. Iblis is prevented from obeying an order. He is not disobeying God by doing so as he is led astray by Gods will. Peace
Brother these were words of iblis. He was putting blame on God for his disobedience. If it was God's will then why did God ask him this
( (
We created you, then gave you a shape, then We said to the angels, ?Prostrate yourselves before ?Adam.? So, they all prostrated themselves, except Iblis (Satan). He did not join those who fell prostrate. (11) Allah said, ?What has prevented you from prostrating when I ordered you?? He said, ?I am better than him. You have created me of fire, and created him of clay.? (712) (not my translation)
Iblis was commanded to prostrate and not otherwise.
-
fabiizzatika
"Then by Your might REM ? prefixed resumption particle
P ? prefixed preposition bi
N ? genitive feminine noun
PRON ? 2nd person masculine singular possessive pronoun(38823)
la-ugh'wiyannahum
I will surely mislead them EMPH ? emphatic prefix lm
V ? 1st person singular (form IV) imperfect verb
EMPH ? emphatic suffix nn
PRON ? 3rd person masculine plural object pronoun??
(38824)
ajmana
all.Then by Your Might (Gods Might). Iblis makes no accusations towards God.
Peace
-
Was the respite for judgement or to give time till day of resurrection to misguide people from straight path?
( ( ( (
He said, ?Then give me respite until a day when all will be resurrected. (14) He (Allah) said, ?You are granted respite??. (15) He said, ?Now that You have led me astray, I will certainly sit for them (in ambush) on Your straight path. (16) Then I will come upon them from their front side and from their behind, and from their right and from their left. You will not find most of them grateful. (17) (Not my translation.)
What is your evidence for red part above from Quran?
Only our Rabb knows who is condemned to hell.
(7246)
walakum
And for you CONJ ? prefixed conjunction wa (and)
P ? prefixed preposition lm
PRON ? 2nd person masculine plural personal pronoun(7247)
f
in P ? preposition(724
l-ari
the earth N ? genitive feminine noun Earth(7249)
mus'taqarrun
(is) a dwelling place N ? nominative masculine indefinite (form X) passive participle(72410)
wamatun
and livelihood CONJ ? prefixed conjunction wa (and)
N ? nominative masculine indefinite noun(72411)
il
for P ? preposition(72412)
nin
a time." N ? genitive masculine indefinite noun -
(32281)
wayaqlna
And they say, CONJ ? prefixed conjunction wa (and)
V ? 3rd person masculine plural imperfect verb
PRON ? subject pronoun(32282)
mat
"When (will be) INTG ? interrogative noun(32283)
hdh
this DEM ? masculine singular demonstrative pronoun(32284)
l-fatu
decision, N ? nominative masculine noun(32285)
in
if COND ? conditional particle(32286)
kuntum
you are V ? 2nd person masculine plural perfect verb
PRON ? subject pronoun
??
(32287)
diqna
truthful?" N ? accusative masculine plural active participle(32291)
qul
Say, V ? 2nd person masculine singular imperative verb(32292)
yawma
"(On the) Day N ? accusative masculine noun(32293)
l-fati
(of) the Decision, N ? genitive masculine noun(32294)
l
not NEG ? negative particle(32295)
yanfau
will benefit V ? 3rd person masculine singular imperfect verb(32296)
alladhna
those who REL ? masculine plural relative pronoun(32297)
kafar
disbelieve V ? 3rd person masculine plural perfect verb
PRON ? subject pronoun(3229
mnuhum
their belief N ? nominative masculine (form IV) verbal noun
PRON ? 3rd person masculine plural possessive pronoun
??
(32299)
wal
and not CONJ ? prefixed conjunction wa (and)
NEG ? negative particle(322910)
hum
they PRON ? 3rd person masculine plural personal pronoun(322911)
yunarna
will be granted respite." V ? 3rd person masculine plural (form IV) passive imperfect verb
PRON ? subject pronoun(32301)
fa-ari
So turn away REM ? prefixed resumption particle
V ? 2nd person masculine singular (form IV) imperative verb(32302)
anhum
from them P ? preposition
PRON ? 3rd person masculine plural object pronoun(32303)
wa-intair
and wait. CONJ ? prefixed conjunction wa (and)
V ? 2nd person masculine singular (form VIII) imperative verb(32304)
innahum
Indeed, they ACC ? accusative particle
PRON ? 3rd person masculine plural object pronoun
?? ??
(32305)
muntairna
(are) waiting. -
Was the respite for judgement or to give time till day of resurrection to misguide people from straight path?
( ( ( (
Only our Rabb knows who is condemned to hell.
Yes, please read this these things very slowly and carefully and then help me out. Do not skim it, just slowly look and read the 4 articles and try to understand them without jumping to conclusions, look at the implications that are being mentioned, and focus on the implications of "saying otherwise" than that, then come and help me if there is an issue
http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9607697.msg373785#new
The four threads linked there have numerous quotes, and the quotes don't even matter too much to me, it is what happens by implication when people suggest otherwise. It takes sophisticated thinking, so you need to really use your mind on this and it will help me out then.