First published on: Forgive Me Allah… I Have Sinned!


 Omar AbdulMonem

     As humans we are ordered not to commit sins, but sometimes we slip and fall. What shall we do when that happens? Are we condemned because we sinned even just once?  Or is there a way to redeem ourselves and earn our Creator’s forgiveness?

In this article we will take a trip to the first sins committed against Allah (God) and from reflecting on that we shall know what to do if we ever slip into sins.

The First Sin:


     The first sin that I am referring to isn’t what is called “The original sin”. In fact, there is no original sin. Everyone is responsible for his/her own choices. What I am referring to is the first sin to ever be committed, how the one who fell in that path dealt with it, and more importantly, how Allah (God) judged him.

That first sin was the sin of Iblees (Satan). Allah ordered him and the angels to greet Adam with prostration, but he didn’t do what he was ordered, and that was the first sin.

Iblees was cursed out of Allah’s mercy and was promised eternal hell when the judgment day comes.

But why?


     The answer is not in the sin itself, but rather in his attitude towards it. After he sinned and was questioned for the reason for that by Allah, Iblees replied “I am better than him, I am created from fire while he is created from clay”. See Iblees’ problem wasn’t that he sinned and just didn’t obey the order of His Creator; rather it was that he defied the Creator.

    The first sin was the kind of sin that is driven by arrogance to the degree of defiance to Allah. Also, not admitting the wrong even when knowing that he would be condemned. Rather when that happened the arrogance grew and turned into envy! His envy grew from Adam the one that in Iblees’ eyes was “favored” over him.

    Furthermore, in more arrogance and defiance to his Creator, he made his sole purpose to seduce Adam and his lineage and make them fall as he fell. He knew that Allah is the Master of heaven and Earth. Moreover, He even asked Allah to prolong his life until the Judgment day! So that, he can achieve that purpose. Actually, He knew that to be forgiven it was as simple as asking Allah sincerely for it.

Yet, he never admitted his wrong deed! His arrogance made him not even see it as so and he just wanted to drag Adam and his children to be condemned with him.

The Second Sin:


     The second sin to be committed happened after that by some time. Allah (God) made a beautiful garden, paradise, a home for Adam and his wife, Eve. At the same time, He gave them one order:

“Don’t eat from that tree.”

He warned them that they have an enemy now who will try all what he can to seduce them into failing to obey Allah’s order just like he did.  

    Adam and Eve lived for some time in the beautiful garden. And as soon as they forgot about the order that was given to them, Iblees (Satan) came and kept whispering. He said to them “Do you want me to guide you to the tree that will grant you eternity and a reign that never ends?”

Did they listen to him!


     In the matter of fact, they ate from that tree, and found what he promised to be void lies. Then they knew that they had fallen into disobedience of the Creator because of their desire and lust, and so came the second sin. But the difference this time is that although they also sinned just like Iblees, Allah had forgiven them. Why?

The answer for that question is the whole point. Two have sinned; one was forgiven, and the other was condemned. So if we ever fall into disobeying our Creator, knowing the key to His forgiveness is what holds our redemption, and by His mercy He told us the story of those two so that we know that simple key.

It was as simple as admitting that what they did was wrong, and ask Allah for His forgiveness.

They said, “Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.” [Quran 7:23, Sahih International]

What about Iblees!


     Iblees defied his Master and forgot that he is but a servant and a slave. His arrogance is what drove him to sin, and his ego is what drove him to not admit that he was wrong. And finally, his envy is what blinded him from seeking the forgiveness of The Ever Forgiving and The Ever Merciful.

While Adam’s and Eve’s sin wasn’t out of defiance, but rather lust and desire. And when they remembered and knew that they disobeyed Allah, they full heartedly acknowledged that they were wrong. They acknowledged that with remorse and regret, and then asked for the forgiveness of the Almighty, after renewing their will to never disobey again.

And so “They were forgiven“.  

Forgive Me Allah For I Have Sinned:


     Allah’s (God’s) forgiveness is only in His hands. If one ever fell into disobedience and sinning by any mean, there is no need for frustration or despair; one simply needs to acknowledge that he did wrong.

Acknowledging and stopping are the first step. Then, remorse over what happened is the second step. A remorse and regret that doesn’t lead to frustration but instead leads to the last step. Determination to not do it again in the future is the last step.

The door is always open and it is as simple as submitting to the Creator asking his forgiveness, and cast away arrogance and ego.

 

     Conclusion, No matter how many times you fall, never lose hope. You can always return, and always ask for Allah’s forgiveness as He is the Ever forgiving and Ever hearing.

I will end this encouraging article by referring to some beautiful verses in the Quran, kindly listen with your heart:

Don’t Despair