The Absolution of Sins With Eclipsing Forgiveness

In the Noble Qur’an, besides repentance, some points are listed that are instrumental in absolving sins. Iman and good deeds come first among them.

Human beings were created according to the “ahsan-i taqwim”—their main duty in this worldly life is to get to know their Rabb, their creator, and to live in accordance with His commands. In order to live properly and comply with this purpose at the core of every human being, they are required to follow the prophets who were sent for this purpose. Prophets were chosen servants sent as guides to offer guidance and help distinguish between truth and falsehood. As an indication of His unimaginably vast mercy, Allah the Most Gracious supports his servants with his messengers, and it is said in the Qur’an in reference to the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) that he was sent as a sign of Allah’s (jalla jalaluhu) mercy: “And We have not sent you but as mercy for all the worlds.” (Al-Anbiya, 107)

The choice between obedience and rebellion

In all of creation, human beings are the only creation with the ability to choose between obedience and rebellion. Humans were given this ability as a test in this world. If a person chooses the path the prophets call to, it is obedience. If they immediately follow after the Shaytan, they will have chosen the path of rebellion. In other words, they are free to follow the prophets or shaytans. 

As an element of this freedom and a requirement of this test, Shaytan is given respite until the Day of Judgment. Allah (jalla jalaluhu) has given this respite to test his servants.This information is mentioned in the Qur’an as follows:

“He (Shaytan) said, “My Lord, then give me respite up to the day they (the dead) shall be raised. He (Allah) said, “Well, respite is given to you. Till the day of the Appointed Time. He (Shaytan )said, “My Lord, since You made me go astray, I swear that I shall beautify for them (evils) on the earth, and shall lead all of them astray, except those of Your servants from among them who are chosen (by You). He (Allah) said, “This is the straight path leading to Me (that a person is chosen by Me through his good deeds). My servants are such that you have no power over them except those of the deviators who will follow you.” (Al-Hijr 36-42)

In this verse, believers with ikhlas are praised for being on the straight path and safe from the Shaytan’s attacks. However, a servant can be deceived by the tricks and devious ways of the Shaytan and incline towards sin, possibly even sinking neck-deep into a world of wickedness. A believer, who struggles throughout their lives between obedience and rebellion, should never despair of divine mercy, and should always turn towards the door of repentance whenever he stumbles.

It is wrong to believe the servant is asked not to make any mistakes. Rather, every time he makes a mistake, he is asked to know his fault and hold on to the handle of repentance with humility. Based on this secret, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

“All of the sons of Adam are prone to err, but the best of wrongdoers are those who repent.” (Ibn Majah, Zuhd 30).  

Repentance has the marvelous quality of cleansing the stains upon the heart and covering the sins instead of exposing them. The following is stated in the verse:

“O you who believe, turn to Allah with a faithful repentance. It is hoped from your Lord that he will write off your faults, and will admit you to the gardens beneath which rivers flow…” (At-Tahrim, 8)

What absolves sins?

In the Noble Qur’an, besides repentance, some points are listed that are instrumental in absolving sins:

• Iman and good deeds come first among them:

“Whoever believes in Allah, and does righteously, He will write off his evil deeds, and will admit him to gardens beneath which rivers flow, where they will live forever. That is the great achievement.” 

(At-Taghabun, 9)

• Taqwa, which expresses the need to avoid what Allah Almighty has forbidden, is also among the deeds that absolve sins:

“O you who believe, if you fear Allah, He will provide you with a criterion (to distinguish between right and wrong) and will write off your evil deeds and will forgive you. Allah is the Lord of great bounty.” (Al-Anfal, 29)

• Giving secretly to charity also helps cover up bad deeds:

“If you make Sadaqah (alms) openly, it is good enough, and if you keep it secret and give it to the needy, it is much better for you, and this will write off part of your sins. Allah is All-Aware of what you do.” (Al-Baqarah, 271)

• Qard al-Hasan is another one of the commendable deeds that absolves sins. This expression means “to give in charity to those in need for Allah’s sake” and is also defined as “to offer a good loan to Allah” because Allah’s endless generosity is the most supreme of all. He will return this loan—the sum given to the needy as a charity—to those who give Qard al-Hasan, with unparalleled magnanimity in the Afterlife. This is mentioned in the verse below, together with deeds such as salah, zakat, believing in and supporting the prophets:

“Allah said, “I am surely with you. If you establish Salah, and pay zakat, and believe in My Messengers, and hold them in reverence, and advance to Allah a goodly loan, I shall certainly write off your evil deeds, and I shall certainly admit you into Gardens beneath which rivers flow.” (Al-Maidah, 12)

• Good news is yet aplenty for those who avoid major sins that their minor sins will be absolved:

“If you abstain from the major (sins) out of what you have been forbidden from, We shall write off your minor sins, and shall admit you to a noble entrance.” (An-Nisa, 31)

A believer who perseveres on their journey of servitude in this world of tests will surely be exposed to the whispers and deception of the Shaytan. He is doing his part to trip the believer’s feet. Therefore, the believer’s duty is to take refuge in the mercy and forgiveness of his Rabb, and to be cleansed of the stains of sins with repentance and good deeds. One can only achieve this with ikhlas. The believers are assured in the Qur’an that the Shaytan cannot harm sincere believers.

We seek refuge in Allah the Most Forgiving with the prayers of the servants with aql-i salim who are described as people of dhikr (remembrance of Allah)and contemplation in Surah Ali Imran:

“Our Lord, We heard a herald calling towards Faith: ‘Believe in your Lord.’ So we believed.Our Lord, forgive us, then, our sins, and write off our evil deeds, and make us die only when we have joined the righteous.” (Ali Imran, 193).

Abdülkadir Alioğlu