A man once walked into the masjid of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in extreme distress. He shouted, coming to the Prophet (peace be upon him), saying, “I have sinned, woe to me, I have sinned!” Unlike many of our communities, the Prophet (peace be upon him) didn’t judge him. He (p) didn’t point out whatever obvious thing he seemed to already have done wrong. He (p) didn’t focus on the way he was dressed. He (p) instead had the man sit down and taught him to say, “Dear God, Your forgiveness is greater than my sins, and I have more hope in Your mercy than in my own actions, so please forgive me!” The Prophet (p) told him to repeat this again and then once again, and then told him: “Stand up: God has forgiven your sins” (Al-Hakim). The Prophet (p) was direct in his command to stand up. He did not tell him: Feel guilty for the next 5 years over what you did, then Allah will forgive you. He (p) didn’t tell the man to mentally and emotionally beat himself up everyday until the man felt he had adequately punished himself, and then God would forgive him. He saw a man, coming with sincerity, with remorse, seeking to fix his relationship with God. And the Prophet (p) showed him not only how easy it was to ask for forgiveness, but also how easy it to be forgiven. If youre struggling with the mistakes youve made, go back to Him with your heavy heart. Try your best to fix what youve done wrong, asking for His forgiveness. Then, stop beating yourself up. Just move on. God will, inshaAllah, forgive you when you sincerely ask. Now, just focus on improving and on forgiving yourself.
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 03:49:21 +0000