Islamic Perspectives - Muslim Journals Arab News
& Information - By Adil Salahi The previous passage included a description of the
terrible situations in which the wrongdoers find
themselves on the Day of Judgment: “If the wrongdoers
possessed all that is on earth, and twice as much,
they would surely offer it all as ransom from the
awful suffering on the Day of Resurrection. For God
will have made obvious to them something they have
never reckoned with. Obvious to them will have become
the evil of what they had done; and they will be
overwhelmed by that which they used to deride.”
(Verses 47-48) Now the surah shows the way back
leaving the gates of God’s mercy wide open, requiring
nothing for admittance except sincere repentance. At
this point, God shows the prospect of His forgiveness
and mercy available to all those who have transgressed
no matter how great the sins they have committed are.
He invites them all to turn back to Him with
repentance, entertaining no feeling of despair. This
invitation to benefit by God’s grace is coupled with
an image of what awaits them of suffering if they do
not take this opportunity to repent before it is too
late. “Say: [Thus speaks God]: You servants of Mine who
have transgressed against their own souls! Do not
despair of God’s mercy: God forgives all sins; He
alone is Much-Forgiving, Merciful.” It is divine mercy
that will erase every transgression, whatever it
happens to be. It is an invitation to all those who
have gone far into error and led a life that has taken
them far astray, telling them hope still remains
available and God’s mercy and forgiveness are not far
from them. God is most merciful to His servants. He
knows their weaknesses and the factors that work on
them, whether these are within themselves or in
society. He is aware that Satan sets traps for them at
every corner, using a great variety of forces, never
tiring of his attempt to seduce them. Moreover, God
knows that man can easily fall when he lets his bond
to the truth weaken, and that his desires and
aspirations can easily disturb his equilibrium,
pulling him this way or that, leading him into error.
As God knows all this about man, He provides him
with ample help, opening the gates of His mercy. He
does not take him to task for his sin until He has
facilitated for him all the ways and means to rectify
his error and mend his ways. Nevertheless, when man
goes deep into sin, thinking that he is totally
rejected by God and that all is lost, he hears at this
point of utter despair a fine address expressing the
unlimited mercy available to him: “Say: [Thus speaks
God]: You servants of Mine who have transgressed
against their own souls! Do not despair of God’s
mercy: God forgives all sins; He alone is
Much-Forgiving, Merciful.” This means that despite his repeated sins, going
far into disobedience of God, all he needs to receive
God’s grace that revives all that is good in him is to
repent. All he needs to do is turn back to God through
the gate that is left wide open, without a guard, and
with no need for any special permission: “Turn toward
your Lord and submit to Him before the suffering comes
upon you, for then you cannot be helped. Follow the
best that has been revealed to you by your Lord before
the suffering comes upon you of a sudden, without your
being aware of it.” To turn to God in true submission and to surrender
oneself once more to Him is all that is needed. No
rituals, no barriers, no intermediaries, no
intercessors. It is a direct link between servant and
Master, creature and Creator: whoever wishes to
return, stop rebellion and approach in full submission
may do so. What he will receive is acceptance, a warm
welcome and grace beyond measure. Come on all of you, then! Come on “before the
suffering comes upon you, for then you cannot be
helped.” (Verse 54) Should the chance be missed, there
can be no help. The chance is open now, but its
duration cannot be guaranteed. In fact, it can
terminate at any moment of the night and day.
Therefore, come on and “Follow the best that has been
revealed to you by your Lord,” which is this Qur’an
that you now have at your fingertips, “before the
suffering comes upon you of a sudden, without your
being aware of it.” Come on now before it is too late.
Otherwise you will regret missing the chance and
ridiculing God’s promise. Comments 💬 التعليقات |