The Ruling on Repentance from Major Sins
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Question:
Shaykh Salih, we begin this episode with this question from one of the listeners. He says: I often think that Allah may not accept my repentance because of the sins I commit and the major sins I commit. He says: How can I overcome Shaytan in this matter and not despair of the mercy of the Lord of the Worlds? May Allah bless you.
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah. May the prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and companions, and whoever follows them. As for what follows, there is no sin, whether great or small, for which a servant does not have a path to repentance. There is no sin without repentance. Disbelief, shirk (associating partners with Allah), hypocrisy, and killing souls—everything else is open to repentance.
Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Anfal 8:38]. And if they return to it, the precedent of the former people has already passed. These people spent their lives in disbelief. And thus Allah the Mighty and Majestic addressed them, for if they stop and repent to Allah, He will forgive them everything they did previously. This is from the favor of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and His mercy toward His servants, so no sin is beyond repentance. All sins have repentance, and Allah accepts repentance from them and erases them, Glorified and Exalted is He.
Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Furqan 25:68] [Al-Furqan 25:68]. So regarding these people, Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, said about them: [Al-Furqan 25:70]. So no sin is above repentance.
And Allah the Exalted said: "And I am the One who repeatedly accepts repentance, the Merciful," meaning He is abundant in accepting repentance and merciful to them. So Allah accepts the repentance of the disbeliever and the one who associates partners with Allah, so how about the other sins that are less than disbelief and shirk? And He said:[Az-Zumar 39:53] [Az-Zumar 39:53].
Shaykh Salih, we begin this episode with this question from one of the listeners. He says: I often think that Allah may not accept my repentance because of the sins I commit and the major sins I commit. He says: How can I overcome Shaytan in this matter and not despair of the mercy of the Lord of the Worlds? May Allah bless you.
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah. May the prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and companions, and whoever follows them. As for what follows, there is no sin, whether great or small, for which a servant does not have a path to repentance. There is no sin without repentance. Disbelief, shirk (associating partners with Allah), hypocrisy, and killing souls—everything else is open to repentance.
Allah the Exalted said:
Say to those who have disbelieved [that] if they cease, what has previously occurred will be forgiven for them
قُل لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِن يَنتَهُوا يُغْفَرْ لَهُم مَّا قَدْ سَلَفَAllah the Exalted said:
And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed], except by right
وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا آخَرَ وَلَا يَقْتُلُونَ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّand do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse. And whoever should do that will meet a penalty.
وَلَا يَزْنُونَ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًاExcept for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.
إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُولَٰئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًاAnd Allah the Exalted said: "And I am the One who repeatedly accepts repentance, the Merciful," meaning He is abundant in accepting repentance and merciful to them. So Allah accepts the repentance of the disbeliever and the one who associates partners with Allah, so how about the other sins that are less than disbelief and shirk? And He said:
Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْdo not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful."
لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
Source
قناة «إذاعة القرآن الكريم»، نور على الدرب مع معالي الشيخ صالح الفوزان ح7547 — youtube.com (1:11)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.