A young man deeply regrets his sins and asks you about repentance: will it be accepted despite the magnitude of the sin, as he describes it?
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Question:
A young man, also from Algeria, has gone through approximately the same stage as the first questioner. He mentions a number of sins he committed, and now he deeply regrets them; indeed, according to his letter, he even considered suicide due to the horror of the dangers he fell into. He asks you, Shaykh Salih, will repentance be accepted despite the sin, as he describes it? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, said:[Az-Zumar 39:53-54] Thus, He commanded repentance and turning back to Him, and promised that He forgives all sins. He forbade despairing of His mercy. If a person thinks that his sin is not one that repentance can expiate, or that Allah will not forgive it, then this is from Shaytan. Shaytan is the one who causes a person to fall into sin and makes it attractive to him. Then he comes to him and makes him despair of Allah’s mercy, telling him, “You have no repentance,” until he distresses him. Perhaps his affair ends up as the questioner mentioned, where he kills himself, thus falling into another prohibition and a great major sin. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, said: [An-Nisa 4:29-30] upon Allah is easy.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed that the one who kills himself with a blade will be punished with that blade in the Fire of Hell, stabbing himself with it in the Fire of Hell. And the one who throws himself from a mountain and dies will be thrown into Hell. And the one who drinks poison and dies will drink his poison in the Fire of Hell. So, the result is that a person killing himself is a great crime, and it is not permissible for a person to kill himself for any distress that befalls him in this world. Rather, he must be patient, seek reward, and be content with the divine decree and destiny of Allah. As for the issue that he has committed sins, he must repent from them, for Allah is the Forgiver, the Merciful. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Anfal 8:38] [regarding] the disbelievers, if they repent, Allah forgives them what the disbelievers had done of disbelief, shirk (associating partners with Allah), atheism, fighting the Muslims, and so on. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Islam expiates what came before it, and repentance expiates what came before it.” And this is the favor of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. So, the brother questioner should repent to Allah, have good opinion of Allah, and be glad with good news; because Allah promised that He accepts the repentance of those who repent, forgives the sins of the sinners, and pardons the evil deeds. He is the One who accepts repentance from His servants and pardons the evil deeds.
A young man, also from Algeria, has gone through approximately the same stage as the first questioner. He mentions a number of sins he committed, and now he deeply regrets them; indeed, according to his letter, he even considered suicide due to the horror of the dangers he fell into. He asks you, Shaykh Salih, will repentance be accepted despite the sin, as he describes it? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, said:
(53) Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful." (54) And return [in repentance] to your Lord and submit to Him before the punishment comes upon you; then you will not be helped.
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ وَأَنِيبُوا إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ وَأَسْلِمُوا لَهُAnd do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful. (30) And whoever does that in aggression and injustice - then We will drive him into a Fire. And that,
وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًا وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ عُدْوَانًا وَظُلْمًا فَسَوْفَ نُصْلِيهِ نَارًا وَكَانَ ذَٰلِكَThe Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed that the one who kills himself with a blade will be punished with that blade in the Fire of Hell, stabbing himself with it in the Fire of Hell. And the one who throws himself from a mountain and dies will be thrown into Hell. And the one who drinks poison and dies will drink his poison in the Fire of Hell. So, the result is that a person killing himself is a great crime, and it is not permissible for a person to kill himself for any distress that befalls him in this world. Rather, he must be patient, seek reward, and be content with the divine decree and destiny of Allah. As for the issue that he has committed sins, he must repent from them, for Allah is the Forgiver, the Merciful. Allah the Exalted said:
Say to those who have disbelieved [that] if they cease, what has
قُل لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِن يَنتَهُوا يُغْفَرْ لَهُم مَّا قَدْ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، شاب ندم ندما شديدا على المعاصي ويسألكم عن التوبة، هل تقبل رغم عظم الذنب كما يصفه؟ الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.