If you are to die today, right now: and you know the sins that you have committed during your life, and you believe in Allah. You will be very fearful of the punishment that Allah could afflict you with. As Muslims we are told:
‘O you who believe! Fear Allah, and let every soul look to what (provision) he has sent forth for the morrow. Yea, fear Allah for Allah is well-acquainted with (all) that you do.’ (al-Qur’an 59:18)
For every sin that we committ, we Know that Allah can or will punish us. So we should always be mindful of this, and try to do good deeds to cancel out bad ones.
Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to him,” Fear Allah wherever you are; if you follow an evil deed with a good one you will obliterate it, and deal with people with a good disposition.”
[Tirmidhi 5083]
We should fear Allah but at the same time we must have hope in His Mercy. From sincerely fearing Allah but yet being hopeful through His Mercy that our sins can be forgiven; it is this combination of two factors which will result in success.
‘As for those who fear their Lord unseen, for them is forgiveness and a great reward.’ (al-Qur’an 67:12)
‘Say: O my servants who have transgressed against their own souls, despair not of the Mercy of Allah. For Allah forgives all sins. For He is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.’ (al-Qur’an 39:53)
A few examples from the sahih hadeeths will show that our actions no matter how worse, can be forgiven. And it is this fear and hope that we should be mindful of.
Example 1.
Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as saying: There was a person before you who had killed ninety-nine persons and then made an inquiry about the learned persons of the world (who could show him the way to salvation). He was directed to a monk. He came to him and told him that he had killed ninety-nine persons and asked him whether there was any scope for his repentance to be accepted. He said: No. He killed him also and thus completed one hundred. He then asked about the learned persons of the earth and he was directed to a scholar, and he told him that he had killed one hundred persons and
asked him whether there was any scope for his repentance to be accepted. He said: Yes; what stands
between you and the repentance? You better go to such and such land; there are people devoted to prayer and worship and you also worship along with them and do not come to the land of yours since it was an evil land (for you). So he went away and he had hardly covered half the distance when death came to him and there was a dispute between the angels of mercy and the angels of punishment. The angels of mercy said: This man has come as a penitant and remorseful to Allah and the angels of punishment said: He has done no good at all. Then there came another angel in the form of a human being in order to decide between them. He said: You measure the land to which he
has drawn near. They measured it and found him nearer to the land where he intended to go (the land of piety), and so the angels of mercy took possession of it. Qatada said that Hasan told him that it was said to them that as death approached him, he crawled upon his chest (and managed) to slip in the land of mercy.
[From Muslim: Book 37: no 6662]
Example 2.
Narrated Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him): Allah’s Apostle (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “A man who never did any good deed, said that if he died, his family should burn him and throw half the ashes of his burnt body in the earth and the other half in the sea, for by Allah, if Allah should get hold of him, He would inflict such punishment on him as He would not inflict on anybody among the people. But Allah ordered the sea to collect what was in it (of his ashes) and similarly ordered the earth to collect what was in it (of his ashes). Then Allah said (to the recreated man), ‘Why did you do so?’ The man replied, ‘For being afraid of You, and You know it (very well).’ So Allah forgave him.”
[From Bukhari: vol 9: no: 597]
Example 3.
‘Abdullah reported that a person came to Allah’s Apostle (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: Allah’s Messenger, I sported with a woman in the outskirts of Medina, and I have committed an offence short of fornication. Here I am (before you), kindly deliver verdict about me which you deem fit. Unar said: Allah concealed your fault. You had better conceal it yourself also. Allah’s Apostle ( may peace be upon him), however, gave no reply to him. The man stood up and went away and Allah’s Apostle ( may peace be upon him) sent a person after him to call him and be recited this verse: “And observe prayer at the ends of the day and in the first hours of the night. Surely, good deeds take away evil deeds. That is a reminder for the mindful” A person amongst the people said: Allah’s Apostle, does it concern this man only? Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: No, but the people at large.
[From Muslim: Book 37: no 6658]
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