god mercy and forgiveness

8/9/2019 God Mercy and Forgiveness

1/6

Home Gods Mercy and Forgiveness

By: Dr. Mansoor Alam

Although, the Quran mentions only one "Lailat-ul-Qadr"which occurs in the month ofRamadaan, a

vast majority of Muslims celebrate another one in the month ofShabaan which is famously known as

"Shab-e-Baraat."The Persian term "Shab-e-Baraat"means "Night of Kismet" in English and "Lailat-

ul-Qadr" in Arabic. [Generally "Qadr" is translated as destiny. For a more in-depth meaning of"Qadr" please see a two part article on "Taqdir", MONITOR, March/April 1997, pp.6-9; and

June/July 1997, pp. 6-9.]

This Night of Kismet or destiny is of special significance in the landscape of Islam especially for

Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. My journey towards an understanding of Gods mercy and

forgiveness began a long time ago during one such night of "Shab-e-Baraat" that left its indelible

marks in my mind forever.

The Night of Kismet

I still remember very vividly the details of how I spent that night. I was still very young, may be

eleven or twelve years old. After the Isha prayer, we started praying naflprayers. The Imam had told

us that this was a very special night. Those who spend this night praying and asking for Allahs

forgiveness would be forgiven.

The Imam also emphasized that every ones kismet is also decided this night until the next years

Night of Kismet. Who will gain Allahs reward and who will incur His wrath; who will be good and

who will be bad; who will be healthy and who will be sick; who will live and who will die are all

decided this night. Who will go to Heaven and who to Hell (if one were to die in the coming year) is

also decided this night. "Essentially, everything is decided this night for the coming year. Praying this

night pleases Allah very much. So, pray as much as you can", the Imam told every one. And thats the

reason I was busy praying, when suddenly, I heard a voice informing every one that tea is ready. It

was around midnight.

Heavenly Feeling on Earth

Apparently, some people wanted to make this night a little enjoyable for the worshippers. To me, it

really felt good. Especially since we were sitting in the open courtyard of the mosque, sipping hot tea

prepared on firewood in the middle of the night under a clear night sky shining with stars. The garden

in the courtyard was full of different kinds of flowers and a gentle breeze suffused with all their

fragrances made the atmosphere very serene and sublime. I became totally mesmerized by the

wholeness of the occasion and I lost (complete) sense of time and space. This heavenly feeling had

lifted my spirits. I was savoring this heightened state of awareness when suddenly I heard a call that it

is now time to start our journey to visit the various community cemeteries. My minds subliminal

journey into the heavens was thus suddenly interrupted.

There were three cemeteries in our town. We visited each one of them. We recitedFateha and prayed

for Allahs mercy and forgiveness for the souls of our departed ancestors. We came back to the

mosque for a final prayer and then we went to our homes. By the time I reached my home, it was

three in the morning.

When I went to bed I could not go to sleep. I was still overwhelmed by the events of the night. So, my

mind started on another journey into what I can better describe now as the metaphysical world in

search of truth.

Mercy and Forgiveness http://www.tolueislam.com/bazms/Mansoor/MA_god_mercy_and

4/20/2010 1


2/6

Searching for Truth

I had done everything sincerely. (As a child, I did not have any motives or self-interest, nor did my

parents pressure me in any way.) But somehow, I was not sure whether or not my kismet had been

decided that night. Obviously, I had hoped for only good things to come my way but I was not sure. I

started thinking about the rich people in the community. Are they not interested in Gods mercy and

forgiveness? Most of them stayed home that night. Some came to the mosque but they left after the

Isha prayer and the fund raising. The management of the mosque always took advantage of the large

turn out on this night to do some fund raising.

I remember when the Imam exhorted people to donate money to the mosque, he stressed that they

will be donating it to Allah. "Allah will be very pleased with you and reward you amply in the

hereafter for your generosity here in this world. Allah will build palaces in Heaven ready for you to

occupy, and you will enjoy the company of beautiful women," the Imam emphasized. I recall that

many people who never prayed except possibly Jumma or Eid, came that night. But most of them

went home after the Isha prayer.

Lying in my bed and not being able to sleep, several thoughts started to cross my mind. Are there two

ways of earning the pleasure of God: one for the poor, and the other for the rich? Since the poor do

not have any extra money (they even go hungry many times), they obviously cannot donate money.

Those who stayed in the mosque and prayed and visited the cemeteries were almost all poor. So, in away, they were trying to earn the rewards of Allah by their prayers and penance. Those sleeping in

their nice and comfortable homes, it seemed, were trying to buy Allahs rewards by money. I was

wondering why rich people enjoy all lifes pleasures and comforts here on earth and are also promised

pleasure and comfort of Heaven in the hereafter. Is it fair or just? I was wrestling with this question

when the next thing I remember is that my mom was waking me up and asking me to hurry up and get

ready for school.

The question of justice and fairness stuck in my mind. I did not have an answer then. I simply thought

in my mind that God is merciful and forgiving. He deals justice in His own ways, which cannot be

understood. But whenever (and this was quite often) I was dissatisfied with something unfair or unjust

in the society, my father (May Allah bless his soul) used to say: " Son, have faith in Allah. He iswatching every thing and will take care of it. Our job is to please him with our prayers. The rest is up

to Him. He is all forgiving and all merciful."

But my mind was curious to know: How to be forgiving and merciful without being unjust and unfair

to any human being. This question always remained in my mind as I continued on my lifes journey in

search of truth. To my surprise and discomfort this journey also led to many other questions in my

mind. It seemed to be a never-ending process.

One Journey Ends, Another Begins

Thanks to Allah, my curiosity still continues to find the truth concerning anything about Islam for

myself. This journey has been rather heart wrenching and difficult. It touched my emotions and joltedmy deep feelings. It questioned my traditional beliefs and challenged age-old customs. It disturbed my

self-created physical and mental comfort zones. It induced mental storm and caused psychological

turmoil. In short, this journey has not been easy. But I have come to the conclusion that this is the

only way to search for the truth.

Conforming to the status quo is easy; challenging it is difficult. Flowing with the main stream does not

require any effort; going against the flow is a daunting task. Following the majority (called Ijma'a in

Shariah terminology) blindly does not require any mental energy; challenging it requires all the energy

which the human mind can muster. Therefore, the search for truth is a consuming mental task. This

cannot be done without an unwavering conviction that is based on deep knowledge and firm


4/20/2010 1


3/6

understanding. This requires a lot of patience and tolerance as well as an ample dose of perseverance.

But the most important thing and an extremely comforting aspect is that this is the way our Prophet

(PBUH) did it. So, this is the way we should do it.

Let us now move on to the main question of mercy and forgiveness.

There are many situations in life in which we are faced with difficulty, and have to figure out what

forgiveness really is, and how sins are forgiven. Obviously, we would like to believe that God forgives

the sins of Muslims if they sincerely repent for their sins. But what do we mean by sincere

repentance? Does it involve reciting the words "Astaghfir-u-Allah"several times after our prayers for

sins to be forgiven? Or is there more to it than that? What is the meaning of Tauba? And how is one

sure that ones Tauba has been accepted? Is there any objective standard? These are the questions

that naturally arise (and should arise) in any thoughtful and curious mind. We will have to analyze the

topic in-depth to find satisfactory answers to these questions. But as a first step towards that end, let

us present several scenarios, which might cause us to reflect on this question of God's mercy and

forgiveness a little more deeply. This has been done mainly to drive home that real life involves real

people with real incidents involving real victims. Therefore, forgiveness cannot be something

imaginary and disassociated from real life and we cannot brush it aside and move on by saying, 'Allah

knows best' or 'Allah has His own ways.' If we do that, then we will be defeating the main purpose of

the Quran, which was sent to solve the challenges and real problems facing humanity (4:105, 10:57,

10:108, 14:1, 14:52, 16:44, 17:89, 18:54, 39:27, 39:41, 45:20). We must keep this fact in our minds allthe time.

Real Scenarios, Real Questions, and Real Victims

A Muslim is engaged in a business, which involves selling or buying alcoholic beverages. He is

honest and hardworking. He prays, fasts, and gives Zakat regularly. He performs Hajj as well. In

other words, he practices the five pillars. But in his heart he feels that he is committing sin

because of the nature of his business. So, he asks for God's forgiveness. He thinks that his

pieties in religious matters are sufficient to outweigh his sin due to his business. Is he justified in

his thinking?

1.

Two Muslims are engaged in some business activities. One is honest and hardworking, the otheris not. The hard working Muslim consequently has a hard time meeting the basic needs of his

family. The not-so-honest Muslim is flourishing economically and donates a lot of money for

charities and performs Hajj annually. He believes that his sins due to not being honest will be

forgiven. Will his sins be forgiven?

2.

A son is fighting a court battle over a business concern and some expensive properties left by

his father with an associate and friend of his father closely involved with the business. His

fathers friend is very powerful and has well-established connections with authorities. He uses

bribery and personal connections to influence the decision in his favor. He prays and asks for

forgiveness from God for his sins. He even builds a Mosque and furnishes it with expensive

chandeliers and carpet for the comfort of the worshippers. He believes that he will get

continuous flow of rewards after his death and that all his sins will be forgiven. Is he justified in

his belief?

3.

A Muslim dies with his entire family in an accident. A particular member of the family is in a

position to facilitate the recovery of the wealth left by the deceased family. He gets the

approval of the rest of the relatives to legally acquire all the material and financial assets in his

own name on the condition that he will distribute them equitably according to the injunctions of

the Islamic Sharia. After acquiring the assets, he keeps the entire wealth for himself. He even

gets a fatwa from a Mullah in his favor. (These days one can get fatwa for almost anything.) He

is also very particular in practicing the five pillars of Islam. He, therefore, believes that he will

be forgiven for any sins on the day of judgement. Will Allah really forgive him no matter how

much he prays and no matter how many times he performs Hajj?

4.

A Muslim king is kind and warm-hearted except that he does not allow any opposition to his5.


4/20/2010 1


4/6

rule. He keeps his people economically very happy. They are free to pray and practice the five

pillars based on the Sharia proposed by the clergy and endorsed by the king. He even

distributes free copies of the Quran. The king thinks (and is supported by the clergys fatwa)

that all his sins (like gambling, drinking, womanizing etc.) will be forgiven because of his

services to Islam. Will it be so on the day of judgement in front of Allah?

Many Muslims mistreat their wives. There are many religious and so-called pious Muslims

among them. They offer regular prayers and ask for Allahs mercy and His forgiveness. Will

they be forgiven for their mistreatment of woman?

6.

Many Muslims dont spend sufficient time with their families. They seem to be too busy withtheir jobs and careers. Whenever they face some serious family problems and difficulties (or

when they get sick), their belief in Gods eternal mercy and forgiveness springs up in their

heart. They ask for forgiveness from God for their lack of attention to the family. Will they be

forgiven?

7.

Many Muslims especially in Muslim countries (although it happens elsewhere as well) practice

polygamy. Almost none of these men marry widows, divorcees, or orphans as prescribed by the

Quran (4:3). They mostly marry young and beautiful girls or women. They shower all their love

and affection on the younger wife and neglect and are even rude to their older wives. Most of

these men are rich and also religious. They pray regularly and give charity. Being very religious

they always pray for Allahs forgiveness for their sins, if any. Will Allah forgive their sins?

8.

A Muslim man rapes an innocent and helpless girl. He threatens her to keep quiet about this

incident. After several years the man falls sick with a deadly disease. Seeing signs of death he

suddenly remembers the sin he had committed. He does not know where that girl is or what

happened to her. He asks for Allahs forgiveness for his sins. Will Allah forgive his sins?

9.

A Muslim girl employee is raped by her Muslim employer. She reports it to the authorities. They

ask her to produce four eyewitnesses who can testify on her behalf. Since the employer raped

her in a closed room when no one was around, she fails to produce any eyewitnesses. The

authorities then sentenced her to be lashed. In the mean time she is raped again by the men who

were supposed to guard her. The girl is released after receiving eighty lashes. The men who

raped her get away with this heinous crime. They even go to their respective mosques and pray

for God's forgiveness. What kind of forgiveness do they deserve? Will there be any forgiveness

for them for what they did?

10.

Let us suppose in the above scenario that the girls mother finds later that her daughter ispregnant. The girls parents feel ashamed. They dont trust her explanation and even accuse her

of shaming the family name. The girl falls into a deep depression and commits suicide. The girls

parents are shocked and distraught especially after they find out that their daughter was an

innocent victim. They cry and ask for forgiveness and mercy from God for not believing their

daughter and causing her to take her life. Will God forgive the parents?

11.

The above scenario happens among some very religious Muslim families in Muslim as well as

non-Muslim countries. Lately, the so-called "honor killing" has been attracting western media

attention as well. Many girls have been murdered without proper investigation to find the truth.

Not only that, many of these girls have been deceptively lured back home by their family

members with the promise that they would not be harmed in any way but, in fact, were brutally

murdered once they came home. These family members think that they have preserved thedignity and honor of the family by killing their daughters. They even pray for God's forgiveness

and mercy on the souls of their dead daughters. Will the prayers of those who murder their

daughters in the name of family honor be heard? What about the murderer(s)? Will he (they) be

honored by Allah or punished by Him on the day judgement?

12.

Dear sisters and brothers! The above scenarios do happen in practice. There is a good chance that

they may be happening somewhere right now. Therefore, these are not fictitious stories. In fact, many

of us (or someone we know) may be going through (or have gone through) similar episodes in life. It is

impossible for any one (with a sensitive heart) to go through the list and not be emotionally moved by

it and, in the process, even shed some tears. (Please take few moments from your busy schedules and


4/20/2010 1


5/6

allow yourself to feel the pain and suffering of other fellow human beings and let the tears (if any)

gently drop. This is a good Sunna to practice since our Prophet (PBUH) often used to cry for the pain

and suffering of others.)

But, as much as our hearts may weep due to this terrible injustice (perpetrated especially against

woman), we cannot just leave it to the Mullahs and religious scholars to solve these problems. No

problem can be solved without the participation of the people affected by it. But this requires

knowledge.

Importance of Knowledge

The first and the most important prerequisite for solving any problem is to acquire knowledge. Our

Prophet (PBUH) always prayed to Allah to increase his knowledge (20:114). He commanded us to

acquire knowledge even if we have to go to China (implying far off places). Allamah Iqbal says:

"The search for rational foundations in Islam may be regarded to have

begun with the Prophet himself. His constant prayer was: 'God! Grant me

knowledge of the ultimate nature of things!' "

[The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, p.2]

Therefore, all of us have to acquire knowledge and not be dependent upon others all the time. We

actually do understand this when it comes to worldly knowledge. But as soon as we come to Islam, we

start looking for others (especially the so-called professional Islamic scholars) to guide us. As a result,

we generally feel helpless to make any real creative and intellectual analysis and diagnosis of any

problem facing the Muslim Ummah. Instead, we start quoting names of present and past Islamic

scholars without even trying to understand the underlying causes and the nature of the problem

ourselves.

Dear brothers and sisters! Unless we, ourselves, go deep and dig further, we will never be able to

answer the fundamental questions posed earlier. Let us take for example the central question arising

out of all the scenarios presented above. The central question revolves around the concept of God's

mercy and forgiveness. Therefore, once we understand the real concept of God's forgiveness and Hismercy, many of the problems that cause confusion and contradiction in our minds will automatically

be cleared up. The only way to do that is to go back to the Quran and find out from it the true

concept of God's forgiveness. There is no other way to find THE TRUTH about it.

Quranic Concept of God's Mercy and Forgiveness

So, let us go to the Quran then. The Quranic word Ra'hmah is usually translated as mercy, and

Ma'ghfirah as forgiveness. And that is where the problem lies. Because, instead of understanding the

root meanings of these Arabic words, we start building superstructures based on the concept of mercy

and forgiveness that are alien to the spirit (and are Christian concepts) of Islam. The word Rah'mah

comes from the root r-h-m which means a mother's womb. The child's growth and nourishment underthe protective, yet flexible, shield of the mother's womb gives us a true picture of God'sRah'ma. The

mother nourishes the child with her blood without expecting anything in return. (She even puts her life

on the line in this process.) This process of gradual and timely nourishment, in order to develop and

actualize the latent potential, is calledRa'hmah.

The words Maghfirah,Istighfar, Ghafoor, and Ghaffarall come from the root Gh-f-r, which means

to protect. (Mighfar is the protective shield worn by soldiers.) So, Maghfirah means, first of all,

admitting that something wrong has taken place. Then, in the heart, developing a desire and a will to

do something about it in order to seek protection from the adverse circumstances. So, a corrective

action is involved here and not just verbal recitation of few words. One more point is important here:


4/20/2010 1


6/6

the person and his deeds cannot be separated. It is not that his bad deeds are washed away from his

personality and then he goes to Allah without his bad deeds. In fact, the Quran says that every one's

entire life's deeds (good and bad) will be hanging in one's neck on the day of judgement and every one

will be held fully accountable for all the deeds (17: 13-14, 75:13-15).

Sisters and brothers! We are far from a proper understanding of the Quranic concept of Gods mercy

and forgiveness, but we have come to a point where it is time to take a break. I hope you have gotten

a reasonable picture of my journey to find the truth about God's mercy and forgiveness. However,

many important questions and issues still remain to be discussed. This will be done in a future issue ofMONITOR. But, in the meantime, I do request that you apply critical thought to the questions posed

in this article. (You may be pleasantly surprised at your own potential for self-thought and

understanding.) Please remember, developing the habit of independent and critical thinking is the

Sunnah of our Prophet (PBUH) (34:46).


god mercy and forgiveness

Documents