The Repentance: A Threshold to Happiness

Preface

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

All praise is due to Allah, Whom we praise and from Whom we ask help and forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of ourselves. He whom Allah guides has no one who can lead him astray, and he whom He leads astray has no one to guide him. I testify that there is nothing deserving of worship except Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. May Allah abundantly shower His blessings and peace on him.

 {قُلْ يَـٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ} الزمر: ٥٣

[Say, ˹O Prophet, that Allah says, ˺ “O My servants who have exceeded the limits against their souls! Do not lose hope in Allah’s mercy, for Allah certainly forgives all sins.1 He is indeed the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.] 39:53

This is a verse of tremendous importance to instill the hope, arouse the affection, and drive away the despair. It motivates one to repent and return to Allah. It ignites a strange sense characterized by the realization of the strong bond of slavery between the Lord and the slave inspired by hope.

My reflection on this verse endowed me with some points and key takeaways on the words and meanings of the verse. My mind recalled many anecdotes and the accounts from the life of the people diverted by their malignant soul, distracted by Satan, disturbed by the sensations, and provoked by their lusts which drowned them in sins. Some people openly invited and indulged in the sinful acts, but subsequently they regretted their behavior and sincerely repented to Allah Who accepted it and forgave their past sins.

Allah guided and helped me to present my takeaways and observations in the form of lecture. I requested my colleagues and sisters to assist me with the relevant stories they experienced as I stressed that they should be authentic and true. They accepted my request. May Allah confer the best reward on them. While delivering the lecture, I referred to their true stories as testimonials which greatly influenced the audience. This positive outcome inspired me to consolidate my lectures into the written format for the winder benefit.

To be clear, in this book, I do not intend to prove that the door to repentance is open for all, neither I am of the view that Allah’s promise to accept the repentance is applicable for all. I referred to those stories only to pique the interest of the audience as they might serve as motive to repent for all Muslim and everybody despair of the Mercy of Allah and lost hope for the acceptance of the repentance.

I extend my gratitude to everybody who assisted me with any idea, information, or instruction and to those who contributed to the publication of this book. May Allah bless them with His rewards.

Special thanks to Dr. Falih As-Saghir for sparing his time to write a foreword to this book.

I ask Allah to amply reward all of them, and He is Capable of everything.

May Allah have peace and blessing on the Prophet Muhammad.

Amal bint Ibrahim An-Nashwaan