Hope in Allah in light of the Most Hopeful Verse

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ. الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ وَصَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ خَاتَمِ النَّبِيِّينَ وَعَلَى جَمِيعِ الأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالْمُرْسَلِينَ.

All Praise is due to Allah, we praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Allah, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, peace and blessings on him, is His servant, and His messenger.

Dear Brothers and Sisters …                                     السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

يَا أَيُّهَا الّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ –

O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam.

Be conscious of Allah the Most High and obey Him. And fill the days and nights with obedience of Him. And occupy yourselves with remembering Him, expressing gratitude to Him and worshipping Him in the best manner. Do not get tired of supplicating. And do not get bored of the Quran. And do not slowdown in performing acts of worship. And do not despair of His mercy. So show Allah Almighty good from yourselves and you will receive good.

Allah the Exalted said:

أَمَّنْ هُوَ قَانِتٌ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ سَاجِدًا وَقَائِمًا يَحْذَرُ الْآخِرَةَ وَيَرْجُو رَحْمَةَ رَبِّهِ قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ

Az Zumar (39) 9: Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night, prostrating and standing [in prayer], fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, [like one who does not]? Say, “Are those who know equal to those who do not know?” Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding.

The Quran it is a Book of hope & fear, encouragement & caution and promising & warning. And in some of its verses there is hope that dispels fear, removes sadness, anchors the heart and sheds the tears. So that we know that Allah Almighty is Pardoning, Forgiving and Most Merciful.  And from among the verses that is said to be the most hopeful very powerful verse is:

قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

Az Zumar (39) 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.”

Allah Akbar: This noble verse is a call to all disobedient disbelievers and others to repent and return. And it informs that Allah Almighty forgives all the sins for whoever repents and stops from them. No matter what the sins are and even if the sins are plentiful and like the foam of the sea.

And it was related from some of the predecessors that this is the most hopeful verse in the Book of Allah Almighty. And that is because Allah Almighty mentioned the servants with Himself – by saying My Servants- for honouring them and giving them glad tidings. Then He described them as transgressing in sin and having much sins. Then he concluded with forbidding those with many sins from despairing from His Mercy.

So the command not to despair for sinners who are not transgressors is even more. Next, came what left no place for doubt nor requires guessing upon hearing it. Allah Almighty said:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا

Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. 

So what good tidings there are for comforting the hearts of the believers who think well of their Lord Most Glorified. Those genuinely hopeful in Him the Exalted.  Those who shed the cloak of despair and reject thinking negatively of the One for Who no sin is too big to forgive-for He does not spare in forgiving and being merciful to His servants.  Those turning to Him in requesting pardoning and seeking refuge in Him for forgiving their sins. And how best He the Exalted explained it saying:

إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Allah’s forgiveness and mercy is great, spanning and far reaching. And Allah’s great mercy is indicated in the story of the man who killed 100 souls and repented before death and was then forgiven by Allah Almighty.

Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) said that there is no verse in the Quran more encompassing than the verse:

يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّه

O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah.

And reason for its revelation came in the Hadith related by Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them):

أَنَّ نَاسًا مِنْ أَهْلِ الشِّرْكِ كَانُوا قَدْ قَتَلُوا وَأَكْثَرُوا، وَزَنَوْا وَأَكْثَرُوا، فَأَتَوْا مُحَمَّدًا -صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- فَقَالُوا: إِنَّ الَّذِي تَقُولُ وَتَدْعُو إِلَيْهِ لَحَسَنٌ، لَوْ تُخْبِرُنَا أَنَّ لِمَا عَمِلْنَا كَفَّارَةً فَنَزَلَ: (وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ وَلَا يَقْتُلُونَ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَلَا يَزْنُونَ) ، وَنَزَلَتْ (قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ)

Some polytheists who had excessively killed and fornicated came to Muhammad ﷺ and said, ” Whatever you say and invite people to is good, but if you could inform us if there is an expiation for our past (evil) deeds.” So it was revealed: ‘And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed], except by right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse. And whoever should do that will meet a penalty.’ (25.68) And it was also revealed: Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah.’ (39.53) [al-Bukhari 4810].

Relying on this verse and other verses with similar meanings, the predecessors hated those who despaired people from repentance and the mercy of Allah Almighty. And because the Prophet ﷺ said:

أَنَّ رَجُلًا قَالَ: وَاللَّهِ لَا يَغْفِرُ اللَّهُ لِفُلَانٍ، وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ -تَعَالَى- قَالَ: مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَتَأَلَّى عَلَيَّ أَنْ لَا أَغْفِرَ لِفُلَانٍ، فَإِنِّي قَدْ غَفَرْتُ لِفُلَانٍ، وَأَحْبَطْتُ عَمَلَكَ” (مُسْلِمٌ:2621) 

A man said: By Allah, Allah will not forgive so-and-so. And Allah Almighty said: Who is he who swears by Me that I will not forgive so-and-so? Verily I have forgiven so-and-so and have nullified your (good) deeds. [Muslim 2621].

And Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The one with true understanding of religion is the one who does not despair people from the mercy of Allah and does not provide them license to disobey Allah and does not make them feel secure from the punishment of Allah and does not leave the Quran desiring other than it.

So repentance is not closed from anyone regardless of the extent of their sins as long as the soul is in their body and it is not in the process of exiting. And mercy is not veiled from the repentant regardless of their crime. And our Lord Most Glorified grants mercy and pardons many of the disobedient who were otherwise obliged to be punished.

And let those with shortcomings repent for their shortcomings. And let the sinners regret for their sins, return to their senses and turn to their Lord Most Glorified. And let us hope for the pardoning and forgiveness of our Lord, think well of Him Most Glorified and not despair of His mercy. For no one gives up hope in Allah the Exalted except the perished.

وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ-النُّورِ: 31

An Noor 31: And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.

Oh Muslims: Be as was your Prophet Mohammad ﷺ  in expressing gratitude to Allah Almighty for his bounties and magnifying Him and knocking on His door. And humbling yourselves between His hands. And calling and supplicating to Him with humility. For indeed your Lord the Exalted and Possessor of Majesty is close and generous: As mentioned in Holy Quran

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ-

Al Baqarah (2) 186: And when My servants ask you, [O Muḥammad], concerning Me – indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.

Magnify Allah your Lord and be persistent in your supplications to Him. And soften your hearts from humility and direct your tears to Him for He the Exalted is the Most Merciful.

And the meaning is to adhere to it and hold on to it in your supplications. For Majesty and Honor are praising and glorification, respectively. And Allah’s graces on us are plentiful. And His rights upon us are great. And it is obligatory for us to magnify him.

Oh Allah make us from among the winners. And do not make us among the denied. Oh Allah help us against our inner selves and grant us sincerity in our deeds. Oh Allah help us to remember You, to express gratitude to You and to worship You in the best manner. And accept from us and all of the Muslims.

I conclude with this and send prayers of blessings and peace upon our Prophet as your Lord commanded:

Allahumma Sallai Al’a Muahmmad’n wa’aila Muhammad

أَقُولُ مَا تَسْمَعُونَ وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ  لِي وَلَكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ  إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

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Imam Syed Mahboob Rasool