an open letter to the sinners
If you ever get fearful or disheartened by verses in the Qurâan about punishment and hell and torture, etc. then this letter is speaking to you. I have been there, and those verses used to turn me away from Islam. I ask you to think of it this way because this is what has helped me.
Allah gives the Believers SO many chances at redemption and forgiveness, and the theme of Infinite Love and Mercy is repeated over and over and over again in the Qurâan. Right? Who do you think these verses of pain and punishment are talking to? You think this is about some kid who listened to music or a woman who didnât wear hijab, or a man who took out a school loan with interest? No, not unless that person has lost all hope for humanity and is devoid of all human decency. Do not forget that if a person feels remorse or regret over their sins, then that sin is wiped out.
Abu Umamah reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, âThe scribe on the right is trustworthy over the scribe on the left. When a person does a good deed, he records it immediately. When a person does a bad deed, he says to the scribe on the left: Stay your hand for six hours. If the person seeks forgiveness from Allah, then he will not write it. Otherwise, it will be recorded as a single bad deed.â
Source: Muâjam Al-Kabeer 7685
Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to As-Suyuti
Most believers DO feel remorse, they do feel shame, they feel guilt. If theyâre hiding their sin, they feel remorse. Remember that. IF THEYâRE CLOAKING THEIR SINS THEN THEY ARE REMORSEFUL AND THEY ARE GRANTED MERCY. Allah PROMISES you this. Over and over. And if a person is NOT immediately remorseful? They will be presented with SO MANY CHANCES to reach forgiveness and so many opportunities to learn their lessons! There is wisdom in every trial. Expiation of sins in every pain. There are chances for forgiveness and redemption at every turn. Our Lord loves to forgive. Thatâs why we have set prayers 5 times a day, thatâs why we have Ramadan, fasting, acts of worship, etc. Think of all the bad deeds you wipe away by simply performing wudu!
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: âWhen a Muslim worshipper performs wudĂ»â and washes his face, then every sin that he incurred by what his eyes fell upon comes out from his face with the last drop of water. When he washes his hands, every sin that he incurred by way of his grasp comes out form his hands with the last drop of water. When he washes his feet, every sin that he incurred by way of his walking comes out from his feet with the last drop of water. Ultimately, he comes forth free of sin.â [SahĂźh al-BukhĂąrĂź (360)]
There is also a hadĂźth related about prayer washing away our sins like water.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: âThe five daily prayers are like a running river at the door of someoneâs house. He washes himself in it every day five timesâ.
Al-Hasan then said, rhetorically: âWould that leave any dirt?â [SahĂźh Muslim (1072)]
Allah gives you SO MANY chances to return to Him. Rejoice in that! You always have hope as long you believe. As long as there is breath in your body, you have time to turn back to Allah. Keep goodness in your heart and remembrance of Allah on your tongue, and you are almost guaranteed Jannah.
On the authority of Anas (RadhiAllahu âanhu) who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (SallaAllahu âalayhi wasallam) say,
âAllah the Almighty has said: âO Son of Adam, as long as you invoke Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O Son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and you then asked forgiveness from Me, I would forgive you. O Son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the Earth, and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it [too].â â
[Reported by Tirmidhi who said it is a hasan sahih hadith]
Allah has PROMISED forgiveness for His servants.
âDo not despair of Godâs mercy; He will forgive you of all your sins.â Qur'an (39:53).
So then to whom are these verses of pain and torture and punishment referring? People who have no morals, no humanity, no remorse. Their souls are completely devoid of goodness. They are the people (I canât even call them âpeopleâ) who have only darkness, they have no light, the people who only know depravity. They have no remorse, they are pure evil⊠They could be Nazis, rapists, child abusers, genocidal tyrants, serial killers, people who torture animals. People with no conscience. They have no goodness, no hope. Allah could extinguish their souls if He wishes, or they can wallow in their own self-pity, ugliness, arrogance, greed, and hatred for eternity â far away from anything that has goodness and light.
That âfar awayâ realm is what I believe is called âhell.â Hell is a plane of existence or another realm for the non-repentant sinners, the sub-human evil-doers, the spirits of those who lacked all forms of basic human decency and empathy in life. Such evil will stay far away from the Light of Godâs Love, far from reaching the fragrance of Jannah. I think Jannah is closeness to Allah with different levels â the more the souls have perfected themselves in faith in their human forms with their time spent on Earth, the closer to Allah they will be. And hell would be the furthest plane from Allah, also in different levels. No one is going to hell unless they DESERVE to be there. Your Lord is Just.
There is a very clear hadith that says if a person has even an atomâs weight of faith in their heart, they will not remain in hell. I imagine âhellâ is very cold and dark and grey. Itâs the absence of the Light of Godâs Love. Hell is the darkness of their own creation, they made their place there. You have to really CHOOSE hell because God grants you so many chances to turn your life around. If you are faithless, Godless, and heartless then your energy will create its own perpetual state of ugliness and dread and you will be tortured by your own ungodly ideals in the afterlife. If you are earthly bound to greed and arrogance and wretchedness and you carelessly inflict pain on others with no remorse and no conscience, then thatâs what you create for yourself in the afterlife as well.
So to all those reading this, ask yourself â do you feel an inclination to help others? Do you want to help the poor, feed the hungry, help innocent animals, save the trees, save the bees? Do you feel sorry when youâve done wrong? Do you feel embarrassed by your bad deeds? If you feel shame, then your soul is inclined to goodness, you have the natural born instinct to serve Allah, and Allah is offering you His Infinite Mercy every moment that youâre alive. Your intentions count. Keep striving to gain wisdom and complete good deeds â no matter how insignificant they may seem to you at the time. NOTHING you do is insignificant. You could water a plant and the Universe would rejoice for you. Do you love God? Do you have faith in your heart? Do you want to be a good person? Then I promise you have hope and Allah promises you His mercy.
Verily! Those who believe [in this Qurâan] and those who are Jews and Christians and Sabians; All who Believe in God and the Last Day and do righteous deeds shall have their reward with their Lord, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. Qurâan 2:62
