Each of us is on a journey - one where we strive to be better today than we were yesterday. And each of us most certainly falls short in one way or another, but our mistakes shouldn’t define us. As human beings, we’re far from perfect, perfection only belongs to Allah ﷻ. But the way we pick ourselves up is what truly matters.
This can look different for all of us. It might be performing extra good deeds or taking time to reflect on something we did wrong. Of course, repentance plays a huge part in this. Regularly asking Allah ﷻ for His forgiveness and Mercy during our salah or even throughout the day can leave us with a beautiful feeling. As though a weight has been lifted off our shoulders because we become attuned to connecting with our Lord.
What can keep us down is the enemy we face each day, shaytan. The one who wants us to fall short, who wants us to dwell and ruminate on our sins. Because in doing so, we lose perspective and become too preoccupied with these negative thoughts. We get distracted and begin to waste time overthinking, our focus becomes the sin rather than how we can move forward from the sin.
Suddenly our mistake is an avalanche of worries and doubts, making us think negatively about ourselves. This enemy encourages us to despair over the Mercy of Allah and whispers to us that He won’t forgive us. But Allah (S.W) Himself tells us the following in the Quran:
قُلْ يَـٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allāh. Indeed, Allāh forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” (Surah Az Zumar ayah 53)
Our Lord commands us not to despair of His mercy, reminding us that His mercy is limitless. Allah ﷻ created each and every one of us and therefore, knows us better than we know ourselves. So how can we doubt whether or not He will forgive us when names “The Most Gracious” and “The Most Merciful” belong to Him?
Shaytan wants us to forget these beautiful attributes of our Lord so we fall deeper into that pit of despair. Those in such a state feel too discouraged and weak to think positively and that’s exactly what shaytan wants.
However, it’s important to remind ourselves who our Lord is, because our Lord wants us to turn to Him. He is the One Who tells us about His mercy multiple times in the Quran:
وَرَحْمَتِى وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَىْءٍۢ ۚ
But My mercy encompasses everything.
(Surah Al A’raaf Ayah 156)
Can you imagine? Allah ﷻ tells us directly that His mercy can and will, extend far beyond any bad that we might do. How can we allow shaytan to divert us from the word of Allah?
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said,
“When Allah completed the creation, He wrote in His book with Him upon the Throne: Verily, My mercy prevails over My wrath.”
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3194, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2751
There are countless reminders in the Quran and within Hadith that reinforce the mercy of our Lord, this is where we need to take our comfort and our strength from. Making mistakes is inevitable, we are human.
"When you commit a sin, take it as an opportunity to turn to Allah in repentance, for the one who repents from sin is like one without sin." - Hasan al-Basri
The act of repentance is a powerful tool that not only averts us from this dangerous tactic of shaytan but opens many doors of goodness in our life too.
Next time you feel yourself losing sight of this, try to remember that your enemy, shaytan, wants you to despair and give up hope. He tricks you into turning away or doubting Allah despite you knowing that your Lord would not abandon you.
Don’t let shaytan have this level of control over you, seek protection with Allah and act wisely.
For more advice and guidance on this, and the many more tricks of shayatan, check out our book, Shaytan and the Nafs here.
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