There are two kinds of hopelessness. The first kind arises when confronted with difficulties or obstacles. Such should not be the conduct of a believer. He should always keep in mind that Allah has promised to give support to the believers. The Qur’an states that Allah is sufficient for the believers and that He has strengthened the believers with His Aid.
The second kind of despair is more dangerous, which is giving up hope of Allah’s mercy after making a mistake or committing a sin. Because this may lead to the thought that Allah will not forgive one’s sins and that one will necessarily go to hell. But this idea—a mere apprehension—is quite the opposite of what we are taught by the Qur’an. Indeed, Allah forgives the sins of all those who sincerely repent. It is never “too late” for seeking refuge in His mercy. Allah addresses His servants thus:
“O my Servants, who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah:
for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
Despair is the temptation of Satan. Satan tries to influence believers by demoralizing them and thus dragging them down to commit more serious mistakes. His aim is to lead the believers to suspect their own faith and sincerity, to make them think that they are “fakes”. If a person falls into this trap, he will start to lose his self-respect and consequently his faith and will go on to commit bigger sins after that first mistake.
In such a state of mind, believers should immediately seek refuge in Allah, think only of Qur’an’s teachings and immediately develop a new frame of mind. The Qur’an describes what the believer must do in such cases.
“And if an evil whisper comes to you from Satan, then seek refuge with Allah. Verily, He is All-Hearer, All-Knower.”
If the individual is sincere in his faith in Allah, Allah forgives him even if he has made mistakes or committed sins. Furthermore, even if he has been insincere for a long time, he still has the chance to repent. It is just a trick of Satan that makes him give way to despair. For Allah is the One Who shows eternal mercy and justice and the One Who promises victory and His Paradise to the believers. The advice of Yakub (Jacob) should be a guide for all the believers:
"...never give up hope of Allah’s Soothing Mercy:
truly, no one despairs of Allah’s Soothing Mercy, except those who have no faith.”
