Allah makes clear that people who make a mistake due to ignorance, but then return to Allah in sincerity and ask for forgiveness, will be forgiven. As long as believers are sincerely sorry for what they have done, they must never lose hope in Allah's mercy regardless of the sin's magnitude. This truth is emphasized in the following verse: Say:
"My servants, you who have transgressed against yourselves, do not despair of Allah's mercy. Truly Allah forgives all wrong actions. He is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful."
Our Prophet also stated that Allah accepts the believers' repentance: If you are innocent, Allah will soon reveal your innocence. If you have committed a sin, repent to Allah and ask Him to forgive you, for when a person confesses his sin and asks Allah for forgiveness, Allah accepts his repentance. (Bukhari)
This is one of Islam's greatest favors and leniencies. Falling into despair after making a mistake, as well as thinking that one will be unable to get back on one's feet when the religion has made such an allowance, is just gross conjecture. Those who ignore Allah's allowance oppress their souls and, at the same time, fail to apply one of Islam's requirements. The Qur'an's leniency prevents many of those acts that violate it in many ignorant societies. For example, ridiculing and degrading people who make mistakes in ignorant societies can never flourish where Qur'anic manners predominate. On the contrary, where such manners abide, those people who have returned to Allah and asked His forgiveness as sincere believers will live their lives in peace, happiness, and eagerness.
A person's superiority can be measured only by piety, that is, the degree to which they commit themselves to Allah and the Qur'an. Whereas in ignorant societies the people's faults and mistakes are of the utmost importance, in societies where the Qur'anic ideals prevail, a person's past mistakes and sins are never mentioned. The important thing is to receive Allah's forgiveness. To condemn and censure somebody whom Allah has promised to forgive cannot be valid or legitimate under any circumstances.
To think of oneself as being faultless, sinless, and perfect is no different than claiming divinity, for humanity is prone to making mistakes and committing sins. As human beings are weak creatures, Allah has made it known that He is most forgiving and accepting of repentance. This is why it would be incompatible with the Qur'an for someone to fall into despair after having listened to his or her ego and sinned, either knowingly or unknowingly. After making a mistake, believers learn their lessons, see the truth after regretting their actions, immediately seek refuge in Allah, and do their best not to make that same mistake again.
Undoubtedly, believers take the utmost care in avoiding mistakes and sins, and in observing the limits set by Allah. But despite this fact, believers still may make a mistake or sin. But after doing so, believers characteristically return to Allah and seek forgiveness. As a result, Allah's Names, such as The Acceptor of Repentance (at-Tawwab), The All-Forgiving (al-Ghafur), and The Beneficent (ar-Rahman), become manifest upon those believers who regret their mistakes and turn to Allah.
Just as believers make mistakes and repent, so do they reflect upon their mistakes with the concept of destiny in mind. First of all, such mistakes have been written into their destiny in order to allow them to grow in this world and enable them to move closer to Allah. Once they ask for forgiveness, these mistakes become a way for them to receive rewards, for after vowing to abandon that particular mistake and displaying Qur'anic values by repenting immediately, mistakes actually raise the sincere believers' degree in the afterlife. They cause believers to mature and become more aware of their deficiencies, weaknesses, and servitude, for the important thing is to abandon the sin, repent immediately, and truly regret what one has done.
In other words, believers who sin but then repent and seek Allah's forgiveness should not be seized by grief and hopelessness, for hopelessness displeases Allah. After making a mistake, the enthusiasm, fervor, and joy of believers should not diminish. On the contrary, they increase.
Striking a balance between hope and fear
Striking a balance between hope and fear is a most important factor when it comes to attaining a good character. While hope enables believers to practice their religion with enthusiasm, effort, fervor, joy, and zeal, their respectful fear of Allah causes them to take the utmost care in observing the limits set by Allah, to strictly avoid those things about which Allah has warned, and to be meticulous when it comes to what is allowed and what is forbidden. The enthusiasm and zeal resulting from being positive, together with the sobriety, fastidiousness, and sensitivity resulting from the fear of Allah, are ways to beautify the believers' character and for them to draw closer to Allah.
The Qur'an shows that just as Allah wills believers not to despair but to always remain hopeful and confident, He also wills them to have awe of His glory and a respectful fear of Him. As a matter of fact, such a fear has an important place in religion and it is one of its central topics.
Those who have a proper fear of Allah do not stray beyond what He has ordered and also have good character. While they hope for His forgiveness and mercy, as well as acceptance into Paradise, at the same time they have a great fear of Him, because nobody is guaranteed a place in Paradise or immunity from His punishment. Believers are only obliged to do their best and hope for Allah's mercy.
In addition to this hope, having an awe of Allah's glory and fearing Him has a positive effect upon one's worship. Those who have such a fear will work harder to gain their afterlife and always try to do good deeds. Those having only a weak fear are likely to assume that they "will get to Paradise anyway" or that "they 'll be forgiven in the long run," and so do not commit themselves to their worship with the same degree of love and enthusiasm as do those who have the proper degree of fear. Those who fear Allah do not consider their good deeds as ever being enough, and so they always seek to please Him to the utmost. However, exerting only a little effort when one has been given ample opportunities, as well as giving into ego's desires, can place a person's other good deeds at risk.
As the Qur'an mentions, a soul can be balanced between hope and fear only if it is sincere toward Allah. Naturally, those who believe in the existence of Allah and the afterlife will want to be among those who please Him here and enter Paradise. Those who turn to Him sincerely will see the superiority and perfection everywhere in His creation, and naturally will feel a respectful and awesome fear of Him. This fear will cause them to take the utmost care by acting according to the Qur'an and, with the peace and confidence that arises from obeying Allah's commands, they can hope for Paradise. Thus sincere believers must maintain a natural balance between hope and fear.
Allah has drawn special attention to the fact that believers possess these two characteristics. Both are necessary requirements of having faith and, when felt strongly in the heart and applied, both will guide believers to the straight way and bring happiness in both this life and the next.
Allah asks those believers who, when they turn and pray to Him, to keep a balance between hope and fear. The related verses are as follows:
Do not corrupt earth after it has been put right. Invoke Him in fear and aspiration. Allah's mercy is close to the good-doers.
With this advice from Allah, believers pray in the hope that they will obtain Paradise and, at the same, pray with a powerful fear of Allah. A prayer of our Prophet also indicates this state: O Allah! I surrender to You, entrust all of my affairs to You, and depend upon You for Your blessings both with hope and fear of You. (Bukhari)
