The Essence of Islam – Volume II — Page 238
238. Essence of Islām II that he has done ill and not good, but he pays no attention to it for the light of his heart and his reason are weak and are overcome by his animal faculties and his ego is insistent. . . . The turmoil of the ego of such people cannot be reduced, for that which God has imposed cannot be removed by anyone else; yet God has provided a remedy. . What is that remedy? It is repentance, seeking forgiveness and remorse. This means that if they do evil in conformity with the demands of their ego, or an evil thought arises in their minds and they seek a remedy through repentance and seeking forgiveness, God forgives them. If they stumble repeatedly and are remorseful each time and repent, the remorse and repentance wash out the stain of their sin. This is the true atonement which is the remedy of a natural sin. Allāh the Exalted refers to it in the verse: وَمَن يَعْمَلْ سُوء اَوْ يَظْلِمُ نَفْسَهُ ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ الله يجد اللهَ غَفُورًا حِيمًا 78. Whoso does some evil or wrongs his soul in any way, and then asks forgiveness of Allāh with remorse, will find Allāh Most Forgiving, Ever Merciful. . This verse which is so profound and full of wisdom means that as stumbling and sinning are the characteristics of defective souls, which are manifested by them, there are corresponding to them the eternal attributes of. God which are mercy and forgiveness and He is inherently Forgiving and Merciful. His forgiveness is not casual but is His eternal attribute which He loves and which He desires to exercise on deserving people. . Whenever a person turns to God in remorse and repentance at the time of stumbling or sinning, he becomes deserving that God should turn to him with mercy and 78 Al-Nisa', 4:111 [Publisher]