There are times in life when the world feels like it is closing in on you, the sins you carry on your back weigh you down. You feel as though you were the worst person alive, entrapped in a soul inclined sin. You’ve committed so many sins that your repentance feels hollow, hypocritical even, and so you refrain from repenting anymore; thinking you’ve done too much. You’ve crossed the limits. There is no more hope. It’s a dead end.

“Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.”” (Surah Zumar 39:53)

Allah is All-Forgiving, Ever-Forgiving. He forgives, and forgives, and there is no limit to His forgiveness. Our deeds are never too many in comparison to His mercy. All we have to do is; ask. Ask and Allah will forgive. He will absolve us of the responsibility of bearing the punishment, if we just turn to Him. He will forgive us over and over, no matter how large or small the sin is.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, says, ‘O son of Adam, as long as you call on Me, I shall forgive you of what you have done, and think nothing of it. O son of Adam, even if your sins were to reach up to the clouds in the sky, and then you were to ask for My forgiveness, I would forgive you and think nothing of it. O son of Adam, even if you were to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth, and then you were to meet Me after death, not worshipping anything besides Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as the earth.’” [Tirmidhi]

How can we ever despair of a Lord who promises mercy and forgiveness? We must not quit on ourselves; rather we should strive no matter how many times we fall. Allah would bring forgiveness to us and pardon us, and He, Glory be to Him, would not mind. Allah never breaks His promise.

Remember Ya’qub chided his sons saying, “and despair not of relief from Allah. Indeed, no one despairs of relief from Allah except the disbelieving people.” (Surah Yusuf 12:87)

It is only those who do not believe in Allah and do not believe that He is Merciful, it is those who will lose hope. The doors of repentance are always open. They are wide open in the depths of night and in the early morning. They never close. Allah loves it when we return to Him repenting, so would He not accept our repentance?

Ask Allah’s forgiveness, and remember that good deeds erase sins. Allah says, encouraging us to engage in good; “Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds. That is a reminder for those who remember.” (Surah Hud 11:114)

On the authority of Abu Dharr Jundub ibn Junadah, and Abu Abdur-Rahman Muadh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Have taqwa (fear) of Allah wherever you may be, and follow up a bad deed with a good deed which will wipe it out, and behave well towards the people. (It was related by at-Tirmidhi, who said it was a hasan (good) hadeeth)

It is incumbent upon one who remembers that he has sinned, or one who remembers that he is the midst of sinning to seek Allah’s pardon. He should atone for his error by following it up with a good deed, for it will cancel out the evil action, and will bring an even greater reward, as Allah says, “Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful” (Al-Furqaan 25:70)

This is from the Mercy of Allah, that He exchanges our sins and errors into good deeds that will benefit us. What are we waiting for? The forgiveness of Allah is encompassing, His Mercy is vast, and it is waiting to pour down upon us. May Allah have mercy upon us, and may He forgive us for our many errors.