Allah's Mercy: Hiding Sins In This Life

In Islam, Allah forgives all sins except for the sin of associating another deity with Him. This is known as maghfira, or forgiveness, and is a covering and protection in this life and the next. While Allah forgives all sins, it is prohibited in Islam to speak about or flaunt one's sins in front of others, as this is considered a major sin and can spread immorality and encourage evil among Muslims. Instead, Muslims are encouraged to keep their sins a secret and seek forgiveness from Allah. Allah will conceal the sins of those who repent and will not expose them.

Allah forgives all sins except shirk (the association of another deity with Him)

Allah forgives all sins except shirk, which is the association of another deity or power with Him. Shirk is often translated as 'idolatry' or 'polytheism', but its meaning is more complex. It refers to the belief in the oneness of God, and the idea that God does not share divine attributes with anyone or anything else.

The Quran states that Allah will forgive all sins except shirk, as seen in the following verses:

> "Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills." (Qur'an, 4:48)

>

> "Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He wills; and whoever sets up partners with Allah in worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin." (Qur'an, 4:48)

>

> "Verily, whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Allah, then Allah has forbidden Paradise to him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the Zalimun (polytheists and wrongdoers) there are no helpers." (Qur'an, 5:72)

Shirk is considered a grave sin, and those who commit it are known as mushriks. It is important to note that shirk can be committed in different ways, including through beliefs, words, and actions. For example, praying or sacrificing to someone or something other than Allah is considered shirk. Additionally, seeking refuge or help from another source besides Allah is also considered shirk.

While Allah does not forgive shirk, He is forgiving of all other sins. Allah's forgiveness is a source of hope and comfort for believers, as He covers and protects them from their sins in this life and the next. Believers are encouraged to seek Allah's forgiveness and to strive to do what is best.

Allah forgives sins if you repent and turn to Him in devotion

Allah forgives the sins of those who repent and turn to Him in devotion. In the Quran, Allah says:

> Turn to Allah in repentance all together, O believers, so that you may be successful.

Surah An-Nur 24:31

> O believers! Turn to Allah in sincere repentance, so your Lord may absolve you of your sins and admit you into Gardens, under which rivers flow.

Surah At-Tahrim 66:8

> Surely Allah loves those who always turn to Him in repentance and those who purify themselves.

Surah Al-Baqara 2:222

The Islamic concept of tawba refers to the act of repenting to God for one's sins and misdeeds. It involves leaving what God has prohibited and returning to what He has commanded. Tawba signifies sincere and faithful repentance, free from pretense and hypocrisy.

According to Islamic scripture, Allah forgives everything except for the sin of associating another deity with Him. This is known as shirk, and it is an unforgivable sin if one dies without repenting from it.

Allah is described as Al-Ghafir, Al-Ghafoor, and Al-Ghaffar—all of which refer to His forgiveness. He is inviting believers to call upon Him by these names and seek forgiveness.

In a hadith, Allah says:

> O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you.

Allah's forgiveness is not limited to minor sins; even the gravest of sins can be pardoned by Him as long as the wrongdoer intends a sincere tawba.

While Allah is forgiving, He also warns against delaying repentance. In the Quran, He says:

> And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterwards seeks Allah’s forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Al-Nisa 4:110

> Allah accepts only the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and foolishness and repent soon afterwards.

Al-Nisa 4:17

Therefore, it is important for Muslims to recognize their sins, seek forgiveness, and turn to Allah in devotion.

Allah forgives sins if you conceal them and do not boast about them

Allah forgives all sins, except for the sin of shirk (associating partners with Him). However, there is a condition to this: if a person dies whilst committing shirk, Allah will not forgive them in the Hereafter.

In a hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:

> "All of my Ummah will be forgiven except those who sin openly. Part of committing sin openly is when a man does something at night and Allah conceals it, but in the morning he says, O So-and-so, last night I did such and such. His Lord had covered his sin all night, but in the morning he removed the cover of Allah."

Another hadith states:

> "You knew a fault of your brother and you covered it, today I will cover yours."

Therefore, it is important for Muslims to conceal their sins and not boast about them, as this will result in Allah's forgiveness.

Allah forgives sins if you seek forgiveness and repent

Allah forgives all sins, no matter how big or small, if a believer seeks forgiveness and repents. Allah is al-Ghāfir, al-Ghafūr and al-Ghaffār, which means that He covers and protects His believers from their sins.

In the Quran, Allah says:

> "Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills." (Qur’an, 4:48)

Allah forgives everything except for the sin of dying while associating another deity with Him. Allah covers the believer's sins in this life and protects them from the effect of their sins. In the afterlife, He covers their sins and protects them from the Hellfire.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:

> "When a servant commits a sin, and he performs wuḍū’ well, and then stands and prays two rakʿahs, and asks forgiveness from Allah, Allah forgives him." (Abū Dāwūd)

The Messenger of Allah said:

> "Regret is repentance." (Ibn Mājah)

> "Indeed, when the servant commits a sin, a black dot appears on his heart. When he desists, seeks forgiveness and repents, his heart is polished clean. But if he commits a sin again, it increases until it covers his heart. And that is the ‘rān’ (rust) which Allah mentioned, 'No indeed! Rather what they have been doing has rusted their hearts (83:14)'' (Tirmidhī)

> "If you did not commit sins, Allah would create people who would sin so that He could forgive them. Allah loves to forgive sins – we simply have to ask for that forgiveness." (Tirmidhi)

> "O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it." (Tirmidhi)

> "The one who (regularly) seeks forgiveness, Allah will relieve him of every burden, and make from every discomfort an outlet, and He will provide for him from (sources) he never could imagine." (Abu Dawud)

> "Their messengers said, 'Can there be doubt about Allah, Creator of the heavens and earth? He invites you that He may forgive you of your sins, and He delays your death for a specified term.'" (Qur’an, 14:10)

> "On the Day of Judgment, Allah will bring all of us forward and will speak to us without an intermediary. We will be confronted with our sins. When our book of deeds is open, Allah will ask us, 'Do you know this sin? Do you know that sin?' and the believer’s reply will be, 'Yes, O Lord,' until they are reminded of all of their sins, and they think they will perish. Then Allah will say, 'I covered up your sins during your life, and I will forgive your sins today,' (Bukhari/Muslim). Then the believer will be given their book of good deeds." (Bukhari)

> "All of my nation will be forgiven except al-mujahirun (those who are public about the wrongs they do). It is a part of sinning openly when a man does something at night, then the following morning when Allah has concealed his sin, he says to someone, 'I did such and such last night,' when all night his Lord has concealed him and the next morning he uncovers what Allah had concealed." (Bukhari/Muslim)

> "The one who (regularly) seeks forgiveness, Allah will relieve him of every burden, and make from every discomfort an outlet, and He will provide for him from (sources) he never could imagine." (Abu Dawud)

> "Indeed, Allah is with those who fear Him and those who are doers of good." (Qur’an, 16:128)

> "O you who have believed, repent to Allah with sincere repentance. Perhaps your Lord will remove from you your misdeeds and admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow [on] the Day when Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believed with him. Their light will proceed before them and on their right; they will say, 'Our Lord, perfect for us our light and forgive us. Indeed, You are over all things competent.'" (Qur’an, 66:8)

> "My mercy encompasses all things." (Qur’an, 7:156)

The Scholars of Islam have identified a three-step process to making repentance to Allah:

• Consciously acknowledge the sin(s) or transgression(s).
• Repent to God for the sin(s).
• Resolve to not commit the sin(s) again.

Allah forgives sins if you do good deeds

Allah is merciful and forgiving, and it is believed that He will forgive all sins if a person sincerely repents and devotes themselves to Him. However, this does not mean that one can simply live a life full of sin and expect forgiveness. Allah forgives those who strive to do good and be good.

According to the Quran, Allah says:

> "Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills." (Quran, 4:48)

This means that Allah forgives everything except for the sin of associating another deity with Him. This is a covering and protection in this life and the next.

> "Allah covers your sin in this life and protects you from its effect, and covers the sin up in the Hereafter and protects you from the Hellfire."

Allah has three names relating to forgiveness: al-Ghāfir, al-Ghafūr, and al-Ghaffār. These names come from the root "gh-f-r", which means "to cover and protect". When one asks Allah for forgiveness, they are asking Him to cover their sin and protect them from it.

> "Allah, The Exalted, guides them to do righteous deeds to replace the evil deeds they had committed."

There are two opinions on the meaning of this verse. The first is that Allah guides people to do good deeds to replace their past sins. The second is that their very sins are turned into good deeds because of their sincere repentance. This is because when a person recalls their past sins, they regret committing them, and this regret is added to their record of good deeds.

> "Allah will bring us all forward and will speak to us without an intermediary. We will be confronted with our sins. When our book of deeds is open, Allah will ask us, 'Do you know this sin? Do you know that sin?' and the believer's reply will be, 'Yes, O Lord,' until they are reminded of all their sins, and they think they will perish. Then Allah will say, 'I covered up your sins during your life, and I will forgive your sins today.' Then the believer will be given their book of good deeds."

Allah forgives those who fear Him and do good.

> "Indeed, Allah is with those who fear Him and those who are doers of good." (Quran, 16:128)

Frequently asked questions