Despair Not of the Mercy of Allah

Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, says:

Abū Qatādah wrote this verse and sent it to Hishām ibn al-ʿĀṣ, who was the one detained in Makkah. Hishām ibn al-ʿĀṣ said: "I received that verse, and I would go up to Dhū Ṭuwā, and I would read it and reread it, and I would read it again, and I would read it again and again. For a few days I would go out to that place and just keep on reading that verse, trying to understand why ʿUmar sent it to me, what is the meaning of this verse" — until he understood that this verse was revealed talking about them: that no matter what one does, Allah can still forgive if one seeks forgiveness. No matter what happened, even if one stayed behind, even if one was enticed by the disbelievers, one still has a chance; one should not give up. Hishām ibn al-ʿĀṣ said: "I asked Allah for forgiveness, mounted my camel, and went towards Madīnah."

Two lessons follow from this. The first is the forgiveness of Allah. Allah is all-forgiving; no matter what one does, one should never give up, but ask Allah to forgive. The greatest sin, which is shirk, if a person repents from it and goes back to Allah, Allah will forgive it. But one needs to ask Allah for forgiveness before the punishment comes, because Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, says to turn back to one's Lord and submit to Him before the punishment reaches; it needs to be done before it is too late.

The other lesson: beware of the disbelievers. Beware, be careful. ʿAyyāsh ibn Abī Rabīʿah trusted Abū Jahl — how can one trust such a person? One should not let the sweet words and the nice talk of the enemies of Allah sway them. Some people are naive: they hear a good comment here and there, they hear a nice statement coming from this politician or that, and they fall in the trap. Beware of somebody who has a long record of fighting Islam — their record should speak for them, so one should not be tricked. ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb was not taken in by this plot; he knew, and he told ʿAyyāsh ibn Abī Rabīʿah, "Don't believe them, they're lying. And your mother — when her head gets filled with lice, she'll have to comb it, and no one will survive in the heat of Makkah forever. That's an oath that you will have to break." So one should be careful. And Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, says:

Allah knows the enemies of the believers, and He has told them who their enemies are. One should not fall in the trap. One should be careful, and one should beware.