Pitfalls of Despair
By Omar Suleiman | 2026-01-06T19:02:42.39145+00:00 | Topic: Iman
Pitfalls of Despair
Imam Omar Suleiman | YC2013
Opening
As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Raheem. Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen wa la udwana illa ala adh-dhalimeen wal-aqibatu lil-muttaqeen. Allahumma salli wa sallim wa barik ala abdika wa rasoolika Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallim tasleeman katheeran.
The Context of the Verse
The ayah that Sheikh Yasser left off with was:
"Say, 'O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins.'" (Quran 39:53)
I wanna continue into the next four or five ayah to help understand that verse better. Because, you know, there are a lot of verses that are often quoted alone. And I'm not gonna say out of context, but by quoting them alone and not quoting the ayat before and after you don't get a full picture of what's really going on.
It doesn't necessarily change the meaning, but it's just like when you go to a wedding, you never hear the first ayah:
Wa min ayatihi an khalaqa lakum min anfusikum azwajan li-taskunoo ilayha
"And among His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquility in them" (Quran 30:21) - about His signs is that He created for you, you know, mates from amongst yourselves, that you may dwell with each other in compassion, kindness, and all that kind of stuff, depending on the translation that you're reading.
Before the awesome music goes off and before people start partying, you don't hear the ayah before or the ayah after. Because the ayah before is a condemnation of racism. So, how do you have a condemnation of racism with the ayah about marriage when we have a lot of racism in that regard in our communities?
The Consequences of Despair
Likewise with this ayah, usually it's quoted just to say, look, don't despair from the mercy of Allah. But the next five ayahs are the consequences of despairing from the mercy of Allah.
Allah first talks about that issue of despair:
La taqnatoo min rahmati Allah
"Do not despair from the mercy of Allah" (Quran 39:53)
Why? Because Allah says it right away, Allah forgives all sins. Because Allah in His attributes is (غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ - Ghafoorun Raheem) - He covers your sins and He will forgive them, and He will not hold you accountable for them as long as you seek Allah's forgiveness.
Two Ways of Looking at Sin
Now there are two ways of looking at that. There is the Shafi'i way and not the fiqh Shafi'i way. There is the way Imam Al-Shafi'i looked at that.
Imam Al-Shafi'i (rahimahullah ta'ala) explained that whenever you commit a sin:
La tandhur ila al-ma'siyah
"Don't look at the size of the sin itself"
Undhur ila man asayta al-kabeer al-adheem
"Look at the one that you have disobeyed, the Almighty."
The Analogy of Context
Meaning what? It might be a really really small sin in its nature. But the attitude that you have with that sin makes it extremely great. Right? Because look at who you're disobeying.
It's not about the size of... Look, getting a parking ticket in Dallas, Texas is different from getting a parking ticket in front of the White House. Okay? Depending where you are, depending on the circumstances, the same transgression can have far greater consequences.
And so Imam Al-Shafi'i (rahimahullah) is saying, don't look at the size of the sin, but look at the one that you have disobeyed.
Al-Shafi'i's Final Words
So you might think to yourself, well, wow, if every single time I commit a sin, I'm going to say, I just disobeyed Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala). I'm going to be scared. I'm going to run away. I'm going to say, you know what? I have no hope in life.
But look at that same person, that Imam Al-Shafi'i when he was dying, when he calls upon Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala): "My Lord, I have brought with me to this moment, to this interview with You, many sins. I'm covered in sins. I have mountains of sins."
Now, do you ever hear about Al-Shafi'i backbiting? Do you ever hear about Al-Shafi'i doing anything lewd? Can you ever find a sin of Al-Shafi'i? But he's saying, yeah, Allah, I have many sins. Because of how he considers Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala).
But he said, but when I looked at Your (رَحْمَة - rahmah), when I looked at Your mercy, I recognize that a little bit of Your mercy is all that I need to forgive a lot of my sins. Those were his last words. Subhanallah.
He said, so forgive me for a lot of my sins with a little bit of Your (رَحْمَة - rahmah), with a little bit of Your mercy. That's all I need. You see that, subhanallah.
The Heart's Consideration of Allah
He considers the sin great because of how great he considers Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala). Because of how much Allah means to him. You know, that's something in the heart, how you consider Allah, the attitude that you have.
You know, I always look at the way Salih ibn Kaysan (rahimahullah) when he described Umar ibn Abdulaziz to his father. And he said:
Ma ra'aytu ahadan a'dhamu Allah fee sadrihi min hatha al-ghulam
"I've never seen anyone in whom Allah means more. Like Allah is greater in his chest than that young man, than Umar ibn Abdulaziz. I've seen Sahaba. I've never seen anyone like him that thinks of Allah higher than him."
The Attitude Towards Sin
So you're thinking of Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala), your fear of the size of that sin, that attitude that you have when you commit that sin represents how you feel about Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala). And that's really what this is all about.
Think about it. Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) forgives this man that kills a hundred people. The last one of them being a worshiper. Right? Does anyone know anything about the other 99 people? How many lives were destroyed by the other 99 people? Or by his murder of the other 99 people?
You know, but the fact that that man considered Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) as great, feared the consequences of his sin, was willing to just make a move to another land to start over and counted on the mercy of Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala). That murder of a hundred people became insignificant to Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala).
The Danger of Belittling Sins
Whereas you take a small sin, but you don't care about it. You're consistently committing that same sin over and over and over again.
lyyakum wa muhaqqarat adh-dhunub
(Ahmad hadith 22016)
The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says, "Beware of belittling your sins."
You're consistently doing the same sin over and over and over again. And the Prophet gave the example of someone that's consistently throwing small pieces of wood into a fire until eventually the fire gets so big that it consumes you.
The Wisdom of the Scholars
Imam al-Ghazali (rahimahullah) said, take the biggest stone, but keep on dropping a small drip of water on the same spot over and over and over again, eventually the entire stone will erode. Right?
Belittling sins, the attitude that you have with that small sin, that is offensive to Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala). That you have reduced Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) to the lowest of your observers.
The Story of Imam Ahmad
And Imam Ahmad (rahimahullah ta'ala), he once heard a line of poetry and he went back to his home at night, reciting that line of poetry to himself over and over and over again, crying. Abdullah says, until his son, until the time that Fajr came:
Ima qala li rabbi ama astahyayta ta'seeni wa tukhfi adh-dhanba annee wa anta bil-isyan
"I'm afraid Allah will tell me on the Day of Judgment: Weren't you ashamed of disobeying me? Hiding that sin from creation."
You were more worried about other people seeing you commit the sin.
Wa ataytanee bil-isyan
"And coming to me full of disobedience."
Oh, imagine if you were, you know, the attitude that you have when you commit a sin in private for example, and you're not worried because no one else is catching you or watching you. The attitude, you know, really what you're saying when you're willing to commit that sin over and over again. Oh, it's just Allah watching me right now. Alhamdulillah. It's just God. No one else. It's just Allah.
The Believer's Response to Sin
And Abu Dhar (radiallahu anhu) said:
In kuntum tarawna anna Allah la yarakum fa-dhalika alamat al-kufri wa in kuntum tarawna annahu yarakum fa-lima tushrikoon
"If you think Allah doesn't see you, that's a sign of disbelief. And if you think you see Allah, if you're committing your sins, why did you reduce Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala to (أَوْهَنَ النَّاظِرِينَ إِلَيْكَ - awhan an-nadhireen ilayk) - the lowest of your observers."
And Allah says about the believer:
Idha fa'aloo fahishatan aw dhalamoo anfusahum dhakaroo Allah
"The believers whenever they commit a sin, something shameless in its nature, they remember Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala." (Quran 3:135)
That's who comes to mind, not, oh man, people are gonna find out and say this about me now. That's not what comes to their mind. Those are secondary things.
The Reality of Recognition
But it's, oh, how could I do this in front of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala using the faculties that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has given to me while Allah was watching me in a land that belongs to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala sustaining myself with the sustenance of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala knowing that I'm gonna meet Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala again and have to explain myself about this. How could I do that?
And so Al-Fudayl, Al-Fudayl ibn Ayyad (rahimullah), he sums it up. He says, as for the sin, the more that you consider it saghir, little, the more it becomes big to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. It becomes kabir to Allah. It becomes a major sin to Allah. The more minor you consider it, the more major it becomes to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.
The more major you consider your sin, the more minor and insignificant it becomes to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. Allah won't mind no matter what you've done. As long as you're recognizing who you're seeking forgiveness from, as long as you feel a genuine sense of shame, I disobeyed Allah, my Creator, my Sustainer, and I still disobeyed Him.
Examples from the Companions
And Ibn Mas'ud (radiyallahu anhu), he described that. It's like a man, he said, the believer is like someone who treats his sins like a mountain on his back that's overburdening him. It might be, you know, think about it.
When you go through the seerah, you see Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (radiyallahu anhu) grabbing his tongue and crying. And saying:
"This has led me to dangerous places." Chastising himself.
Do you ever see Abu Bakr cursing, backbiting, being foul? No. Because what could he have possibly said? What could he have possibly done? But that's how great he considers Allah.
Whereas Ibn Mas'ud says, the wicked person, the fasiq, considers his sins like a fly on his nose. Just swat it out the way. I don't care. So you should never reduce Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) in your sights. Because you're only reducing yourself.
The Story of Ibn Abbas
And you know, I want to give you this example. It's a very powerful example. Abdullah bin Abbas (radiyallahu anhu), one time he's sitting, and he's with his students. Somebody walks in and says, if I killed a man, could I be forgiven?
He said, yes, of course. I mean, Allah forgave the man who killed a hundred people. Yeah, you could be forgiven for that. So the man left.
Another man comes in and asks him the same question. If I killed a man, would I ever be forgiven? He said, nope.
He was blown away. And the students were like, wait, what just happened here? Now in our creed, in our aqeedah, there is no doubt that a major sin does not take a person out of Islam. He can be forgiven. Why did you tell the second guy no? And what makes it more confusing is that you just told someone a few minutes before him, yes.
The Difference in Intention
He said, because the first person that came in actually killed somebody. I could tell, that's the firasa, that's the way they could see the people in front of them. I could tell that guy just killed somebody. And he felt bad about it. And he was seeking forgiveness from Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala). So I'm telling him, yes, Allah will forgive you.
He said, the second guy on the other hand wanted to kill somebody. Like he was coming to get a license to kill, literally. Like, alright, am I going to be okay after this? I'm going to say astaghfirullah afterwards and I'll be alright. I'll start praying and stuff like that.
No, what are you thinking? Have you gotten to a point where you're planning your sins now? Right, like I'm going to sin in a week. And I know I'm going to sin in a week. But I'm going to do it anyway. And I'm going to ignore all the thoughts between now and then that tell me don't do that, don't do that, don't do that.
So Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) wants us to take our sins seriously. But, you know, there's a difference between someone who's defined by his sin and someone who's defined by his tawbah, his repentance.
Defined by Sin vs. Defined by Repentance
The Example of Iblis
I'll give you an example. Iblis. Does anybody care about the thousands of years of worship he had before he committed that sin? No. Because he allowed that sin to define him. Iblis, he despaired. He distanced himself from Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala). He's defined by his kibr. He's defined by his pride. He's defined by his sin.
Because when he came to the recognition that he disobeyed Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala), he didn't turn back to Allah. He turned away from Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala), rendering those thousands of years of worship absolutely worthless.
The Example of Yunus (Peace be upon him)
Whereas you take people that have done things, far worse than that. Far worse than what Iblis committed at that moment. I mean obviously he's got a lot that he's done since then. But far worse than what he did at that moment.
And you look at a person like Yunus (alayhi as-salam). Is Yunus defined by his sin or is he defined by his repentance? He's defined by his tawbah. Oh Allah, I messed up. I'm calling upon you from a place no one has ever called you from before. I'm calling you from the stomach of a whale. I'm not despairing. I'm not giving up on you, oh Allah.
"There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers."
And he says to Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) - an expression of Allah's perfection and an expression of his own imperfection. I wronged myself.
What does Allah say?
"Allah chose him and made him from the righteous."
He was better off than he was before that. Why? Because his repentance.
And Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, no person is in a hardship and calls upon Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) with that dua of Yunus (alayhi as-salam) except that Allah will alleviate that hardship. (Tirmidhi hadith 3505)
Why? Because that's who Yunus is. He's defined by that, his repentance.
Other Examples of Transformation
And you go through the history of Islam, you find people that really did some really really messed up stuff. I mean Abdullah ibn Mubarak (r.a), there is no man in the history of Islam after the Sahaba who has more books written about his virtues than Abdullah ibn Mubarak. And he was a party animal. He used to drink. He was a musician. His house was party central in Maru, in Iran.
Party central was Abdullah ibn Mubarak's house. But his tawbah is what defines him.
Malik ibn Dinar (r.a), his tawbah is what... I mean the guy was a drunk, didn't pray for 17 years, killed his daughter because he was drunk and irresponsible while he was playing with her, threw her by accident. But his tawbah defines him, not his sin.
Fudayl ibn Ayyad, the guy that I just mentioned, (rahimahullah ta'ala), was an adulterer. He said, I used to go commit adultery every single night with the same person out in the open. And he said that during the day I was a qati' tariq, I was a highway robber. But he's defined by his repentance. He's not defined by his sin.
Because when he changed, he changed. He used that recognition that, man, I've really messed up to bring him close to Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala).
The Next Ayahs: Three Warnings
Now the next few ayahs, how much time do I have? Just tell me quickly because if I don't have time, I'm not even going to go into the next ayah. 10 minutes, alright. I'll be quick insha'Allah ta'ala. I'll try to finish it in 10 minutes.
Allah says:
"Turn back to your Lord and submit yourself to Him before the punishment comes to you; then you will not be helped."
See, it's a threat. That's why we don't read the next ayahs. We read the nice ones. The next one's a threat. Before the punishment comes to you, then no one is going to help you then. No one is going to come to your aid at that point.
"And follow the best of what was revealed to you from your Lord before the punishment comes upon you suddenly while you do not perceive."
And follow the guidance. Don't try to make... Don't try to find loopholes. Look, you want to make tawbah, make tawbah sincerely. Don't condition your tawbah. Don't try to find ways out of your tawbah. Follow the guidance as it comes from Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) and His Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) before the punishment comes to you suddenly, you don't even feel it coming.
Three Spiritual Diseases
Now Allah has mentioned here three different diseases. Allah is giving you three warnings here in this life and the worst of them is certainly despair because that's shaitan. A person who's just given up and doesn't care anymore. Allah gives you three warnings here. The first warning, don't despair. The second warning, no one's gonna help you. The third warning, don't procrastinate.
And then Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) then fast-forwards to the scene of the Day of Judgment.
The Day of Judgment Scenarios
The First Type: Those Who Despaired
"[It is] lest a soul should say, 'Oh [how great is] my regret over what I neglected in regard to Allah and that I was indeed among the mockers.''"
A person, Allah warned you not to despair but the person who didn't heed that warning and still despaired anyway from Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala), what are they saying on the Day of Judgment?
"Remorse. How could I do that? I messed up. I know I messed up."
"I remember the sins that I used to commit. I remember being amongst those who used to mock. I remember that."
I'm not denying anything. He's despairing on the Day of Judgment too. His attitude hasn't changed. It's just compounded on the Day of Judgment. An attitude of despair, an attitude of I know I'm messing up but I'm not doing anything about it because I can't get any better.
It's like the bum on the street, right? Get up, change. Oh, I've messed up so... Who's gonna consider me for a job? I'm not even gonna try to get a job. How am I... I've messed up too much. And on the Day of Judgment, that person is still despairing.
Remorse
Remorse, (نَدَم - nadam) is good. Regret is good when it turns you to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى - subhanahu wa ta'ala). Remorse is bad when it turns you away from Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى - subhanahu wa ta'ala). And on the Day of Judgment, I'm not denying anything but I didn't do anything about it. Despair from Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى - subhanahu wa ta'ala).
The Second Type: Those Who Blamed Others
Every time I thought about getting better, shaitan came to me and reminded me about how messed up of a person I am. So a person comes and says, and I'm serious, I hear this all the time, right? I can't wear hijab, I don't pray. I can't fast, I don't pray. I can't pray, I don't fast. I can't go to hajj, I have haram money.
Shaitan gets you thinking backwards, not forward, not, well, you know what, so that my fast can be acceptable, let me make sure my salah is good too. So that my hajj can be accepted, let me get rid of the haram stuff too. Shaitan always gets you this way. He wants you to fall back.
He tells you before you commit a sin, Allah is gonna forgive you, don't worry about it. After you commit a sin, how could you do that? What a horrible person you are. No hope.
And on the Day of Judgment, that person is still beating himself up. Hasra.
Then Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى - Subhanahu wa ta'ala) says, what was the second warning? Does anybody remember? I said the first warning was despair.
"Then you will not be helped."
No one is going to come to your aid. You know how there are some people that are just so used to other people coming to their aid? Like, I mess up, it's alright, this guy is gonna pick me up, she's gonna get my back, right? Well, everybody else is committing this wrong, so there must not be anything wrong with it. Everybody else is doing it, right? So there's nothing wrong with it.
You know, I'm just going with the flow, I'm going with status quo. A person of no character, a person who does not stand out, a person who doesn't question their environment, doesn't question their culture, because everyone else is doing it. A person that is a sheep by nature and not a shepherd. A person that is a follower by nature and not a leader. A person that is weak by nature and not strong.
And Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى - Subhanahu wa ta'ala) says on the Day of Judgment, same personalities:
Wa qal alladheena ustud'ifoo lilladheena istakbaroo
"The weak people are still running to those that were prideful in this world and saying, get us away out of here."
Because you've become so dependent on other people. You've become so dependent on... You know, you've become so complacent that, well, this person could do this, this person could do that, this person will come to my aid.
You blame other people when you fail and you look to other people to rescue you whenever you're failing, you're dependent. And what's that person saying on the Day of Judgment?
Aw taqoola law anna Allah hadanee la-kuntu min al-muttaqeen
"Or [lest] it say, 'If only Allah had guided me, I would have been among the righteous.''"
I'm not recognizing I messed up. If Allah would have guided me, I would have been from those who are aware, those who are righteous. I would have been from the believers. I would have been good if Allah would have guided me. Because who are you gonna blame now? And that's shaitan too.
All of these are a manifestation of shaitan. Shaitan blames Allah:
Bima aghwaytanee
"Because you led me astray"
I'm going to lead all of them astray too. He blames Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى - Subhanahu wa ta'ala). Right? So you have that too.
The Third Type: The Procrastinators
And then the third thing. And Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى - Subhanahu wa ta'ala) says:
Aw taqoola heena tara al-adhaba law anna lee karratan fa-akoona min al-muhsineen
"Or [lest] it say when it sees the punishment, 'If only I had another turn so I could be among the doers of good.'"
What was the third warning? Somebody tell me, I'm not even gonna go on. The third one. Procrastination.
Alright, so you've got the first guy that despairs. You've got the second person that blames others for their failure and depends upon others for their success. A person of no character and Allah is saying that person will blame Allah, not fess up to their actions.
And you've got the third person who Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى - Subhanahu wa ta'ala) is saying, whenever they see the punishment, when punishment's right in front of their face, hell fires right there:
Law anna lee karratan fa-akoona min al-muhsineen
If Allah gives me another chance, not only am I gonna be a believer, I'm not just gonna be an average Muslim. I will be from the muhsineen. I'll be a person of ihsan. I'll be a person who excels. I'll be a person who worships Allah as if I could see him.
The Reality of Certainty
Why? Because some people need to see to believe. Some people are taken from ilm al-yaqeen, the knowledge, certain knowledge to ayn al-yaqeen on the day of judgment. Certainty in front of them.
I knew. You know, Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى - Subhanahu wa ta'ala) says, when you receive your book in your right hand, we ask Allah to make us from those people, what would they say?
Innee dhanantu annee mulaaqin hisabiyah
"Indeed, I was certain that I would be meeting my account."
I knew this day was coming. I was prepared for it. I was aware of it. I didn't need to see jannah to know that it exists. I didn't need to see hellfire to know that it exists. I didn't need to see Allah to know that He exists. I was ready for it. Mentally, I was emotionally prepared for it. I was working for it.
That other person though, waits. Allah says:
Min qabli an ya'tiyakum al-adhaabu baghtatan wa antum la tash'uroon
"Before punishment comes to you suddenly while you do not perceive"
You won't even see it coming. Waits. He knows his capabilities. I know what I'm capable of doing. But I've got time, I'm still young. I've got time.
I've got time, everything will be okay. I've still got my whole life ahead of me. After college, I'll get serious. I'll get married and I'll get serious. After this, I'll get serious.
And you know what? After you get married, you'll say, after I get my business taken care of, I'll get serious. After I get my kids, I'll get serious. I'll get serious. I'll get serious.
The Reality of Procrastination
That person will not wake up until they see hellfire in front of them. And they won't even deny their abilities. They'll say, oh Allah, if I have another chance, I'm not just gonna be a Muslim, I'll be a muhsin.
I'll be an amazing Muslim. I'll do amazing things, right? I'll be, you know, going all over the world, doing things for the sake of Allah. I'll dedicate my life.
Don't be that person who procrastinates. Because you know that person, even as you're dying, that person says:
Rabbi irji'oon * la'allee a'malu salihan feema taraktu
"My Lord, send me back that I might do righteousness in that which I left behind."
The ulama, they say that this ayah is actually talking about a person as he's departing. You're not even dead yet and you're saying, take me back. Take me back so I can do good with that which I've left behind.
Kalla innaha kalimatun huwa qa'iluha
"No! It is only a word he is saying"
It was just one word and your death came to you. Didn't Allah warn you?
Min qabli an ya'tiyakum al-adhaabu baghtatan wa antum la tash'uroon
"Before the punishment comes to you suddenly while you do not perceive"
Didn't Allah tell you it would come to you quickly and you wouldn't have a chance?
The Final Scene: Recognition of Reality
And I end with this. Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى - Subhanahu wa ta'ala) talking about that person because that's where I think many people fall into. That disease of procrastination, that disease of, well, you know, I've got time. And since this is a primarily youth audience, I've got time.
Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى - Subhanahu wa ta'ala) tells us in the Quran as He's describing to us the incredible scene of the Day of Judgment. The sky is bursting, the sun losing its luster, the stars falling, the earth being ripped apart, the mountains floating around like pegs, everything around you just falling apart.
Umar ibn al-Khattab (رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ - radiyallahu ta'ala anhu) when he heard Rasulullah (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) start to receive the revelation:
Idha ash-shamsu kuwwirat
"When the sun is wrapped up [in darkness]"
Talking about all of these things happening, he said:
sins that you committed.
But you know what else you'll remember?
Wa akhkharat
"What you left behind. Your potential."
What you were capable of doing. The time that you wasted. The moments that you had a chance to put it forward, to put your best foot forward, but you didn't. The moments of your youth, the moments of your health, the moments of your free time, the moments of your financial stability, the moments of your life that you had a chance, but you didn't do your best.
The Ultimate Question
And seriously, if this question doesn't bother you on the Day of Judgment, and I'm gonna ask you this question, and it's a question that you need to ask yourself. And every single one of us needs to ask ourselves. And I mean everyone from the speakers, to the organizers, to the volunteers, to the attendees.
When you stand before Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) on the Day of Judgment, will you be able to say to Allah, I tried my best. I gave it my all. I tried. With every breath that you gave me, with every moment of free time that you gave me, with every talent that you gave me, with every moment of health, I did my best, O Allah. I tried.
If you can say that to Allah,
(ula'ika lahum al-jannah) - You're good, alhamdulillah.
If you can make, if you... And just ask yourself now, if I could say that to Allah now, I'm good. But as Abu Darda'a (radiyallahu anhu) said, I'm not afraid of Allah asking me on the Day of Judgment, how much do you memorize and how much knowledge do you have? I'm afraid of Allah asking me, what did you do with that knowledge? You knew better.
Allah's Mercy and Our Effort
And Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) is merciful enough that if we made any effort whatsoever, He'll forgive us. He will show mercy to us, no matter how disgusting the transgressions could be. But at the same time, you've got to be able to say to Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala), I tried.
I knew I was going to meet you, O Allah, and I tried. And I failed sometimes, but I tried. Whenever I fell, I got back up, I tried, I tried, I tried, I tried.
And we have a Lord that is so merciful that He will say, okay, don't worry about it. That He will cover up your sins for you. That He will bring your good deeds to patch up your deficiencies in your salah, your
deficiencies in your fasting. That He will say, don't worry about it. That He will comfort you to a point that He'll take those sins.
The Final Transformation
And you know Ibn Al-Qayyim (rahimahullah) says, and this is my last point, Ibn Al-Qayyim (rahimahullah) says, when Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) brings the servant, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, that as he's reading his sins, and this is the believer now, Allah starts to change those sins into good deeds.
It's for two reasons. Number one, because:
Inna al-hasanaati yudhhibna as-sayyi'aat
"Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds" (Quran 11:114)
Because Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) is so merciful that He actually does change your sins to good deeds:
Fa-ula'ika yubaddilu Allah sayyi'aatihim hasanaat
"For those, Allah will replace their evil deeds with good" (Quran 25:70)
But why does He make you read them first before He changes them? So that you can know for a fact that Allah has forgiven you.
Because when you read them:
Wa wajadoo ma amiloo haadiran
"And they will find what they did present [before them]" (Quran 18:49)
And it's not reading a book, it's HD replay, it's right in front of you. Right in front of you. You see it right in front of you. And you go through that, you will change colors, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, thinking that you're done for, you have no hope in life, you have no hope in Jannah.
And Allah wants you to see those being changed to good deeds. Out of His mercy, to the point that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, that the servant will say to Allah: "Oh Allah, I have some sins that the angel forgot to write down. I was changing colors because I felt doomed a minute ago. Now I'm like, Oh Allah, there is one time that I did this but the angel forgot to write it down."
Because you're experiencing the mercy of Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala).
Closing Du'a
How awesome is Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) and how deserving is Allah of our best effort. We ask Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) to have mercy upon us, to forgive us. We ask Allah to make us amongst those who do not despair, who do not depend on anyone but Him, who turn to Him whenever they sin, seek forgiveness from Him and have resolve because of their love for Him not to return that sin, not to return to that sin and who do not procrastinate in changing themselves.
And we ask Allah:
Ya muqallib al-quloob thabbit quloobana ala deenak
"O Turner of hearts, make our hearts firm on your deen." (Tirmidhi hadith 2140)
Allahumma ameen. JazakumAllahu khayran. Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
All original content from the khutba has been preserved with corrected Arabic texts and proper Quranic and hadith references. The structure and powerful message of Imam Omar Suleiman's lecture on the dangers of despair, blame, and procrastination remain unchanged while ensuring accuracy of all Arabic citations.