In our recent gathering with Shaykh Mikaeel Smith, we were given a fresh perspective towards Allah’s (s.w.t.) mercy behind sin. It is a lesson worth carrying forward in our day-to-day life.
We’ve grown accustomed to giving ‘sin’ a negative connotation.
We identify it as an absolute consequence that needs to be punished for the forbidden behaviour or thoughts we did.
We rarely consider it to be more than a bad thing, much less a blessing of its own.
But this is what Shaykh Mikaeel Smith said about sin.
“Sometimes, it is sin that brings us closer to Allah (s.w.t).”
Notice that it isn’t just good deeds that end up benefiting us. Sin can have that effect on us just the same.
By this logic, sinning can get us to the path of the righteous. Perhaps, we’re misunderstanding the fundamental purpose of sins.
Firstly, it is crucial that we revisit the meaning of sin from the Islamic perspective.
A sin, in Islam, is something which has been forbidden by Allah (s.w.t.) through the Qur’an, the Prophet (s.a.w.) through authentic hadith, or both. It differentiates the wrong from the right.
Similar to how illegal activities are a sign of disobedience towards the common law, sin can be likened to an offence against Allah’s (s.w.t.) divine law.
But a sin on its own doesn’t define the sinner.
It is what the sinner does after committing it that brings meaning to the sin itself.
“All the sons of Adam are sinners,
Narrated by At·Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah
but the best of sinners are those who repent often.”
This saying by Rasulullah (s.a.w.) makes it clear that it is our nature to sin, but that doesn’t mean all hope is lost for us.
Perhaps it was never really about the sin as a consequence but as the effect it has on the sinners. Indeed, those who reflect upon their wrongdoings may well get themselves closer to Allah (s.w.t.) rather than be led further from Him.
Sin isn’t an error in His creation. After all, even Adam (a.s.) made a mistake. So did Yunus (a.s.) and Musa (a.s.).
Allah (s.w.t.) allowed us to sin so that we come to understand our imperfection and experience the sweetness of tawbah.
Say, (O Prophet, that Allah says,)
Surah Az-Zumar 39:53
“O My servants who have exceeded the limits against their souls!
Do not lose hope in Allah’s mercy, for Allah certainly forgives all sins.
He is indeed the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Allah (s.w.t.) doesn’t abandon us after we have violated His law. Instead, Al-Ghafoor (The Forgiving) calls us back to return to Him through sincere repentance.
His mercy lies in His vast wisdom.
He knows us intimately enough that He doesn’t expect us to fare with our circumstances perfectly without stumbling along the way.
What He asked of us is simply to hold ourselves accountable to our faith.
Remember, sinning is still bad, but there is nothing greater than Allah’s (s.w.t.) mercy upon sinners who repent and return to Him.