Time is too short to respond to all objections from my brothers, but I wanted to discuss this objection as an example to show that your brother thoroughly verifies what he says, and all praise is due to Allah. Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EyadQunaibi ===== Twitter account: https://twitter.com/Dr_EyadQun
Peace be upon you, dear ones,
I published a segment titled "What If Yusuf (peace be upon him) Sinned?" in which I addressed young people, saying: "Preserve your purity and innocence, and stay away from sins. Do not think, young man, that even if you slip or make a mistake, salvation will come when you repent one day." Then I said: "Repentance erases the punishment of the Hereafter, but the worldly consequences may still follow you."
One brother objected, saying: "Repentance does not merely erase the consequences; it replaces them with good deeds. It is we humans who are harsh and difficult on those who repent. Who among us has not sinned and will not sin? You were like that before." The brother’s words ended there. It is noticeable that many brothers supported his objection.
The truth is, brothers, time is too short to respond to every objection. However, I would like to discuss this objection as an example so that you know my brother scrutinizes what he says carefully—praise be to God—and I care about maintaining credibility.
In response to the brother’s objection, I say: Yes, God the Exalted has informed us that whoever repents, believes, and does righteous deeds, He will replace their evil deeds with good ones. However, the forgiveness of sin does not necessarily entail the removal of its worldly consequences. This is a well-known and witnessed reality that needs no further evidence.
Indeed, the first story we read in the Quran is the story of Adam and Eve (peace be upon them); they sinned by eating from the tree, then repented, and God accepted their repentance. However, they were sent down from Paradise to the earth, and this was one of the consequences of their sin that was not removed by repentance. God the Exalted says:
"Then Satan caused them to slip out of it and removed them from where they had been. And We said, 'Go down, [being] enemies to one another; and for you on the earth is a place of settlement and enjoyment for a time.' Then Adam received from his Lord [some] words, and He accepted his repentance. Indeed, it is He who is the Accepting of Repentance, the Merciful." (Quran 2:36-37)
A father may sin by neglecting the upbringing of his children, causing them to become disobedient. He may repent and seek God’s forgiveness, and God may accept his repentance, but this does not necessarily mean his children will become dutiful afterward.
A woman may not fear God regarding her husband, leading to the breakdown of her home. She may repent afterward, and God may accept her repentance, but this does not necessarily mean her family will be restored to what it once was.
A contractor may cheat in construction, causing a building to collapse on its residents, and the contractor may pay a heavy price. He may then sincerely repent from his cheating—a major crime—and God may accept his repentance. However, this does not mean he will not continue to suffer the consequences of his cheating for the rest of his life.
How many people have fallen into forbidden acts, repented, and then married, only for their past sins to spoil their married life or transmit deadly diseases to their spouses?
There is no doubt, brothers, that the forgiveness of sin does not necessarily entail the removal of its worldly consequences. While this may weigh heavily on some of us, it is an observable reality. We do not say this to grieve anyone but to warn young people against underestimating the forbidden and thinking they can sin for a time and then repent.
We give glad tidings to the repentant of God’s vast mercy and warn against sin and its consequences. There is no contradiction between the two. We will share in the comments a beautiful statement by Muhammad al-Tahir ibn Ashur regarding the story of Adam’s repentance, confirming the meaning we have mentioned.
And God the Exalted knows best and is the Most Wise.