According to a well known prophetic narration, God Almighty has said: “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 shall grant you an earthful of pardon.”
Muslims believe that Ramzan is the month of God’s limitless mercy in which sincere forgiveness is accepted. It is the time of the year for God consciousness, when one must take account of all their actions, seeking forgiveness for those they have wrongly hurt. Ramzan comes once a year as an honoured guest in which devout Muslims fast through the entire month. Prophet Muhammad said that paradise has eight gates. Al Rayyan is the name of the special gate through which the people who fast will enter paradise.
Through fasting, prayer, generosity, kindness and charity, Ramzan provides opportunities for spiritual cleansing and polishing of the heart with the remembrance of God.
Islamic traditions lay down certain conditions for seeking forgives from God. One must first recognise the offence, make a sincere commitment not to repeat the action, and then seek forgiveness from God with a sincere heart. Importantly, if the offence has been committed against another human being or society, another condition is added. The offender must first seek forgiveness from whomsoever the offence was committed, and then seek forgiveness from God.
Prophet Moses is said to have once asked God, “O my Lord! Who is the most honourable of Thy servants to Thee?” God said: “He who pardons when he is in a position of power.”
Shaykh Ibn al Arabi, the great twelfth century Sufi scholar from Andalusia once said, “There is no higher reward that a human being can achieve from God than the felicity awarded to whoever shows compassion to humanity.” According to him, the essence of morality is compassion. On advising how to reach a high station with God, he writes how we need to evaluate on a daily basis, not just our actions but feelings and thoughts as well.
The wise mystic adds, “May God open your inner eye, so that you can see and remember what you have done and said. Remember, that you will have to account for it on the Day of Judgement’. So see yourself and close your accounts. The only way to salvation is to clear and clean all debts. Listen to Prophet Muhammad who said, “Make your accounting before it is made for you. Weigh your sins before they are weighed for you. Weigh your transgressions against your good deeds while you still have time.”
