If you were not to commit sins, Allah would have swept you out of existence and would have replaced you by another people who have committed sin, and then asked forgiveness from Allah, and He would have granted them pardon.
Du’a For Mercy When We Have Wronged
رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنْفُسَنَا وَإِنْ لَمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ
Rabbanaa zalamnaaa anfusanaa wa-in lam taghfir lanaa wa tarhamnaa lanakoonanna minal khaasireen
“Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.”
Short Take-Aways from the Story of Adam (as)
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Guilt is a very useful emotion when you listen to it. If you listen to your guilt, it can actually guide you; it is when you ignore or suppress the emotion that internal problems arise.
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It’s never too late for redemption. At any moment, you are capable of change. Don’t ever feel hopeless, thinking that it’s too late for you.
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People will always live up to who they believe they are. Who do you believe you are? How would you describe yourself? Is this view constructive or destructive? No one else is in control of how you define yourself.
Longer Story of Adam (as)
The story of Adam (as) marks the beginning of all human life and encompasses the first events of mankind. Allah created Adam (as) and honored his creation by commanding all His angels to prostrate to him out of respect. It is narrated that the angels prostrated, except for Iblees. He refused and was arrogant, becoming of the disbelievers. When asked what prevented him from prostrating, Iblees said, “I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay.”
Iblees was envious of Allah’s newest creation and felt disrespected. Out of spite, he vowed to cause corruption, stating, “I will surely take from among Your servants a specific portion. And I will mislead them, and I will arouse in them [sinful] desires, and I will command them so they will slit the ears of cattle, and I will command them so they will change the creation of Allah.” Allah mentions that Iblees promises them and arouses desire in them, but his promises are nothing but delusion. It is Iblees’s mission to stir desires within us, give us false hope, and tempt us into believing falsehood—but Allah warns us that this is merely deception.
At the time, Adam (as) was in Jannah (paradise) and was given only one instruction from Allah (swt): to dwell in Paradise with his wife, eat therefrom in ease and abundance wherever they willed, but not to approach a specific tree, lest they be among the wrongdoers. Allah not only forbade Adam (as) from eating from the tree but also warned him to stay far from it.
This is similar to the warning against committing Zina (adultery)—Allah forbids us from even coming close to approaching adultery. The wisdom behind this is that He knows one thing can lead to another; before you know it, you’re heading down a one-way street with no exit. We should keep a wide berth from many things, meaning we should distance ourselves from what we are doubtful of.
Much can be said about the science of habits. It is far easier to abstain from a bad habit than to kick it. One principle that helps in forming lasting habits is to develop an identity or a narrative of how you view yourself. For example, if you’ve never smoked cigarettes, it’s easy to say no when offered one because you simply don’t identify as a smoker. Similarly, if you’re trying to quit and think, “I’ve been a smoker my whole life,” your chances of relapsing are high.
People will always live up to their self-perception. For someone who has never smoked, saying no requires minimal willpower and feels effortless. Similarly, if you want to lose weight, instead of focusing solely on the goal of losing a specific number of pounds—a mistake many people make—start with the premise that you’re someone who enjoys being active every day. Prove this to yourself with small actions: eat an apple, drink water, or take a 5-minute walk around the block. These small steps signal to yourself that you are a health-conscious person, forming an identity that initiates a positive cycle and reinforces the habit of daily exercise.
For reasons known only to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, Adam (as) fell victim to Iblees’s schemes and disobeyed Allah’s command. It is narrated that Adam and his wife ate from the tree, their private parts became apparent to them, and they began to fasten leaves of Paradise over themselves. Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred. This may be part of Allah’s plan to show us how to behave when we falter in our actions and fail to follow our code of conduct.
What Adam (as) did next was honorable: he immediately took ownership of his actions and regretted his decision. This sounds simple, but how many of us can say we do the same? It is natural to deflect blame onto others to protect our pride and ego. It is far easier to shirk responsibility than to take it, so we point fingers at circumstances, people, or the environment—creating a long list of excuses while forgetting to hold ourselves accountable.
Being able to admit your faults and feel guilt is a beautiful sign of your belief and dedication to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala; it is a sign of your iman (faith). It is no secret that we will make many mistakes, but as long as we do not lose faith in Allah and continue to repent to Him, we have a chance to receive His Mercy and improve.
Some people feel hopeless, thinking that it’s too late for them—but it is never too late to seek the forgiveness of your Lord. Allah wants to accept your repentance. The one who sins and no longer fears Allah should be most worried. Such a person has developed a deep-rooted belief that they will not have to answer to anyone. It is a paradox: if you’re not worried, you need to be; if you are worried, you don’t need to be. Adam (as) was tested, took ownership of his actions, and immediately sought forgiveness from his Maker. Following this path is a true sign of a Mu’min (a believer).
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