The Gift of Guilt

Have you ever felt extremely guilty for something you had done?? So much that you despised yourself and thought you must be a terrible person… 

I often beat myself up in such a situation, dwelling on what I should or should not have done…I would think over and over again about the same thing, especially if there was no practical way of righting the wrong!

But I have come to learn something really important in this, and I would like to share it so that perhaps someone that gets into a similar situation will gain from it in sha Allah.
Firstly, if you’ve ever felt this way or are feeling this way…take a deep breath…say, ALHAMDULILLAAH…and I will tell you why…

The prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) was reported to have said, “When the believer commits sin, a black spot appears on his heart. If he repents and gives up that sin and seeks forgiveness, his heart will be polished. But if (the sin) increases, (the black spot) increases….”
And what happens to a heart that is completely covered with these black spots?? Or in other words, completely hardened by sins??
 
Allah says, “Then, after that, your hearts were hardened and became as stones or even worse in hardness.” [Al-Baqarah 2:74]. Imam Al-Qurtubi said explaining this verse: “Hardness means rigidness, harshness and stiffness. It is an expression for (hearts) which are devoid of repentance and submissiveness to Allah’s Ayaat (signs and verses).” Tafsir Al-Qurtubi (1/430)]

And “Is he whose breast Allah has opened to Islam, so that he is in light from His Lord (as he who is non-Muslim)? So, woe to those whose hearts are hardened against remembrance of Allah! They are in plain error!” [Al-Zumar 39:22]

So when your heart is devoid of the light from Allah and is hardened as a result, you feel NO guilt at all, subhanAllah…you don’t even see anything wrong with what you’re doing even if it is against the commands of Allah, you neither submit no repent…means you’ve been stripped of  the ability to judge between right and wrong or you just don’t care anymore!! subhanAllah! (may Allah save us from this)

So, when you feel guilty know that there is light in your heart by Allah’s mercy that enables you to recognize that what you have done is wrong…and the guilt becomes something you should even be thankful to Allah for being able to feel…and what becomes the next course of action??

Make a decision, there and then to not go back on that wrong doing ever again!…cry to him and ask for His pardon, don’t ever think your sins are too great to be forgiven…He says as long as you turn to Him in repentance, sincerely He will forgive them All…and you know what more?? He will Change those sins to good deeds and what better reward for you than Al-Jannah in the end! subhanAllah.

"Except those who repent, have faith and do righteous deeds; for those Allah will change their sins into good deeds. Certainly Allah is most forgiving, Most merciful." (Qur'an 25:70)

So don’t delay-> “Race to the Forgiveness of your Lord and a paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth prepared for Al-Mutaquun” (Qur'an 3:133)

May Allah forgive us all and increase us all in Imaan. Aameen.