Ta-Ha 82: And verily, I am forgiving towards those who repent, believe and commit good deeds and then walk on the straight path.

Surah Ta-Ha, verse 82. And surely I forgive whoever repents, believes and does good deeds, and then thus follows the right path, it says. It has gathered them all: the one who repents, that is, "O Allah, I have recognized my helplessness, You are the Lord of the worlds, I have no other door to go to, I have surrendered"; the one who repents, who believes, so that he is now bound to Allah wholeheartedly, and who does good deeds: who for Allah's sake does good and charity to Allah's creatures, who helps Quran courses, helps mosques, helps the needy, (?) (?) those who cannot earn their living, materially, as far as he can — that is, goodness has no fixed time or place.

Who helps people for Allah's sake, does good works, and then thus follows the right path — what does this mean? You did and did, but in the end you went astray.

In the end you went astray. That won't do either. And what does it say? I forgive the one who follows the right path, it says. Yes. Allah Almighty is At-Tawwab: He is the One who accepts repentance abundantly. Human beings, however, are created deficient in reason. Every human being is deficient and fallible. So a person sees his own deficiency. In this deficiency, acting against Allah's commands, when he sees that he has sinned, a person repents. He asks Allah for forgiveness and then keeps on the right path without leaving it. If he does good deeds, he finds Allah Almighty most merciful and most forgiving.

Allah Almighty treats such servants with mercy, and their sins He forgives.

Furthermore, a person has lived in the swamp of kufr. He has not believed in Allah and the Hereafter. Even such people — if they believe that Allah exists and that resurrection after death is real and, with faith, turn to Allah and repent, Allah accepts the repentance of such people. The door of repentance is open until the soul reaches the throat.

In one place, in a verse, Allah Almighty says: We accept the repentance of those who repent promptly, He says.

What does this "promptly" mean?

Let's take an example. Let me speak about myself. I committed a sin.

And my nafs told me: you did well. You did well, it said.

For three years, five years my grudge against him went on.

I still have life left; say I'm still living.

But then I said: well, he too is a servant of Allah. I betrayed him like this, but let me apologize to him.

Let me ask his forgiveness, I said. Or I could not find him, and I turned to Allah Almighty. My Lord, I did such a wrong, but I cannot find him either. I have repented. When I say I will not do such a thing again, will Allah not forgive my sin? After all, He created us deficient.

Well then, what does His saying "promptly" mean? A thousand years of this world are like one day of the Hereafter. Within that one hour, or hour and a half, of life I gave you, if without repenting you turn your back on Me and go to the Hereafter, then your state will be bad, He says. (?) since it is not known when you will die, and since you will feel death right under your nose, He says "promptly": before dying, before dying, long before, (?) right away, He says, repent and attain pardon and forgiveness, He says. Cleanse — cleanse yourself.