Prophet Adam’s Repentance: A Mistake Is Not the End

13 September 2021

What Does a Person Who Does Wrong Do?

Question: When we make a mistake, do we try to defend it, or do we acknowledge it and turn back?

Verses 35–39 of Surah Al-Baqarah describe Prophet Adam’s test, Satan’s whispering, and the repentance that follows.

In Paradise, there are things permitted to him, and there is a boundary he must not approach. Satan misleads people precisely through this boundary.

People face a similar situation today. Despite many lawful opportunities, they may want to turn toward what is forbidden.

Satan’s Desire to Bring People Down

Satan’s aim is not merely to do wrong himself. He also wants people to fall from where they are.

Jealousy and malice sometimes work by the same logic. A person may invite others into the same behavior to normalize their own wrongdoing.

Question: Do those around us call us toward goodness, or do they want to involve us in their own wrongdoing?

In Prophet Adam’s example, the real turning point begins after the mistake. Wrongdoing does not have to become a permanent identity.

Being Able to Say We Have Wronged Ourselves

Surah Al-A‘raf recalls the prayer of Prophet Adam and his wife meaning, “We have wronged ourselves.” Here there is acknowledgment of wrongdoing rather than shifting responsibility to someone else.

Sometimes people may say, “My family made me this way,” “It happened because of my friend,” or “Circumstances forced me.”

We do not deny the influence of circumstances. But if we do not recognize our own part in our choice, we may face the same mistake again.

The door to repentance opens when we abandon excuses and recognize responsibility.

Guidance and Choice

Surah Al-Baqarah states that those who follow guidance from Allah will receive the glad tidings concerning fear and sorrow.

Alongside being shown the path, this also prompts reflection on how people respond to that path.

When someone is shown what is right, they may accept or reject it. Belief is expressed in words, but it should also find expression in conduct.

Question: While saying that we believe, how much room do we make for righteous deeds?

Our good intentions matter. But a person’s actions toward their spouse, child, neighbor, and colleague matter too.

Beginning Again

Sometimes we see life’s difficulties only as punishment. Yet hardship can also help a person recognize their mistake, reflect, and make a new choice.

There is another path between constantly blaming ourselves and caring about nothing: acknowledging our mistake and changing it.

Let us choose one mistake of our own today. Let us consider how to correct it, rather than whom we blame for it.

A mistake can bring a person down; turning back shows that they do not have to remain in the same place.