Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 1 of 2

406 The oath of allegiance to 'Ali, his characteristics & his way of l$e
He is telling us that He does not punish the one who asks for
forgiveness, because asking for forgiveness erases the sin that is the
cause of punishment. Thus punishment is warded off, as the Prophet
(s) told us: "Whoever persists in asking for forgiveness, Allah (&)
will grant him relief from every wony and a way out from every
hardship, and He (g) will grant him provision from (sources) he
could never imagine."318 AUah ($g) says:
B[Saying] worship none hut Allah. Verily, I [Muhammad] am unto
you from Him a wamer and a bringer of glad tidings. And
[commanding you]: 'Seek the forgiveness of your Lord, and hun to
Him in repentance, that Hemay grant you good enjoyment, for a term
appointed, and bestow His abounding grace to every owner of grace
[i.e. the one who helps and serves the needy and deserving,
physically and with his wealth, and even with good words1.b
(Qur'an 11: 2-3)
Here Allah (s) tells us that the one who affinns His Oneness
and seeks His forgiveness will be granted good enjoyment for a term
appointed, and whoever does good after that will receive His
abounding grace. According to the hadith, Satan said: "I cause doom
to people by means of sins, and they cause my doom by means of Lci
ikiha illa Allih (saying that none has the right to be worshipped but
Allah) and asking for forgiveness.319 When I saw that, I tried to
misguide them on the basis of whims and desires, so that they would
sin and not repent, because they think that they are doing well."320
'Umar ibn 'Abdnl-'Azeez said: "There is no calamity that occurred
except because of sin, and there is no calamity that was relieved
except because of repentance." Hence AUah (s) says:
(Those [i.e. believers] unto whom the people [hypocrites] said,
'Verily, the people [pagans] have gathered against you [a great
army], therefore, fear them.' But it [only] increased them in Faith,
and they said: 'Allah [Alone] is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best