When Remorse Dies

One of the greatest blessings Allah gives a believer is remorse. It is a regretful feeling that comes after a sin and makes a person go back to their Lord. Without remorse, Your heart doesn’t care if you sin or not, it becomes a routine. Your repentence feels empty.

It was narrated that Ibn Ma’qil said:

“I entered with my father upon ‘Abdullah, and I heard him say: ‘The messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Regret is repentance.” My father said: ‘Did you hear the Prophet (ﷺ) say: “Regret is repentance?” He said: ‘Yes.’”

Sunan Ibn Majah 4252

This statement of the Prophet ﷺ shows that remorse is the building brick of repentence. A heart which feels regret for his wrongdoings is alive. A heart that sins without concern has died.

How Does Remorse Die?

Remorse does not vanish overnight. It fades out slowly without the person knowing.

A person commits a sin and initially feels guilty, Then they repeat it, The guilt weakens, They do it again, They justify it, laugh about it, or even encourage others. What once made them cry no longer bothers them.

Allah said in Qur’an 83:14

“No! Rather, the stain has covered their hearts of that which they were earning.”

It is recorded from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet said,

(Verily, when the servant commits a sin, a black spot appears in his heart. If he repents from it, his heart is polished clean. However, if he increases (in the sin), the spot will continue to increase. That is the statement of Allah: ((Nay! But on their hearts is the Ran (covering) which they used to earn.)) At-Tirmidhi said, “Hasan Sahih.”

The Danger of a Hardened Heart

A hardened heart does not form overnight. It comes up as a result of continued negligence of Allah’s commands. Fajr gets slept through Dhuhr gets delayed Asr gets forgotten Maghrib gets rushed Isha gets slept on

How long will the heart survive like this?

Allah says in the Qur’an 2:74:

“Then your hearts became hardened after that, being like stones or even harder.”

When the heart hardens, The ayaat of Allah seems to have little to no effect, Warnings from The Prophet ﷺ get neglected. O person, how long will you survive like this?

Keeping Remorse Alive

Among the things which keep remorse alive are Repenting when you commit a sin without a second thought, Remembering that this dunya is nothing but a test, Reciting and reflecting upon the qur’an, Reading ahadith of the Prophet ﷺ , surrounding yourself with righteous company, and leaving bad company, and making continous istaghfar.

The more a person remembers Allah, His love for him grows.

Even if remorse has died out, the door of repentence stays open

Allah says in the Qur’an 39:53,

“Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allāh. Indeed, Allāh forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.”

If your heart still feels regret after disobeying Allah, then be thankful. It a mercy upon you by Allah. Guard that remorse, for it may be the very thing that leads you to Paradise.

And I pray to Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى that he forgives our sins. Ameen.

-Made by brother Nicroge, may Allah reward him.**