What Happens When I Joke about Islam Unknowingly as a Pre-teen?
Answered by Ustada Shazia Ahmad
Question
When I was 11 years old, I joked about Islam. However, I did it unknowingly, as I was still learning. I had already hit puberty. I didn’t know that I had joked about Islam & that my sin was so dire. When I found out, I told my mother and she said that as I was still learning and it was unintentional, I could sincerely repent & I would in sh Allah be forgiven. She also said to just put my trust in Allah and not doubt His mercy, as it was those who doubt Allah’s mercy whom Allah said in Surah Tawba that wouldn’t be forgiven. She said that I am still a child until I reach the age of marriage and Allah loves children and is merciful to them. Was she correct?
Answer
Joking
Mocking Islam mistakenly at such a young age will prove to be a good lesson for you in the future. There is no better teacher than making mistakes. In sha Allah, you will always be careful with your words and you will think before you speak; this is an incredible quality that most people don’t have. Your mother is absolutely correct that you should trust in Allah’s mercy, have hope and have a good opinion of your Lord. Though you are not a child until you marry, you are a child until puberty.
Repent every night
Get in the habit of repenting every night for sins that you are aware of, and that which you are unaware of, small sins, large sins, past sins and future sins. Find solace in this verse. Allah Most High has told us in the Quran: “Say: My servants who have wronged yourselves, never despair of God’s mercy. God forgives all sins: He is truly the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.” [Quran, 39:53]
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Allah, the Exalted, will continue to stretch out His Hand in the night so that the sinners of the day may repent, and continue to stretch His Hand in the daytime so that the sinners of the night may repent, until the sun rises from the west.” [Muslim]
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[Ustada] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqida, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.
