Can a Person Be Forgiven If They Have Harmed Many People and Cannot Seek Their Forgiveness?
Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch
Question
If someone hurts many people but regrets their actions and cannot seek forgiveness from all those they harmed, can their repentance be accepted by Allah? Will they still face consequences if those they hurt don’t forgive them? How do we reconcile this with the hadith about the man who killed 99 people but was forgiven after sincere repentance?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
Allah (Most High) can forgive such a person and inspire those he wronged to forgive him as well. There are many narrations in this regard.
However, this would depend on the extent of the sincerity of one’s repentance and the change resulting.
Ibn Kathir mentions in his commentary of the Quran:
“It has been narrated by Anas Ibn Malik (Allah be pleased with him) that while the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) was sitting, we saw him smile till his premolars showed. ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him) said, ‘What makes you smile, O Messenger of Allah?’ He (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: ‘Two men, from my nation, kneeling before the Lord of All Honor. One of them says, “O my Lord, take for me my rights from my brother.”
Allah Most High says, “Give your brother his right!” He will then reply, “O my Lord, there remains nothing of my good deeds.” So he (the first one) said, “Then he should take from me my sins!”
Then the eyes of the Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) began to flow with tears. Then he said, ‘That is surely a tremendous day, where a person will need someone to carry their sins.’ Allah Most High will then say to the one requesting, “Raise your eyes, and look at the Gardens.” So he raised his eyes. Then he said, “O my Lord, I see cities of silver and palaces of gold, embroidered with pearls. For which Prophet is this, for which Siddiq, for which martyr?” He Most High said, “It’s for the one who pays the price.”
So he said, “O my Lord, Who can pay the price?” He said, “You.” He said, “How is that?” He Most High said, “By forgiving your brother.” He said, “O my Lord, I have pardoned him!” He Most High said, “Take your brother by the hand, and enter him into Paradise.”
Then the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, ‘Fear Allah and rectify between yourselves, for verily Allah will rectify between the believers, on the Day of Judgment.’” [Hakim, Mustadrak; al-Kabir; al-Bukhari; Tafsir Ibn Kathir]
Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Shaykh Yusuf Weltch teaches Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom Seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences.
He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he studied for three years in Dar al-Mustafa under some of the most outstanding scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib.
In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Quran and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Quranic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.
