Repentance and hope in mercy

These verses call upon a person who has erred not to lose hope in the mercy of Allah and to turn to their Lord. Repentance is not merely about blaming oneself, but about realizing the mistake and changing one's direction. If another person has been harmed, one must also consider the responsibility of making amends.

The call in Surah az-Zumar is directed towards servants who have transgressed against themselves. First, they are told not to lose hope in mercy, then they are asked to turn to their Lord. Hope and changing direction stand side by side; neither denying the existence of the mistake nor defining a person solely by their mistake corresponds to this wholeness.

Recognizing a mistake sometimes comes with shame. However, constantly belittling oneself can make it difficult to see which behavior constituted the error. A more concrete approach is to name what we have done, set boundaries to avoid repeating the same harm, and think about the necessary step of making amends.

When the right of another is involved, the process is not limited to seeking inner peace alone. Responsibilities such as returning a trust or apologizing for hurtful words may arise. While learning the details of repentance, it is useful to refer to reliable sources that carry both the call to mercy and the behavioral change together.