The Secret That God
Erases Bad Actions

The aim of believers is to earn the good pleasure, mercy and paradise of God. However, man is created weak and forgetful; therefore, makes many mistakes and possesses many failings. God, Who knows His servants best and Who is the most merciful and compassionate, has informed us that He will erase the bad actions of His sincere servants and will give them an easy reckoning:

	As for him who is given his Book in his right hand, he will be given an easy reckoning and return to his family joyful. (Surat al-Inshiqaq: 7-9)

No doubt, God does not change the bad actions of every person into good. The attributes of those believers whose bad actions God erases and forgives are informed in the Qur'an.

Those who avoid serious wrong actions

In a verse, God states: "If you avoid the serious wrong actions you have been forbidden, We will erase your bad actions from you and admit you by a Gate of Honour." (Surat an-Nisa': 31). Believers who are aware of this fact observe the limits set by God meticulously and avoid committing what is forbidden. If they ever err out of forgetfulness or heedlessness, they immediately turn to God and repent and ask for forgiveness.

God informs us in the Qur'an about His servants whose repentance will be accepted. In this sense, knowing the commandments of God, yet deliberately committing sins, saying "no matter what happens I will be forgiven" shows completely flawed reasoning. That is because, God forgives the wrong actions of His servants who commit them out of ignorance and who, without losing any time, repent and display no insistence on them and make up for them:

	God only accepts the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and then quickly repent after doing it. God turns towards such people. God is All-Knowing, All-Wise. There is no repentance for people who persist in doing evil until death comes to them and who then say, 'Now I repent,' nor for people who die while they are disbelievers. We have prepared for them a painful punishment. (Surat an-Nisa': 17-18)

As the verses suggest, studious avoidance of sins is essential if a person wants his bad actions to be erased and to feel no regret on the day of judgement. A believer who commits a sin, on the other hand, should lose no time in asking for repentance from God.

Those who engage in good deeds

In other verses, God states that He will cover the bad actions of those who act rightly. Some of the relevant verses are as follows:

	On the Day He gathers you for the Day of Gathering - that is the Day of Profit and Loss. As for those who believe in God and act rightly, We will erase their bad actions from them and admit them into Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, forever and ever. That is the Great Victory! (Surat at-Taghabun: 9) Except for those who make sincere repentance and believe and act rightly: God will transform the wrong actions of such people into good - God is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful - (Surat al-Furqan: 70)

Each act and all behaviour displayed to seek the favour of God are a "righteous deed". For instance, any attitude such as communicating the morality of the religion to people, reminding someone who does not put his trust in God about fate, hindering someone from gossiping, keeping one's house and body clean, expanding one's horizons by reading and learning, talking graciously, reminding people about the hereafter, caring for the sick, showing love and compassion to the elderly, earning money through lawful means so that one can use it for the good of people, staving off evil with good and patience can become righteous deeds when they are done to earn the good pleasure of God. Those who desire their wrong actions to be remitted and transformed into good in the hereafter should always choose to act in the way that God will be most pleased with. For such an end, one should constantly remember the reckoning on the Day of Judgement. It is obvious how one would act, for example, if he were made to stand before the fire of hell, he were shown the bad actions he had done in his life, and were warned that he had to act in the right way in order to be forgiven. A person who sees the fire, who hears the despair, remorse and groaning of the people of hell under that painful punishment and who witnesses the punishment of the hell with his own eyes would surely act in the way that would most please God and strive with his utmost striving. This person would pray on time, perform good deeds, would never be careless, would never dare to choose an act when he knows there is another act that would please Him. Because hell, which remains right beside him, would always remind him of his eternal life and of God's punishment. Such a person could not defer his deeds. He would immediately and perfectly perform what his conscience commands him to. He would be meticulous and persistent in prayers. So, in the life of this world, the wrong actions of only those who perform good deeds, fearing God and the day of judgement, as if they had seen the hell and returned back to the world, or as if they always see the fire right beside them will be transformed into good. These believers are certain about the hereafter and they greatly fear and try to avoid God's punishment.