Been reading through Islamic sources recently.  Here’s what I’m learning.

5 Paths to Forgiveness of Sin and Salvation in Islam

1) Say a Prayer

“Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Whoever says, ‘Subhan Allah wa bihamdihi,’ one hundred times a day, will be forgiven all his sins even if they were as much as the foam of the sea” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6405).

2) Men Need Not Worry Much

“Then he went over to the women and preached to them and reminded them. Then he said, ‘Give in charity, for you are the majority of the fuel of Hell. A woman with dark cheeks stood up in the midst of the women and said, ‘Why is that, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘Because you complain too much and are ungrateful to your husbands.’ Then they started to give their jewelry in charity, throwing their earrings and rings into Bilal’s cloak”” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 304)

3) Muslims Don’t Need to be Concerned in General- They will be Ransomed by Others

There would come people amongst the Muslims on the Day of Resurrection with as heavy sins as a mountain, and Allah would forgive them and He would place in their stead the Jews and the Christians (Sahih Muslim 2767d).

When it will be the Day of Resurrection Allah would deliver to every Muslim a Jew or a Christian and say: That is your rescue from Hell-Fire (Sahih Muslim 2767a).

When it will be the Day of Resurrection Allah would deliver to every Muslim a Jew or a Christian and say: That is your rescue from Hell-Fire. ‘Umar b. Abd al-‘Aziz took an oath: By One besides Whom there is no god but He, thrice that his father had narrated that to him from Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) (Sahih Muslim 2767b).

4) Salvation is Pre-Destined

“’A’isha, the mother of the believers, said that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) was called to lead the funeral prayer of a child of the Ansar. I said:  Allah’s Messenger, there i1s happiness for this child who is a bird from the birds of Paradise for it committed no sin nor has he reached the age when one can commit sin. He said: ‘A’isha, per adventure, it may be otherwise, because God created for Paradise those who are fit for it while they were yet in their father’s loins and created for Hell those who are to go to Hell. He created them for Hell while they were yet in their father’s loins” (Sahih Muslim 2662c).

5) Time Your Prayers Perfectly with the Angels

“Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “When the Imam says ‘Amin’, then you should all say ‘Amin’, for the angels say ‘Amin’ at that time, and he whose ‘Amin’ coincides with the ‘Amin’ of the angels, all his past sins will be forgiven”” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6402).

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The question of sin is one of the most important questions in our lives.  How do we come before a righteous God stained with our sins?

There are only 2 responses and these reflect the only only 2 faiths in the world.

1) Earn your salvation yourself (every religion except what Jesus teaches)

2) Trust Jesus, the Son of God, who lived a perfect life, dying in our place for our sins.

It was no small thing for God to clothe himself with humanity, to experience all the indecencies and humiliations of mankind, and to offer himself as a ransom and rescue for sinners.  But this just shows the greatness of his love.

God did what we could not do.  He came down to us.  He is our ransom for sins.  The perfect, righteous and holy Jesus is the one who paid for our sins.  He offers it as a gift.

Is it easy?  Just say a prayer?  Receive forgiveness?

It wasn’t easy for God.  It cost him everything.

And now on our part we repent and turn from our sins, living in love for one another just like he did.  We no longer live for salvation but from salvation.

This is the astonishing love, mercy, kindness and justice that was given to us through Christ at the cross.  It is the gracious, amazing, powerful gift of God in Christ.