Title: Will God Give me a Second Chance? Question: I have committed one of the worst sins and I really regret it. Not too long ago, I went through an abortion of the fetus, which was 2 months old. At that time I was out of wedlock and I had no other choice but to go through the process. During that time too, I was not physically fit to carry a baby. But I reluctantly went for the surgery. I really regret until today but I had told myself that I will try to avoid engaging myself in zinaa or any other sins. I want to repent. I had since sought for Allah's swt forgiveness each day. Do you think that a person who has committed such sins deserve to receive Allah's swt forgiveness? Do you think he will ever give me a second chance to live as a good Muslim? Please help me. Maria Malaysia Answer: All is not lost, for in God we find the greatest of hope, love and forgivingness only He can bless us with. If we look towards Him and ask him earnestly for help and redemption surely we can be confident in getting our prayers answered. This is the Love our Creator has for us; this is the Mercy He bestows upon us. In this you should feel secure. It is my opinion that indeed you have heaped tremendous guilt upon your soul. I also think that certainly your actions may award you grave consequences in this life and the Hereafter. It seems to me that you have traded a moment's pleasure for a potential lifetime of misery or worse. You have taken away the life of what was brewing inside of you because of your immature and irresponsible actions. God has blessed you with a womb as a chamber of peace and bliss for what may reside inside you. Please don't take my words as harsh criticism of your actions, rather, take them as a reflection of the seriousness of your deeds. It is obvious that you are aware of your wrongdoing and your sincere regret and repentance to God are your only salvation. You see, God is Infinitely Compassionate, Eternally Merciful and surely Ever-Loving. Your pain does not go unnoticed nor do your prayers go unheard. God is aware of all that you do and takes into account all your circumstances. Having said that, you should have confidence in the Lord to give you a second chance and more. By this I am not attempting to make you feel better. I am only pointing out God's Love towards us. When we repent from the bottom of our hearts God may wash away the stain of sin from our souls. It is as if we had never committed the crime against ourselves, yet, our mind does not forget what we committed. This is not to burden us forever, instead, it is to remind us and keep our conscience awake to such faults we may commit. I want to make clear to you that it does not matter what I think, it matters what God decides and if you repent truly from your heart and soul then I see no reason that He would not forgive you. This is according to what He tells us and He does forgive for many great sins and gives us all chance after chance. Dear sister, z ina is not merely some sexual act, in fact you are the perfect example of the world of hurt it may entail. I urge you to control yourself. I implore you to ask God for forgiveness. Approach your Lord and He will approach you. Be a good Muslim, live your life the best you can and don't let this situation drag you down forever. You can have a wonderful relationship with God even after this mistake; it is up to you to make the effort. Maybe one day you can use this experience to help a young lady on the very path you trod, before she walks the same walk. May God have mercy on you and help you make the right decisions in your life. God be with you. I hope I have clarified the issue. God knows best. Ronnie Hassan July 29, 2003