notifications_active Weekly Meshkat-e Noor Session: Thursdays at 20:30 at Haj Reza Mosque
In the text “Majaziyeh 5”:
“If someone makes a mistake inadvertently and feels remorse over it, their standing is different from that of a repentant sinner, and one should not cause them distress!”
What is the difference between someone who sins inadvertently and a repentant sinner, such that you say their standing is different? Are some sins (though not all) considered inadvertent?
The difference is that someone who sins inadvertently does not intend to sin, whereas a wrongdoer intends to commit the act of disobedience. A repentant sinner is like someone who has never sinned. But someone who persists in sin while seeking God’s forgiveness is like a person who mocks their own sin.
A heedless person does not intend to sin, whereas a sinner deliberately intends to commit the sin. A repentant sinner is like one who has committed no sin.
عن أبی جعفر ع قال سمعته یقول التائب من الذنب کمن لا ذنب له و المقیم على الذنب و هو مستغفر منه کالمستهزئ.
الکافی (ط - الإسلامیه)، ج2، ص: 435