4:17 Repentance is acceptable by GOD from those who fall in sin out of ignorance, then repent immediately thereafter. GOD redeems them. GOD is Omniscient, Most Wise.
4:18 Not acceptable is the repentance of those who commit sins until death comes to them, then say, “Now I repent.” Nor is it acceptable from those who die as disbelievers. For these, we have prepared a painful retribution.
4:19 O you who believe, it is not lawful for you to inherit what the women leave behind, against their will. You shall not force them to give up anything you had given them, unless they commit a proven adultery. You shall treat them nicely. If you dislike them, you may dislike something wherein GOD has placed a lot of good.
What if you waited to repent, but still have a whole life in front of you – will you be forgiven?
Repentance cleans the slate for us. If we delay repenting that we are stuck with that burden for as long as we choose not to repent. For instance if I stick my hand in a fire unintentionally and immediately pull it out I might save my hand from getting burned, but if I choose to hold my hand in that fire for a duration of time then the damage is going to be that much greater.
Repentance: Cleaning the Slate
9:11 If they repent and observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat), then they are your brethren in religion. We thus explain the revelations for people who know.
“Repentance is the key with which we can unlock the prison from inside. We hold that key within our hands, and agency is ours to use it.” – Boyd K. Packer
Why are we allowed to be forgiven and Satan was not?
Satan refuses to accept that he was at fault and therefore will never repent. When God called him out as oppose to repenting he wanted to try to prove God wrong.
The Test Begins
7:12 He said, “What prevented you from prostrating when I ordered you?” He said, “I am better than he; You created me from fire, and created him from mud.”
7:13 He said, “Therefore, you must go down, for you are not to be arrogant here. Get out; you are debased.”
7:14 He said, “Grant me a respite, until the Day of Resurrection.”
7:16 He said, “Since You have willed that I go astray,* I will skulk for them on Your straight path.
7:17 “I will come to them from before them, and from behind them, and from their right, and from their left, and You will find that most of them are unappreciative.”
“Of all acts of man, repentance is the most diving. The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none.” – Thomas Carlyle
For us to truly repent we need to feel ashamed for what we have done. The next step is to correct the action.
2:160 As for those who repent, reform, and proclaim, I redeem them. I am the Redeemer, Most Merciful.
The more we know the more we are responsible for.
Greater Miracles Bring Greater Responsibility*
5:114 Said Jesus, the son of Mary, “Our god, our Lord, send down to us a feast from the sky. Let it bring plenty for each and every one of us, and a sign from You. Provide for us; You are the best Provider.”
5:115 GOD said, “I am sending it down. Anyone among you who disbelieves after this, I will punish him as I never punished anyone else.”
12:42 He then said to the one to be saved “Remember me at your lord.”* Thus, the devil caused him to forget his Lord, and, consequently, he remained in prison a few more years.
*12:42 When Joseph begged his companion to intercede with the king on his behalf, he exhibited dependence on other than God to be saved from the prison. This does not befit a true believer, and such a serious slip cost Joseph a few years in the prison. We learn from the Quran that only God can relieve any hardship that might befall us. A true believer trusts in God and depends totally on Him alone (1:5, 6:17, 8:17, 10:107).