“O Son of Adam, As Long As You Call Upon Me”: a Divine Promise of Forgiveness | In every human soul there is a desire to be clean again, to erase the weight of sins, to turn back time and undo what cannot be undone. The longer one walks through life, the more one collects guilt, memories, and regrets. Often, believers feel as though their hearts are rusted by disobedience, their records stained, and their souls distant from Allah. The burden of past sins, especially repeated ones, can feel overwhelming.
In such moments, when Shayṭān whispers that there is no return, that forgiveness is out of reach, or that the door of mercy is closed, Islam brings an extraordinary message: a message of divine love, unmatchable forgiveness, and eternal hope.
One of the most moving and hope-filled narrations in the Sunnah is a Hadith Qudsi reported in Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī, in which Allah addresses His servant with unmatched mercy and promise.
The Hadith Qudsi
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ narrated:
يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ، إِنَّكَ مَا دَعَوْتَنِي وَرَجَوْتَنِي غَفَرْتُ لَكَ عَلَى مَا كَانَ مِنْكَ، وَلَا أُبَالِي، يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ، لَوْ بَلَغَتْ ذُنُوبُكَ عَنَانَ السَّمَاءِ، ثُمَّ اسْتَغْفَرْتَنِي غَفَرْتُ لَكَ، وَلَا أُبَالِي، يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ، إِنَّكَ لَوْ أَتَيْتَنِي بِقُرَابِ الْأَرْضِ خَطَايَا، ثُمَّ لَقِيتَنِي لَا تُشْرِكُ بِي شَيْئًا، لَأَتَيْتُكَ بِقُرَابِهَا مَغْفِرَةً
“O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and place your hope in Me, I will forgive you for what you have done, and I will not mind.
O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and then you asked forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you.
O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to meet Me without associating anything with Me, I would bring you forgiveness equal to it.”
(Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī 3540 – Ḥasan)
This Hadith is a direct address from Allah to each of us. It is a message of reassurance from the Creator to His flawed and fragile creation. It confirms, without ambiguity, that the door of repentance remains open until the end, and that divine mercy is far more expansive than human error.
Understanding Hadith Qudsi
A Hadith Qudsi is a narration where the Prophet ﷺ quotes the words of Allah, but they are not part of the Qur’an. They occupy a unique position in Islamic tradition—divine in origin but conveyed through the Prophet ﷺ’s own words. This gives the text a sacred intimacy. When we read a Hadith Qudsi, we are hearing the Divine Voice speak directly to us through the language of mercy and love.
In this Hadith, Allah addresses the children of Adam, and through repetition, He emphasizes three aspects of forgiveness:
- As long as one calls upon Allah and hopes in Him, forgiveness is assured.
- Even if one’s sins reached the sky, seeking forgiveness would wipe them away.
- Even if one brought sins filling the entire earth, if they die upon Tawḥīd (pure monotheism), Allah would meet them with a forgiveness just as vast.
Let us now examine each statement of this Hadith in detail, exploring the spiritual meanings, theological implications, and practical relevance for every believer.
“O Son of Adam, So Long As You Call Upon Me and Place Your Hope in Me…”
This first line is the key to understanding the relationship between the servant and the Lord. Allah conditions His forgiveness here upon two internal actions of the heart:
- Calling upon Him (Duʿā’)
- Placing one’s hope in Him (Rajāʾ)
To call upon Allah is to recognize Him as the only One who can forgive. It is to turn away from all other hopes and seek mercy directly from the Source. Duʿā’ is not just a ritual—it is an act of belief, humility, surrender, and intimacy. When a person raises their hands and says “Astaghfirullāh,” they are proclaiming faith in the One who hears, who understands, who has the power to erase the past and brighten the future.
To place one’s hope in Allah is not mere optimism; it is conviction that Allah’s mercy is greater than His wrath, and that His promise is true. It means believing that no matter what one has done, Allah is more merciful than one’s sins are many.
These two acts—calling and hoping—are so beloved to Allah that He promises forgiveness simply for doing them. The person may have committed countless sins, but the sincerity of their return is enough to erase what is past.
“I Will Forgive You for What You Have Done, and I Do Not Mind.”
The phrase “I do not mind” (ولا أبالي) is deeply significant. It means that Allah’s forgiveness is not hindered by the size or quantity of the sin. It also means that Allah does not grow tired of forgiving. Human beings may get tired of being asked. A friend may forgive you once, perhaps twice—but repeatedly asking for pardon can strain relationships. Not so with Allah.
Allah is not burdened by our return. He does not keep a grudge. He is not like creation. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Indeed, Allah is more merciful to His servants than a mother is to her child.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī)
The Divine mercy does not falter with repetition. This statement also shatters the illusion many have that Allah is angry with them permanently, or that their record is beyond repair. On the contrary, Allah says: “I will forgive you, and it does not bother Me in the least.”
“O Son of Adam, Were Your Sins to Reach the Clouds of the Sky, and Then You Asked Forgiveness of Me…”
In this image, Allah paints the possibility of sins piling so high that they reach the skies. This expression is meant to depict magnitude. It signifies not a few slips, but a life of sin—sins without count, without limit.
And yet, Allah follows that by saying: if you ask for forgiveness, He would forgive.
The condition is not that you must have done extra good deeds. The condition is not that you have already changed completely. The condition is a simple yet profound one: seek forgiveness.
This reinforces the core Islamic belief that no sin is too great if followed by sincere repentance. In another verse, Allah states:
“Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.'”
(Surah Az-Zumar 39:53)
The Qur’anic language and this Hadith Qudsi agree: despair is the only unacceptable response to sin. The moment you believe that your sins are too many for Allah to forgive, you have misunderstood who Allah is.
“I Would Forgive You.”
These four words are repeated throughout the Hadith. The consistency and repetition are purposeful. Allah does not simply say it once and move on. He repeats it in every conditional statement. This is a form of divine reassurance: no matter the scope or quantity of the sin, Allah affirms again and again—He will forgive.
It is also a command for us to internalize this reality and stop measuring Allah’s mercy by the limits of human forgiveness.
“O Son of Adam, Were You to Come to Me With Sins Nearly as Great as the Earth…”
This final portion takes the magnitude to the extreme: a person has not just tallied up sins to the skies—they bring a lifetime of wrong that could fill the earth. Imagine every betrayal, every forgotten prayer, every slip into temptation, every moment of heedlessness—all of it gathered and placed into one scale.
And still, Allah says: if you meet Him with no shirk—that is, with sincere belief in His oneness and worship of Him alone—then He will meet you with forgiveness just as vast.
This is the divine guarantee that as long as a person holds on to Tawḥīd, they have not lost their chance at salvation. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever dies without associating anything with Allah will enter Paradise.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
Tawḥīd is the foundation. As long as that is intact, and sincere repentance is made, even a mountain of sins will not outweigh Allah’s forgiveness.
“And Were You Then to Meet Me Without Associating Anything With Me, I Would Bring You Forgiveness Equal to It”
Conditions of Forgiveness : This Hadith does not provide an excuse for heedlessness, nor does it make light of sin. Instead, it emphasizes the door of return. Scholars have clarified that in order for forgiveness to be granted, three conditions must be met:
- Sincerity in turning back to Allah.
- Regret for the sin that was committed.
- Cessation of the sin, with the resolve not to return.
If the sin involves the rights of others (e.g., theft, slander), then a fourth condition is added:
- Restoring the rights to those who were wronged.
This Hadith complements that understanding. It emphasizes that no matter how enormous the sin, when repentance is real, forgiveness is guaranteed.
Implications
This Hadith is central to the Islamic view of Allah’s nature. Allah is not a wrathful deity looking to punish, but a merciful and loving Lord who seeks reasons to forgive. His default is mercy. His Names confirm this: Al-Ghafūr (The Most Forgiving), Al-Ghaffār (The Constant Forgiver), At-Tawwāb (The One who Accepts Repentance), Ar-Raḥīm (The Especially Merciful), and Al-‘Afūww (The Pardoner).
Unlike many legal systems or worldly relationships where forgiveness is difficult to attain and often conditional upon others’ moods or perceptions, the forgiveness of Allah is based on His perfection, not ours. He does not forgive because we deserve it, but because He is the One who loves to forgive.
Practical Guidance
The believer who reads this Hadith must take several practical steps to benefit from its message:
- Renew your relationship with Allah through daily duʿā’ and istighfār.
- Let go of despair. If you believe you are beyond forgiveness, then you have not yet understood Allah’s mercy.
- Do not delay repentance. The soul may leave at any moment. As long as you are breathing, the chance to repent remains.
- Avoid habitual sin by cutting off its causes, replacing it with good deeds, and staying in the company of the righteous.
- Seek knowledge of Allah’s Names and Attributes, especially those related to mercy. This will strengthen your heart in hope and awe.
O Son of Adam, As Long As You Call Upon Me : Final Reflections
This Hadith Qudsi is one of the most beloved texts in the Islamic tradition. It offers a clear, divine promise that no matter the darkness of one’s past, the future is open through sincere repentance.
Its beauty lies in its intimacy, its unconditional welcome, and its reminder that Allah never tires of us, even when we are tired of ourselves.
So to every person who has sinned, struggled, and stumbled: know this.
As long as you still turn to Him, call upon Him, and believe in His mercy, He will forgive you—and He will not mind.
May Allah make us among those who turn to Him sincerely, often, and wholeheartedly. And may He meet us on the Day of Judgment with forgiveness that covers the earth.
اللهم اغفر لنا ذنوبنا كلها، دقها وجلها، أولها وآخرها، علانيتها وسرها
“O Allah, forgive us all our sins — the small and the great, the first and the last, the public and the hidden.”
Ameen.
Related: Hadith | What’s the One Thing I Should Stick To?