You made a mistake, and now a weight sits on your chest. Perhaps you are asking, "Can something like this even be forgiven?" The fact that you are reading these lines shows your conscience is still alive. To such a person the Qur'an speaks not with judgment, but with an open door. Let us first listen to the verses themselves, then look at what is understood from them.
What does the Qur'an say?
۞ قُلْ يَـٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
"Say: '(Allah declares:) O My servants who have transgressed against their own selves! Do not despair of Allah's mercy! Indeed, Allah can forgive all sins. Indeed, He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.'" — Az-Zumar 39:53
وَمَن يَعْمَلْ سُوٓءًا أَوْ يَظْلِمْ نَفْسَهُۥ ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ ٱللَّهَ يَجِدِ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
"Whoever does a wrong or wrongs his own self, then seeks Allah's forgiveness, will find Allah Most Forgiving, Most Merciful." — An-Nisa 4:110
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ تُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحًا ...
"O you who believe! Turn to Allah with a sincere repentance! It may be that your Lord will efface your evil deeds from you..." — At-Tahrim 66:8
إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَـٰلِحًا فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ ٱللَّهُ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ حَسَنَـٰتٍ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
"Except for those who believe and do righteous deeds and turn (to Him): for them Allah will change their evil deeds into good ones. And Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful." — Al-Furqan 25:70
What do we learn?
(interpretation) Read together, these verses make a path drawn by the text itself visible:
- Despair is forbidden. 39:53 addresses even the one who has transgressed as "My servants" and says "do not despair." The text foregrounds not the size of the sin, but the breadth of Allah's mercy.
- The turning is personal and sincere. The "seeking forgiveness" of 4:110 and the "sincere repentance" (tawba nasuh) of 66:8 are not merely words on the tongue; they are the heart changing its direction.
- Repentance does not only erase, it transforms. According to 25:70, when faith, turning, and righteous action come together, evil deeds can be turned into good ones. The past can become the ground of a new beginning rather than a burden.
(interpretation) The pattern that emerges is: remorse → sincere turning (repentance) → correcting one's conduct. And peace of heart is the fruit of this turning: "Surely, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest." (Ar-Ra'd 13:28)
An honest boundary
- Certain in the text: that Allah is forgiving and merciful, that despair is rejected, and that the door of repentance is open. These appear plainly in the wording of the verses.
- In the realm of interpretation: the detailed conditions for repentance's validity, which wrongs count as "the rights of others" (huquq al-'ibad), and how they are to be made right. These belong largely to juristic discussion and individual conscience; no single imposed formula is the scope of this article.
- This is not a fatwa, but an invitation to understand the verses. If you carry a heavy weight, speaking with a trusted, knowledgeable person is also valuable.
To go deeper: Repentance according to the Qur'an and Hope and fear according to the Qur'an.
Conclusion: Remorse is a sign not that the door has closed, but that it is still open. The path the Qur'an draws is clear: do not give up hope, turn sincerely, mend your conduct. The call of 39:53 still stands today: "O My servants! Do not despair of Allah's mercy."
Source: Qur'anic verses (M. Okuyan meal). Presented with a text/interpretation distinction; not a fiqh fatwa.