Alhamdulillah wa salatu wa salam ala rasulullah (SAW) amma ba'd... Assalamualikum
The word 'Extremism' has found its way among Muslims, due to various reasons. Muslims, tend to blame outsiders for it, while the problem lies in us. Whenever there is one extreme, it paves its way for another end of extreme. (Note: This is not about violence or terrorism)
There is an extreme in our society where people think 'I committed a sin. Oh! I will be going to Hell anyways. So, why can't I continue sinning? My fate is already sealed.' This is really wrong. People keep in mind Allah's (SWT) Punishment but forget His Mercy.
Allah (SWT) says in the Quran: "Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds, for those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." [Surah Al Furqan 25:70]
SubhanAllah! A really powerful Ayah! Here, Allah (SWT) not only says that He will forgive those who repent but also convert their evil deeds into good ones. His Mercy is immense.
This leads to another extreme where people think ‘Allah (SWT) is immensely Merciful. So, if I commit a sin, He is going to forgive it. In this context, people keep in mind Allah’s (SWT) Mercy and forget His Punishment.
In either of the cases, people end up taking the wrong path and stray themselves away from Allah (SWT). In an attempt to understand Islam, they misunderstand the concept. They take the concept of Mercy and Punishment too far that it becomes out of context. They build their own notion of it which does not match with the Qur’an any longer.
We should try our best to remain in between of the two extremes. We should not be unmotivated to repent, and at the same time we should do our best to avoid situations in which we sin and have to repent. We are humans. It is in our nature to err. But we should not carry this concept too far; neither should we underestimate His Mercy.
Islam is all about a balance. We should try to lead a balanced life by repenting and striving to avoid displeasing Allah (SWT) as much as we can.
If I made any mistakes, it was from Shaytan and my own mistakes. If anything you find is useful, is from Allah as He guides whom He wills.
JazakAllahu Khairan. BarakAllahu Feekum and Salam...