بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
۞ قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ (53)
When Omar Ibn Al – Khattab (ra) wanted to migrate to Madian, Hisham Ibn Al – Aas and Ayyash bin Abi Rabia decided to join him. They had set up a place where they all should meet. Hisham were unable to make it, as the infidels prevented him from leaving Makkah. So only Omar and Ayyash were in this journey.
Abu Jahal – The uncle of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) and some of the Quraish infidels followed Ayyash bin Abi Rabia.
When they reached him, they said the following to him:” O Ayyash, your mother have made a sworn oath that she won’t eat or drink anything until you return to her. She will die, you will be ashamed in front of your tribe for causing this to her. Come back to her, convince her of whatever you want, then migrate”.
Omar Ibn Al – Khattab (ra) said to Ayyash: Don’t believe them, they deceive you, if your mother gets hungry she will eat certainly, if she get heated by sun, then she will go to a place with shadow”.
Ayyash said: “I go to my mother, and I have money in Makkah I get it and then migrate to Madina”.
Omar said: “O Ayyash, you know I have money with me, half of my money is for you, leave Quraish and come with me to Madian”.
At this point, Ayyash still wanted to go back to Makkah as Abu Jahal have convinced him of not migrating to Madian. Omar Ibn Al Khattab offered Ayyash a camel, and told him to ride on so he can use the camel to escape in case he feels something suspicious about Quriash men that are following on his way back to Makkah.
On the way back to Makkah, Abu Jahal asked Ayyash to give him a ride with him on his camel as he claimed to be tired. When Ayyash lower his camel for the sake of letting Abu Jahal ride on, they men of Quraish polled him and tied him up and took him with them to Makkah.
Ayyash were severely tortured by infidels of Quraish, till the point the Muslims at that time they said that he left Islam as a result of the torturement. Some of them said that Allah will never accept his Tawba (repentance).
The companins of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) started talking that everyone who left Islam based on torturment, Allah will never accept his repentance. As they think that such people were fallen under the Fittna of religion based on knowledge.
Then Allah (swt) revealed the Aya from Surat Al Zumar:
۞ قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ (53)
(53) 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.”
References:
- Surat Al Zumar – Aya 53