# Ep. 20: Hoping For The Best Without Doing Your Best | Road to Return

**Author:** Yahya Ibrahim
**Series:** Road to Return | How to Come Back from Sin
**Published:** 2021-07-22
**YouTube:** https://youtu.be/FoIttn6-4_k
**URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-20-hoping-for-the-best-without-doing-your-best-road-to-return
**Topics:** Acts of Worship, Sharia

## Description
What does it mean to truly believe in Allah’s mercy? Sh. Yahya Ibrahim warns about a major sin many of us often fall into: hoping for His mercy without taking any steps towards change.

## Transcript
**[0:00]** Hoping for the best but doing the worst. That doesn't work. That's a major transgression for us as Muslims. It's something that holds you accountable to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

**[0:23]** You can't just say, I hope Allah will forgive me and continue doing what you do. You can't just assume that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, who has told you he is al-ghafoor al-raheem, that he is the forgiving, the most merciful, but not complete the ayah.

**[0:39]** You can't just stop halfway. Allah says to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, nabbi ibadi, tell my servants, tell my worshipers, tell mankind, anni ana al-ghafoor al-raheem, I am the forgiving, I am the merciful.

**[0:54]** Wa anna, and also, don't just stop there, continue the ayah, continue the passage. Wa anna, and also, athabi, my punishment, huwa al-athab al-aleem, is the most severe of punishment. You can't just say, wa huwa allathee yaqbalu al-tawba ta'an ibadi, he is the one who accepts

**[1:13]** the tawba of those who are his servants, and not complete to the end of the passage, that you must ask for that forgiveness. You must be a person who seeks to change their life around, illa man aamana wa amila salihan, fa olaika yubaddilu Allahu sayyiatim hasanat, the one who repents is the one who believes,

**[1:33]** works righteous deeds, and changes their evil sins into good deeds. Olaika yubaddilu Allahu sayyiatim hasanat, they are the ones Allah will change their sinful deeds into good deeds in their account. Illa man tawba, those who repent to Allah, wa amila saliha, and do good deeds thereafter.

**[1:52]** And therefore, there has to be a commitment that goes beyond just hope. You can't just hope for the best, you can't just hope for Allah's mercy, you can't just say insha'Allah everything will be well, you can't just simply lie to yourself that everything is going to be okay, and Allah will forgive me at the end of the day.

**[2:10]** Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala has given us this precedent that as you have lived your life, that Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala looks into your heart, sees the trueness in it, and if your heart is truly hopeful in His mercy, then your actions begin to change towards

**[2:27]** it. And Allah tells us in the Quran, inna Allaha la yughayyiru ma bi qawmin hatta yughayyiru ma bi anfusim. Allah will not change the condition of a people until they make the change themselves. Allah will not change you from living a sinful life unless you take the choices, the means,

**[2:44]** the responsibility of making that change yourself. You can't just keep going and sitting in the same place where sin is committed and hope for the best. You can't just go to sleep every night knowing you haven't set your alarm for Fajr in the morning and hope for the best.

**[3:00]** You can't just be befriending people for sinful behavior, sinful activities, sinful actions, and just hope for the best. It'll all turn out okay at the end. You must do and act in that which is pursuant and seeking the hope you seek to achieve and

**[3:17]** have in your life. Hoping for the best but doing the worst is a transgression against Allah and the Messenger Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam Sunnah.

## Other Episodes in "Road to Return | How to Come Back from Sin"
- [Ep. 40: Fake News | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-40-fake-news-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 39: It's Just a Joke | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-39-its-just-a-joke-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 38: Friday Prayer Is Not Practical | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-38-friday-prayer-is-not-practical-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 37: What Happens Online Stays Online | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-37-what-happens-online-stays-online-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 36: I'm Not A Racist, But... | Road To Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-36-im-not-a-racist-but-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 35: I Will Never Forgive Them | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-35-i-will-never-forgive-them-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 34: Isn't Zakat Like Sadaqah? | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-34-isnt-zakat-like-sadaqah-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 33: The Most Important Thing is Love | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-33-the-most-important-thing-is-love-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 32: Everyone is Doing It | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-32-everyone-is-doing-it-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 31: It’s Just a Video | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-31-its-just-a-video-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep: 30 Always Put Yourself First | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-30-always-put-yourself-first-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep 29: Marijuana is Not a Drug | Road To Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-29-marijuana-is-not-a-drug-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 28: God Knows my Intention | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-28-god-knows-my-intention-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 27: I Do Pray...Just Not Often | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-27-i-do-pray-just-not-often-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 26: Did You Hear? | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-26-did-you-hear-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 25: Does God Really Care? | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-25-does-god-really-care-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 24: Just say Bismillah | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-24-just-say-bismillah-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 23: Parents Just Don't Understand | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-23-parents-just-dont-understand-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 22: Why Do They Have It So Easy? | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-22-why-do-they-have-it-so-easy-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 21: Going Against The Flow | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-21-going-against-the-flow-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 19: Good Intentions With Wrong Actions | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-19-good-intentions-with-wrong-actions-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 18: Good Actions With The Wrong Intention | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-18-good-actions-with-the-wrong-intention-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 17:  Letting The Qur'an Slip | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-17-letting-the-quran-slip-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 16: Resisting the Teachings of Muhammad ﷺ | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-16-resisting-the-teachings-of-muhammad-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 15: Deprioritizing God | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-15-deprioritizing-god-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 14: Resistance & Resilience | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-14-resistance-resilience-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 13: Shaytan's 6-Step Plan  | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-13-shaytans-6-step-plan-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 12: No Good Without Evil | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/no-good-without-evil-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 11: Mastering Self-Control | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-11-mastering-self-control-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 10: The World And Its Splendor | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-10-the-world-and-its-splendor-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 9: An Enemy Within | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-9-an-enemy-within-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 8: Your Inner Voice | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-8-your-inner-voice-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 7: Four Dangers: Causes of Sin | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-7-four-dangers-causes-of-sin-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 6: Different Types of Sin | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-6-different-types-of-sin-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 5: Are All Sins Equal? | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-5-are-all-sins-equal-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 4: What Are Sins? | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-4-what-are-sins-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 3: Content with God | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-3-content-with-god-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 2: Finding Peace | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-2-finding-peace-road-to-return.md)
- [Ep. 1: Submitting to God | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-1-submitting-to-god-road-to-return.md)
- [Trailer: Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/road-to-return-trailer.md)