The flower of repentance.

A young man named Yasin lived in a village on the border of West Bangladesh. His life was like a storm—reckless, uncivilized, and devoid of the fear of God. The villagers knew him as a bad boy; at a young age, he got involved in drug dealing, extortion, and many even said that he would sneak into someone's yard at night and steal. But the surprising thing was that his mother Khadija was a pious woman, a memorizer of the Holy Quran. She prayed five times a day, read the Quran, and cried every night for her son's guidance.

Khadija had only one dream—one day her son Yasin would stand up for prayer. But every night, her dream was shattered. Yasin would not listen to her mother, instead, she would angrily say, "Mom, to survive in this world, being a gentleman is not enough. Here, you have to show strength." Khadija would say, "The source of strength is Allah, and Allah gives strength to those who kneel."

One night, in the dark, Yasin and his companions went to rob a rich farmer's house in the village. Everyone in the house was asleep, but the old man, who was the muezzin of a mosque, suddenly woke up. He opened the back door and saw three masked young men standing in the courtyard. Before he knew it, one of the young men held a knife to his chest, but then Yasin's eyes suddenly fell on the prayer beads hanging from the old man's shoulder. The beads of the prayer beads hung lightly, as if they were also witnesses to worship.

Strangely, at that moment, something in Yasin's heart trembled. It was as if a fire had burned instead of going out. He suddenly dropped the knife and ran home, and that night the biggest battle of his life began—with himself.

The next morning, Yasin himself went to the mosque and sat down. The villagers were surprised. The muezzin looked on in shock. Yasin said nothing. He just stared at the open page of the Quran, where it was written:

“Say, O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins.”

This verse seemed to melt away all the coldness in his heart. He realized that the door of Allah was still open, that his repentance could still be accepted.

Then his journey of change began. Day after day, he silently prayed behind his mother, and at night, he cried and remembered his sins. A month later, he stood in front of the mosque and announced, “I am Yasin, the most sinful young man in this village. From today, I have given up that path. I want to walk on the path of Allah.”

The people of the village could not believe it. Many mocked, some said, “How can a boy who was stealing last week become a friend of Allah today?” But Yasin endured silently. He knew that what is important to Allah is not the person, but the truth of the heart.

The next few months were the most difficult time of his life. His old companions called him, threatened him. Some even tried to drag him back to his old life. But he was steadfast. His only answer was, “I have seen a lot of darkness in the world, now I have come to the path of light. I only want Allah.”

One day, a scholar came from a city near the village. He heard about Yasin’s changed life and came to meet him in person. Yasin told him, “I know nothing, I only know this—repentance means breaking the old self, and building a new heart that bows down only before Allah.”

The scholar said, “This realization of yours is the beginning of true guidance. People read books, read hadiths—all is knowledge; but it has come to you from the heart, and therefore it is pure.”

Yasin gradually began to sit with the youth of the village. Those whom he had once led astray, today he was bringing them to the path of repentance. People gradually regained their trust in him. Hearing his recitation in his voice, their eyes would get wet, and hearing his story of suffering would soften the hearts of the youth. He would say, “Repenting once does not make everything right. Every day, Satan will call again. But if you really want to return, Allah will not turn you away.”

A year later, during the month of Ramadan, the imam of the mosque fell ill. The mosque committee all decided that Yasin would lead the Taraweeh prayer this time. That night, the entire village wept as Yasin recited Surah Al-Furqan. He was reading the verse where Allah says—If someone repents, believes, and does righteous deeds, Allah will turn his sins into good deeds.

That night, the villagers realized—if one person changes, not only his life but also the fate of a society can change.

Flowers are now placed in Yasin’s house every day. “Repentance is a flower that can bloom even in a thorn bush. All I want is—to take one step towards the light.”