http://www.islamcan.com/common-questions-about-islam/why-is-it-that-muslims-do-not-accept-the-doctrine-of-original-sin.shtml
The reason Muslims do not accept this doctrine is that the word of God,
the Qur'an, does not agree with it. The Qur'an teaches that God is ever
willing to forgive anyone who turns to him in sincere repentance. We
find in the Qur'an that God taught Adam and Eve how to seek His
forgiveness. When they did as God taught them, God forgave them (see
Qur'an 20:122).
Adam and Eve were created with the potential to do either good or evil.
They had a free choice either to obey God or disobey Him. They did not
realize how deceptive the devil was, and so prompted by him, they made
the wrong choice. Will God remain forever angry with them over that
one mistake? No! Instead, God taught them how to repair their
relationship with Him by praying for forgiveness. Muslims still often
recite the same prayer, as follows:
Our Lord, we have wronged our souls. If you do not forgive us and have mercy on us, then surely we are lost (Qur'an 7:23).
What we obtain from that incident is not original sin, but original
forgiveness, and an original lesson on how to seek that forgiveness. God
set the precedent that He will forgive those who turn to Him in
sincere repentance. We will all find ourselves in a similar situation
as Adam and Eve. The prophet, on whom be peace, said that every child
of Adam is a sinner, and the best of them are those who turn back to
God in sincere repentance.
This shows that God does not demand absolute perfection from us humans.
That would be an impossible demand, since God alone is absolutely
perfect. To err is human. God wants us to know that he will accept us
as we are, shortcomings and all, as long as we are trying our best to
obey Him. Even in our human situations, it is well understood that
absolute perfection is not to be demanded from anyone. Suppose teachers
were to demand that all students must score 100% on all their tests,
and that if they make even one mistake they will not pass. No one of
sound mind will demand this, for it is clearly beyond human capacity.
Similarly, God does not demand from people what is beyond their
capacity (see Qur'an 2:226).
Some will say that Adam was created perfect and that when he sinned he
ruined that perfection. This suggestion makes no sense. If perfection
meant that Adam had no ability to choose between good and evil, then
how did he exercise that choice which he supposedly did not have? And
if he had the ability to choose, as Muslims believe, then why would God
remain forever angry with him for his first mistake? Humankind was
then in its infancy. We needed someone to pick us up when we fall, not
someone to bulldoze us with a tremendous burden of sin and guilt.
Some will say that God could not forgive Adam even if He wanted to do
so, since God is Just and He must exact justice. This is as if to say
that justice is contrary to mercy, and that God is so fenced in by His
own law that He has no freedom to do what He wants to do. How silly!
The truth is that God warns us of His punishment, but He also promises
forgiveness for those who sincerely repent. If He decides to save
sinners, who is there to say He cannot do what He wishes?
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