In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

"And protect them from sins"

[74:38] Every soul is trapped by its sins.
[74:39] Except for those on the right.

[2:81] Indeed, those who earn sins and become surrounded by their evil work will be the dwellers of Hell; they abide in it forever.
[2:82] As for those who believe, and lead a righteous life, they will be the dwellers of Paradise; they abide in it forever.

Bearing sins is the worst service we could do our souls. The human being is weak (4:28) with many insecurities. Believers are no exception. The messengers' history in Quran teaches us our human nature and shortcomings (Moses, Aaron, Muhammad, John, Solomon, Muhammad, Noah, Abraham and more..). God acknowledges the fact that believers could lose their battle here or there and would occasionally commit sins. Aside from the messengers' history, we recognize this fact in the following verses where God addresses the sins of "those who believe", "those who lead a righteous life" and "those who promote the Truth" ; believers are not immune from sinning:

[8:29] O you who believe, if you reverence God, He will enlighten you, remit your sins, and forgive you. God possesses infinite grace.

[29:7] Those who believe and lead a righteous life, we will certainly remit their sins, and will certainly reward them generously for their righteous works.

[39:33] As for those who promote the truth, and believe therein, they are the righteous.
[39:34] They will get everything they wish, at their Lord. Such is the reward for the righteous.
[39:35] God remits their sinful works, and rewards them generously for their good works.

[53:32] They avoid gross sins and transgressions, except for minor offenses. Your Lord's forgiveness is immense. ......

Those who believe in God and hope to meet Him and abide in His kingdom are well known by Him. As a recompense for choosing Him and for deciding to side with Him and His truth, they are promised His full support and continued guidance. They are the ones who earn His love and approval. Therefore, they have Him on their side as their Ally- the Best Ally and the Ultimate Supporter & Protector.

Among the many means of support they are privileged with is the continued protection from the harm of sinning. God constantly and mutually work with the believers to purify and unload their souls from any earned sins. Not only He does that, but also, at times, He inspires the believers to divert them from committing sins when they are near them. This divine support and grace instills more love for God in the hearts of the reverent ones every moment of their lives. When they understand His decreed systems of compassion and mercy and when they witness them at work, they are more inspired and motivated to strive harder to please Him, and that in return qualifies them to earn more of His protection and guidance.

[22:40] ..... Absolutely, God supports those who support Him. God is Powerful, Almighty.

[47:7] O you who believe, if you support God, He will support you, and strengthen your foothold.

[61:11] Believe in God and His messenger and strive in the cause of God with your money and your lives. This is the best deal for you, if you only knew.
[61:12] In return, He forgives your sins, and admits you into gardens with flowing streams, with beautiful mansions in the gardens of Eden. This is the greatest triumph.
[61:13] Additionally, you get something you truly love: support from God and guaranteed victory. Give good news to the believers.

[19:76] God augments the guidance of those who choose to be guided. For the good deeds are eternally rewarded by your Lord, and bring far better returns.

[10:9] As for those who believe and lead a righteous life, their Lord guides them, by virtue of their belief. Rivers will flow beneath them in the gardens of bliss.

To understand God's many provisions to lighten and eventually neutralize the believers' sins, one must study Quran carefully and pay attention to His detailed systems and perfectly worded & well-defined promises.

- Being able to resist temptations and to make the decisions that conform with God's commands no matter how seemingly hard or inconvenient they are is not just a simple choice. It takes a tremendous effort and sincere imploring to be able to make such a choice. It is then augmented by God's support and guidance promised for those who make the righteous choices. It is an honorable and generous gift from the Almighty to be guarded against evil when it predominates this world and to be inspired in the right time to not commit a sin that is an everyday practice of the majority. Some events in the story of prophet Joseph set the precedent of diverting the believers from sinning by divine and merciful intervention and protection :

[12:23] The lady of the house where he lived tried to seduce him. She closed the doors and said, "I am all yours." He said, "May God protect me. He is my Lord, who gave me a good home. The transgressors never succeed."
[12:24] She almost succumbed to him, and he almost succumbed to her, if it were not that he saw a proof from his Lord. We thus diverted evil and sin away from him, for he was one of our devoted servants.

[12:53] "I do not claim innocence for myself. The self is an advocate of vice, except for those who have attained mercy from my Lord. My Lord is Forgiver, Most Merciful."

- The consciousness of knowing wrong from right and recognizing what would not align with God's decreed will or ethics is a mean of support God blesses those who reverence Him with. Once this awareness is instilled in their hearts, they right away sense their mistakes, apologize to Him and ask for His provision of forgiveness, knowing that He is the Forgiver, Most Merciful:

[3:135] If they fall in sin or wrong their souls, they remember God and ask forgiveness for their sins - and who forgives the sins except God - and they do not persist in sins, knowingly.
[3:136] Their recompense is forgiveness from their Lord, and gardens with flowing streams; they abide therein forever. What a blessed reward for the workers!

[39:53] Proclaim: "O My servants who exceeded the limits, never despair of God's mercy. For God forgives all sins. He is the Forgiver, Most Merciful."

- Repentance is another gift and blessing to liberate and purify the souls of those who reverence God. It is one of God's means of support and protection from the harm of sins. The actions we take after recognizing our sin and asking God for forgiveness are crucial and are expressed above in 3:135 and in all of the following verses. Believers do not persist in sinning. They strive to reform, meaning to lead a righteous life after falling into a sin and to try the best to not repeat it. The Most Gracious promises the believers the acceptance of their repentance and the complete remission of their sins when they sincerely reform:

[42:25] He is the One who accepts the repentance from His servants, and remits the sins. He is fully aware of everything you do.

[25:71] Those who repent and lead a righteous life, God redeems them; a complete redemption.

[4:146] Only those who repent, reform, hold fast to God, and devote their religion absolutely to God alone, will be counted with the believers. God will bless the believers with a great recompense.

[66:8] O you who believe, you shall repent to God a firm repentance. Your Lord will then remit your sins and admit you into gardens with flowing streams. On that day, God will not disappoint the prophet and those who believed with him. Their light will radiate in front of them and to their right. They will say, "Our Lord, perfect our light for us, and forgive us; You are Omnipotent."

[42:25] He is the One who accepts the repentance from His servants, and remits the sins. He is fully aware of everything you do.

[4:18] Not acceptable is the repentance of those who commit sins until death comes to them, then say, "Now I repent." Nor is it acceptable from those who die as disbelievers. For these, we have prepared a painful retribution.

- Then, there is an automatic purification from our sins simply by doing righteous deeds. The righteous deeds cancel the harmful ones that we are not aware of:

[4:31] If you refrain from committing the gross sins that are prohibited for you, we will remit your sins, and admit you an honorable admittance.

[11:114] You shall observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) at both ends of the day, and during the night. The righteous works wipe out the evil works. This is a reminder for those who would take heed.

- Additional bonus to lighten our burden of sins and further beautify our souls is that when we repent and reform, not only that God accepts our firm repentance and forgives our sins but also He transforms any documented penalty into credit:

[25:70] Exempted are those who repent, believe, and lead a righteous life. God transforms their sins into credits. God is Forgiver, Most Merciful.

All the above verses spell out the perfect system of protecting the believers from sins. Having all the above merciful means in effect, those who reverence God return to Him with purified and redeemed souls without any loads of sins- sins they almost committed, and others they actually fell in. This is the ultimate protection from all sins and the fruit of believing in God and leading a righteous life. This is the exalted rank expressed in 94:4 and the answer of our prayer in 2:201:

[94:1] Did we not cool your temper?
[94:2] And we unloaded your load (of sins).
[94:3] One that burdened your back.
[94:4] We exalted you to an honorable position.
[94:5] With pain there is gain.
[94:6] Indeed, with pain there is gain.
[94:7] Whenever possible you shall strive.
[94:8] Seeking only your Lord.

[2:201] Others would say, "Our Lord, grant us righteousness in this world, and righteousness in the Hereafter, and spare us the retribution of Hell."

Having all the above reminders in mind help us put the following prayer of the angels in the perfect perspective. Just like those who reverence God would do, angels would only utter what conforms with God's decreed systems. Their prayer concludes the divine system of protection from sins God has designed for the reverent. What a perfect prayer for a perfect and an ultimate victory:

[40:7] Those who serve the throne and all those around it glorify and praise their Lord, and believe in Him. And they ask forgiveness for those who believe: "Our Lord, Your mercy and Your knowledge encompass all things. Forgive those who repent and follow Your path, and spare them the retribution of Hell.
[40:8] "Our Lord, and admit them into the gardens of Eden that You promised for them and for the righteous among their parents, spouses, and children. You are the Almighty, Most Wise.
[40:9] "And protect them from (falling in) sins. Whomever You protect from (falling in) sins, on that day, has attained mercy from You. This is the greatest triumph."

Peaceful Friday, salaam and God bless.