The Imam (as) answered: “Make repentance one of your primary goals.
The Imam (as) answered: “Make repentance one of your primary goals.” That man repented over and over again, sometimes repenting seven hundred times a day. Then Allah bestowed upon him a son. On hearing the news, Mu‘awiyah asked the man why he had not asked the Imam as to why repentance carries such a tremendous influence.
The next time he encountered the Imam, he thus made this query to which the Imam (as) responded: “Have you not heard that Allah says in the story of Hud: “…and increasing strength upon your strength...”” The Qur’anic term /quwwah/ has been interpreted as property (wealth), children, and energy. In the story of Noah, verse 12, the Qur’an implies that if you repent and apologize, He will add to your prestige with children and property.
One should not think that faith in Allah and focusing on Him signifies distancing oneself from wealth and property. Were we to accept the faith, not only we would not lose anything, but also our wealth and property will be multiplied. If the Islamic state aspires towards economic expansion, it must seek a strategy for expanding the spiritual state of its society. At any rate, turning away from the prophets and neglecting them is a grave sin.
You have brought us no clear proof, and we shall not abandon our gods for your word, nor are we believers in you!’” Those who worship idols of stone and wood, and offer no solid reasons for their deeds, question the prophets whose way of life is to prove the truth of their claims by performing miracles and offering clear evidence. Disbelievers’ main response was that they would not abandon their idols for the sake of Hud’s words.
They did not mention anything regarding lack of evidence as they were not after reasoning. They reiterated: “They said: ‘O Hud! You have brought us no clear proof, and we shall not abandon our gods for your word, nor are we believers in you!’” The prophets met with fierce resistance from the idol worshippers in the first stage of their call, but they never neglected their duty in propagating Allah’s message.