They admitted their sins, thereby walked through the doors of repentance. This experience was like a preparation that there will be commands and prohibitions; lawful and unlawful things; and right and wrong, all while the doors of repentance remain open. Whoever repents and fixes his mistakes, his sins are removed.

( قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنفُسَنَا) (They said, “Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves): Both of them admitted to have done themselves wrong.

( وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا) (and if You do not forgive us): They asked for forgiveness for their sin and wrongdoing.

( وَتَرْحَمْنَا ) (and have mercy upon us): People need Allah’s mercy (swt) to survive, not only forgiveness for their sins.

( لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ ) (we will surely be among the losers): Adam and Eve immediately admitted their sin and guilt, they then repented from it. Allah (swt) taught them what was lawful and what was unlawful, and He (swt) also taught them how to repent.

There is a difference between Satan’s sin and the one committed by Adam and Eve. Allah (swt) accepted from Adam and Eve and opened the doors of repentance for them, but it was not the same for Satan because after he sinned, Satan became arrogant and said:

 أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ ۖ خَلَقْتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ

(“I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay.”) (Saad: 76)

He compared himself to Adam and refused to follow Allah’s (swt) orders, while Adam and Eve admitted their guilt and immediately said: (“Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves). Repentance is accepted from those who admit their guilts.