Allah's attributes of mercy and forgiveness are stressed to encourage humans not to fall into despair. No matter how great the sins of human beings may be, Allah can forgive them if man turns back to Him in sincere repentance. The Prophet (pbuh) was quoted as saying, "When Allah created the universe, He made an obligation on Himself [recorded] in a document kept by Him: My mercy supersedes my wrath." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]