Repentance in Islam

Tawbatan nasuha (sincere repentance) is one of the most important and difficult stage for a Muslim, which signifies a sincere effort to comply sincerely with God's commands and prohibitions in one's feelings, thoughts, intentions and acts,

Scholars count four necessary conditions for a correct repentance. First, one should feel remorse for the mistake he made. Second, one should stop making the mistake, if it is a continuing habit.

Third, one should have a sincere determination not to repeat the same mistake in the future. Fourth, if the mistake relates to people’s rights, one must return to people what one owes them.

A sincere repentant must meet these four conditions. The first condition is feeling remorse for the mistake. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Remorse is repentance.” (Reported by Ibn Hibban and Ibn Majah)

The second condition is to refrain from committing the same mistake again. A hypocrite is the one who continues the mistake while claiming repentance from it. The third condition is to have a sincere determination never to repeat the same mistake in the future.

As for the fourth condition, scholars say that if the mistake one has committed relates to people’s rights, one must make amends. For example, if one unlawfully takes something, it must be returned. If an injustice is committed, it must be corrected. Scholars also mention that one must seek people’s pardon if one speaks ill of them.

One cannot feel regret about a mistake and give it up, while also having an intention to commit the mistake again in the near or distant future. But if it happens that one falls into the same error again, then the only solution is to repeat the same process again.

That is, to renew the repentance, renew the remorse and regret, and decide not to fall again. And so on. One must know that God is Most Forgiving and Most Merciful. God does not mind accepting one’s (sincere) repentance again and again.

The Prophet (pbuh) reported to have said: “A person who has repented of a sin sincerely is exactly like the person who has never sinned at all.”(Reported by Ibn Majah)

The Prophet (pbuh) also said: “God says: O son of Adam, as long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind! O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth, I would forgive you, and I shall not mind. (Reported by Bukhari and Muslim)


Wallahu'alam