Content:

Section 1: What is Repentance?

Section 2: Difference between Istighfar and Repentance

Section 3: Why Repent?

Section 4: Taste Tranquility

Section 5: Stories of People who have Repented.

Section 6 : God loves those that repent

Section 7 : How to repent

Section 8 : FAQ about repenting... you want to repent but.....!

Section 9: E-Books

Section 10: Lectures

Section 1: What is Repentance?

Repentance in Islam

Section 2: Difference between Istighfar and Repentance

Section 3: Why Repent?

3 – The time for the prayer of repentance 

It is mustahabb to offer this prayer when the Muslim has decided to repent from the sin that he has committed, whether this repentance comes immediately after committing the sin or later on. The sinner must hasten to repent but if he delays it, it will still be accepted, because repentance is accepted so long as one of the following impediments does not occur: 

(i)                When the soul reaches the throat (at death). The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah will accept the repentance of His slave so long as the death rattle has not yet begun.” Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi (3537).

(ii)              When the sun rises from the west. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever repents before the sun rises from the west, Allaah will accept his repentance.” Narrated by Muslim (2703).

Section 4: Taste Tranquility

Section 5: Stories of People who have Repented

Section 6 : God loves those that Repent

Section 7 : How to Repent

Conditions for the acceptance of repentance

The word tauba which is rendered as repentance in English, is not a simple term as most people believe. It is very rich in meaning and implication, and is not simply a word of mouth after which the sinner continues in his sins. Says Allah, Glorified be He: "Seek forgiveness of your Lord and then turn to Him in repentance." (Hud: 3). Do you notice how turning to the Lord in repentance has been added to the search for His forgiveness?

It is quite in keeping with its importance, therefore, that repentance should have, as the scholars have stated, conditions attached to it for its acceptance. They are as follows:

First: Giving up of the sin itself.

Second: Remorse over what has been committed.

Third: A resolve not to repeat it, and, Fourth: Compensating those who have been wronged or obtaining their forgiveness.

First, the giving up of the sin should be for the sake Allah alone, and not for any other reason such as: fear of the people, inability to commit it, and so forth. He, for instance, who gives up a sin because it affects his position in the society adversely, or because it harm s him in his profession, is not a repenter. Nor is he who gave up for sake of his health such as he who gave up adultery from the fear of contagious diseases, or because it weakens his body or mind. Nor is he the repenter who gave up theft because the house was locked or he could not open the safe, or yet because he was afraid of the guards or the police. Neither is he a repenter who did not accept bribes because he feared the man offering it could be an informer. Nor is he a repenter who gave up wine or drugs because he had no money to buy. So also, he who could not do a thing because it was beyond his means, or out of his reach will not be counted as a repenter. For instance, if a habitual liar is affected by dumbness, or an adulterer who has become impotent, or a thief who lost his limbs; in all these cases, the feeling of remorse over what has been committed before, is a condition for a person to be called a repenter, even as the non-existence of the desire to go back to it is another condition. Hence the saying of the Prophet : "Remorse is repentance."

Allah, glorified be He, treats the man who has a strong desire to do a thing, but is incapable of carrying it out for some reason, as equal to one who does it. The Prophet  is recorded as having said:

"There are four kinds of people in the world.

"First, he whom Allah gave wealth as well as knowledge. This man, he fears his Lord, does his duty to his kin, and knows what is Allah's right in it. He is at the highest level.

"Second, the man whom Allah gave knowledge but not wealth. But he is true of intention. He says, 'Had I wealth, I would have done such and such (good things).' Since he is true of intention, he and the first man are equal in reward. Third, the man whom Allah gave wealth but not knowledge. He spends his wealth without restraint, neither fearing his Lord, nor giving his kin their right, nor yet giving Allah His due. He will be at the lowest level.

And finally, he whom Allah gave neither wealth nor knowledge. He says, 'Had I been given wealth, I would have spent it in such and such (evil) thing.' He will be judged according to his intention. He and the man of the third category are equal in sin."

Second, the repenting man should additionally feel the regret in his heart and ill effects on his soul. That is, true repentance does not allow for taking pleasure from past sins, or desire to repeat the sin. How can he wish it when the harms are so numerous and so serious? Ibn Qayyim, may Allah be kind upon him, states many harms of sins in his book 'Ailments and Cures'. Some of them are as follows:

"Loss of knowledge - a weird feeling in the heart - difficulties in ordinary affairs - weakening of the body - loss of willingness to do the bidding (of Allah) - loss of barakah - loss of inclination to do good things - constrained feeling in the heart - birth of evil deeds - habituation to the sins - unworthiness in the sight of Allah - littleness in the esteem of the people - curses of the beasts upon him - feeling of inferiority in the heart - sealing of the heart - earning qualification for the curse of Allah - unresponsiveness for Allah to his supplications - corruption in the land and sea - loss of sense of honor - loss of shame - loss of blessings - descending of Allah's anger - settling of fear in the heart - increased likelihood of falling in the traps of Satan - an unhappy end - and, - punishment in the Hereafter."

Surely these are such harms and ill effects that no sane man would like to sin after he has known about them. But unfortunately, we find that some people give up one kind of sin only to succumb to another kind. There are various reasons for this. Some are as follows:

The belief that the new sin is less offensive in the sight of Allah.

The base self has greater inclination to it than to the previous sin.

The means for the new sin are more widely spread and easily available, as against the other kinds of sins the means of which may not be easily available.

Because his pals also commit that sin, and it is difficult to part their company.

Because such sins would be a means of earning a place of honor among certain people, a thing he would not like to relinquish, and so he continues in those sins. This happens with people who are at the helm of affairs. As it happened with the poet Abu Nuwas when another poet Abu 'Atahi reproached him over some of his failings. Said Abu Nuwas in reply:

Do you reckon me giving up these frivolities O' Atahi? Do you reckon me losing my position among my people?

Third, a sinner should hasten to repent, for procrastination in this affair is itself a sin that requires repentance.

Fourth, the fear that the repentance may not have been accepted at all. T his will help against a fall into the state of complacency and a false sense of security.

Fifth, feeling of the loss of what was lost in the past while the sinner was engaged in his sins. For instance the nonpayment of zakah in which were the dues of the poor (and for the payment of which means were then available).

Sixth, that the sinner should move away from the place where the sin was committed. For if he remains there the chances of him falling into the same sin exist.

Seventh, the sinner should abandon the company of those that helped him in the sin. Says Allah: "Friends that day will be enemy unto each other - save for the god-fearing." (Al-Zukhruf: 67). These bad companions will be cursing each other on the day of Reckoning. You should, therefore, dear repenting man, avoid these even now, keeping a safe distance from them. For if you keep yourself in close range of them you will fall prey to Satan again and succumb to their temptations, especially when you know that you do suffer some weaknesses. There are many instances of people going back to sins because they failed to abandon bad company.

Eighth, destruction of those things and articles that help in committing sins such as, for instance, wine, musical instruments, pictures, films, erotic literature and so on. These should be burned, broken, or destroyed as the case may be. This abandoning of all previous trappings at the threshold of repentance and perseverance is of extreme importance. And how often it has not been that the mere presence of these means of evil have tempted the owners back into the old sins after they had repented.

Ninth, he should now, in place of the bad companions, select those virtuous ones that will support him in his new resolve. He should begin to attend those assemblies where Allah is remembered much, and from where knowledge is disseminated. He should also fill in his vacant hours with useful activities in order not to allow Satan to wend his way and remind him of the past.

Tenth, rebuild his body - that had been fed with the "unlawful" so far - by feeding it with the "lawful" alone.

Section 8 : FAQ of those that Want to Repent But...

Will Allah forgive me?

Sometimes a man asks: I would like to repent, but I have such a huge collection, and such a wide variety of evil deeds in my account that I do not know if Allah will forgive me.

Let me tell you in reply, my brother, that this is not your specific problem but that of many a young man who wants to repent his sins. Let me give you the example of a young man. He started his career of sin at a very early age. By the time he had reached seventeen years of his there was not a sin - major or minor - that he had not committed teeming up with people of all sorts - young and old. He had even committed indecencies with a little girl adding to the list of thefts committed on various occasions. Then he repented, began to do his tahajjud, fast every Monday and Thursday, and read the Qur'an after every morning Prayer. But, he used to ask, is this repentance acceptable (to Allah)?

Our Answer to him and to every sinner is that we should always turn to the Qur'an and sunnah to find out what they have to say about the problem at hand, and what is the cure and solution they offer. When we refer to the qur'an in this regard we find that Allah, glorified be He, tells us: "Tell them (O Muhammad ): 'O My slaves who have wronged their souls, do not despair of Allah's mercy, for Allah will forgive all the sins. He is indeed very Forgiving, very Compassionate, Turn to Him then, and obey Him (in all your affairs).'" (Al-Zumar:53,54). This then is the Answer which does not need further elucidation.

As for the thought that the sins are so numerous that Allah may not forgive them, it arises, first of all, from a lack of faith and knowledge of the magnitude of Allah's mercy. Secondly, it is because of the lack of appreciation of Allah's capability to forgive any number of sins. Thirdly, it indicates failure on the part of the penitent to come up with another important deed of the heart viz., "hope". And fourthly, it is lack of appreciation of the way in which repentance can wipe out sins. we shall therefore, discuss each of these points a little more in detail.

As for the first, it should be enough to quote Allah Himself who says: "My mercy has encompassed every thing." (Al-A'raf:56)

As for the second, a hadith qudsi should be enough to quote. Said the Prophet  on whom be peace: "Says Allah, 'He who knows (and believes) that I forgive all sins, then I do forgive all his sins, and do not care - so long as he does not suggest partners unto Me." And the rule will be applied (continues the Prophet ) in the Hereafter."

As for the third, another hadith should offer the cure. The Prophet  quotes Allah as having said: "Son of Adam! If your sins were to reach the limits of the sky, and then you seek My forgiveness, I shall forgive you, and I do not care. Son of Adam! If you will bring sins equal in volume to the earth and then you meet Me (on the day of Judgment) in the state that you would not have suggested partners unto Me, I shall give you in return forgiveness equal to the volume of the earth."

And, as for the fourth, another hadith of the Prophet  should be enough for the purpose. Said he: "He who repented is like him who has no sin on him."

In addition, for the sake of every one who thinks that the forgiveness of his sins is a doubtful affair, we narrate the hadith that follows in the next section.

Section 9: E-Books

Section 10: Lectures