Repentance (tawba) and condition of tawba in Islam

By Khandaker Nazneen Sultana,?????????????????????????????????????

Writer, Journalist.

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Messenger of Allah, Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) said: ‘Regret is Repentance.’ Repentance is a concept consisting of three successive and joined elements: knowledge, state [of remorse] and action. Knowledge is first, awareness second and action third.

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAW), "Allah will turn towards anyone who turns in repentance before the time that the sun rises from the place it set."? -- [Muslim]

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Al-Agharr ibn Yasar al-Muzani (RA) said that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, "O people! Turn in repentance towards Allah and ask His forgiveness. I turn towards Him a hundred times a day." --? [Muslim]

Abu 'Abdu'r-Rahman 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar ibn al-Khattab said that the Prophet (SAW) said, "Allah the Mighty and Majestic accepts the repentance of His servant as long as long as his death-rattle has not begun." --? [At-Tirmidhi]

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Ibn Hajar mentioned that Qurtubi quoted 23 different definitions of true repentance (al-tawba al-nasuh) in his tafsir. Ibn Hajar mentioned the most important of these:

1. Umar’s words (Allah be pleased with him) that it is, “To sin and then never to return to it.”

2. To hate the sin, and the seek forgiveness for it every time it occurs to one, as Hasan al-Basri (Allah have mercy on him) said.

3. Qatada’s words (Allah have mercy on him), “To be genuine and truthful in one’s repentance,” which is what Imam Bukhari chose as the definition of true repentance in his chapter heading.

4. To have sincerity in one’s repentance.

5. To be concerned about one’s repentance not being accepted.

6. To be such that it does not need another repentance after it.

7. To be made out of fear and hope, and be accompanied by consistency in worship.

8. Like the seventh, but with the added condition that one desert those who assisted one in sin.

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9. That one’s sin be between one’s eyes. [f: That is, one does not forget it.] [Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari]

Ibn 'Abbas reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If the son of Adam possessed a valley full of gold he would want to have two valleys, yet his mouth will only be filled by earth. Allah turns towards those who turn in repentance.”? -- [Agreed upon]

Allah has also described about repentance (tawba) in many places in the Qur’an, so let us now take a look at what He has in store for the believers.

?For a person, repentance (tawba) before Death is very much

important in Islam—From the view of Al-Qur’an:

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In Surah Al-Baqarah verses no.?? 277, 279 Allah says:

2.277. Those who believe, and do deeds of righteousness, and establish regular prayers and regular charity, will have their reward with their Lord: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.

2.279. If ye do it not, Take notice of war from Allah and His Messenger. But if ye turn back, ye shall have your capital sums: Deal not unjustly, and ye shall not be dealt with unjustly.

In Surah Al-i-Imran verses no.? 135, 139 Allah informs:

3.135. And those who, having done something to be ashamed of, or wronged their own souls, earnestly bring Allah to mind, and ask for forgiveness for their sins,- and who can forgive sins except Allah.- and are never obstinate in persisting knowingly in (the wrong) they have done.

3.139. So lose not heart, nor fall into despair: For ye must gain mastery if ye are true in Faith.

In Surah An-Nisaa verses no. 17, 18, 92, 110 Allah mentions:

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4.17. Allah accepts the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and repent soon afterwards; to them will Allah turn in mercy: For Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom.

4.18. Of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil, until death faces one of them, and he says, "Now have I repented indeed;" nor of those who die rejecting Faith: for them have We prepared a punishment most grievous.

4.92. Never should a believer kill a believer; but (If it so happens) by mistake, (Compensation is due): If one (so) kills a believer, it is ordained that he should free a believing slave, and pay compensation to the deceased's family, unless they remit it freely. If the deceased belonged to a people at war with you, and he was a believer, the freeing of a believing slave (Is enough). If he belonged to a people with whom ye have treaty of Mutual alliance, compensation should be paid to his family, and a believing slave be freed. For those who find this beyond their means, (is prescribed) a fast for two months running: by way of repentance to Allah. for Allah hath all knowledge and all wisdom.

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4.110. If any one does evil or wrongs his own soul but afterwards seeks Allah.s forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

In Surah Al-An’am verses no. 34- 36, 54 Allah states:

6.34. Rejected were the apostles before thee: with patience and constancy they bore their rejection and their wrongs, until Our aid did reach them: there is none that can alter the words (and decrees) of Allah. Already hast thou received some account of those apostles.

6.35. If their spurning is hard on thy mind, yet if thou wert able to seek a tunnel in the ground or a ladder to the skies and bring them a sign,- (what good?). If it were Allah.s will, He could gather them together unto true guidance: so be not thou amongst those who are swayed by ignorance (and impatience)!

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6.36. Those who listen (in truth), be sure, will accept: as to the dead, Allah will raise them up; then will they be turned unto Him.

6.54. When those come to thee who believe in Our signs, Say: "Peace be on you: Your Lord hath inscribed for Himself (the rule of) mercy: verily, if any of you did evil in ignorance, and thereafter repented, and amend (his conduct), lo! He is Oft- forgiving, Most Merciful.

In Surah At- Tawba verses no. 6, 11, 74, 80, 104, 112 Allah notices:

9.6. If one amongst the Pagans ask thee for asylum, grant it to him, so that he may hear the word of Allah. and then escort him to where he can be secure. That is because they are men without knowledge.

9.11. But (even so), if they repent, establish regular prayers, and practise regular charity,- they are your brethren in Faith: (thus) do We explain the Signs in detail, for those who understand.

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9.74. They swear by Allah that they said nothing (evil), but indeed they uttered blasphemy, and they did it after accepting Islam; and they meditated a plot which they were unable to carry out: this revenge of theirs was (their) only return for the bounty with which Allah and His Messenger had enriched them! If they repent, it will be best for them; but if they turn back (to their evil ways), Allah will punish them with a grievous penalty in this life and in the Hereafter: They shall have none on earth to protect or help them.

9.80. Whether thou ask for their forgiveness, or not, (their sin is unforgivable): if thou ask seventy times for their forgiveness, Allah will not forgive them: because they have rejected Allah and His Messenger. and Allah guideth not those who are perversely rebellious.

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9.104. Know they not that Allah doth accept repentance from His votaries and receives their gifts of charity, and that Allah is verily He, the Oft-Returning, Most Merciful?

9.112. Those that turn (to Allah. in repentance; that serve Him, and praise Him; that wander in devotion to the cause of Allah,: that bow down and prostrate themselves in prayer; that enjoin good and forbid evil; and observe the limit set by Allah.- (These do rejoice). So proclaim the glad tidings to the Believers.

In Surah Hud verses no.? 3, 114 Allah notices:

11.3. "(And to preach thus), 'Seek ye the forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him in repentance; that He may grant you enjoyment, good (and true), for a term appointed, and bestow His abounding grace on all who abound in merit! But if ye turn away, then I fear for you the penalty of a great day:

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11.114. And establish regular prayers at the two ends of the day and at the approaches of the night: For those things, that are good remove those that are evil: Be that the word of remembrance to those who remember (their Lord):

In Surah Ar-Ra’d verses no. 11 Allah express:

13.11. For each (such person) there are (angels) in succession, before and behind him: They guard him by command of Allah. Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls). But when (once) Allah willeth a people's punishment, there can be no turning it back, nor will they find, besides Him, any to protect.

In Surah An-Nahl verses no. 119 Allah reports:

16.119. But verily thy Lord,- to those who do wrong in ignorance, but who thereafter repent and make amends,- thy Lord, after all this, is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

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In Surah Maryam verses no. 61 Allah relates:

19.61. Gardens of Eternity, those which (Allah) Most Gracious has promised to His servants in the Unseen: for His promise must (necessarily) come to pass.

In Surah Ta- Ha verses no. 82 Allah explains:

20.82. "But, without doubt, I am (also) He that forgives again and again, to those who repent, believe, and do right, who,- in fine, are ready to receive true guidance."

In Surah Al-Furkan verses no. 70- 71 Allah notices:

25.70. Unless he repents, believes, and works righteous deeds, for Allah will change the evil of such persons into good, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful,

25.71. And whoever repents and does good has truly turned to Allah with an (acceptable) conversion;-

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In Surah An- Naml verses no. 11 Allah express:

27.11. "But if any have done wrong and have thereafter substituted good to take the place of evil, truly, I am Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

In Surah At- Tahrim verses no. 8 Allah informs:

66.8. O ye who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance: In the hope that your Lord will remove from you your ills and admit you to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow,- the Day that Allah will not permit to be humiliated the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their Light will run forward before them and by their right hands, while they say, "Our Lord! Perfect our Light for us, and grant us Forgiveness: for Thou hast power over all things."

Some hadith about repentance (tawba):

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Abu Bakr (RA) related from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) that he said, “There is no one who commits a sin, goes and performs ritual ablutions, and then prays two rakats after which they seek Allah’s forgiveness except that He forgives them.” After this, he (peace and blessings be upon him) recited Allah Most High’s words,

The Prophet (SAW) said, “The one who repents from sin is like the one who never sinned.” [Ibn Maja (3240)] He also said, “Remorse is repentance.” -- [Ibn Maja (4242) and Ahmad (3387)]

Abu Hurayra? (RA) said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'By Allah, I ask Allah's forgiveness and turn towards Him in repentance more than seventy times a day."

Abu Hamza Anas ibn Malik al-Ansari, the servant of the Messenger of Allah reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah is happier about the repentance of one His slaves than one of you would be about finding your camel which had strayed away from you in the middle of the desert." [Agreed upon]

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In the variant of Muslim, "Allah has greater joy at the repentance of one His slaves when he turns towards Him than one of you would have over his mount, which, having escaped from him with his food and drink in the middle of the desert so that he has despaired of finding it and gone to a tree to lie down in its shade, suddenly appears standing by him while he is in that state, so that he takes its reins and then says out of the intensity of his joy, 'O Allah, You are my slave and I am Your Lord!' getting confused because of his intense joy.'"

From Abu Musa 'Abdullah ibn Qays al-Ash'ari is that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah Almighty will stretch out His hand during the night, turning towards the one who did wrong during the day, and stretch out His hand during the day, turning towards the one who did wrong during the night, until the day the sun rises from the place it set."? -- [Muslim]

Sufyan, one its transmitters, said, "It is in the direction of Syria. Allah Almighty, on the day He created the heavens and the earth, created it to be open for repentance and it will not be locked until the sun rises from there." -- [at-Tirmidhi & others]

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Abu Sa'id ibn Sa'd ibn Malik ibn Sinan al-Khudri reported that the Prophet of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Among those before you there was a man who killed ninety-nine people. He asked who was the most knowledgeable man in the world and was directed to a monk. He went to him and said that he had killed ninety-nine people and was repentance possible for him? The monk said, 'No,' so he killed him and made it a hundred. Then he again asked who was the most knowledgeable man on earth and was directed to a man of knowledge. He said that he had killed a hundred people, so was repentance possible for him? The man said, 'Yes, who can come between you and repentance? Go to such-and-such a land, where there are some people worshipping Allah Almighty. Worship Allah with them and do not return to your own country. It is an evil place.' So he went and then, when he was half way there, he died. The angels of mercy and angels of punishment started to argue about him. The angels of mercy said, 'He came in repentance, turning with his heart to Allah Almighty.' The angels of punishment said, 'He has not done a single good action.' An angel came in a human form and they appointed him arbitrator between them. He said, 'Measure the distance between the two countries and whichever one he is nearer to, that is the one he belongs to.' They measured and found he was nearer to the land to which he was going, so the angels of mercy took him." [Agreed upon]

In the variant in the Sahih, "He was a hand-span nearer to the virtuous land, so he was put among their people." In the variant in the Sahih, "Allah revealed to this country to distance itself and that one to come nearer. He said, 'Measure the distance between them,' and they found that he was nearer to the good one by a hand-span and he forgave him." In one variant, "He was nearer it by a short neck."

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Abu Nujayd 'Imran ibn al-Husayn al-Khuza'i reported that a woman from Juhayna came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who was pregnant as a result of fornication. She said, "O Messenger of Allah, I have broken a hadd, so carry out the punishment on me. The Prophet of Allah summoned her guardian and said, "Treat her well. When she gives birth, bring her back to me." He did that and the Prophet of Allah commanded that her garment be tied tightly about her and then he commanded that she be stoned. Then he prayed over her. 'Umar said to him, "Do you pray over her, Messenger of Allah, when she committed fornication? He said, "She repented with such a repentance that if it were to be divided out among seventy of the people of Madina, it would be enough for all of them. Can you think of anything better than her offering herself to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic?"--? [Muslim]

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah, glory be to Him, laughs about two men, one of whom kills the other and yet both of them enter the Garden. One fights in the way of Allah and is killed. Then Allah turns towards the killer, who then becomes Muslim himself and is martyred." --[Agreed upon]

(This article have published in the ‘Editorial page’ of

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‘The News Today’ on August 28, 2006)

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