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Question: [Please] talk to us about at-towbah (repentance), and what its conditions are; and what is the [true] meaning of at-towbah an-nasooh?
Response: at-Towbah is to return from sin [and transgression] to [the] obedience [of Allaah]; and it is obligatory [to do so, as Allaah ‘Azza wa Jall said]:
…so it is obligatory upon the Muslim – when he falls into sin, that he hasten to repent to Allaah ‘Azza wa Jall. And Allaah forgives the one who repents [to him, as He says]:
…and this is from the Grace of Allaah ‘Azza wa Jall. He has commanded [us] with repentance, and promised to forgive the sins of the one who repents. However, repentance is not [simply] by the tongue alone; repentance has conditions which are required to be fulfilled, and these conditions are:
1) Abandoning the sin and distancing oneself from it; and he mustn’t say that he shall repent to Allaah whilst he continues upon the sin;
2) To be firm in his resolve not to return back to the sin; and if he repents to Allaah whilst harbouring the intention to return to the sin at a later time, then this repentance is temporary, and Allaah سبحانه و تعالى shall not accept it [from him];
3) To be remorseful at what has passed [of his acts of sin and transgression], and to picture the sin in his mind and be fearful of [falling into] it [again]; and he mustn’t say that I have repented and that’s the end of it, rather, he should be fearful of [falling into] this sin [again] and be remorseful at what has come to pass from him.
And these are the conditions of repentance, if they have been fulfilled, then Allaah سبحانه و تعالىa shall accept his repentance as He [Himself has] promised.
Translation originally published on 20 February, 2015
