Tawbah — Repentance in Islam

Tawbah (repentance) is one of the most hopeful and beautiful concepts in Islam. It is the door through which every sinner can return to Allah's mercy, no matter how far they have strayed. Allah says: "Say: O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful" (Quran 39:53). The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "All of the children of Adam are sinners, and the best of sinners are those who repent" (Sunan al-Tirmidhi).

Conditions of Valid Repentance

Imam al-Nawawi outlined the conditions for sincere repentance. First, stopping the sin immediately. Second, feeling genuine remorse (nadam) for having committed it. The Prophet said: "Remorse is repentance" (Sunan Ibn Majah), indicating that remorse is the essence of tawbah. Third, making a firm resolve not to return to the sin. Fourth, if the sin involved the rights of another person (such as theft or backbiting), restoring their rights or seeking their forgiveness. If all four conditions are met, the repentance is accepted by Allah, who loves repentance: "Indeed, Allah loves those who are constantly repenting and loves those who purify themselves" (Quran 2:222).

Allah's Infinite Mercy

The Quran and Sunnah emphasize Allah's eagerness to forgive. The Prophet narrated: "Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His servant than a man who loses his camel carrying his food and water in a barren desert, and gives up hope, then lies down in the shade of a tree expecting death. Then he finds his camel standing before him and says out of extreme joy: 'O Allah, You are my servant and I am Your Lord!' He makes a mistake from the intensity of his joy" (Sahih Muslim). Allah extends His Hand in mercy during the night for those who sinned during the day, and during the day for those who sinned at night, until the sun rises from the west (Sahih Muslim).

Major and Minor Sins

Scholars distinguish between major sins (kaba'ir) and minor sins (sagha'ir). Major sins include shirk, murder, fornication, consuming riba, slandering chaste women, fleeing from battle, and disobedience to parents. These require specific repentance (tawbah nasuha). Minor sins may be expiated by good deeds: "The five daily prayers, and Friday to Friday, and Ramadan to Ramadan, are expiations for whatever sins come between them, as long as major sins are avoided" (Sahih Muslim). However, persisting in minor sins without repentance can elevate them to the level of major sins. The scholars say: "No minor sin is minor when it is accompanied by persistence, and no major sin is major when it is accompanied by seeking forgiveness."

Never Losing Hope

One of the greatest traps of Shaytan is to make a person despair of Allah's mercy after sinning. The Quran explicitly forbids this: "And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord except those who are astray?" (Quran 15:56). The story of the man who killed ninety-nine people and then a hundredth (a worshipper who told him there was no repentance for him), then sought out a scholar who told him that nothing stands between a person and repentance, is a powerful illustration. He set out to migrate to a righteous town but died on the way. Allah commanded the earth to contract so that he died closer to the righteous town, and he was forgiven (Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim). This hadith shows that the door of tawbah is always open, the mercy of Allah is always available, and no sin is too great for divine forgiveness when repentance is sincere.