Tawbah in Islam
Muslim woman says duaa
Understanding the Concept of Tawbah in Islam (Repentance)
By IslamOnline.com Researchers
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All thanks and praise are due to Allah and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear questioner! Thanks a lot for the apparent interest you show in understanding the teachings of Islam that enlightens the hearts and the minds of people.
Brother! Tawbah is an Arabic words derived from the origin "Taaba" i.e. returned back. Tawbah thus means turning back in repentance. It means showing regret for the error and the sin one has got himself involved in.
To have a clear view of the concept of Tawbah and what it does mean, read the following:
Repentance (Tawbah) means that one feels regret and filled with remorse for his or her sins, turns to Allah with the intention to obey Him. According to truth-seeking scholars, repentance signifies a sincere effort to no longer oppose the Divine Essence in one's feelings, thoughts, intentions, and acts, and to comply sincerely with His commands and prohibitions. Repentance does not mean being disgusted with what is bad or prohibited and thus no longer engaging in it; rather, it means remaining aloof from whatever Allah hates and prohibits, even if it seems agreeable to sense and reason.
Repentance is usually used with Nasuh, literally meaning pure, sincere, reforming, improving, and repairing. Tawbah Nasuh (genuine repentance) means a pure, sincere repentance that perfectly reforms and improves the one who feels it. One who feels such a sincere, heartfelt, and true remorse for the sin committed seeks to abandon it, thereby setting a good example for others. The Quran points to this when it mentions true repentance: "O you who believe! Turn to God in true, sincere repentance." (At-Tahrim: 8).
There are three categories of repentance:
1-The repentance of those who cannot discern Divine truths. Such people are uneasy about their disobedience to Allah and, conscious of the sinfulness clouding their hearts, turn toward Allah in repentance saying, for example: "I have fallen or committed a sin. Forgive me, or I ask for Allah's forgiveness."
2-Those half-awakened to Divine truths beyond veils of material existence, who feel an inward pang of sinfulness and remorse right after thinking or doing anything incompatible with the consciousness of always being in Allah's presence, or after every instance of heedlessness enveloping their hearts, and who immediately take refuge in the mercy and favor of Allah. Such people are described in the following Hadith:. "One who sincerely repents of his sin is as if he had never committed it. When Allah loves one of His servants, his sins do not harm him. Then he recited the verse: aAssuredly, Allah loves the oft-repentant and those who always seek to purify themselves.'"
3-Those who live such a careful life that, their eyes sleep but their hearts do not, their hearts are awake. Such people immediately discard what-ever intervenes between Allah and their hearts and other innermost faculties, and regain the consciousness of their relation to the Light of Lights. They always manifest the meaning of:. "How excellent a servant! Truly he was ever turning in contrition (to his Lord)" (Sad:44).
Repentance means regaining one's essential purity after every spiritual defilement, and engaging in frequent self-renewal.
The Stages of Repentance:
1-Feeling sincere remorse and regret.
2-Being frightened whenever one remembers past sins.
3-Trying to eradicate injustice and support justice and right.
4-Reviewing one's responsibilities and performing obligations previously neglected.
5-Reforming oneself by removing spiritual defects caused by deviation and error
6-Regretting and lamenting the times when one did not mention or remember Allah, or thank Him and reflect on His works. Such people are always apprehensive and alert so that their thoughts and feelings are not tainted by things that intervene between themselves and Allah. (This last quality is particular to people distinguished by their nearness to Allah.)
If one does not feel remorse, regret, and disgust for errors committed, whether great or small; if one is not fearful or apprehensive of falling back into sin at any time; and if one does not take shelter in sincere servanthood to Allah in order to be freed from deviation and error into which one has fallen by moving away from God, any resulting repentance will be no more than a lie.
A Muslim should cry:
I'm sorry for the mistakes I make.
And, I know of none that can be retrieved.
They're like the water over a dam.
To flow back, it cannot be achieved.
There are things I wish I had never said.
Now, I wish that I had bit my tongue instead.
To make another feel that pain,
For those thoughtless words, I am disdain.
Repentance is an oath of virtue, and holding steadfastly to it requires strong willpower. The lord of the penitents, peace and blessings be upon him, says that one who repents sincerely and holds steadfastly to it is has achieved the rank of a martyr, while the repentance of those who cannot free themselves from their sins and deviations, although they repent repeatedly, mocks the door toward which the truly repentant ones turn in utmost sincerity and resolution.
One who continues to sin after proclaiming a fear of Hell, who does not engage in righteous deeds despite self-proclaimed desires for Paradise, and who is indifferent to the Prophet's way and practices despite assertions of love for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, cannot be taken seriously. This is also the case with one who claims to be sincere and pure-hearted, but spends his or her life oscillating between sin and repentance.
An initiate's first station is repentance, while the second is. Inabah (sincere penitence). While repentance requires the training of feelings, thoughts, and acts in order to move them from opposition to acceptance and obedience, sincere penitence demands a critique of the authenticity, sincerity, and sufficiency of that acceptance and obedience. Repentance is a progressing or journeying toward Allah"”that is, seeking to do what is pleasing to Allah and refraining from what is forbidden by Him. Sincere penitence is striving to live an upright life so that one may seek Allah's pleasure in all actions and thoughts."
Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: www.thewayrtotruth.org
In conclusion, we would like to cite for you the following lines of verse by Imam Ash-Shafi`i, may Allah be pleased with him:
"To You, the Creator, I raise my longing,
Though I am a sinner and a wrongdoer.
When it becomes black before my eyes,
I seek refuge in You and place my trust and hope.
When the heaps of my sins are compared to Your Grace.
Your Grace is greater and covers all the globe."
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help me to repent . I am staying in a marriage with him even though he changed his mind about Islam.
manal, e-mail me
@ manal - If he changed his mind about Islam you have to choose what's more important to you personally. Allah's pleasure or your marriage to a non muslim. Consider this carefully. Wish you the best of luck in your future. May Allah accept your repentance.
Dear Manal,
I fully agree with what Talal has advised. May Allah help you in finding much more compatible, God fearing and practicing life partner who will Inshah allah not only make your this worldy life Paradise but he will be with you in paradise in the hereafter aswell.
Zaheer
Prayer of Forgiveness by Hasan al-Basri
Salaam and Greetings of Peace:
“O Allah, I seek your forgiveness for every sin for which I presented my repentance before You; and regarding which I stood before You swearing an oath in Your name and called Your friends from among Your servants to be my witnesses – that I would never return to disobeying You.
But when Satan with his cunning tempted me to return to it; and Your forsaking me [due to Your anger over my impiety] caused me to [despairingly] waver toward it; and my lower self invited me to disobey You once more; I hid myself in shame from Your servants, but openly and daringly committed sins before You, though I knew full well that no covering nor any closed door could conceal me from You and no veil could hide me from Your sight.
I still defied You by disobediently doing what You had prohibited to me; but [despite my iniquity], You did not remove Your covering from me, but rather treated me equal to Your pious servants, as though I had always been an obedient servant and swift to fulfill Your every command and fearful of Your warnings.
I remained obscure in front of Your servants, and none besides You knew my secret. You did not single me out from Your servants with a mark of disgrace, but instead showered upon me blessings like theirs; and with this You distinguished me over them as though I were, in Your sight, of a status like theirs. All this was owing only of Your forbearance and abundant blessings – generous grace from You to me. For You then, O my Lord, belongs all praise.
I ask from You, O Allah, just as You have covered my evil deeds in this world, that You do not humiliate me with them on the Day of Judgment. Forgive my sins, O Most Merciful of the merciful!”
- One of the most eloquent of the seventy prayers in the book Prayers for Forgiveness by Hasan al-Basri
Ya Haqq!
I Want to Repent, But ...
http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/books/23
The heart gets sick - by Ibn Al-Qayyim
The heart gets sick as the body does and
its cure is in asking for forgiveness and protection.
It also becomes rusty like a mirror does and
it is polished by remembering Allah.
The heart can also be naked like the body
and can lose its dress and decoration, which is piety,
and it can feel hunger and thirst like the body does,
and its nourishment is knowledge, love, trust,
and offering service to Allah
***
Salam sisterz,
I really need your help. Something is really bothering me. Though I have been praying, reading Quran and asking for my every intentionally/ unintentionally wrongdoing. I am not fully feeling peaceful. I feel scared, guilt regret and pain. Is there any possible way I can ask you something in private. May be your words might help me in getting picture more clear. I know everyone on this forum is really busy. If you can take some time out for me I will really appreciate.
Shukran
Dear Sir/Ma'am;
I am a 25 years guy originally from yemen , I went to study abroad in some where in the far east , when I reached there , I was a good guy I used to pray all the time and just concentrate on my studies , for around two years; however now after 5 years of being there I don know what happened to me , I I am doing a very bad things and big sins that I even feel very shy to tell , I tried to stop but every time I say this is my last time ..but I can't hold for long..i guess If i finished the subject which is remaining for me to finish my studies , and went back to my country i will stop , as the environment there would help me to do that ,please pray for me ..I just wanted to share some thing with u, as i think it may help me to feel okay.
Salam
My advice to you is to desist from associating with bad companies and try as much as possible to be reciting the holy Quran and be observing your five daily prayers in congregation, this will help inshaAllah. May Allah help us aameen
Salaam i'm 28 yrs old and i am married. I i should add i'm a woman. I have been very good all my life, very shy and never the type to get with boys etc, got married at 16.it was arranged but i wasn't against it. I was quite happy.well we were happy till about 7years into the marriage, i was working he was working and we spent less and less time together. I started 2 feel like my husband felt nothing for me even though he never said or did anything to me which was horrible.from a very young age i have prayed 5 times and abided by all the rules however i met someone who was alot older than me and we got involved. I had never in my life thought i would ever go down that path but it happened. I am ashamed of my actions i know i can't blame my husband he is not a bad man and i will be held accountable for my actions. And i cannot blame the other man for taking advantage of me when i was vunerable because we'r both consenting adults. Even though it was not a continous affair we'v meet a few times which has resulted in me getting pregnant twice. I have two beautiful boys masallah i am not proud of how they came to be but their my babies and i love them. I know that their not my husband's as we hav been trying since we got married, however i believe having them saved our marriage he has no knowledge of this. But i am very sad that i took this path and i sometimes feel like i'm living a lie with my husband even though i'v not gone back to the other. My husband is a good man and a good father but i have lost my innocense and purity which was my sincere belief and i want to know if its possible to go back to that state of mind after everything. Any feedback will be appreciated jazakhula
anon, please log in and write your question as a separate post, thank you.
Wael
IslamicAnswers.com Editor
assalaam walekum,
i'm a 21 yr old girl.i was in frndship with a guy and later i dnt know how this frndship turned on to be love.i'm vry shameful to say this-we kissed eachothr,we never intended to do that,it jus happened and i regret doing it before marriage...we love eachodr a lot and want to get married but the problem is i'm a muslim and he is a brahmin(hindu)....what should i do????please help me....
raheja, there is no marriage between a Muslim and a Hindu. It cannot happen and will never be accepted. You have to break off this relationship as it cannot go anywhere. If you need more detailed advice, please log in and write your question as a separate post.
Wael
IslamicAnswers.com Editor