"O you who believe! Turn to Allaah with sincere repentance!"(66:8)
The Arabic word for repentance is tawbah which means 'a return'. So, tawbah is not merely an emotional attitude as the English word, 'repentance' seems to suggest.
It is necessary to repent from every sin. If the offense involves the Right of Allah, not a human, then there are three condition to be met in order that repentance be accepted by Allah سبحانه و تعالى
(1)Acknowledging one's sin as a sin, being ashamed of it and feeling remorseful.
(2)Giving up the sin altogether.
(3)Making up one's mind firmly never to indulge in it again.
If any one of these three elements is missing, the tawbah is not genuine. Thus, it is not enough for one's salvation merely to utter the words of repentance, unless the words are supported by remorse for the sins committed in the past, abstinence from them in the present and determination of not giving way to them in the future.
But if the sin involves a human's right, it requires a fourth condition, i.e., to absolve onself from such right. If it is a property, he should return it to its rightful owner. If it is slandering or backbiting, one should ask the pardon of the offended.
Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) reported: I heard Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) saying: "By Allah, I seek Allah's forgiveness and repent to Him more than seventy times a day.'' [Al-Bukhari]
Anas ibn Malik Al-Ansari (رضي الله عنه), the servant of the Messenger of Allah () narrated: Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said, "Verily, Allah is more delighted with the repentance of His slave than a person who lost his camel in a desert land and then finds it (unexpectedly)." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
In another version of Muslim (رحمه الله), he said: "Verily, Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His slave than a person who has his camel in a waterless desert carrying his provision of food and drink and it is lost. He, having lost all hopes (to get that back), lies down in shade and is disappointed about his camel; when all of a sudden he finds that camel standing before him. He takes hold of its reins and then out of boundless joy blurts out: 'O Allah, You are my slave and I am Your Rubb.' He commits this mistake out of extreme joy."
Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari (رضي الله عنه) reported: The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: "Allah, the Exalted, will continue to stretch out His Hand in the night so that the sinners of the day may repent, and continue to stretch His Hand in the daytime so that the sinners of the night may repent, until the sun rises from the west." [Muslim]
Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) narrated: Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said, "He who repents before the sun rises from the west, Allah will forgive him." [Muslim]
The rising of the sun from the west is a sign of the Day of the Judgement. After the sun rises from the west, repentance will not benefit the one who repents, nor will believing benefit the one who then believes. "The day that some of the Signs of your Lord do come, no good will it do to a person to believe then, if he believed not before, nor earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his Faith." (6:158) Regarding this Verse, Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudree (رضي الله عنه) related that the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said, "The rising of the sun from its west." (Ahmad). At-Tirmidhee (رحمه الله) related it through a different chain, and he said about it, "Ghareeb." Others have related the saying without ascribing it to the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم).
When discussing the Tafseer of this verse, Al-Bukhaaree (رحمه الله) related from Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) that the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said, "The Hour will not arrive until the sun rises from its west. When the people see it, all upon it (the earth) will believe. And that is the time when 'no good will it do to a person to believe then, if he believed not before.'" (Bukhaaree) Other than At-Tirmidhee (رحمه الله), all others from Al-Jamaa'ah related it through different chains from Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) and they all ascribed the Hadeeth to the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم).
Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) related that the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said, "The Hour will not arrive until the sun rises from its West. When it rises (from its west) and when the people will see it, they will all believe, and that is when no good will it do to a person to believe then (if he believed not before)." The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) then recited the above mentioned Verse. (Bukhaaree). Muslim (رحمه الله) related the same, but through a different chain.
Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) related that the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said, "When three come out, no good will it do to a person to believe then, if he believed not before, nor earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his faith: the rising of the sun from its west, the smoke, and the beast of the earth." (Ahmad) Muslim and At-Tirmidhee related the same Hadeeth through different chains.
`Abdullah ibn `Umar bin Al-Khattab (رضي الله عنهما) reported that: The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said, "Allah accepts a slave's repentance as long as the latter is not on his death bed (that is, before the soul of the dying person reaches the throat)." [At-Tirmidhi, who categorised it as Hadith Hasan]
The word Ghargharah means the stage when soul is about to leave the body and reaches the throat. In other words, the time when one suffers the agony of death.
Abu Sa`eed Al-Khudri (رضي الله عنه) reported: Prophet of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: "There was a man from among a nation before you who killed ninety-nine people and then made an inquiry about the most learned person on the earth. He was directed to a monk. He came to him and told him that he had killed ninety-nine people and asked him if there was any chance for his repentance to be accepted. He replied in the negative and the man killed him also completing one hundred. He then asked about the most learned man in the earth. He was directed to a scholar. He told him that he had killed one hundred people and asked him if there was any chance for his repentance to be accepted. He replied in the affirmative and asked, `Who stands between you and repentance? Go to such and such land; there (you will find) people devoted to prayer and worship of Allah, join them in worship, and do not come back to your land because it is an evil place.' So he went away and hardly had he covered half the distance when death overtook him; and there was a dispute between the angels of mercy and the angels of torment. The angels of mercy pleaded, 'This man has come with a repenting heart to Allah,' and the angels of punishment argued, 'He never did a virtuous deed in his life.' Then there appeared another angel in the form of a human being and the contending angels agreed to make him arbiter between them. He said, `Measure the distance between the two lands. He will be considered belonging to the land to which he is nearer.' They measured and found him closer to the land (land of piety) where he intended to go, and so the angels of mercy collected his soul". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
In another version: "He was found to be nearer to the locality of the pious by a cubit and was thus included among them". Another version says: "Allah commanded (the land which he wanted to leave) to move away and commanded the other land (his destination) to draw nearer and then He said: "Now measure the distance between them.' It was found that he was nearer to his goal by a hand's span and was thus forgiven". It is also narrated that he drew closer by a slight movement on his chest.
(References: Ma'ariful Qur'an; Riyad us Saliheen; Book Of The End)
It's better to say 'Astaghfirullah' just one time with true humility, sincerity, regret and understanding, than it is to say it 100 times ritualistically without thinking about what we're saying.
We delude ourselves into thinking that we will repent from sins at a later time, and then delay repentance thinking that we have plenty of time. Unfortunately, we fail to realise that our lives are short and can end anytime.
Hadrat Imam Ghazali (رحمة اللہ علیه) used to say, "O Friend, the cloth from which your burial shroud will be cut, may have already reached the market and you remain unaware."[Glistening Lights, Volume 1]
al-Hasan al-Basri رحمه الله was once asked, "Shouldn't we be shy in front of Allaah to ask Him to forgive a sin and then we do it again, then we again ask Him to forgive the sin, and we do it again?"
al-Hasan رحمه الله answered, "Shaytan wishes that he could gain that victory over you. Do not get bored of asking forgiveness."[Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali رحمه الله, Jaami, Vol 1, p 415]
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "The one who repents from sin is like one who has no sin." [Ibn Majah. According to Ibn Hajar رحمه الله it is hasan]
A true believer is worried about the sins that he has commited.
Sayyiduna 'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ood رضي الله عنه once said, "The believer looks at his sins as if he were at the foot of a mountain and they were all to fall on him. The evildoer looks at his sins as if they were a fly that landed on his nose. He simply swats it as if it were nothing." (al-Bukhari)
Therefore, the true believer rushes to repentance and to perform the acts that will expiate or remove those sins.
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali رحمه الله stated, based on the Qur'aanic verses and Ahaadeeth related to repentance, that if a person repents to Allaah سبحانه و تعالى and truly meets the conditions of repentance, then Allaah سبحانه و تعالى will definitely accept that repentance from him in the same way that Allaah سبحانه و تعالى accepts a disbeliever embracing Islaam. This is the opinion of the majority of the scholars, and Ibn Abdul Barr رحمه الله even gives some indication that there is a consensus on this point. [Ibn Rajab رحمه الله, Jaami, vol 1, p. 418]
There are some scholars who say that one cannot definitely say that a repentance that meets all of its necessary conditions will be accepted by Allaah سبحانه و تعالى. Instead, the person hopes for this. He is under the will of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى - if Allaah سبحانه و تعالى wills, He may punish him, and if He wills, He may forgive him.
There is a difference of opinion over whether or not one must repent from both major and minor sins. The majority opinion is that one must also repent from the minor sins. Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali رحمه الله concludes that this is the strongest opinion and gives numerous arguments in its defense. [Jaami, vol 1, p. 418]
The Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "A slave committed a sin and said,
'O Lord, I have committed a sin, so forgive me.'
The Lord سبحانه و تعالى said, 'My slave knows that he has a Lord that forgives sins. Therefore, I have forgiven my slave.'
Then he committed another sin and said, 'O Lord, I have committed another sin, so forgive me!'
His Lord سبحانه و تعالى says, 'My slave knows that he has a Lord that forgives sins. Therefore, I have forgiven him.'
And on the third or fourth occurrence Allaah سبحانه و تعالى says, 'He may do whatever he wishes.'"
(al-Bukhari and Muslim)
If a person continues to behave in this manner, committing a sin but then realising his mistake and asking forgiveness, then Allaah سبحانه و تعالى will continue to forgive him.
Shaykh Sirri Saqati رحمه الله said, "We used to own a shop in Baghdad in such and such an area, but once, a fire broke out and, as a result, hundreds of shops caught fire. The informant on that day told me that my shop was among five to ten that had remained unscathed and that the rest had been reduced to ashes. I responded to the news by saying, 'Al-Hamdulillaah.'
Later on, I came to realise that, 'O Allaah! I have uttered al-hamdulillaah at the great loss suffered by so many Muslims.' It is due to that one al-hamdulillaah that I have been constantly engaged in seeking foregiveness for the past thirty years."
[The Beauty of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم As Reflected In Lectures On Saheeh Al-Bukhari By Shaykh al-Hadeeth Mawlana Yusuf Motala]
Shaykh Sirri Saqati رحمه الله said, "We used to own a shop in Baghdad in such and such an area, but once, a fire broke out and, as a result, hundreds of shops caught fire. The informant on that day told me that my shop was among five to ten that had remained unscathed and that the rest had been reduced to ashes. I responded to the news by saying, 'Al-Hamdulillaah.'
Later on, I came to realise that, 'O Allaah! I have uttered al-hamdulillaah at the great loss suffered by so many Muslims.' It is due to that one al-hamdulillaah that I have been constantly engaged in seeking foregiveness for the past thirty years."
[The Beauty of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم As Reflected In Lectures On Saheeh Al-Bukhari By Shaykh al-Hadeeth Mawlana Yusuf Motala]
Once, a fire broke out in Mina. Fires used to break out accidently, and enemies who detested this Muslim gathering would also set fire to cause harm. Despite adopting every measure posible, the government was previously unable to take control of the situation. Ultimately, they introduced new tents in Mina, because prior to that, fires broke out every year.
As a fire broke out one particular year, the attendants of Shaykh Zakariyya رحمه الله rushed to him and said, 'Shaykh, such and such tent has caught fire, and the tents of our companions were close by, but the fire just stopped short from reaching their tents - al-hamdulillaah - they are all safe.'
Now, listen to the Shaykh's reply! He said, 'Those who are burnt are also mine.' In other words, you are pleased that our companions were unharmed, but those who have been burnt also belong to us!
[The Beauty of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم As Reflected In Lectures On Saheeh Al-Bukhari By Shaykh al-Hadeeth Mawlana Yusuf Motala]
Sayyiduna 'Ali رضي الله عنه was asked as to what is 'taubah' and he replied that it consists of six elements:
[1] to regret one's past evil deeds;
[2] to carry out Divine duties that were missed;
[3] to restore the rights that were usurped;
[4] to ask forgiveness of a person who has been wronged by him physically or verbally;
[5] to make a firm resolve of avoiding the sin in future; and
[6] to consume one's self in obedience of Allah as one thus far consumed one's self in His disobedience. [Mazhari]
In fact, all of the conditions of 'taubah' put forward by Sayyiduna 'Ali رضي الله عنه are recognized by all of the scholars. However, some have described them concisely and others in details. [Ma'ariful Qur'an]
Abu Ayyub Khalid Ibn Zaid رضي الله عنه reported: The Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "Were you not to commit sins, Allaah (سبحانه و تعالى) would create people who would commit sins and ask for forgiveness and He would forgive them." [Muslim]
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
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