Muftisays Islamic Forums :: Tawbah (Repentance)

Allah, the Exalted, says:

"O you who believe! Turn to Allah 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 (azza wa jal):

(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`id 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)

Also see: Seeking Forgiveness, and Forgive Me For I Have Sinned