In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

Repentance (Tawbah)

Repentance (tawbah) is one of the most important acts of worship in Islam. It represents the servant’s return to Allah after committing sins and shortcomings. Islam teaches that every human being falls into mistakes, yet Allah, in His mercy, has opened the door of repentance so that people may return to Him and seek forgiveness. The Qur’an repeatedly calls believers to repent and promises success to those who turn back to Allah sincerely.

Allah commands the believers in the Qur’an (24:31):

“And all of you beg Allah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful.”

This verse demonstrates that repentance is not limited to those who commit major sins. Rather, all believers are commanded to seek forgiveness from Allah. Success in both this life and the next is tied to turning back to Allah and seeking His mercy.

This page follows Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen’s explanation in Sharh Riyaad as-Saaliheen, Vol. 1, with passages from Shaykh ‘Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di’s Tafsir.

Repentance Is Commanded in the Qur’an

Allah also says, in Surah Hud (11:3), in Shaykh as-Sa’di’s rendering:

“Seek the forgiveness of your Lord and repent to Him, so that He may grant you goodly enjoyment of life for an appointed term and bestow His grace on all who merit it. But if you turn away, then verily I fear for you the punishment of a formidable day.”

And He says, in Surah at-Tahrim (66:8), in the same rendering:

“O you who believe, turn to Allah in sincere repentance; it may be that your Lord will absolve you of your bad deeds and admit you to gardens through which rivers flow, on a day when Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believe with him.”

Shaykh as-Sa’di explains what is meant by this sincere repentance:

“What is meant is repentance that includes all sins, repentance with which a person turns to Allah seeking nothing but His pleasure and nearness to Him, and he persists in that repentance in all situations.”

These verses show that repentance must be sincere and genuine. It is not merely a statement made on the tongue but a sincere return to Allah with humility and submission.

The Prophet ﷺ acted on this command himself. Al-Agharr bin Yasaar Al-Muzaniy narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:

“O people! Repent to Allah and ask for His forgiveness; I turn to Him in repentance everyday a hundred times.”

The Messenger ﷺ had been forgiven his previous and future sins, yet he still repented more than seventy times a day. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen draws two benefits from repenting: obedience to the command of Allah and His Messenger, and following the example of the Messenger ﷺ.

The Meaning of Repentance

The scholars explain that repentance means returning from disobedience to obedience. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen explains that, linguistically, tawbah is from taaba, “he returned,” while in the Sharee‘ah it means returning from disobeying Allah to His obedience.

Repentance is required for every type of sin. This includes disbelief, major sins, and minor sins. A believer should constantly examine his actions and return to Allah whenever he falls into wrongdoing.

The Conditions of Repentance

For repentance to be accepted by Allah, certain conditions must be fulfilled. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen explains that, although repentance is often described with three conditions, careful observation shows they reach five.

The Five Conditions of Sincere Repentance

Sincerity with Allah: the repentance must be for Allah alone, seeking His Face, not for popularity, people’s praise, or safety from the authorities.
Remorse: the individual must feel genuine regret for the sin he committed, full of the pangs of guilt for what he did.
Desisting: the individual must stop committing the sin at once, not remaining upon it for any extra second. If the sin is a neglected obligation, desisting means performing it. A person cannot claim repentance while continuing to engage in the wrongdoing.
Determination: the person must firmly resolve never to return to the sin again in the future.
The accepted time: the repentance must occur during the time in which repentance is accepted, before death and before the sun rises from its place of set, as explained below.

If repentance fails to meet these conditions, it cannot be considered sincere repentance. As the scholars explain, repentance that is accompanied by persistence in sin is not accepted.

A question arises from these conditions: what of a person who repents from one sin while persisting in another? The scholars differed over him: some held that his repentance is accepted, and others that it is not, and they differed likewise when the sin he persists in is of the same kind as the one he left. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen’s settled conclusion is:

“However, the correct opinion is that repentance from a particular sin while persisting in another will be accepted. However, the fellow will not be referred to as a Taaib (repentant) in the absolute sense. Likewise, he will not deserve the commendation of the truly repenting servants since he has not fully repented; he has rather made a deficient repentance.”

So his repentance from that one sin is accepted, and its liability is lifted from him, but he is not called a Taaib [one who repents] in the absolute sense until his repentance is complete.

When the Sin Involves the Rights of Others

When the sin involves the rights of another person, those rights must be settled, as part of desisting from the sin. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen explains:

If it involves money, the property must be returned to its owner. If the owner has died, it goes to his heirs, and if he cannot be found, it is given as charity on his behalf. If the harm was by word or deed, amends are made to the person harmed.

For backbiting, the book records two views and gives preference to this: if the person knew he was backbitten, he is approached and asked to pardon. If he did not know, the one who backbit him does not go to him; instead, he seeks forgiveness for him and mentions his virtues in the same gatherings where he defamed him.

This highlights the importance Islam places on justice and the rights of people. Repentance is not complete if a person continues to hold the rights of others unjustly.

Concealing Sins After Repentance

Islam also teaches that believers should conceal their sins after repenting. The Prophet ﷺ warned against publicly exposing one’s wrongdoing. He said:

“All of my Ummah will be pardoned except those who publicly announce sins.”

(Al-Bukhari, Book of Manners, no. 6069; Muslim, Book of Asceticism and Mind Softeners, no. 2990)

For this reason, a believer should repent privately and avoid speaking about sins that Allah has concealed.

When Repentance Will No Longer Be Accepted

Another important aspect of repentance is that it must be done before certain times when repentance will no longer be accepted. One such time is when a person reaches the moment of death.

Allah states the repentance He accepts, in Surah an-Nisa (4:17), in Shaykh as-Sa’di’s rendering:

“Allah only accepts the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and repent soon afterwards; to them will Allah turn in mercy, for Allah is All-Knowing, Most Wise.”

And He says of the repentance that is delayed until death (4:18):

“And of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil deeds until death faces one of them and says: ‘Now I repent.’”

Shaykh as-Sa’di explains why repentance at that point does not benefit its owner:

“Repentance only benefits the one who repents by choice.”

‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab reported that the Prophet ﷺ 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 recorded this hadith and categorised it as Hadith Hasan.

Repentance must therefore be made before a person reaches the final moments of life.

Likewise, repentance will no longer be accepted when one of the major signs of the Day of Judgment occurs.

The Rising of the Sun from Its Place of Setting

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“Emigration will not cease until repentance ends, and repentance will not cease until the sun rises from its place of set.”

This hadith indicates that the door of repentance will remain open until the sun rises from the west, which is one of the major signs of the Last Day.

Conclusion

Repentance is one of the greatest blessings Allah has given to His servants. It allows a person to erase sins, purify the heart, and return to the path of obedience. Islam teaches that no matter how great a person’s sins may be, the door of repentance remains open as long as the individual sincerely turns back to Allah. Through sincere repentance, humility, and a commitment to righteousness, a believer can restore his relationship with his Lord and hope for His forgiveness and mercy.

Allah holds this door open even for the hypocrites, in Surah an-Nisa (4:146), in Shaykh as-Sa’di’s rendering:

“Except those who repent and mend their ways, hold fast to Allah and become sincere in their devotion to Allah [alone]; then they will be with the believers. And Allah will give the believers an immense reward.”

The Prophet ﷺ also 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.”

This continues until the sun rises from its place of set. So, as Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen concludes, it is incumbent upon the Muslim to hasten to repent to Allah from sins.

References

Sharh Riyaad as-Saaliheen: Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-‘Uthaymeen. Dar-us-Salam, Vol. 1 (2016; ISBN 978-603-500-379-7): chapter “On Repentance,” printed pp. 83 to 104: the definition and the five conditions (printed pp. 83 to 88), the concealing-sins hadith (printed p. 85), verse 4:18 and the Hijrah hadith (printed pp. 88 to 89), repenting from one sin while persisting in another (printed pp. 89 to 90), the commentary on verse 24:31 (printed pp. 90 to 93), the hadith of Al-Agharr (printed p. 95), and the Hand hadith and the death-bed hadith (printed p. 101).
Tafsir as-Sa’di, Shaykh ‘Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di, IIPH English Edition 1, 2018, translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab: Vol. 2, on Surah an-Nisa 4:17-18 (printed pp. 150 to 152) and 4:145-147 (printed p. 317); Vol. 4, on Surah Hud 11:3 (printed p. 261); Vol. 10, on Surah at-Tahrim 66:8 (printed p. 156).

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