Contents

The Benefits Of Sincere Repentance
What Should I Do After I Have Sinned & The Result
Committing A Sin Against Another
The Last Word
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Repentance

Imaam Ibn Qayyim rahmatullahi alaihe mentions certain benefits:

1. Repentance is the most noble and beloved form of obedience in the eyes of Allah Ta'ala. He loves those who repent and it is because of His love for His creation that He tests them with sins so that He may shower His blessings and favours upon them after they repent.

2. Repentance has a status that no other form of worship has. This is why Allah is extremely happy when a servant repents just as a traveller is happy when he finds his lost mount in the desert.

This pleasure (of Allah) has a great impact on the heart of the one repenting. Hence, the repenting person reaches the status of being amongst the beloved through his repentance.

3. Repentance brings about humbleness and a sense of helplessness that is not easily acquired through other forms of worship.

4. Allah’s statement, "Except those who repent, have faith and good deeds, those Allah will charge their sins for good deeds. Certainly Allah is most forgiving and merciful."

Repentance breeds good deeds, whilst sinning (without repentance) can cause deprivation of obedience altogether. It has been said that committing sins regularly will darken and harden the heart. It may even lead a person to reject Allah completely (Allah forbid) or lead him to commit a bigger sin. There is no recourse for a sinner except to ask Allah for forgiveness and to feel great regret for his actions.

Repentance is to repent from the heart, to train the heart into obedience and to make a firm resolution never to commit the sin again.

The repenting person should remember three facts:

1. The grave consequence of sins.

2. The painful punishment for sins and

3. The helplessness of the servant with regards to these two things.

Someone may ask, "How do I go about repenting from a sin?" Do I just say, "I repent." and that’s it, or is there anything to be done after that?

Two things should immediately be done. The first is an act of the heart, to sincerely regret the sins of the past. The second is an act of the body, to bring up some good deeds, starting two cycles of prayer of repentance. The following is a hadith in support:

Hazrat Abu Bakr radiyallahu anhu, says, "I heard the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam say, ‘There isn’t a man who, when he commits a sin, rises, makes ablution, and offers two rak’ats of prayers, but Allah forgives his sins.’ Then the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam recited the verse, ‘Those (are the true believers) who, when they commit an evil deed, or wrong their souls, remember Allah, and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who but Allah forgives sins? They do not insist upon the sins they have committed, and they know (that Allah is forgiving)."

For instance:

1. There isn’t a man who makes ablution (and does it well, but sins fall off the limbs of the body with the last drop of water. And doing the ablution well includes saying the Bismillah in the beginning, and some other prayer words after it such as:

"I bear witness that there is no deity save Allah , the one, and I also bear witness that Muhammad is his slave and messenger."

"O’ Allah! make me of the repenting, and make me of the purified."

"O’ Allah! with praises to you I bear witness that there is no deity but you. I seek your forgiveness and turn to you in repentance."

2. Offer two rak’ats of prayer. Performs them in full presence of mind and heart. Commits no mistake within the prayers. Does not speak to himself within them. Recites the prayer-words in them well and in humility. Then seeks Allah’s forgiveness.

1. His past sins are forgiven.

2. He is assured paradise.

Then, as these things have been achieved he should now increase his good deeds to the extent possible. Don’t you see what Umar radiyallahu anhu did when he had committed the mistake of arguing with the Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam, at Hudaibiyya. He used to offer special acts of worship, (like fasting, almsgiving, etc.), to atone for that sin. The following hadith should also be considered.

"He who commits some evil deeds, and then turns to doing good deeds is like the man who had on him a tight-fitting coat of mail made of steel, so tight, it would almost choke him. Then he did a good deed and it opened up a little more until it became so loose as to fall off to the ground."

So you see how good deeds release a man from the clutches of past sins and liberate him from the tension that they cause. Let me at this point offer you the abridged version of an incident, which is laden with lessons.

Ibn Mas’ood radiyallahu anhu says a man came to the Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam and said, "O Apostle of Allah. I found a woman in a garden and did everything to her except having intercourse: I kissed her and hugged her and so on, but I didn’t go beyond this. So judge me as you wish." The Prophet of Allah sallallahu alaihe wasallam said nothing in reply and the man went away. Upon this Umar radiyallahu anhu remarked, "Allah would have kept it a secret if he had kept it a secret." The Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam in the direction the man had gone and said, "Call him back." When they called him back, he recited to him the following verse, "Establish Prayers at the two ends of the day and early part of the night. Indeed good deeds wipe out evil ones. And this (Qur’aan) is a reminder unto the mindful."

In case a sin related to Allah, which does not involve anyone else, is committed there are three conditions for the repentance of the sinner to be accepted:

Now, in case a sin which is connected to a person is committed the theologians have added one more condition to the three stated above. That is if one has taken something that does not belong to him he should return it, if he has committed backbiting regarding someone or he has hurt someone’s feelings or even sworn at someone he will have to ask for forgiveness from the person first and then from Allah. There is no way these sins can be forgiven without the forgiveness of the person concerned, because these are the rights of human beings. May Allah Ta’ala safeguard us, Aameen.

Man is a social being and is in need of certain rules and regulations if he lives in society. Here I would like to discuss those rules and regulations which are to be observed by a Muslim while dealing with other people in the Muslim Ummah so that we may be safeguarded from being tangled up in not carrying out the necessary duties towards others.

It is narrated in Sahih Muslim, "There are six rights upon a Muslim."

The Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam was once asked, "What are these (six rights) O’ Prophet of Allah sallallahu alaihe wasallam" The Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam replied, "When you meet him, greet him with salaam; when he invites you (to a meal), accept his invitation; when he seeks counselling from you advise him; when he sneezes and says Alhamdulillah, reply with Yarhamukallah; when he falls ill, visit him and when he dies attend his funeral."

Now let us go into a little more detail regarding what the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam has said about mutual brotherhood.

One should love for the believers what one loves from oneself and dislike for the believers what one dislikes for oneself. The Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam has said, "The Muslim society is like a body in respect of mutual love and sympathy. If a limb of the body suffers pain then the whole body responds to it by sleeplessness and fever." The Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam has also said, "One believer is like a building to another believer, a portion of which strengthens a portion."

It is also stated in another hadith, "All Muslims are like one man, if he has pain in his eye then his whole body suffers and if he has pain in his head then his whole body suffers."

O’ Muslims, bear in mind that what I am transferring to you is not a petty matter I am giving you a taste of your duties upon other believers without which one cannot truly believe.

Troubling others is another matter which should be discussed.

One should never give trouble to another by words or by action. The Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam has said, "A Muslim is he from whose tongue and hands other Muslims remain safe."

Troubling others has also been mentioned in the Holy Qur’aan, "And those who annoy believing men and women undeservedly, bear on themselves the crime of slander and plain sin."

Glory to Allah! What good and excellent directions does Allah give! If only the Muslims were to understand this single Surah (Surah Hujurat). They would find it contains the perfect remedy for their worst disease.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah radiyallahu anhu once asked the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam, "Give me some advice which will benefit me." He replied, "Remove injurious things from the path of Muslims." The Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam said, "If a man removes an injurious thing from the path of Muslims, Allah writes a virtue for him. Paradise is sure for one for whom Allah writes a virtue."

Hakeemul Ummat Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi rahmatullahi alaihe writes in his book Bahishti Zewar that the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam is reported to have said, "There are more than seventy requisites of Imaan, the most important of them being La-ilaha-illallah i.e. the kalimah and the least is to remove an offensive thing from the path like stones, thorns, etc., which cause inconvenience to the passers-by. Modesty and shyness are also important requisites of faith." This hadith means that a complete Muslim is one who possesses all these merits, and if one lacks in any of these, he will be imperfect to that extent.

Another important matter which plays a great role in Muslim society is helping the distressed. Many times we pass a Muslim brother who is distressed, disturbed and worried. We understand from the expression on his face that he is in trouble, but how do we react? We walk straight past him without giving him a thought, thinking, "Oh I don’t know him." or "He doesn’t help me when I’m in trouble, so why should I?" Brothers! For Allah’s sake keep in mind that he is a Muslim, he is a part of us. If we do not assist him, who will? His distress should be our distress, his happiness should be our happiness and his success should be our success.

Once a man abused another in front of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam to which a third man protested. Upon this the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam said, "If a man saves the honour of his brother, it will stand as a screen from Hell." In another hadith it is stated, "Whosoever removes a worldly grief from a believer, Allah Ta’ala will remove a grief from him on the Day of Judgement."

These are just some of the duties we should fulfil towards our Muslim Brethren. It is the fulfilment of these duties that will unite us, make us a strong body and a powerful party. Upon the fulfilment of these duties, no power on Earth will be able to divide us and we will live in peace and tranquillity, worshipping Allah as an inseparable society.

It is reported in a hadith that a person who repents constantly and is determined not to commit the sin again but still commits it, such a person will not be counted among the persistent and stubborn.

Dear brother! O’ slave of Allah! Allah has opened the door of repentance, so why should you not enter?

"Repentance has a door whose span is the distance between East and West," says a hadith (and in another version, its span is the distance travelled in 70 years). "It will not be closed until the sun rises from the west." Listen to the call of Allah, "O’ my slaves! You sin morning and evening and I forgive all your sins. So call on Me, I’ll forgive you all your sins."

Allah extends His hands in the night to forgive the sinner of the day and extends His hands in the day to forgive the sinner of the night. Moreover, He loves to hear excuses. Therefore, why don’t you turn to Him.

How beautiful are the words of the repenting man who says, "I beseech you O’ Lord, in the name of your honour, and (by) my ignominy that you have mercy on me. I beseech you in the name of your Strength and my weaknesses, Your self-sufficiency and my dependence. To you I submit my sinning, guilty forelock. You have many slaves apart from me. But I have no master save you. There is no refuge but with you, nor escape from you except to you. I plead to you O’ Lord, in the manner of the pleading of a destitute, and entreat you in the manner of a broken, down trodden man. I beseech You in the manner of a blind man in fear. This is a supplication, O’ Lord, from one whose head is bowed down before your majesty, whose nose is in the dust, whose eyes are filled with tears and whose heart has submitted."

Consider this story:

It is reported by a trustworthy man of the past that as I was passing through a street he saw the door of a house open. A woman came out with a child who was crying and pleading while she was pushing him out. She left him outside the house and slammed the door on his face. The child left the door and walked a distance. Then he stopped, looked about, began to think, and not finding any other place but his own house where he could take shelter nor anyone who would care for him as his mother would, he returned to his house dejected, sad. He found the door shut. He sat at the sill, put his cheek on the threshold and slept with tear marks on his cheeks. He was in this state when the mother opened the door. When she saw him in this state, she could not control herself. She bent down, grabbed him to her bosom, began to kiss him and said, in tears, "Oh my boy! My dear child! My soul! Where were you? Didn’t I tell you not to disobey me? Do my bidding, and don’t force me to punish you, while I hate to do that." Then she carried the child back and closed the door behind her.

That is a story of a mother and a child, the story of disobedience, punishment, return, forgiveness and unbound love. But the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam has told us that, "Allah loves His creation more than a woman does her child." In fact, there is no comparison between the love of a mother for her child and that of Allah whose mercy encompasses everything. Allah is immensely pleased with a man when he repents and turns to him. And we shall never be deprived of anything by a Lord who is more pleased with the repenting man, than that man who was travelling through an arid land. He dismounted and took shelter under a tree seeking some shelter under a tree seeking some rest. He lay there with his beast, loaded with food and water, at his side. However, when he awoke, lo! The beast was gone. He began to search for it frantically. He climbed a hill but couldn’t see a trace of it. Finally, when hunger and thirst overtook him, he said, "Let me go back to the tree, and lay down there until death overtakes me." So he went back to the tree, and lay there with eyes closed - in total despair. Lo! As he opened his eyes and raised his head, there the beast was, right before his very eyes. With all the food and water loaded on it intact! He rushed to it and picked up its halter. (Can you imagine his happiness?) Allah is happier with a man when he turns to Him seeking forgiveness, than the man who found his beast when he had lost all hopes.

Know it, my dear brother, that true repentance of every sin also brings with it humility and devotion to Allah, and that pleading of a penitent is very dear to Allah. What follows repentance is obedience of a greater degree to the extent that sometimes Satan regrets that he enticed him into that sin at all. That is why you will see that those who repent become very much changed personalities.

Allah does not abandon a man who comes to Him a penitent. Compare the situation with that of a father who used to look after his son with great love and care, providing him with best of clothing, food and toys. Then one day the father sent him on an errand. However, as the boy was walking an enemy took hold of him, tied him and carried him away to the land of enemies. There his master treated him exactly in the opposite manner. So that whenever the boy remembered his father and his treatment, his eyes swelled with tears, and the heart with pain. He was in this condition of ill treatment, at the hands of his enemies, when their caravan happened to pass by his father’s place again. As he looked around he found his father standing nearby. He ran to him and threw himself at him crying, "My father, my very father." His master followed him and was trying to pull him away, but the boy clung to his father, refusing to let him go. What do you think of his father? Do you think he will abandon him to the enemy, refusing to take back the child? If not, then what is your opinion of the Lord whose love of His creation is greater than the love of a father for his child? When a slave of His runs away from his enemies, and throws himself at the threshold of his door, rolling down in dust before him saying, "O’ my Lord! Have Mercy upon who has no one to show Mercy save You. No helper save You. No refuge save You. No saviour save You. I am Your slave. In Your need. Dependent on You. Beggar at Your door. You are the refuge. With You is shelter. There is no refuge but with You nor escape from You except to You." Then surely the Lord is not going to turn him back empty handed.

Come along on to the good deeds, to virtuous living, in the company of the righteous, steering your self safe from deviations after the right direction, and mis-guidance after guidance. And Allah is with you.

You may say, "I would like to repent but I do not know what is involved in it. I am beset by doubts concerning its various aspects, such as how do I now compensate for the rights of Allah that I neglected or the rights of the people that I usurped." In the following we present some questions and their answers concerning some common problems that people face and in which they need guidance.

Question: I commit a sin then repent. However, my base self overcomes me and I fall into it again. Does this nullify my earlier repentance leaving the previous sins intact, un-forgiven?

Answer: In the opinion of the majority of the scholars it is not conditional for repentance to be accepted that the penitent does not commit the same sin again. It is conditional that the sin is given up immediately and that there should be true feelings of regret in the heart. This should be accompanied by the firm intention not to perpetrate it again. Now, with these conditions met, if he falls into it again, then this will be considered a new sin altogether requiring a new repentance and with no connection with those of the past.

Question: Is repentance from a particular sin accepted while I am engaged in another?

Answer: Yes, repentance from a particular sin is acceptable even if the repentant is engaged in another sin which is of a different nature and not the same as the one he has repented. To take an example, if a man repents from having accepted interest, but not from drinking wine, his repentance from interest is acceptable, and vice-versa. However, if he repents from simple interest but not from compound interest then his repentance is invalid. This also applies if he repents from drugs but insists on drinking wine, or vice-versa, this repentance is invalid also. It is also incorrect and unacceptable if a man repents from adultery with one woman but commits it with another. In all these cases, they have only shifted from one sin to another within the same kind.

Question: If the sin in question involves the right of a man, what form should the repentance take?

Answer: The basis for the answer is the tradition of the Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam who said, "He who has a right of his brother on him, be it of the nature of money or honour, let him compensate for it before he is made to compensate for it on a day when there will be neither Dinar nor Dirham to deal with. Instead, if he has no good deed in his account, sins of account."

Question: If I had done some backbiting involving a man or a group of people, or, had slandered some people with what they did not have anything to do. Is informing them and seeking their pardon a condition of repentance. How do I repent if this is not required?

Answer: The answer will depend on the nature of the interests of the people involved. If the case is such that if he were to inform them of what he had once said about them, it would not be likely to increase their anger, then, he should do that and seek their forgiveness. He may then tell them in general terms, and without offering details - that he had wronged them in the past by expressing such sentiments about them that were not right and just, and that now he has repented and seeks their forgiveness.

But if the case is the opposite, that is, the fear is that if he told them of the previous backbiting or slander, they will be angry with him, or will not be satisfied with the general terms, rather, will demand you to inform them and seek their forgiveness. For the Shari’ah does not order increase in injury and wrongs. Informing a person who was in a happy mood, of things that will evoke feelings of distress or anger is something against the purpose of the Shari’ah which believes in the spread of happiness and goodwill. In fact, sometimes such informing may give place to animosity where there was love. In such situations, it is enough to repent in the following manner.

1. Evoke in oneself the feelings of regret, and seek forgiveness from Allah accompanied by the conviction that the thing in which he had indulged was abominable and unlawful.

2. Try and make up for what he had said earlier before others by denying the presence of things and qualities he had alleged were in them and clear the person or persons involved.

3. Follow up by mentioning and asserting good qualities of those he had spoken ill of in the presence of the same people in whose company he had slandered them.

4. Defend the people he had slandered when they are ill spoken of in his presence.

5. Pray to Allah in secret to forgive the sins and shortcomings of those he had wronged.

You must note, dear Muslim brother, that there is a difference between the material rights of people and non-material rights, between backbiting and defamation. When material rights are returned to people, they are put to some use and cause increase in happiness, and therefore they must not be put under the mattress. Whereas non-material rights, such as those concerning a man’s honour, when returned to the people can only cause increase in distress.

Question: How does a thief repent?

Answer: If the thing he has stolen is still in his possession it should be returned to the owner. If it has been used or disposed off, then an amount equivalent of its value should be returned to the owner - unless the owner will forgive.

Question: I find it extremely difficult to go back to those whom I had stolen from, nor can I ever confess to them in order to win their forgiveness. What shall I do?

Answer: It is not necessary for you to face the embarrassment of informing them yourself, or offering compensation in person. You can send their dues to them say by post or through another man without revealing your identity. You can also place the thing in their sight without their knowledge, or say to them if you have to go in person that "someone" -who doesn’t like to reveal his name - says this is your property. In short, the important thing is to return to the people their property.

Question: I used to steal some money on and off from my fathers pocket. Now I do not know how much I stole. Nor can I admit to him now. What shall I do?

Answer: Try and estimate to the best of your memory, the total amount stolen, and return it. There is no harm if you return it as secretly as you stole it.

Question 8: I stole from some people. Now I have repented. However, I do not know where they live. Another may say that I embezzled some money from a firm, which has wound up its business. Yet another person may say that I pilfered some material from an establishment which has shifted its premises. What shall I do?

Answer: in all these cases, the requirement on you is to search for them to the extent of your means. If you find them return there right. If the owner or owners have died, then their rights should be returned to their immediate kin. However, if you cannot locate them then spend in charity equal amounts on their behalf. Allah will give them the reward of this charity. And if they are unbelievers Allah will compensate them in some way or another in this world itself, since there are no rewards for the unbelievers in the hereafter.

This is similar to the story that Ibn Qayyim has written in his Madarij Al-Salikin (1/388). He states that a soldier of a Muslim regiment stole from the war spoils. Then, after some time, he repented and took with him what he had stolen and reported to the Commander of the Regiment. However, the commander refused to accept it back saying, "And how do I return this to the soldiers, seeing that they have dispersed." The man then went to a scholar - Hajjaj bin Sha’ir seeking his advice. Hajjaj told him, "Man! Allah knows each soldier’s name and address. Send one fifth of the amount to the government, and spend the rest in charity in their name and Allah will give them the reward." The man did so. And when the news reached Mu’awiyyah bin Sufyan who was then the ruler, he said, "If I had been the man who gave that ruling, it would have been dearer to me than half of what I rule over." Imaam Ibn Taymiyya has also given a similar ruling. (See Madarij).

Question: I had interest money with me, but I have spent it all. Now I want to repent. What is due on me?

Answer: Nothing is due on you except repentance and seeking of forgiveness from your Lord, even though it was a serious crime seeing that Allah did not declare war in the Qur’aan against any kind of sinner except the one who takes interest money.

Question: I purchased a car with money, some of which had been earned in a lawful manner and some in an unlawful manner. I have it in my possession. What should I do now?

Answer: If a man purchases a thing that cannot be physically divided, such as a car or a house, and it has been purchased with money that had been earned partly lawfully, and partially unlawfully, then what is to be done is to separate out same amount as that was unlawful and spend it charity in order to purify that item. If the unlawful portion was due to other people, then it must be returned to them in the manner described above.

Question: I used to do unlawful things and used to get paid for them. Now I have repented. Do I have to return the amounts thus earned?

Answer: Yes, one who commits unlawful deeds and accepts pay for them, should get rid of the contributions made when he repents. However, such amounts should not be returned to those who paid them.

For instance, when a call-girl repents, she should not return her wages of sin to her customers. When a singer repents he should not return the wages he earned to the band he belonged to or the or the people who paid. When a man who used to sell wine or drugs repents he should not return the amounts of those who used to buy from him. Nor should he who used to swear for others as a false witness return the amounts he earned to those for whose benefit he used to swear. The reason being that if he returns the amounts to him who paid, then he will depositing him both the unlawful money as well as the unlawful commodity that he took through bribe or wages of sin. Therefore, it will be enough if he gets rid of such unlawful earning himself. This is the preferred of Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taimiyyah as well as his disciple Ibn Qayyim as stated in his Madarij.

Question: A woman says she married a virtuous man. But she had committed things before marriage that Allah disapproves of. Now her conscience pricks her. She would like to know if it necessary for her to confess to her husband what she used to do before marriage.

Answer: No, it is not necessary for either of the two spouses to inform the other of what they used to do before their marriage. Let her or him who happens to have fallen in such evils screen himself or herself as Allah has screened them. A true repentance should suffice.

As for him who married a virgin, but it became apparent to him that she is not so, for reasons of promiscuity committed before marriage, then it is his right that he should take back the mahar he paid her and let her go. Nevertheless, if he finds that she has truly repented, then, if he lays a cover on the affair and retains her in marriage, surely he will be rewarded for it by Allah.

Question: I have repented but in my possession there are some of the unlawful things such as musical instruments, cassettes, films etc. Shall I sell them - keeping in view that they will fetch me a very good price?

Answer: Sale of such banned articles is disallowed in Islam. The Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam said, "When Allah declares a thing unlawful then he declares sale-purchase of such things also unlawful." In addition, you know that when you sell it to someone he will put them in evil use, and you will become one who aided him. While Allah says, "Do not co-operate in unlawful affairs."

As for worldly losses, have faith that what is in store with Allah is worthier and longer lasting. He will, in His Mercy and Generosity, give you a goodly reward.

When a human beings commits a sin four witnesses are against him, which have been proven from the Qur’aan.

1. The ground: The earth on which a sin is committed will be a witness. Sallallahu alaihe wasallam

2. The limbs: Maulana Rumi rahmatullahi alaihe says, "The eyes will bear witness that they were made to see towards wrong places. The ears will bear witness that they had to hear backbiting, music, etc.

3. The angels.

4. Our record of deeds.

The method of being saved from these witnesses is taubah.