Repentance (Tawbah) is a core concept in Islam, offering a path back to Allah after one has strayed by disobeying Him. No sin, major or minor, is too great to be covered by genuine repentance. In fact, a person who returns to Allah with a heartfelt Tawbah becomes as pure as one who has never committed a sin.

The Conditions of Sincere Repentance

A sincere return to Allah involves three basic steps:

  • To feel deep regret for disobeying Allah.
  • To give up the disobedience immediately.
  • To have a firm resolution not to return to that sin ever again.

Additionally, if the sin involved taking someone else’s rights or properties, a fourth condition applies: the person must return those rights or properties to their due possessor.

The Ongoing Nature of Repentance

Between a person and their Lord, this sincere repentance is purely an act of the heart. It is understood to be just like embracing Islam itself, in that it wipes out all previous sins.

Since all human beings are prone to error, a Muslim must constantly refresh and renew their repentance for whatever they have done.

What about Sins that are Forgotten?

If it is difficult for a person to remember all their sins, they should first make a general repentance for all sins, even those they do not remember or do not know.

It was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray:

“O my Lord! Forgive me for my sin and my ignorance as well as my excessiveness in all my affairs and all that of which You are more knowledgeable than me. O Allah! Forgive me for my mistakes and my deliberate acts, and my seriousness and my joking; and all these have been done by me. O Allah forgive me for what I have done before and what I will do ever after, and what I have done secretly and what I have done Publically. You are the One who sets things forward and You are the One who sets things back and You are powerful over all things.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

Then, whenever a specific sin is remembered, one should make a particular repentance for it.

Balancing Fear and Hope

Remembering one’s sins should kindle a sense of fear within the heart, pushing a person to be more submissive and obedient to their Lord.

At the same time, this fear must be balanced with a firm hope in Allah’s mercy, believing that He Almighty is:

“…the One who accepts repentance from His servants and forgives sins. And He Knows all that you do.” [Ash-Shura 42:25]

A Muslim’s path to Allah should always be walked between this balance of hope and fear.