Does repentance wipe away sins?
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The second question of Fatwa No. ( 14398 )
Q 2: I often remember the bad deeds I used to commit before my guidance when I see the place where they happened or the person with whom I committed them, so I feel distress, pain, and regret, and I ask: Does my repentance wipe away these sins? And I often remember them while I am in prayer?
A 2: Whoever repents to Allah with a sincere repentance, Allah has promised that He will accept his repentance. Indeed, out of Allah’s generosity and bounty, He will replace his bad deeds with good deeds. He the Exalted said:[Al-Furqan 25:70] in Surat al-Furqan, and He the Exalted said: [Taha 20:82] in Surat Ta-Ha. Satan strives to mislead the children of Adam and cause them to fall into sins and transgressions. When a person escapes his snares and he sees that he has turned to Allah,
he comes to him by casting doubt on his repentance, magnifying the sins in his own mind, and telling him that Allah will not forgive them because of their multitude and magnitude. He makes him forget that Allah mentioned shirk (associating partners with Allah), which is the greatest of sins and the largest of transgressions, and He mentioned the major sins, then He promised to accept the repentance of whoever repents to Allah and does good. So, if Satan finds no response from the person to his whispers, he begins to remind him of his previous sins and transgressions to make him sad. He the Exalted said:[Al-Mujadila 58:10] in Surat al-Mujadilah. And Allah the Exalted and Supreme commanded His believing servants to seek refuge in Him from Satan, and He described him as a whispering tempter. So he whispers to the person, but he retreats and flees when the Muslim seeks refuge in his Lord and seeks His help. He the Exalted said: [An-Nas 114:1-6] So you should seek refuge in Allah from him, and increase in dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and istighfar (seeking forgiveness). In the authentic hadith, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Mishkat al-Masabih 2302 And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q 2: I often remember the bad deeds I used to commit before my guidance when I see the place where they happened or the person with whom I committed them, so I feel distress, pain, and regret, and I ask: Does my repentance wipe away these sins? And I often remember them while I am in prayer?
A 2: Whoever repents to Allah with a sincere repentance, Allah has promised that He will accept his repentance. Indeed, out of Allah’s generosity and bounty, He will replace his bad deeds with good deeds. He the Exalted said:
Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.
إِلا مَنْ تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلا صَالِحًا فَأُولَئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًاBut indeed, I am the Perpetual Forgiver of whoever repents and believes and does righteousness and then continues in guidance.
وَإِنِّي لَغَفَّارٌ لِمَنْ تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا ثُمَّ اهْتَدَىhe comes to him by casting doubt on his repentance, magnifying the sins in his own mind, and telling him that Allah will not forgive them because of their multitude and magnitude. He makes him forget that Allah mentioned shirk (associating partners with Allah), which is the greatest of sins and the largest of transgressions, and He mentioned the major sins, then He promised to accept the repentance of whoever repents to Allah and does good. So, if Satan finds no response from the person to his whispers, he begins to remind him of his previous sins and transgressions to make him sad. He the Exalted said:
Private conversation is only from Satan that he may grieve those who have believed, but he will not harm them at all except by permission of Allah. And upon Allah let the believers rely.
إِنَّمَا النَّجْوَى مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ لِيَحْزُنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَيْسَ بِضَارِّهِمْ شَيْئًا إِلا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ(1) Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, (2) The Sovereign of mankind. (3) The God of mankind, (4) From the evil of the retreating whisperer - (5) Who whispers [evil] into the breasts of mankind - (6) From among the jinn and mankind."
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ (1) مَلِكِ النَّاسِ (2) إِلَهِ النَّاسِ (3) مِنْ شَرِّ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ (4) الَّذِي يُوَسْوِسُ فِي صُدُورِ النَّاسِ (5) مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِif anyone says a hundred times in a day, “There is no god but God alone who has no partner, to whom dominion belongs, to whom praise is due, who is omnipotent”, he will have a reward equivalent to that for emancipating ten slaves, a hundred blessings recorded for him, a hundred evil deeds obliterated from him; it will be a protection for him from the devil all that day till evening, and no one will bring anything more excellent than he brings, except a man who has done more than he has.
من قال: لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له له الملك وله الحمد وهو على كل شيء قدير في يوم مائة مرة كانت له عدل عشر رقاب، وكتبت له مائة حسنة، ومحيت عنه مائة سيئة، وكانت له حرزًا من الشيطان يومه ذلك حتى يمسي، ولم يأت أحد بأفضل مما جاء به إلا رجل عمل أكثر منه
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.