I am approaching thirty years of age, and in the early days of my youth, up until just before my marriage, I committed many violations. I have now repented to Allah with a sincere repentance.
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The questioner : He says in it that he is approaching thirty years of age. He says: "And I lived in the early days of my youth, up until just before marriage, committing many violations. And I have now repented to Allah with a sincere repentance, and I regret the actions and words that came from me which do not please Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So is there an expiation required of me, O honorable Shaykh, for what has passed, or is sincere repentance sufficient? We ask for guidance. May Allah reward you with good."
The Shaykh : Yes. Sincere repentance is sufficient and it demolishes what came before it of sins, and even disbelief, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Anfal 8:38] And due to His saying the Exalted: [Al-Furqan 25:68-70] Allah the Exalted mentioned in this verse the highest types of sins regarding His right, regarding the souls, yes, and regarding the souls of the children of Adam, and regarding the children of Adam in their honor. He mentioned shirk (associating partners with Allah), and He mentioned killing the soul without right, and He mentioned zina (unlawful sexual intercourse). So shirk is a crime against Allah, killing the soul is a crime against the souls of creation, and zina is a crime against their honor. And yet He said: [Al-Furqan 25:68-70] So be glad, O questioner, as long as you have repented to Allah with a sincere repentance, that Allah the Exalted will forgive you of your previous sin, however great it may be. But repentance must have five conditions.
The first condition: That it be pure for Allah, such that nothing from the matters of this world is attached to it. The person does not seek by it to draw near to any of the people, nor is there showing off, nor is there seeking reputation. Rather, what drives him to it is the fear of Allah and hope in Him; the fear of Allah the Exalted from disobeying Him, and hope in Him through his repentance.
The second condition: That he regrets the sin that occurred from him. This means that he is affected and grieves for what happened, and he wishes that it had not been.
And the third condition: That he abandons the sin from which he repented. So if he says with his tongue that he is repentant, but he remains and persists in the sin, his repentance is scattered dust. Rather, it is closer to mocking Allah than to seriousness. So if he says, "I have repented to Allah from backbiting," but he continues to backbite people, where is the repentance? If he says, "I have repented to Allah from consuming wealth unlawfully," and he is still persisting in it, where is the repentance? If he says, "I have repented to Allah from the forbidden gaze," and he is persisting in it, where is the repentance? He must abandon the sin. And among that is returning rights to their owners. So if he says, "I am repentant from oppressing people," but the rights of people are still in his debt, then he has not repented.
And the third condition is that he resolves not to return in the future. Rather, this is the fourth condition: that he resolves not to return to the sin in the future. So if he says, "I am repentant and I regret what has passed, and I have abandoned the sin, but in his heart he is that if an opportunity arises for him, he will return to the sin," he is not truly repentant. Rather, he must resolve not to return. And we must be attentive to the word "resolves not to return", for it is not required that he not return. If at the time of repentance he was resolving not to return, but his soul tempted him to return, the first repentance is not invalidated. But he needs a new repentance for his return to the sin.
The fifth condition: That the repentance be in the time in which it is accepted. That is, that it be before the arrival of the term of death, and before the sun rises from the west. So if the repentance occurs after the arrival of the term of death, it is not accepted. And if the repentance occurs after the sun rises from the west, it is not accepted either. And the evidence for that is the saying of Allah the Exalted:[An-Nisa 4:18] For this reason, Allah did not accept the repentance of Pharaoh when drowning overtook him, and he said: [Yunus 10:90] ... It was said to him: [Yunus 10:91] And in the hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that Allah accepts the repentance of the servant as long as he does not gurghur, meaning with his soul, and that is with the arrival of his term of death. And if the repentance occurs after the sun rises from the west, it is not accepted either, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al-An'am 6:158] And because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed that repentance is cut off when the sun rises from the west. The sun now rises from the east and sets in the west. So if Allah permits it to return from where it came, it will return and come out from the west. And this is in the end of time. So when the people see it, they will all believe. But the faith of a soul will not benefit it if it did not believe before, or if it did not earn good in its faith.
And the summary of the conditions of repentance is that they are five: Sincerity to Allah, regret for the sin that occurred, abandoning it, resolving not to return to it, and that the repentance be in the time in which it is accepted. We ask Allah to accept our repentance, all of us.
The questioner : O Allah, amen. May Allah bless you. Honorable Shaykh, this is a listener.
The Shaykh : Yes. Sincere repentance is sufficient and it demolishes what came before it of sins, and even disbelief, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted:
Say to those who have disbelieved [that] if they cease, what has previously occurred will be forgiven for them
قُلْ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ يَنتَهُوا يُغْفَرْ لَهُمْ مَا قَدْ سَلَفَ(68) And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed], except by right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse. And whoever should do that will meet a penalty. (69) Multiplied for him is the punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated - (70) 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.
وَالَّذِينَ لا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا ءاخَرَ وَلا يَقْتُلُونَ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَلا يَزْنُونَ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا * يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَانًا * إِلَّا مَنْ تَابَ وَءامَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُوْلَئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًاAnd whoever should do that will meet a penalty. (69) Multiplied for him is the punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated - (70) Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good.
وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا * يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَانًا * إِلَّا مَنْ تَابَ وَءامَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُوْلَئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍThe first condition: That it be pure for Allah, such that nothing from the matters of this world is attached to it. The person does not seek by it to draw near to any of the people, nor is there showing off, nor is there seeking reputation. Rather, what drives him to it is the fear of Allah and hope in Him; the fear of Allah the Exalted from disobeying Him, and hope in Him through his repentance.
The second condition: That he regrets the sin that occurred from him. This means that he is affected and grieves for what happened, and he wishes that it had not been.
And the third condition: That he abandons the sin from which he repented. So if he says with his tongue that he is repentant, but he remains and persists in the sin, his repentance is scattered dust. Rather, it is closer to mocking Allah than to seriousness. So if he says, "I have repented to Allah from backbiting," but he continues to backbite people, where is the repentance? If he says, "I have repented to Allah from consuming wealth unlawfully," and he is still persisting in it, where is the repentance? If he says, "I have repented to Allah from the forbidden gaze," and he is persisting in it, where is the repentance? He must abandon the sin. And among that is returning rights to their owners. So if he says, "I am repentant from oppressing people," but the rights of people are still in his debt, then he has not repented.
And the third condition is that he resolves not to return in the future. Rather, this is the fourth condition: that he resolves not to return to the sin in the future. So if he says, "I am repentant and I regret what has passed, and I have abandoned the sin, but in his heart he is that if an opportunity arises for him, he will return to the sin," he is not truly repentant. Rather, he must resolve not to return. And we must be attentive to the word "resolves not to return", for it is not required that he not return. If at the time of repentance he was resolving not to return, but his soul tempted him to return, the first repentance is not invalidated. But he needs a new repentance for his return to the sin.
The fifth condition: That the repentance be in the time in which it is accepted. That is, that it be before the arrival of the term of death, and before the sun rises from the west. So if the repentance occurs after the arrival of the term of death, it is not accepted. And if the repentance occurs after the sun rises from the west, it is not accepted either. And the evidence for that is the saying of Allah the Exalted:
But repentance is not [accepted] of those who [continue to] do evil deeds up until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "Indeed, I have repented now," or of those who die while they are disbelievers
وَلَيْسَتِ التَّوْبَةُ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ حَتَّى إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ إِنِّي تُبْتُ الآنَ وَلا الَّذِينَ يَمُوتُونَ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌI believe that there is no deity except that in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am of the Muslims."
ءامَنْتُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلَّا الَّذِي ءامَنَتْ بِهِ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ وَأَنَا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَNow? And you had disobeyed [Him] before and were of the corrupters?
ءالأنَ وَقَدْ عَصَيْتَ قَبْلُ وَكُنْتَ مِنَ الْمُفْسِدِينَDo they [then] wait for anything except that the angels should come to them or your Lord should come or that there come some of the signs of your Lord? The Day that some of the signs of your Lord will come no soul will benefit from its faith as long as it had not believed before or had earned through its faith some good
هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّا أَنْ تَأْتِيَهُمُ الْمَلائِكَةُ أَوْ يَأْتِيَ رَبُّكَ أَوْ يَأْتِيَ بَعْضُ ءايَاتِ رَبِّكَ يَوْمَ يَأْتِي بَعْضُ ءايَاتِ رَبِّكَ لا يَنفَعُ نَفْسًا إِيمَانُهَا لَمْ تَكُنْ ءامَنَتْ مِنْ قَبْلُ أَوْ كَسَبَتْ فِي إِيمَانِهَا خَيْرًاAnd the summary of the conditions of repentance is that they are five: Sincerity to Allah, regret for the sin that occurred, abandoning it, resolving not to return to it, and that the repentance be in the time in which it is accepted. We ask Allah to accept our repentance, all of us.
The questioner : O Allah, amen. May Allah bless you. Honorable Shaykh, this is a listener.