Explanation of the conditions for the acceptance of repentance.
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The Shaykh : Who can give us, in brief, the five conditions of repentance?
The student: Abandoning the sin.
The Shaykh : Start from the first one. Yes, take a rest. Please, go ahead.
The student: The intention to repent.
The Shaykh : What is the intention to repent? And what does it mean? Perhaps you want what is in my heart, but what does it mean to you? Take a rest.
The student: Seeking forgiveness.
The Shaykh : Rest.
The student: Sincerity.
The Shaykh : Sincerity. Well done. This is one, meaning that a person should not be driven to repentance by showing off to people, or seeking status among them, or fame, or the like. The second?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : In order?
The student: Abandoning the sin.
The Shaykh : Is there something before that?
The student: Regret.
The Shaykh : Regret for committing the disobedience. Good, well done. The third?
The student: Abandoning the sin.
The Shaykh : What is abandoning the sin? May Allah reward you.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : What is it? The resolve not to return to it. It is not "not returning." It is problematic if we say "not returning," because it means: if he returns, wait, brother, let us discuss. If he returns to it a second time, the first one is invalid, is that not so? But if we say "the resolve not to return," and we do not say "not returning" but rather "the resolve not to return," because if he resolves not to return and then his soul later prompts him to return, the first repentance is valid.
Take a rest. One remains. Please, go ahead?
The student: Restoring the rights of others.
The Shaykh : No, brother. Restoring the rights of others is part of abandoning the sin. Please, go ahead.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Correct. Wait. It must be at the time of repentance. And what is the time of repentance for each person individually? Before the arrival of the term of death. The evidence? What is the evidence? Does it not contradict?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Other than that from the Qur'an. Take a rest. Yes.
The student: His saying, the Exalted:[An-Nisa 4:18].
The Shaykh : Well done. May Allah reward you. Allah the Exalted said:[An-Nisa 4:18] What did it benefit Pharaoh when drowning overtook him? What did he say? He said: [Yunus 10:90] Look, my brothers, humiliation. I seek refuge in Allah from humiliation. Pharaoh did not say: "I believe that there is no god but Allah." He said: [Yunus 10:90] So he made himself a follower of whom? Of the Children of Israel, whereas before he was slaughtering their sons and keeping their women alive. Humiliation! We ask Allah for safety! But what was said to him? Meaning: Do you repent now and believe that there is no god but the One in whom the Children of Israel believed: [Yunus 10:91-92] What does "We will save you with your body" mean? It means We will keep your body visible, whereas your soul is in the Fire. Why? [Yunus 10:92] And those who were behind him were the Children of Israel, meaning: to be a sign that you perished.
My brothers, the Children of Israel were terrified by Pharaoh and he harmed them. And when Pharaoh and his people drowned, it was possible that the Children of Israel suspected that Pharaoh had not drowned. So Allah saved his body to be a sign that he perished, so that the Children of Israel would be reassured.
So how many are the conditions of repentance? Five. They are all easy, and a person can perform them without difficulty. But the Children of Israel had burdens and shackles. And among the burdens and shackles was that if a person killed someone, it was obligatory upon him, meaning upon the guardians of the murdered person, to kill the killer, as an obligation. Why? Because He said thus:[Al-Ma'idah 5:45] up to His saying: [Al-Ma'idah 5:45] But for this nation, Allah said to them when He mentioned: [Al-Baqarah 2:178] When He said: [Al-Baqarah 2:178] He said: [Al-Baqarah 2:178] So the important thing is that Allah the Exalted has lifted from us, and praise be to Allah, the burdens that were upon those before us.
The student: Abandoning the sin.
The Shaykh : Start from the first one. Yes, take a rest. Please, go ahead.
The student: The intention to repent.
The Shaykh : What is the intention to repent? And what does it mean? Perhaps you want what is in my heart, but what does it mean to you? Take a rest.
The student: Seeking forgiveness.
The Shaykh : Rest.
The student: Sincerity.
The Shaykh : Sincerity. Well done. This is one, meaning that a person should not be driven to repentance by showing off to people, or seeking status among them, or fame, or the like. The second?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : In order?
The student: Abandoning the sin.
The Shaykh : Is there something before that?
The student: Regret.
The Shaykh : Regret for committing the disobedience. Good, well done. The third?
The student: Abandoning the sin.
The Shaykh : What is abandoning the sin? May Allah reward you.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : What is it? The resolve not to return to it. It is not "not returning." It is problematic if we say "not returning," because it means: if he returns, wait, brother, let us discuss. If he returns to it a second time, the first one is invalid, is that not so? But if we say "the resolve not to return," and we do not say "not returning" but rather "the resolve not to return," because if he resolves not to return and then his soul later prompts him to return, the first repentance is valid.
Take a rest. One remains. Please, go ahead?
The student: Restoring the rights of others.
The Shaykh : No, brother. Restoring the rights of others is part of abandoning the sin. Please, go ahead.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Correct. Wait. It must be at the time of repentance. And what is the time of repentance for each person individually? Before the arrival of the term of death. The evidence? What is the evidence? Does it not contradict?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Other than that from the Qur'an. Take a rest. Yes.
The student: His saying, 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,"
وَلَيْسَتِ التَّوْبَةُ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ حَتَّى إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ إِنِّي تُبْتُ الْآنَThe Shaykh : Well done. May Allah reward you. Allah the Exalted said:
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,"
وَلَيْسَتِ التَّوْبَةُ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ حَتَّى إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ إِنِّي تُبْتُ الْآنَI believe that there is no deity except that in whom the Children of Israel believe
آمَنْتُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلَّا الَّذِي آمَنَتْ بِهِ بَنُو إِسْرائيلَI believe that there is no deity except that in whom the Children of Israel believe
آمَنْتُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلَّا الَّذِي آمَنَتْ بِهِ بَنُو إِسْرائيلَNow
آلآن(91) Now? And you had disobeyed [Him] before and were of the corrupters? (92) So today We will save you in body
آلْآنَ وَقَدْ عَصَيْتَ قَبْلُ وَكُنْتَ مِنَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ فَالْيَوْمَ نُنَجِّيكَ بِبَدَنِكَthat you may be to those who succeed you a sign
لِتَكُونَ لِمَنْ خَلْفَكَ آيَةًMy brothers, the Children of Israel were terrified by Pharaoh and he harmed them. And when Pharaoh and his people drowned, it was possible that the Children of Israel suspected that Pharaoh had not drowned. So Allah saved his body to be a sign that he perished, so that the Children of Israel would be reassured.
So how many are the conditions of repentance? Five. They are all easy, and a person can perform them without difficulty. But the Children of Israel had burdens and shackles. And among the burdens and shackles was that if a person killed someone, it was obligatory upon him, meaning upon the guardians of the murdered person, to kill the killer, as an obligation. Why? Because He said thus: