Explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "
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The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The Chapter on Repentance": Repentance is from *taba* *yatabu*, meaning to return. It is returning from the disobedience of Allah to His obedience. The greatest and most obligatory of it is repentance from disbelief to faith. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Anfal 8:38].
Next comes repentance from major sins, from the major sins.
Then the third rank: repentance from minor sins.
It is obligatory for a person to repent to Allah, Glorified and Exalted, from every sin. Repentance has three conditions, as the author (may Allah have mercy on him) said, but when examined in detail, they amount to five. The first condition is sincerity to Allah, meaning that a person's intention in his repentance is the Face of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and that he seeks for Allah to accept his repentance and overlook the sin he committed. He does not intend to show off to people or to draw near to them, nor does he intend to ward off harm from the authorities or the one in authority. Rather, he intends the Face of Allah and the Hereafter, and that Allah will forgive his sins.
The second condition is regret for the sin he committed, because a person's feeling of regret indicates that he is sincere in his repentance. This means that he laments what he has done previously and is broken in heart because of it, and he does not consider himself free of it until he repents to Him, until he repents from it to Allah.
The third condition is that he abandons the sin he is in, and this is one of the most important of its conditions. Abandoning the sin: if the sin is the leaving of an obligatory duty, then abandoning it is by performing it. For example, if a person does not pay zakah and wants to repent to Allah, he must pay the zakah that has passed and which he did not perform. If a person is neglectful in dutifulness to his parents, it is obligatory for him to be dutiful to them. If he is neglectful in maintaining family ties, it is obligatory for him to maintain the ties. If the sin is the commission of a forbidden act, it is obligatory to abandon it immediately, and not to remain in it for even a moment. If it is, for example, consuming usury or interest, it is obligatory to get rid of the usury or interest by leaving it and staying away from it, and by paying out what he earned through the usury or interest. If the sin is deception and lying to people and betraying a trust, it is obligatory for him to abandon that. If he earned money through this forbidden path, it is obligatory for him to return it to its owner, or seek his pardon. If it is backbiting, it is obligatory to abandon backbiting about people and speaking about their honor. As for saying that he has repented to Allah while he is determined to leave an obligatory duty or determined to commit a forbidden act, this repentance is not accepted. In fact, this repentance is like mocking Allah, Mighty and Majestic. How can you repent to Allah while you are determined to disobey Him? If you dealt with a human being and said, "I have repented to you, and I regret it, and I will never return to it," but in your intention and in your heart you are going to return and you did return, then this is mockery of that man. How much more so with Allah, Lord of the worlds? The person who truly repents is the one who abandons the sin. It is strange that some people, when you sit with them, you find them groaning about the existence of usury or interest, while in their hearts they are engaging in usury or interest, may Allah protect us from that. Or they groan about backbiting and eating the flesh of people, while they are among the most backbiting of people, we ask Allah for safety. Or they groan about lying and the loss of trust among people, while they are among the liest of people and the most negligent of trust.
In any case, a person must abandon the sin from which he repented. If he does not abandon it, his repentance is rejected and it does not benefit him with Allah, Mighty and Majestic. The rest will come, if Allah wills.
The student: Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
He said (may Allah have mercy on him): "Allah the Exalted said:[An-Nur 24:31], and He said: [Hud 11:3], and He said: [At-Tahrim 66:8]".
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The Chapter on Repentance": Repentance is from *taba* *yatabu*, meaning to return. It is returning from the disobedience of Allah to His obedience. The greatest and most obligatory of it is repentance from disbelief to faith. Allah the Exalted said:
Say to those who have disbelieved [that] if they cease, what has previously occurred will be forgiven for them
قُلْ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ يَنْتَهُوا يُغْفَرْ لَهُمْ مَا قَدْ سَلَفَNext comes repentance from major sins, from the major sins.
Then the third rank: repentance from minor sins.
It is obligatory for a person to repent to Allah, Glorified and Exalted, from every sin. Repentance has three conditions, as the author (may Allah have mercy on him) said, but when examined in detail, they amount to five. The first condition is sincerity to Allah, meaning that a person's intention in his repentance is the Face of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and that he seeks for Allah to accept his repentance and overlook the sin he committed. He does not intend to show off to people or to draw near to them, nor does he intend to ward off harm from the authorities or the one in authority. Rather, he intends the Face of Allah and the Hereafter, and that Allah will forgive his sins.
The second condition is regret for the sin he committed, because a person's feeling of regret indicates that he is sincere in his repentance. This means that he laments what he has done previously and is broken in heart because of it, and he does not consider himself free of it until he repents to Him, until he repents from it to Allah.
The third condition is that he abandons the sin he is in, and this is one of the most important of its conditions. Abandoning the sin: if the sin is the leaving of an obligatory duty, then abandoning it is by performing it. For example, if a person does not pay zakah and wants to repent to Allah, he must pay the zakah that has passed and which he did not perform. If a person is neglectful in dutifulness to his parents, it is obligatory for him to be dutiful to them. If he is neglectful in maintaining family ties, it is obligatory for him to maintain the ties. If the sin is the commission of a forbidden act, it is obligatory to abandon it immediately, and not to remain in it for even a moment. If it is, for example, consuming usury or interest, it is obligatory to get rid of the usury or interest by leaving it and staying away from it, and by paying out what he earned through the usury or interest. If the sin is deception and lying to people and betraying a trust, it is obligatory for him to abandon that. If he earned money through this forbidden path, it is obligatory for him to return it to its owner, or seek his pardon. If it is backbiting, it is obligatory to abandon backbiting about people and speaking about their honor. As for saying that he has repented to Allah while he is determined to leave an obligatory duty or determined to commit a forbidden act, this repentance is not accepted. In fact, this repentance is like mocking Allah, Mighty and Majestic. How can you repent to Allah while you are determined to disobey Him? If you dealt with a human being and said, "I have repented to you, and I regret it, and I will never return to it," but in your intention and in your heart you are going to return and you did return, then this is mockery of that man. How much more so with Allah, Lord of the worlds? The person who truly repents is the one who abandons the sin. It is strange that some people, when you sit with them, you find them groaning about the existence of usury or interest, while in their hearts they are engaging in usury or interest, may Allah protect us from that. Or they groan about backbiting and eating the flesh of people, while they are among the most backbiting of people, we ask Allah for safety. Or they groan about lying and the loss of trust among people, while they are among the liest of people and the most negligent of trust.
In any case, a person must abandon the sin from which he repented. If he does not abandon it, his repentance is rejected and it does not benefit him with Allah, Mighty and Majestic. The rest will come, if Allah wills.
The student: Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
He said (may Allah have mercy on him): "Allah the Exalted said: