The Method of Repentance from Sins

From 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Baz to the honorable (......), may Allah protect you from the whispers of Satan, and guide you to what is best for your religion and your worldly affairs. Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. And after:
I received your letter containing a description of things that happened to you and whose ruling was unclear to you, and you feared the consequences. We had previously answered you on 12/7/1390 AH by requesting your presence, but that did not work out. We are now answering you, if Allah wills, regarding what is in your letter:
You mentioned that you pray at some times and leave the prayer at other times, and you resolve to repent at some times and then return to your previous state. Perhaps this laxity led you to leaving the remaining pillars. You have resolved to make a sincere repentance and complete abandonment of the sins. Will your repentance be accepted, or will you be among those about whom Allah said: [Surah al-Nisa: 137]? Is it a condition for repentance to pronounce the two testimonies of faith in the hearing of a scholar? Is it necessary to perform the full ritual bath and pray two units of prayer, and so on?

A: Allah has clarified in His great Book that He, the Exalted, accepts repentance from His servants no matter how varied and numerous their sins are, as He, the Exalted, said: [Surah al-Zumar: 53].
The scholars are in agreement that this verse is about those who repent. In it, He, the Exalted, informed that He forgives all their sins if they are sincere in their repentance to Him through regret, abandoning the sins, and resolving not to return to them. This is repentance. He, the Exalted, forbade them from despairing of His mercy, which is hopelessness, no matter how great and numerous the sins are. The mercy of Allah is vast and His pardon is immense. He, the Exalted, said: [Surah al-Shura: 25], and He said regarding the Christians: [Surah al-Ma'idah: 74]. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . The verses and hadiths in this meaning are numerous.
Therefore, it is obligatory for you to abandon all sins and be cautious of them, and to resolve not to return to them, along with regret for what has passed; this is for the sake of sincerity to Allah, honoring Him, and fearing His punishment, along with having a good opinion of Him, the Exalted. It is authentic from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: . And he, peace and blessings be upon him, said in another hadith: . So fear Allah, O Hamad, and have a good opinion of your Lord, and repent to Him with a sincere repentance to please Him, the Exalted, and to humiliate Satan. And be glad that He, the Exalted, will accept your repentance and expiate your past sins if you are sincere in your repentance. He, the Exalted, is truthful in His promise and merciful to His servants.
As for testifying in the hearing of a scholar, that is not a condition. Rather, repentance is by acknowledging what you denied and doing what you left. So if the disbelief was by leaving the prayer, then repentance is by performing the prayer from now on, regretting what has passed, and resolving not to return to it. You do not have to make up the prayers you left; because repentance demolishes what came before it.
As for if you left the two testimonies of faith or doubted them, then repentance from that is by uttering them, even if you are alone. You say: "I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah," with faith and truth that Allah is your true deity with no partner, and that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the servant of Allah and His Messenger to all the two groups of creation. Whoever obeys him enters Paradise, and whoever disobeys him enters the Fire.
As for the full ritual bath, it is prescribed, and some scholars made it obligatory for one who embraces Islam after original disbelief or apostasy. You should perform the full ritual bath by pouring water over your entire body with the intention of entering Islam and repenting from the past disbelief.
As for praying two units of prayer after the full ritual bath, it is not obligatory. However, it is recommended for every Muslim, when he purifies himself with the ritual purity prescribed by the Shari'ah, to pray two units of prayer due to hadiths that have come regarding this. It is called the sunnah of the ablution.
And as for His, the Exalted, saying: [Surah al-Nisa: 137], its meaning is not that if one's disbelief increases or repeats, Allah will not accept his repentance. Rather, its meaning, according to the people of knowledge, is that he continues in disbelief until he dies. As Allah, the Exalted, said in the other verse in Surat al-Baqarah: "abiding therein; the punishment will not be lightened for them, nor will they be respite" [Surat al-Baqarah: 161 - 162]. And He, the Exalted, said in Surat Ali 'Imran: [Surat Ali 'Imran: 91]. And He also said in Surat al-Baqarah: [Surat al-Baqarah: 217]. Thus, Allah, the Exalted, has clarified in these three verses that the occurrence of punishment and curse, and the non-acceptance and nullification of deeds, all of that is conditioned by dying upon disbelief. The scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, are in agreement that a disbeliever, no matter how varied his disbelief and no matter how many times he apostatizes, his repentance is accepted by Allah if he repents with a sincere repentance, which includes abandoning disbelief, resolving not to return to it, and regretting what has passed. They differed regarding the ruling in the Shari'ah in this world for one whose apostasy has repeated: is it accepted from him and he is saved from being killed, or is it not accepted from him and he is killed? This is the place of disagreement.
As for what is between him and Allah, the Exalted, there is no disagreement regarding the acceptance of it if his repentance is sincere, as mentioned above. I hope that what we have mentioned is convincing for you and sufficient. And it is obligatory for you to hasten with sincere repentance, supplicate to Allah, the Exalted, and persist in asking Him to accept from you, to keep you firm upon the truth, and to protect you from the stings and whispers of Satan. For he is the sworn enemy who wants to destroy you and others, as Allah, the Exalted, said: [Surah Fatir: 6]. So hasten to humiliate him with sincere repentance, and be glad of good and a good outcome, and salvation from the Fire and the acceptance of repentance if you are sincere in that.
And I advise you: to increase in the remembrance of Allah, His glorification, and His praise, and to increase in seeking forgiveness and sending prayers and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). And among the best of that is to increase in the word of tawhid: , and from the following words: Subhan Allah (Glory be to Allah), Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah), La ilaha illa Allah (There is no deity but Allah), Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest), La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (There is no power and no strength except with Allah), Subhan Allah wa bihamdihi, Subhan Allah al-'Azhim (Glory be to Allah and with His praise, Glory be to Allah the Magnificent), Astaghfir Allah alladhi la ilaha illa huwa al-Hayy al-Qayyum wa atubu ilayhi (I seek forgiveness from Allah, there is no deity but He, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer, and I repent to Him), La ilaha illa Anta Subhanani kuntu min al-zalimin (There is no deity but You, Glory be to You, I was among the wrongdoers), Allahumma inni zalamt nafsi zalman kathiran wa la yaghfir al-dhunuba illa Anta faghfir li maghfiratan min 'indika wa rahmini, innaka Anta al-Ghaffur al-Rahim (O Allah, I have wronged my soul greatly, and no one forgives sins except You, so forgive me a forgiveness from You and have mercy on me, for You are the Forgiving, the Merciful).
We also advise you: to increase in the recitation of the Noble Qur'an and the reflection on its verses, for it contains guidance for all good and warning from all evil. We also advise you: to read what is available of the well-known books of hadith, such as (Riyad al-Salihin) and (Bulugh al-Maram), for in them is what benefits you and helps you in good, if Allah wills.
As for voluntary fasting, such as Mondays and Thursdays, and fasting three days of every month, it is an act of drawing near to Allah and obedience, and it has a great reward and expiation for sins. But if your mother is not pleased with that, do not upset her, for the right of the mother is great and dutifulness to her is among the most important obligations. Perhaps she fears for you laziness if you fast, and not fulfilling the obligation of seeking provision and attending to the needs of the house. It is known that seeking lawful provision to sustain the family and the people of the house is among the best acts of drawing near to Allah, indeed among the most important obligations, and it is better than devoting oneself to voluntary fasting and voluntary prayer. In any case, what I advise you is to listen to her words and obey her in such matters. And if you see an opportunity in the future to ask for her permission, ask her permission to fast, if the fasting does not prevent you or weaken you from the important matters mentioned above.
And Allah is the One to be asked to grant you understanding in the religion, guide you to His straight path, and bestow upon us and you sincere repentance, and protect us and you and the rest of the Muslims from the stings of Satan, the evil of the self, and bad deeds. Indeed, He is Generous, Bountiful. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon His servant and Messenger, our Prophet Muhammad, and his family and his Companions.
Deputy President of the Islamic University of Madinah al-Munawwarah.