The Description of the Prayer of Repentance

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A letter signed by one of the brothers, saying: From a righteous young man, our brother says: In the early period of youth, I committed some sins, and I have repented to Allah, praise be to Allah and thanks be to Him, but there is still something in my heart. I have heard about the Prayer of Repentance, so I ask you to inform me about this. May Allah reward you with good?
Answer: Repentance annuls what came before it and erases what came before it, praise be to Allah, so it is not befitting that there be anything of that in your heart. Rather, it is obligatory that you have a good opinion of your Lord and that you believe that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, has accepted your repentance if you were sincere in your repentance. For Allah, the Exalted, says:

And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.

وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

[Surat al-Nur: 31]. So He tied success to repentance, and whoever repents has succeeded. And He, the Exalted, said:

But 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 اهْتَدَىى

[Surat Ta-Ha: 82]. And He is truthful in His news and His promise, Blessed and Exalted is He. And He, the Exalted, said:

O you who have believed, repent to Allah with sincere repentance. Perhaps your Lord will remove from you your misdeeds and admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَصُوحًا عَسَى رَبُّكُمْ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَيُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ

[Surat al-Tahrim: 8], the verse. And "perhaps" (‘asa) from Allah is obligatory. So you must have a good opinion of your Lord, and know that you have repented if you were sincere in that and remorseful. Beware of waswas (whispers of doubt). And Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, says in the authentic Qudsi Hadith:

I am to my slave as he thinks of Me

أنا عند ظنن عبدي بي

Sahih al-Bukhari 7505

You should have a good opinion of Allah. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

None of you should court death but only hoping good from Allah

لا يموتن أحدكم إلا وهو يحسن ظنه بالله

Sahih Muslim 2877a

So you must have a good opinion of Allah.
As for the Prayer of Repentance, it is established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the hadith of al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:

No servant commits a sin and then purifies himself and perfects his purification and then prays two rak'ahs and then repents to Allah from his sin, but that Allah accepts his repentance.

ما من عبد يذنب ذنباً ثم يتطهر فيحسنن الطهور ثم يصلي ركعتين ثم يتوب إلى الله من ذنبه إلا تاب الله عليه

or as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said. So you have repented, praise be to Allah, and if you pray and do this again, there is no harm; it is all good. Yes.
The presenter: So the Prayer of Repentance is a prescribed prayer?
The Shaykh: Yes.
The presenter: Its method, once again, Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, if you would be kind?
The Shaykh:

No servant commits a sin and then purifies himself and perfects his purification and then prays two rak'ahs and then seeks forgiveness from Allah, but that Allah accepts his repentance.

ما من عبد يذنب ذنباً ثم يتطهر فيحسن الطهور ثم يصلي ركعتين ثم يستغفر الله إلا تاب الله عليه

or as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said. And this is the first hadith in the Musnad of al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), in the Musnad of al-Siddiq, in the Musnad of Ahmad (may Allah be pleased with him and have mercy on him). It is a good hadith, there is no harm with it, from the narration of ‘Ali from al-Siddiq. Yes.

Source binbaz.org.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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