The Description of Repentance from Sins and Disobedience
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Question:
The first message in this session is from Hajar. The sender is a listener who indicated his name with the letters (D. S). In his first question, he says: I have committed many sins, and I want to return to Allah and repent to Him with sincere repentance. What is the description of repentance?
May Allah bless you.
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah, upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance. As for what follows:
Repentance is obligatory upon all Muslims, and indeed upon all accountable disbelievers. Every accountable person, whether disbeliever or Muslim, must repent to Allah. The disbeliever repents to Allah from his shirk (associating partners with Allah) and disbelief and enters Islam, for Allah created him for that. He, the Exalted, says: [Surat al-Dhariyat: 56]. Therefore, all disbelievers, whether jinn or humans, Christians, Jews, communists, or others of the types of disbelievers, must enter the religion of Allah, adhere to the religion of Allah, Islam, and repent from the disbelief and misguidance they are upon before they die.
And every Muslim must repent to Allah from his evil deeds and sins. Allah, the Exalted, said: [Surat al-Tahrim: 8]. And He, the Exalted, said: [Surat al-Nur: 31]. And He, the Exalted, said: [Surat al-Anfal: 38]. So all must repent to Allah. Allah, the Exalted, is the Generous, the Noble, and He accepts repentance from His servants, as He, the Exalted, said: [Surat al-Shura: 25].
The sinner must return to Allah, feel remorse for his past sins, and resolve not to return to them. By doing so, Allah will forgive him.
The reality of repentance includes three matters:
The first matter: Remorse for the past, and sadness over the evil deeds that have passed: whether zina (unlawful sexual intercourse), drinking khamr (intoxicants), undutifulness to parents, riba (usury or interest), eating the wealth of orphans, or other of these sins. He must feel great remorse for that and be sad over what has passed from him.
And he must cease from these sins, and he must leave them and guard against them.
And he has a third matter: which is the sincere resolve not to return to them.
Thus, repentance includes these three matters:
That he feels remorse for the past, no matter how great they are, even if it is disbelief.
The second matter: That he ceases from them and guards against them.
The third matter: That he resolves with a sincere resolve not to return to them.
And there is a fourth general condition for all deeds, which is that the intention be for Allah alone, that he repent to Allah alone; for Allah said: [Surat al-Tahrim: 8]. He intends His face, the Exalted, desiring what is with Him and fearing His punishment. So he feels remorse for what has passed, resolves not to return, and ceases from them out of fear of Allah, magnification of Him, and sincerity to Him . And so it is with all the other acts of worship; it is necessary that they be for Allah, whether prayer, fasting, charity, or otherwise.
And from the completion of repentance, and from the causes of its persistence, is that one associates with the righteous and stays away from the company of the wicked who drag him into sins. This is one of the causes of the persistence of repentance.
And from the causes of its continuation and perfection is that you stay away from the bad companions you used to sit with, so that you are safe from their evil, and that you strive to associate with the righteous so that you benefit from them and they help you in good.
And from the causes of its completion and perfection is also that you remove what you have of their effects. If you have instruments of amusement, remove them. If you have khamr (intoxicants), pour it out. If you have smoke, destroy it. And so, whatever you have of their effects and remnants, remove it so that Shaytan does not drag you to it. Pour out the khamr, destroy the smoke, break the instruments of amusement, and so on, of everything that drags you to evil, remove it from you; so that your repentance is complete, and it remains and continues.
But it is accepted if it meets the conditions, even if you have remnants of khamr or remnants of smoke. The repentance is accepted, but you must guard against what remains with you. You must remove it. Its remaining with you, whether it remains for a day or two or three, does not invalidate the repentance. The repentance is valid and correct if you are sincere in your repentance, in your remorse, your ceasing, and your resolve not to return, being sincere in that and desiring what is with Allah. So, by this repentance, Allah erases the sins. All the past sins, Allah erases them with this repentance. Allah erases them from you.
So do not despair and do not lose hope. Allah, (Exalted and Majestic is He), says: [Surat al-Zumar: 53] , meaning: for those who repent. The scholars agreed that this verse is about those who repent. And He forbade us from despair, saying: meaning: do not lose hope in the mercy of Allah. So the believer does not lose hope and does not despair, but he hastens to repent, has good opinion of his Lord, (Exalted and Majestic is He), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sunan Ibn Majah 4250Da’if (Darussalam) So if you repent from the sin with remorse, ceasing, and the resolve not to return, it is erased from you if you do it for Allah .
But if you do it without sincerity to Allah, but you left the sin and felt remorse for it, but you did not do it for Allah, but because it harmed you, or out of consideration for the feelings of your family, or for the sake of Zayd or 'Amr, not for Allah, then it remains upon you; for you did not repent to Allah. Repentance is for Allah. This crime remains upon you until you repent to Allah from it. But the future in which you did not commit the crime, there is nothing upon you, as long as you left it. What is upon you are the first crimes you committed until you repent to Allah from them with a sincere, pure repentance for Allah, encompassing remorse for the past, ceasing from them, guarding against them, and the resolve not to return to them, for Allah, hoping for what is with Allah, fearing His punishment .
Then, if you commit a sin after repentance, you are held accountable for the last one. If you commit a sin after repentance, the sins are returned upon you, only the sin of the last one. As for the first, it has passed and was erased from you by the repentance if you were sincere. But if the repentance was with the tongue, and you are established in your heart upon the sin, persisting in it, then this repentance does not benefit and is not valid. It is necessary that there be no persistence. You must repent with your heart, and leave it with your limbs and body. You cease from it, feel remorse for it, and resolve not to return to it. This is the repentance. If Shaytan stirs you up and you return to it, you are held accountable for the new sin, only the new sin, unless you repent after that. If you repent in that manner, Allah repents over you. And so, whenever the Muslim returns to repentance, Allah repents over him. So do not despair and do not lose hope. And Allah says: [Surat Yusuf: 87].
And from what is necessary for the one who repents is that he follow it with righteous deeds and increase in good; so that it becomes straight, grows, and becomes complete, and so that he also replaces his evil deeds with good deeds. If he follows it with righteous deeds, Allah replaces them with good deeds. He, the Exalted, said, when He mentioned shirk (associating partners with Allah), killing, and zina (unlawful sexual intercourse), He said after that: يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَانًا إِلَّامَن تَابَ وَاٰمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُوْلَئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللّٰهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ وَكَانَ اللّٰهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا [Surat al-Furqan: 68-70]. This is a blessing from Allah, (Exalted and Majestic is He), that if the servant repents with sincere repentance and follows it with righteous deeds, Allah replaces his evil deeds with good deeds, along with the erasure of the sin. The sins are erased, and then you are given a good deed in place of every evil deed, because of your sincere faith and your righteous work after that. And this is from His grace, generosity, and nobility . And He, the Exalted, said: [Surat Ta-Ha: 82]. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He accept from you.
The first message in this session is from Hajar. The sender is a listener who indicated his name with the letters (D. S). In his first question, he says: I have committed many sins, and I want to return to Allah and repent to Him with sincere repentance. What is the description of repentance?
May Allah bless you.
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah, upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance. As for what follows:
Repentance is obligatory upon all Muslims, and indeed upon all accountable disbelievers. Every accountable person, whether disbeliever or Muslim, must repent to Allah. The disbeliever repents to Allah from his shirk (associating partners with Allah) and disbelief and enters Islam, for Allah created him for that. He, the Exalted, says:
And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِAnd every Muslim must repent to Allah from his evil deeds and sins. Allah, the Exalted, said:
O you who have believed, repent to Allah with sincere repentance.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَصُوحًاAnd turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.
وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَSay 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 سَلَفَAnd it is He who accepts repentance from his servants and pardons misdeeds, and He knows what you do.
وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَعْفُوا عَنِ السَّيِّئَاتِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تَفْعَلُونَThe sinner must return to Allah, feel remorse for his past sins, and resolve not to return to them. By doing so, Allah will forgive him.
The reality of repentance includes three matters:
The first matter: Remorse for the past, and sadness over the evil deeds that have passed: whether zina (unlawful sexual intercourse), drinking khamr (intoxicants), undutifulness to parents, riba (usury or interest), eating the wealth of orphans, or other of these sins. He must feel great remorse for that and be sad over what has passed from him.
And he must cease from these sins, and he must leave them and guard against them.
And he has a third matter: which is the sincere resolve not to return to them.
Thus, repentance includes these three matters:
That he feels remorse for the past, no matter how great they are, even if it is disbelief.
The second matter: That he ceases from them and guards against them.
The third matter: That he resolves with a sincere resolve not to return to them.
And there is a fourth general condition for all deeds, which is that the intention be for Allah alone, that he repent to Allah alone; for Allah said:
turn to Allah
تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِAnd from the completion of repentance, and from the causes of its persistence, is that one associates with the righteous and stays away from the company of the wicked who drag him into sins. This is one of the causes of the persistence of repentance.
And from the causes of its continuation and perfection is that you stay away from the bad companions you used to sit with, so that you are safe from their evil, and that you strive to associate with the righteous so that you benefit from them and they help you in good.
And from the causes of its completion and perfection is also that you remove what you have of their effects. If you have instruments of amusement, remove them. If you have khamr (intoxicants), pour it out. If you have smoke, destroy it. And so, whatever you have of their effects and remnants, remove it so that Shaytan does not drag you to it. Pour out the khamr, destroy the smoke, break the instruments of amusement, and so on, of everything that drags you to evil, remove it from you; so that your repentance is complete, and it remains and continues.
But it is accepted if it meets the conditions, even if you have remnants of khamr or remnants of smoke. The repentance is accepted, but you must guard against what remains with you. You must remove it. Its remaining with you, whether it remains for a day or two or three, does not invalidate the repentance. The repentance is valid and correct if you are sincere in your repentance, in your remorse, your ceasing, and your resolve not to return, being sincere in that and desiring what is with Allah. So, by this repentance, Allah erases the sins. All the past sins, Allah erases them with this repentance. Allah erases them from you.
So do not despair and do not lose hope. Allah, (Exalted and Majestic is He), says:
Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful."
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُDo not despair
لا تَقْنَطُواThe one who repents from sin is like one who did not sin.
التائب من الذنب كمن لا ذنب لهBut if you do it without sincerity to Allah, but you left the sin and felt remorse for it, but you did not do it for Allah, but because it harmed you, or out of consideration for the feelings of your family, or for the sake of Zayd or 'Amr, not for Allah, then it remains upon you; for you did not repent to Allah. Repentance is for Allah. This crime remains upon you until you repent to Allah from it. But the future in which you did not commit the crime, there is nothing upon you, as long as you left it. What is upon you are the first crimes you committed until you repent to Allah from them with a sincere, pure repentance for Allah, encompassing remorse for the past, ceasing from them, guarding against them, and the resolve not to return to them, for Allah, hoping for what is with Allah, fearing His punishment .
Then, if you commit a sin after repentance, you are held accountable for the last one. If you commit a sin after repentance, the sins are returned upon you, only the sin of the last one. As for the first, it has passed and was erased from you by the repentance if you were sincere. But if the repentance was with the tongue, and you are established in your heart upon the sin, persisting in it, then this repentance does not benefit and is not valid. It is necessary that there be no persistence. You must repent with your heart, and leave it with your limbs and body. You cease from it, feel remorse for it, and resolve not to return to it. This is the repentance. If Shaytan stirs you up and you return to it, you are held accountable for the new sin, only the new sin, unless you repent after that. If you repent in that manner, Allah repents over you. And so, whenever the Muslim returns to repentance, Allah repents over him. So do not despair and do not lose hope. And Allah says:
And do not despair of the mercy of Allah.
وَلا تَيْئَسُوا مِنْ رَوْحِ اللَّهِAnd from what is necessary for the one who repents is that he follow it with righteous deeds and increase in good; so that it becomes straight, grows, and becomes complete, and so that he also replaces his evil deeds with good deeds. If he follows it with righteous deeds, Allah replaces them with good deeds. He, the Exalted, said, when He mentioned shirk (associating partners with Allah), killing, and zina (unlawful sexual intercourse), He said after that:
And whoever does that will meet a great sin.
وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا 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 اهْتَدَىThe presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He accept from you.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.