Repentance in Islam

''Tawba'' ( ar, توبة alternatively spelled: ''tevbe'' or ''tawbah'', )B. Silverstein ''Islam and Modernity in Turkey'' Springer 2011 page 124 is the Islamic concept of repenting to God due to performing any sins and misdeeds. It is a direct matter between a person and God, so there is no intercession. There is no original sin in Islam. It is the act of leaving what God has prohibited and returning to what he has commanded. The word denotes the act of being repentant for one's misdeeds, atoning for those misdeeds, and having a strong determination to forsake those misdeeds (remorse, resolution, and repentance). If someone sins against another person, restitution is required.

Etymology

The literal meaning of the Arabic word ''tawba'' is "to return" and is repeated in the Qur'an and ''hadith'' (sayings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad). In the context of Islam, it means to turn or to retreat from past sinful and evil activities, and to firmly resolve to abstain from them in future. In , the word ''tawba'' has been associated with the word نصوح (''nasūh'') which means "to make pure or sincere". Thus, ''tawba'' signifies sincere and faithful repentance, free from pretense and hypocrisy.

In Islamic scripture

Quran

In the Quran, there is a complete ''surah'' (chapter) titled At-Tawba, which means "The Repentance". As with other topics, the act of atoning (for one's misdeeds) and seeking God's forgiveness has also been discussed in the Qur’an, and given much importance. For those believers who have wronged themselves, the Qur'an asks them to become repentant, seek Allah's forgiveness, and make a sincere tawba. It assures them that if they do this, God will forgive them, and exonerate them from their misdeeds:

The Qur'an also addresses the disbelievers and urges them to turn to God, upon which God promises to pardon them:

''Sunnah''

Like Quran, the ''hadith'' also mentions and stresses the importance of ''tawba'':
* In Sunan al-Tirmidhi, a Hadith is narrated:
* In Sahih al-Bukhari, Anas ibn Malik narrates:

* In Sahih Muslim, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari and Abu Huraira narrate:

* In Sahih Bukhari, Abu Said Al-Khudri narrates:

* In Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim narrated Abdullah ibn Masud,

* In Sahih Muslim narrated Anas ibn Malik,

Theological viewpoints

Since the issue of ''tawba'' or repentance arises from Islamic religious context, it can be understood well when discussed from that perspective.

Repentance to Allah alone

Islam does not view any human being as being infallible. Any human being can be subject to errors, Allah being the only perfect one. Thus the sole authority for the forgiveness of any human being corresponds to Allah. Muslims deny the authority of men to listen to another person's confessions and then pronounce him forgiven of his sin. Likewise repenting to anyone besides Allah is forbidden. The Quran states:

''Tawba''

''Tawba'' and the benevolence of Allah

Sincere ''tawba'' is always accepted by Allah. Allah says:

In numerous verses of the Quran, Allah describes Himself as being extremely generous, merciful, and forgiving towards His creations. In verse 22 of sura Al-Hashr, for example, He assures: "He is Allah besides Whom there is no God; the Knower of the unseen and the seen; He is the Beneficent, the Merciful".

The use of the verse "In the name of Allah, the Benevolent, the Merciful" at the beginning of every sura (except one) further testifies to this fact. According to the Quran and Hadith, Allah's overarching mercy permits even the gravest sins to be pardoned by Him, provided the wrongdoer intends a sincere ''tawba''.

''Shirk'' is an unforgivable sin if one dies without repenting from it:
As such, becoming hopeless of the mercy of Allah is prohibited. The Quran declares:

Again, God says to the believers in a ''Hadith Qudsi'':''Hadith Qudsi'' contained in ''Jami At-Tirmidhi'' and ''Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal'', #34 on http://cmje.usc.edu/religious-texts/hadith/qudsi.php

"O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me, and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth, and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it."

Conditions of ''tawba''

According to Islamic Sharia, when an act of ''tawba'' is performed by a Muslim, Allah generally accepts it. However, that tawba should be sincere and true. Islamic scholars agree upon the fact that if a person is not ashamed of his past misdeeds, or does not intend to forsake those, then his verbal announcement of ''tawba'' is an open mockery of repentance. Mere verbal repentance does not account for a true ''tawba''. A sincere ''tawba'' has some criteria.

Ali was asked as to what is ''tawba'', and he replied that ''tawba'' consists of six elements:

# to regret one's past evil deeds;
# to carry out Divine duties (''fard'', ''wajib'' etc.) that were missed;
# to return the rights/properties of others that were usurped unjustly;
# to ask forgiveness of a person who has been wronged by him, physically or verbally;
# to make a firm resolve of avoiding the sin in future; and
# to employ oneself in Allah's obedience, as he previously employed himself in Allah's disobedience.

In Islamic sharia, ''tawba'' is a twofold approach: a person first should be able to recognize and forsake his/her sins upon which Allah promises to forgive them. Islam expects Muslims to realize their mistakes and shortcomings, and to seek His forgiveness. Forgiveness for one's sins is not something that comes automatically; it is something that must be sought for, with sincereness and true devotion. Becoming indifferent to one's sins is seen as dangerous. Muhammad said:

Another important perspective on repentance in Islam is that a person should always seek God's forgiveness even when they are not apparently guilty of any particular sin. This is because there are many subtle natures of sin involving immorality which escape notice, and also because it is a Muslim's duty to turn towards God.
* In ''hadith'', Muhammad asked people to seek Allah's forgiveness: "O people, seek repentance from Allah. Verily, I seek repentance from Him a hundred times a day."
* In Islamic sharia, submission to Allah is necessary not only for achieving God's forgiveness, but also for being worthy of entering into paradise. Muhammad said: "Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and receive good news because one's good deeds will not make him enter Paradise." The companions asked, "Even you, O Allah's Apostle?" He said, "Even I, unless and until Allah bestows His pardon and Mercy on me."

Demerits of turning away from ''tawba''

Turning away from repentance or postponement of ''tawbah'', was attached with some ill-effects including the follows:
# He who turns away from ''tawbah'' was referred to as an Unjust.
# He who decides to postpone his repentance till his last breath, his repentance shall not be accepted.
# Postponement of ''tawbah'' according to Islam was seen as a great sin.

See also

References

{{Reflist

External links

'Tawbah' (Repentance) in Islam


* Muhammad Al-Munajjid -
Prophet's Methods Of Correcting People's Mistakes
- (English)

Islamic terminology
Repentance