SINS, REPENTANCE & FORGIVENESS
PROHIBITIONS
Praise be to Allah; we praise Him and seek His help and forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allah from the evil of our own souls and from our evil deeds. Whomever Allah guides will never be led astray, and whomever Allah leaves astray, no-one will guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah Alone, with no partners or associates, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger.
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has laid down obligations which we are not permitted to ignore, and has set limits which we are not permitted to transgress, and has set out prohibitions which we are not allowed to violate.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whatever Allah has permitted in His Book is allowed, and whatever He has prohibited is forbidden; whatever He has remained silent about is a concession, so accept the concession of Allah, for Allah is never forgetful.” Then he recited the ayah: “. . . and your Lord is never forgetful” [Maryam 19:64]. (Reported by al-Hakim, 2/375; classified as hasan by al-Albaani in Ghaayat al-Maraam, p. 14)
Allah has issued a threat to the one who transgresses His set limits and violates His prohibitions, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): “And whosoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, and transgresses His limits, He will cast him into the Fire, to abide therein; and he shall have a disgraceful torment.” [al-Nisaa’ 4:14]
Avoiding that which has been forbidden is a duty, because the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whatever you have been prohibited to do, avoid it, and whatever you have been commanded to do, do as much of it as you can.” (Reported by Muslim, Kitaab al-fadaa’il, hadeeth no. 130, Abd al-Baaqi edition).
It is well-known that some of those who follow their desires, who are weak at heart and have little knowledge, become irritated when they hear lists of prohibitions. They grumble and mutter, “Everything is haram, you haven’t left us anything that is not forbidden! You make our lives boring and miserable. You don’t talk about anything but what is haram, but religion is supposed to easy, not strict, and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”
In response to such remarks, we say:
Allah, may He be glorified, rules as He wills and there is none to put back His judgement. He is All-Wise and Aware, and He allows whatever He wills and forbids whatever He wills, may He be glorified. One of the basic principles of our being His slaves is that we should accept whatever He decrees and submit fully to it. His rulings stem from His knowledge, wisdom and justice, and are not the matter of frivolity or foolish whims, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And the Word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice. None can change His words. And He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.” [al-An’aam 6:115]
Allah has explained to us the governing principle behind the allowing and prohibiting of various things (interpretation of the meaning):
“. . . He allows them as lawful al-tayyibaat [(i.e., all good and lawful) as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.], and prohibits them as unlawful al-khabaa’ith (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘Shall I not tell you of the most serious of the major sins?’ three times. We said, ‘Of course, O Messenger of Allah!’ He said, ‘Associating anything in worship with Allah . . .’” (Agreed upon; see al-Bukhari, no. 2511, al-Bagha edition).
MAJOR SINS
Major sins are defined as what is forbidden by Allah and His Messenger in the Qur'an and the Sunnah in addition to what is narrated on the authority of early Muslims. Allah, the Most high, promises whoever avoids the major sins to expiate his minor sins.
Allah, the Almighty says, “If ye (but) eschew the most heinous of the things which ye are forbidden to do, we shall remit your evil deeds, and admit you to a gate of great honour”. (An-Nisaa :31)
In this text, Allah, the Most High, also promises whoever avoids the major sins to admit him to Paradise. Allah, the Almighty says, {Those who avoid the greater sins and indecencies, and when they are angry even they forgive;} (Ash-Shura:37)
Also it is stated in the Qur'an, {Those who avoid great sins and indecent deeds, save lesser offences, verily thy Lord is ample in forgiveness.} (An Najm:32)
Major sins are those which appear by name in the Qur’an or hadith as the subject of an explicit threat of punishment, prescribed legal penalty, or curse.
Minor sins may be forgiven from prayer to prayer, from one Friday prayer to another, and so forth, as there many acts and deeds through which minor sins are forgiven.
The Prophet ﷺ said, "The five prescribed Prayers, and from one Friday Prayer to another and from Ramadan to another entail forgiveness for what is between them as long as you do not commit the major sins.” Reported by Muslim, Tirmidhi, Ibn Khuzaymah and Ahmed.
We as Muslims are obliged to learn about what the major sins are, so that we may avoid them. We have to bear in mind that some major sins are most heinous than another. This is because the Prophet ﷺ has enlisted Shirk (worshipping others with Allah) though a polytheist will suffer eternal torture in Fire and will never be forgiven.
REPENTANCE
(70 times in Quran)
ۚ وَتُوبُوٓاْ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تُفۡلِحُونَ
"And O believers, all of you, repent to Allah in order that you may be successful." [Al-Qur'an 24:31]
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلتَّوَّٲبِينَ وَيُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُتَطَهِّرِينَ
"Verily, Allah loves those who repent and those who purify themselves." [Al-Qur'an 2:222]
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ تُوبُوٓاْ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ تَوۡبَةً۬ نَّصُوحًا عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمۡ
"O you who believe! Turn to Allah in sincere repentance!" [Al-Qur'an 66:8]
A Muslim’s faith may become weak and he may be overwhelmed by his desires. The Shaytaan may make sin attractive to him, so he wrongs himself (commits sin) and falls into that which Allaah has forbidden. But Allaah is Kind to His slaves, and His mercy encompasses all things. Whoever repents after doing wrong, Allaah will accept his repentance, for Allaah is Forgiving and Merciful.
“But whosoever repents after his crime and does righteous good deeds (by obeying Allaah), then verily, Allaah will pardon him (accept his repentance). Verily, Allaah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-Maa’idah 5:39 – interpretation of the meaning]
“O you who believe! Turn to Allaah with sincere repentance! It may be that your Lord will expiate from you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise)” [al-Tahreem 66:8]
The gate of repentance is open to His slaves, until the sun rises from the west. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Allaah spreads out His Hand at night to accept the repentance of those who did wrong during the day, and He spreads out His Hand during the day to accept the repentance of those who did wrong during the night. (This will continue) until the sun rises from the west.” (Narrated by Muslim, no. 2759)
O my brother who has fallen into sins, do not despair from the mercy of your Lord, for indeed the door to repentance is open until the sun rises from the west. The Prophet ﷺ said, "Verily, Allah extends His hand out at night in order to accept the repentance of the sinner by day. And He extends His hand out during the day in order to accept the repentance of the sinner by night, until (the day) when the Sun will rise from its West." [Reported by Muslim]
And how many people have repented to Allah from numerous and enormous sins and Allah has accepted their repentance? Allah says:
"And those who do not supplicate to another god along with Allah, nor do they kill a person that Allah has made forbidden (to kill) except with just cause, nor do they commit fornication. And whoever does this shall receive the punishment. The torment will be doubled for him on the Day of Resurrection and he will abide therein in disgrace. Except those who repent and believe and do righteous deeds, for those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds. And Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful." [Al-Qur'an 25:68-70]
Allah commands us to repent so that He might forgive us. But the devils among mankind and the jinn want to turn people away from the truth and make them incline towards falsehood, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Allaah wishes to accept your repentance, but those who follow their lusts, wish that you (believers) should deviate tremendously away (from the Right Path)” [al-Nisaa’4:27]
Allah Loves those who repent
Allaah is Kind to His slaves and loves those who repent. He accepts their repentance, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And He it is Who accepts repentance from His slaves, and forgives sins, and He knows what you do” [al-Shooraa 42:25]
“Truly, Allaah loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves” [al-Baqarah 2:222]
“Say to those who have disbelieved, if they cease (from disbelief), their past will be forgiven” [al-Anfaal 8:38]
Allaah is Forgiving and Merciful, and He loves the repentance of His slaves. Man is weak. If a person sins then he has to repent and seek forgiveness every time. Allaah is Forgiving and Merciful, and He is the One Who says (interpretation of the meaning): “And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterwards seeks Allaah’s forgiveness, he will find Allaah Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-Nisaa’ 4:110]
The Muslim is vulnerable to making mistakes and sins. So he has to repent and seek forgiveness repeatedly. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “By Allaah, I seek the forgiveness of Allaah and I turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times each day.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 6307)
Allaah loves the repentance of His slaves, and accept it. Indeed, He rejoices over it, as the Prophet ﷺ said: “When a person repents, Allaah rejoices more than one of you who found his camel after he lost it in the desert.” (Agreed upon. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 6309)
Sincere Repentance & its conditions
Sincere repentance is not merely the matter of words spoken on the tongue. Rather, the acceptance of repentance is subject to the condition that the person gives up the sin straight away, that he regrets what has happened in the past, that he resolves not to go back to the thing he has repented from, that he restores people’s rights or property if his sin involved wrongdoing towards others, and that he repents before the agony of death is upon him. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Allaah accepts only the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and foolishness and repent soon afterwards; it is they whom Allaah will forgive and Allaah is Ever All-Knower, All-Wise.
And of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil deeds until death faces one of them and he says: ‘Now I repent;’ nor of those who die while they are disbelievers. For them We have prepared a painful torment” [al-Nisaa’ 4:17-18]
Allaah accepts repentance and is Merciful. He calls sinners to repent, so that He might forgive them:
“…your Lord has written (prescribed) Mercy for Himself, so that if any of you does evil in ignorance, and thereafter repents and does righteous good deeds (by obeying Allaah), then surely, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-An’aam 6:54 – interpretation of the meaning]
Sincere repentance must meet five conditions (in order to be accepted), which are:
Sincerity to Allah, the Most High: This is by the person doing it only for the sake of Allah and seeking His reward and salvation from His punishment.
Remorse: for the sin that was committed, such that he is sad he did it and wishes he had never done it. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Remorse is repentance.” (Reported by Ahmad and Ibn Maajah;Saheeh al-Jaami’, 6802).
Ceasing: to commit the sin immediately. If the sin was against Allah, then he should a) stop doing it if it was an unlawful act, or b) hasten to do it if it was an obligation that he abandoned doing. And if the sin was against a created being (such as humans), then he should hasten to free himself from it, whether by returning it back to him or seeking his forgiveness and pardon.
Determination: to not go back to doing that sin again in the future.
The repentance should not occur before the time when its acceptance is terminated, either by death or by the sun rising from the west. Allah says (in a hadith qudsi), "Repentance is of no effect for those who commit sins constantly until when death faces one of them, he says: Verily I repent now." The Prophet ﷺ said, "Whoever repents before the sun rises from its west, Allah will accept his repentance." [Reported by Muslim]
O Allah, grant us the sincere repentance and accept it from us, verily You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.
“Our Lord, indeed we have heard a caller calling to faith, [saying], ‘Believe in your Lord,’ and we have believed. Our Lord, so forgives us our sins and remove from us our misdeeds and cause us to die with the righteous.” Surah Ale Imran, verse 193
Believers Repent unlike Iblees
“Every son of Adam is a sinner, the best is those who repent” (Authentic Hadeeth in Ibn Majah) So every one of sins but the true believers are those who repent. Iblees on the other hand, did not confess his sin; he insisted on it, protested and argued with Allah trying to justify his sinful act. This is the crux of the matter that when one transgresses a limit set by Allah, he should admit it to be a sin and wrongdoing on his part, and not try to justify his fault like for example those who deal in Riba. They use arguments like the world has changed, everybody deals with interest nowadays or fixed interest is a universal scheme these days and as such there is nothing wrong in dealing with Riba.
We say to them, “Do not be arrogant and try to justify your wrongdoing. Do not say Riba is not haraam (forbidden), but humble yourself to Allah and seek forgiveness for your sin and confess your weakness and negligence in complying with His Commands - For, this will keep you within the boundaries of Eeman but if you reject the Command of Allah and argue that Riba is not a crime…you may exit the pale of Islam and commit Kufr (disbelief). We seek Allah’s Protection from this.
Duas from Quran & Sunnah for Repentance
1. Dua of Adam A.S.
رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَآ اَنْفُسَنَا وَإِنْ لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُوْنَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِيْنَ
Rabbana thalamnaa anfusana wa-in lam taghfir lana watarhamnaa lanakoonanna mina alkhasireen
Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers. [Surat Al-A’raf: 23]
2.
رَبَّنَا ٱغۡفِرۡ لِى وَلِوَٲلِدَىَّ وَلِلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ يَوۡمَ يَقُومُ ٱلۡحِسَابُ
Rabbanagh-fir lee wali waalidayya wa lilmu’mineena Yawma yaqoomul-hisaab
“Our Lord! Forgive me and my parents, and (all) the believers on the Day when the reckoning will be established” (Surah Ibraheem 14:41)
3.
رَّبِّ ٱغۡفِرۡ لِى وَلِوَٲلِدَىَّ وَلِمَن دَخَلَ بَيۡتِىَ مُؤۡمِنً۬ا وَلِلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَـٰتِ وَلَا تَزِدِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ إِلَّا تَبَارَۢا
Rabbi ighfir lee waliwalidayya waliman dakhala baytiya muminan walilmumineena wa almuminaat
“My Lord! Forgive me, and my parents, and him who enters my home as a believer, and all the believing men and women. (Surah Nooh 71:28)
4.
رَبَّنَآ إِنَّنَآ ءَامَنَّا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
Rabbanaa Innanaa ‘Aamanna Faghfir Lanaa Zunoobanaa Wa Qinaa ‘Azaaban Naar
“Our Lord! We have indeed believed, so forgive us our sins and save us from the punishment of the Fire.” (al Imran 3:16)
From the Sunnah
1.
أستغفر الله وأتوب إليه
Astaghfirullah wa atubu ilaih".
“I seek forgiveness to Allah and repent towards Him.”
(100 times)
2.
سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ
Subhan Allah wa bihamdihi
Allaah is free from imperfection and all praise is due to Him
Allah's Messenger ﷺ said, "Whoever says,(the above),' one hundred times a day, will be forgiven all his sins even if they were as much as the foam of the sea.
3.
رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَتُبْ عَلَيَّ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ
Rab-bigh-firlee wa tubb alayya Innaka anta at-Tawaabu ar-Raheem.
‘O my Lord forgive me and accept my repentance indeed You are the One who forgives and most merciful.’
From Ibn Umar -RadhiAllaahu anhumma- who said: ‘We would count that the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ would say in one sitting one hundred times (the above Dua).” [Abu Dawood & Tirmidhi; authenticated by Albaani]
4. Syed-ul- Istighfar (The best/most Superior way of asking for Forgiveness from Allah)
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ
Allaahumma anta rabbee, la ilaha illa anta, Khalaqtanee, wa ana abduka, wa ana ala ahdika wa wadika mastatatu, aouthu bika min sharri ma sanatu, aboou laka binimatika alayya, wa aboou bitahmbee, faghfirlee fainnahu la yaghfiru ath-thunooba illa anta
O Allaah You are my Lord, there is none worthy of worship in truth except You, You created me and I am Your slave and I am abiding to Your covenant and promise as best as I can, I seek refuge in You from the evil that I have committed, I profess to you my sins and I acknowledge Your favour upon me, so forgive me verily no one forgives sins except you.
The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ said : The best supplication for seeking forgiveness is to say (the above Dua) So if the worshipper says this when the morning arrives, truly believing init and he dies enters Paradise, and if he says this when the evening arrives truly believing in it enters Paradise” (Sahih Bukhari)
5. Dua to Recite on Laylatul Qadr
اللهم إنك عفو تحب العفو فاعفُ عني
Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun, tuhibbul-'afwa, fa'fu 'anni
(O Allah, You are Most Forgiving, and You love forgiveness; so forgive me
'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: I asked: "O Messenger of Allah! If I realize Lailat-ul-Qadr (Night of Decree), what should I supplicate in it?" He ﷺ replied, "You should supplicate: (the above Dua)."
Note: There are many more authentic Duas for Repentance, You can find more on the website... https://authentic-dua.com/category/dua-dhikr/istighfar-tawbah/.
ALLAH’S FORGIVENESS
نَبِّئۡ عِبَادِىٓ أَنِّىٓ أَنَا ٱلۡغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
Declare (O Muhammad ﷺ) unto My slaves, that truly, I am the Oft-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful. (15:49)
يَـٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسۡرَفُواْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمۡ لَا تَقۡنَطُواْ مِن رَّحۡمَةِ ٱللَّهِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغۡفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًاۚ إِنَّهُ ۥ هُوَ ٱلۡغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
“O My servants who have transgressed against their souls! Do not despair of Allah’s mercy, for Allah forgives all sins. He is Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (39: 53)
Al-Ghafur, Al-Ghaffar, Al-Ghafir. These three names refer to Allah’s forgiveness. The name Al-Ghafir means the Forgiver, while the names Al-Ghafur and Al-Ghaffar are more emphatic, indicating that Allah is most forgiving, oft-forgiving. Taken together, these three names occur in the Quran ninety-seven times. Allah says: “Declare (O Muhammad ﷺ) unto My slaves, that truly, I am the Oft-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful”. (15:49)
In one instance, the Quran refers to Allah as being “the best of those who forgive” when relating where Musa A.S. offers the following supplication: “You are our Protector: so forgive us and give us Your mercy; for you are the best of those who forgive”. (7: 155)
Allah forgives all sin without exception
Allah says:
“Will they not turn to Allah and ask His forgiveness? For Allah is Forgiving, Merciful”. (5: 74)
“Surely (as for) those who persecute believing men and women, then do not repent, they shall have the chastisement of Hell, and they shall have the chastisement of burning.” (85: 10)
“O My servants who have transgressed against their souls! Do not despair of Allah’s mercy, for Allah forgives all sins. He is Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (39: 53)
This verse affirms for us that Allah forgives all sins, without exception. Allah is willing to forgive even polytheism and unbelief, as long as the perpetrator renounces such falsehoods and sincerely repents. The mercy of Allaah encompasses all things. If a person’s sins are very great and he has wronged himself very much, but he then repents, Allaah will accept his repentance and will forgive his sins no matter how great they are.
For Muslims Allah says, “Allah does not forgive that partners be associated with Him, but He forgives other than that for whomever he pleases”. (4: 48)
This is with respect to those who believe in Allah and adhere to His guidance. If they perpetrate a sin or transgress ion, whether great or small, Allah has decreed that He can forgive that sin if He pleases or punish its perpetrator as He pleases as long as it is not shirk. He even replaces bad deeds with good, “Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allaah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allaah Forgiving and Merciful.” [Al-Furqaan: 70]
It is affirmed in the Sunnah that Allah calls forth during the last third of the night, saying: Is there anyone beseeching me, so I can give? Are any seeking my forgiveness, so I can forgive them? Are there any penitent people for me to pardon? Is anyone calling to me so I can answer? (Sahih al-Bukhari (1145) and Sahih Muslim (758))
This is an example of Allah’s generosity and boundless favor. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) relates that Allah says: O child of Adam! However much you beseech Me and place your hopes in Me, I will forgive you without any reservation. O child of Adam! If you have sins piling up to the clouds and then ask My forgiveness, I will forgive you without any reservation. O child of Adam! If you come to me with enough mistakes to fill the Earth, and meet Me without associating anything as a partner with Me, I will come to you with enough forgiveness to fill the Earth. (Sahih Muslim (2687))
When, “Shaytan said to the Lord of Glory, ‘By Your Glory, O Lord, I will keep trying to misguide Your slaves so long as their souls are in their bodies.’ The Lord said, ‘By My Glory and Majesty, I will continue to forgive them so long as they ask My forgiveness.’” [Saheeh al-Jamee (2/32)]
Allah refers to Himself as the Oft-Forgiving because He created us knowing that our natures would make us prone to sin, and that we would seek His forgiveness and He would forgive us.
This is Allaah, The Ever-Forgiving, The Oft-Forgiving, The Almighty, The Exalted.
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ وَٲسِعُ ٱلۡمَغۡفِرَةِ
{Indeed, your Lord is vast in forgiveness.}[An-Najm: 32]
Listen to the call of Allaah:
“O My slaves, you err night and day, but I forgive all sins, so ask Me for forgiveness and I will forgive you.”
(Reported by Muslim).
اللهم إنك عفو تحب العفو فاعفُ عني
Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun, tuhibbul-'afwa, fa'fu 'anni
(O Allah, You are Most Forgiving, and You love forgiveness; so forgive me
O my brothers & sisters in Islam, let us move on, then, to good and righteous deeds, to the company of righteous people, to avoiding deviation after having been guided aright. May Allaah be with us all.
May Allah forgive all of our sins and by His Mercy make us all Inhabitants of Jannah.
Please do remember us and the whole Ummah in your prayers!
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