Repentance in Islam explained

Tawba (Arabic: توبة alternatively spelled: tevbe or tawbah,)[1] 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.[2] [3] [4] 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.[5]

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.[6] [7] [8] In, the word tawba has been associated with the word (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:[9]

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:[11] [12] [13] As such, becoming hopeless of the mercy of Allah is prohibited. The Quran declares:

Again, God says to the believers in a Hadith Qudsi:[14]

"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.[15] 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.[16] 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:

  1. to regret one's past evil deeds;
  2. to carry out Divine duties (fard, wajib etc.) that were missed;
  3. to return the rights/properties of others that were usurped unjustly;
  4. to ask forgiveness of a person who has been wronged by him, physically or verbally;
  5. to make a firm resolve of avoiding the sin in future; and
  6. 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.[15] 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.[15]

Turning away from tawba

  1. Postponement of tawbah according to Islam was seen as a great sin.[17]

External links

Notes and References

  1. B. Silverstein Islam and Modernity in Turkey Springer 2011 page 124
  2. Web site: Tawbah - Oxford Islamic Studies Online. https://web.archive.org/web/20180825074412/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e2355. dead. August 25, 2018. www.oxfordislamicstudies.com. en. 2018-08-25. See Repentance.
  3. Web site: Repentance - Oxford Islamic Studies Online. https://web.archive.org/web/20130325150535/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e2004. dead. March 25, 2013. www.oxfordislamicstudies.com. en. 2018-08-25. Arabic tawbah. A major theme of the Quran, mentioned over seventy times and with an entire surah (9) titled for it. Usually described as turning toward God, asking forgiveness, and being forgiven. Islam has no concept of original sin, need for atonement, or ecclesiastical confession. Repentance and forgiveness are a direct matter between the individual and God, requiring no intercession. In cases of sin against another person, restitution is required. In cases of sin against God, repentance, remorse, and resolution to change one's behavior are considered sufficient. Although classical scholars emphasized the individual dimension of repentance, many revivalists and reformists have tied individual actions to larger issues of public morality, ethics, and social reform, arguing for reimplementation of the Islamic penal code as public expiation for sins. Sufis understand repentance as a process of spiritual conversion toward constant awareness of God's presence. Muhammad reputedly requested God's forgiveness several times daily..
  4. News: Islam religion. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2018-08-25. en. In order to communicate the truth of Divine Unity, God has sent messengers or prophets to human beings, whose weakness of nature makes them ever prone to forget or even willfully to reject Divine Unity under the promptings of Satan. According to the Qurʾānic teaching, the being who became Satan (Shayṭān or Iblīs) had previously occupied a high station but fell from divine grace by his act of disobedience in refusing to honour Adam when he, along with other angels, was ordered to do so. Since then his work has been to beguile human beings into error and sin. Satan is, therefore, the contemporary of humanity, and Satan’s own act of disobedience is construed by the Qurʾān as the sin of pride. Satan’s machinations will cease only on the Last Day.
    Judging from the accounts of the Qurʾān, the record of humanity’s acceptance of the prophets’ messages has been far from perfect. The whole universe is replete with signs of God. The human soul itself is viewed as a witness of the unity and grace of God. The messengers of God have, throughout history, been calling humanity back to God. Yet not all people have accepted the truth; many of them have rejected it and become disbelievers (kāfir, plural kuffār; literally, “concealing”—i.e., the blessings of God), and, when a person becomes so obdurate, his heart is sealed by God. Nevertheless, it is always possible for a sinner to repent (tawbah) and redeem himself by a genuine conversion to the truth. There is no point of no return, and God is forever merciful and always willing and ready to pardon. Genuine repentance has the effect of removing all sins and restoring a person to the state of sinlessness with which he started his life..
  5. Book: D. Beaulieu, Peter . Beyond Secularism and Jihad?: A Triangular Inquiry Into the Mosque, the Manger, and Modernity . 2012 . University Press of America . 978-0-7618-5837-9 . 88.
  6. November 2006. Crime, Punishment, And Justice Among Muslim Inmates (The Meaning of Crime and Punishment to Muslim Inmates and Its Policy Implications). live. African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies. 2. 74. 1554-3897. https://web.archive.org/web/20180825042254/https://www.umes.edu/uploadedFiles/_WEBSITES/AJCJS/Content/vol2%202%20ammar%20final.pdf. 25 August 2018. 25 August 2018. Repentance or Tawbah in Arabic literally means 'to return'. In an Islamic context, it refers to the return to the right way which is the way God commanded and to abandon what God has prohibited (Bahnasi, 1989). Many Qur’anic verses about repentance refer to Allah as the source of forgiveness. For instance, “Whosoever repents after his crime and does righteous good deeds [by obeying Allah], then verily, Allah will pardon him [accept his repentance]. Verily, Allah is Often Forgiving, Most Merciful (Al-Ma’idah 5:39). Another more general Qur’anic verse states: “Our Lord! Thy Reach is over all things, in Mercy and Knowledge. Forgive, then, those who turn in repentance, and follow Thy Path; and preserve them from the Penalty of the Blazing Fire "And grant, our Lord! That they enter the Gardens of Eternity, which Thou hast promised.
  7. Book: Mufti. Mufti. Ma'ariful Quran. Translated by Maulana Ahmed Khalil Aziz & Muhammad Taqi Usmani. Vol. 8; p.525. 2004.
  8. Book: Mothers for Peace. Heyam Qirbi. Trafford Publishing. 2014. 978-1-4907-0547-7. 61.
  9. Book: Henderson . Amanda . Holy Chaos: Creating Connections in Divisive Times . 2020 . Chalice Press . 978-0-8272-1516-0 . 4 June 2020 . ar.
  10. Book: AL-HANBALI, AL-HAFIZ IBN RAJAB. THE ISLAMIC MONTHS (A DETAILED TREATISE ON THE MERITS, VIRTUES AND PRACTICES FOR THE MONTHS OF THE ISLAMIC YEAR): لطائف المعارف فيما لمواسم العام [انكليزي]]. 2014-01-01. Dar Al Kotob Al Ilmiyah دار الكتب العلمية. 978-2-7451-7653-0. 132. en.
  11. News: To shirk, or worship others along with Allah, is a sin that Allah does not forgive.. Dodge. Huda. ThoughtCo. 2018-10-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20181012002336/https://www.thoughtco.com/shirk-2004293. 2018-10-12. live.
  12. News: Islam Forbids Visual Portrayals of Muhammad. 2015-03-25. Fox News. 2018-10-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20181012002326/https://www.foxnews.com/story/islam-forbids-visual-portrayals-of-muhammad. 2018-10-12. live. Associated Press. en-US. In the Quran, "shirk" (Arabic for "partnering" or "associating" anything with God) is the one unforgivable sin: "God does not forgive the joining of partners with him: anything less than that he forgives to whoever he will, but anyone who joins partners with God is lying and committing a tremendous sin" (4:48)..
  13. Web site: Conflict Resolution in Islam: Document Review of the Early Sources. Vehapi. Flamur. 2013-09-27. Portland State University. vii. https://web.archive.org/web/20181012002704/https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2445&context=open_access_etds. 2018-10-12. live. 2018-10-12. Shirk: Associating others with God, the only unforgivable sin in Islam if the person dies in such a state.
  14. Hadith Qudsi contained in Jami At-Tirmidhi and Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, #34 on http://cmje.usc.edu/religious-texts/hadith/qudsi.php
  15. Book: Oliver Leaman . The Qur'an: An Encyclopedia . 2006 . Taylor & Francis. 978-0-415-32639-1 . 535–6.
  16. Book: Ma'ariful Quran . 2 . 569.
  17. Book: Salvation Through Repentance (An Islamic View). Bilal Philips. 28–31.

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