Obligation of Repentance (Tawbah)

Sheikh Saleh al-Fawzaan (حفظها الله)

Belief that repentance is an obligation is obligatory, repentance from sins is an obligation. Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى said:

وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

'And all of you beg Allâh to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful.'

(An-Nur 24:31)  

And He سُبحانه وتعالى said:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحًاعَسَى رَبُّكُمْ أَن يُكَفِّرَ عَنكُمْ

"O you who believe! Turn to Allâh with sincere repentance! It may be that your Lord will remit from you your sins.."

(At-Tahrim 66:8)

And He سُبحانه وتعالى said:

وَمَن لَّمْ يَتُبْ فَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ

"And whosoever does not repent, then such are indeed Zâlimûn (wrong-doers, etc.)."

(Al-Hujurat 49:11)

Therefore it is obligatory for the Muslim to repent from his sins and from his evil deeds and it is obligatory that he does not continue upon them or commence upon them or that he is negligent with regards to sins, and he says; ‘this is easy.' Do not be negligent with it for it is from the sins, rather hasten with repentance.

Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى said:

وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُواْ فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُواْ أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُواْ اللّهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُواْ لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَن يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ اللّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّواْ عَلَى مَا فَعَلُواْ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ

أُوْلَـئِكَ جَزَآؤُهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَجَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَنِعْمَ أَجْرُ الْعَامِلِينَ

And those who, when they have committed Fahishah (illegal sexual intercourse etc.) or wronged themselves with evil, remember Allâh and ask forgiveness for their sins; - and none can forgive sins but Allâh - And do not persist in what (wrong) they have done, while they know.

For such, the reward is Forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens with rivers flowing underneath (Paradise), wherein they shall abide forever. How excellent is this reward for the doers (who do righteous deeds according to Allâh's Orders).

(Aali Imran 3:135-136)

Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى commended them and promised them (those who repent) by saying:

إِنَّمَا التَّوْبَةُ عَلَى اللّهِ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السُّوَءَ بِجَهَالَةٍ ثُمَّ يَتُوبُونَ مِن قَرِيبٍ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ يَتُوبُ اللّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَكَانَ اللّهُ عَلِيماً حَكِيماً

وَلَيْسَتِ التَّوْبَةُ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ حَتَّى إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ إِنِّي تُبْتُ الآنَ

Allâh accepts only the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and foolishness and repent soon afterwards; it is they to whom Allâh will forgive and

Allâh is Ever All­Knower, All­Wise.

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;"

 (An-Nisaa 4:17-18)

When death arrives the repentance is not accepted and if mankind continues to live then his repentance in the presence of death is (furthermore) not accepted, so upon him is to rush to make repentance and not to delay it. As soon as he commits a sin he repents to Allaah immediately.

Man is not infallible and errors occur from him, shortcomings occur from him, sins occur from him; however Allaah Lofty and Sublime by way of his mercy has opened the door of repentance. He has opened for you the door of repentance and he calls you to it and he has promised you that He will forgive you if you are truthful in your repentance. So much so that if a disbeliever repents to Allaah; Allaah forgives him (the sin of) disbelief, Shirk, the killing of people and other than that.  If he repents to Allaah He will forgive him.

He سُبحانه وتعالى said:

قُل لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ إِن يَنتَهُواْ يُغَفَرْ لَهُم

‘Say to those who have disbelieved if they cease (from disbelief) their past will be forgiven’ (Al-Anfaal 8:38)

And in the Hadith:

‘Repentance nullifies that which came before it’ (1)

Therefore the Muslim needs to repent, the Messenger صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم use to seek forgiveness and repent to Allaah more than a hundred times a day.

He صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم said:

‘Oh People! Repent to Allaah, verily I repent more than seventy times a day’ (Bukhari)

His companions (رضي الله عنهم) enumerated that in the gatherings he (صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم) would say more than a hundred times:

‘I seek Allaah’s forgiveness, I seek Allaah’s forgiveness.’

(Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)

And he was the Messenger of Allaah he (صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم)!

So how about other than him?!

Therefore we need to repent to Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى, Man is not infallible sins occur from him, shortcomings occur from him, and mistakes occur from him, so he needs to repent.

And all the praises belong to Allaah that He has opened the door of repentance for us and He has promised that He will accept (our repentance) and wipe away our sins.

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(1) This Hadith is reported in Silsilah da’eefah of Sheikh Al-Albaani however there are several other Hadith with similar meaning such as :

 ‘’The one who repents from sins is like the one who has no sin’ Ibn Majah Declared Hasan by Sheikh Al Albaani

 Source: Sheikh Fawzaan’s Explanation of Sharh-us-Sunnah of Imaam Barbahaaree Point 170