Humans normally do mistakes and sins but when we repent to Allah he forgives us, so here we will learn what is Tawbah, its conditions and much more, so keep reading.
Let’s understand the concept of Tawbah and forgiveness, and how to repent to Allah.
What is the meaning of Tawbah in Islam?
What is the meaning of Tawbah in Islam? Tawbah is the act of asking Allah for forgiveness, repenting for a sin we made, telling Allah that we are not going to repeat that mistake again. Tawbah is the way to coming closer to Allah, walking on the right path, and staying away from doing any sin. It is the first step of discipline and our key to walking in the right way that gets us closer to Allah.
Tawbah is what we should all do and understand, Allah created us for a purpose and that’s what we should focus on. And not to let life distract us from our real goals. It might be hard at the beginning to stay away from doing mistakes and sins but with time it will become easier.
Seeking forgiveness is what we should do, Allah’s prophet used to seek Allah’s forgiveness 70 times each day.
Abu Hurairah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, “I swear by Allah that I seek Allah’s Pardon and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.”
What are the conditions of Tawbah?
When understanding or realizing that what you’re doing is wrong you should turn to Allah and ask for forgiveness. That’s the purpose of Tawbah prayer, so let’s learn what are the rules of tawbah?
4 steps of Tawbah:
Here are the 4 stages of repentance in Islam/4 conditions of Tawbah (conditions of repentance islamqa):
- Regretting what you did wrong and any sin you did.
- Stop doing the sin and stay away from anything that will lead you to do it again. There is no meaning in abandoning the sin one day and then going back to it again and keep doing it over and over again like you haven’t learned your lesson. Otherwise, there is no meaning to your Tawbah. But that doesn’t mean to give up on Tawbah because you can’t stop doing the sin. Keep asking for Allah’s forgiveness and ask for strength to resist going back to the mistakes you have done.
- Promise to not commit sin ever again. Asking Allah for forgiveness means that we truly mean to stop committing sin. So you have to stop doing it and be sincere about your promise. And try your best not to go back to it again. However, al Tawbah doesn’t mean that you will not feel weak sometimes or that you won’t go back to the sin again. It means that you will try your best not to return to it again. So, don’t get disappointed if you return to the sin again, just make sure to stop yourself and don’t lose hope.
- when committing a sin against humans like stealing or anything you could think of adds more conditions. For example, if you stole something then you should give it back to its owner and apologize to him. If you have taken someone else’s rights or their property, then you should return it to them. The aim of repentance is not to cause more harm, it is to rectify the situation. Putting right into what we have done is one of the greatest acts of goodness that we could do. However, it should not be at the expense of causing more harm.
Why do we repent to Allah?
We repent to Allah so he forgives all our mistakes and sin, to come closer to Allah and do what is right.
How do I repent my Tawbah?
How do I ask repentance from Allah? There is a simple way that you could follow as the prophet told us, which is praying 2 Rakat Nafal Prayer (the optional prayer). Then ask Allah for forgiveness in Dua. The condition of Tawbah prayer is to be in the state of Wudu and that you are remorseful about transgressing the bounds of Allah.
For short here are the conditions of salat al Tawbah:
- Be in the state of Wudu.
- pray 2 Rakat.
- Ask Allah to forgive you for the sin you did.
Pray these two Rakat as you pray the other Sunnah prayers. Recite any surah you know by heart after reciting al Fatiha. Here are the suggested Surahs that you can read:
How do you pray Salatul Tawbah?
How do you perform the Tawbah prayer?
First Tawbah prayer Raka:
In the first rak’ah, recite surah Al-Fatihah and followed by surah Al-Ikhlas or other surahs as you like:
“Qul huwallahu ahad. Allahus-samad. Lam yalid wa lam Yuulad. Wa lam Yakul Lahuu Kufuwan Ahad.”
Meaning:
Say, “He is Allah, [who is] One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, Nor is there to Him any equivalent.”
Second Rakats:
In the second rak’ah, recite surah Al-Fatihah and followed by surah Al-Nas or other surahs as you like:
“Qul a’uzu birabbin-nas. Malikin-nas. Ilahin-nas. Min syarril-waswasil-khannas. Allazii Yuwaswisu fi Sudurin-nas. Minal jinnati wan-nas.”
Meaning:
Say, “I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, The Sovereign of mankind. The Allah of mankind, From the evil of the retreating whisperer – Who whispers [evil] into the breasts of mankind -From among the jinn and mankind.”
During the final sujood (before getting up for attahiyat), say the following 40 times: “Laa ilaaha illa Anta subhanaka Inni Kuntu Minazzolimin”
Meaning:
There is no Allah but You, O Allah! Glory be to You! I am of those who do wrong.
How to repent in Islam for major sins?
How to repent sincerely to Allah? And How do Muslims make Tawbah? You could pray Salatul Tawbah or say the following Tawbah dua.
“Allahumma inni Zholamtu Nafsi Zull-man Kasiran Walaa Yagh-firu Zunuuba illa Anta, Fagh-firli Min indika Magfirotan innaka Antal Rgho-fuu Rur-rahim.”
Meaning:
O Allah, indeed I have wronged myself with great injustice. And no one can forgive my sins except you. So, forgive me with great forgiveness from your side. You are indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
How to repent to Allah?
By doing the following:
- Regretting what you did wrong and any sin you did.
- Stop doing the sin and stay away from anything that will lead you to do it again. There is no meaning in abandoning the sin one day and then going back to it again and keep doing it over and over again like you haven’t learned your lesson. Otherwise, there is no meaning to your Tawbah. But that doesn’t mean to give up on Tawbah because you can’t stop doing the sin. Keep asking for Allah’s forgiveness and ask for strength to resist going back to the mistakes you have done.
When to pray salat Tawbah?
You can pray Tawbah at any time except the forbidden time. But it is better to pray it after midnight, during Qiamullai. The best is when you feel guilty and want to speak to Allah and ask for forgiveness. when you must pray immediately, don’t wait until after midnight.
Will Allah accept my Tawbah?
Yes, Allah will accept your Tawbah, and here is a hadith on repentance:
Tawbah hadith:
Prophet Muhammed (peace and blessing be upon him) said: “He who repents for his sin is like one who has no sin.”
Prophet Muhammed has said: “Every son of Adam sins and the best of those who sin are those who repent.”
What Allah says about repentance?
Here is some verse from the holy Quran about Tawbah:
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّـهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ ﴿53﴾
Say [that Allah declares,] ‘O My servants who have committed excesses against their own souls, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed Allah will forgive all sins. Indeed, He is the All-forgiving, the All-merciful.
وَأَنِيبُوا إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ وَأَسْلِمُوا لَهُ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَكُمُ الْعَذَابُ ثُمَّ لَا تُنصَرُونَ ﴿54﴾
Turn penitently to Him and submit to Him before the punishment overtakes you, whereupon you will not be helped.
إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُولَـٰئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّـهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّـهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
Except those who repent, attain faith, and act righteously. For such, Allah will replace their misdeeds with good deeds, and Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.
وَمَن تَابَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَإِنَّهُ يَتُوبُ إِلَى اللَّـهِ مَتَابًا ﴿71﴾
And whoever repents and acts righteously indeed turns to Allah with due penitence).
وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّـهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿31﴾
Rally to Allah in repentance, O faithful, so that you may be felicitous.
What are the benefits of Tawbah?
- Tawbah brings us closer to Allah: Allah says in the Holy Quran:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ
Truly, Allah loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves.
- Tawbah makes us succeed in our lives:
وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
And all of you beg Allah to forgive you, O believers, that you may be successful. (24:31)
- Allah will forgive us for all the sins we made:
وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَعْفُو عَنِ السَّيِّئَاتِ
And He is Who accepts repentance from His slaves, and pardons sins. (42:25)
Also, Allah says in the Holy Quran:
وَمَن تَابَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَإِنَّهُ يَتُوبُ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَتَابًا
And whosoever repents and does righteous good deeds; then verily, he repents towards Allah with true repentance. (25:71)
- Award us with Allah’s forgiveness and mercy:
وَالَّذِينَ عَمِلُوا السَّيِّئَاتِ ثُمَّ تَابُوا مِن بَعْدِهَا وَآمَنُوا إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِن بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
But those who committed evil deeds and then repented afterward and believed, verily, your Lord after (all) that is indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (7:153)
Why is Surah Tawbah revealed?
It was revealed in the Madinah during the battle of Tabuk that happened in 9AH, 630AD. Here are the main three topics of surah al Tawbah:
The first part (from verses 1 to 37), was revealed in Zil-Qa`adah A.H. about the Hajj. The Holy Prophet sent Hadrat Ali to observe Hadrat Abu Bakr, who had already left for Makkah as chief of the Pilgrims to the Kaabah.
The 2nd part (38-72) was revealed in Rajab A.H. While the Holy Prophet became engaged in making arrangements for Tabuk. In this discourse, the Believers had been entreated to take lively component in jihad, and the shirkers had been significantly rebuked for their hesitation to sacrifice their lives withinside the manner of Allah due to their hypocrisy, vulnerable religion or negligence.
The third part (73-I 29) warns the hypocrites about what they did.
