What Muslims Need To Know About Repentance (Before It's Too Late)

There are different ways to wash sins. First is the easiest, which is tawba in dunya. But if you don't, if you keep that stain of sin on you, then it's the qabar.

What happens when a servant is walking towards Allah (AJ) to make repentance?

Allah (SWT) runs to them.

People who are, for example, addicted to smoking, it became such a normal thing nowadays that people would just do it outside openly. It's still a sin.

If you bring sins like the foam on the ocean, Allah will bring more mercy than that.

Does Allah ever turn away forgiveness? Does He ever deny forgiveness if it's sincere?

If you're sincere and you fulfill those shuroot that we mentioned, Allah always forgives his sins. But you have to make the effort.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Eyoub (Abu Lahya), we are all sinners, but what's so important is that Allah (AJ) is the most merciful. He's the one who forgives all sins. And in this episode, we'll show you, Baitul Anwar, how to make tawbah so that Allah (AJ) can forgive your sins. Sheikh, what's the best thing about making tawbah?

The best thing about making tawbah is that you turn back to Allah, and Allah loves for a slave to turn back to Him more than if we had lost everything and it was returned to us.

Why is it so important to make tawbah?

We do not want to go in front of Allah (SWT) with sin. You want to cleanse. Ibn al-Qayyim (Abu Lahya) says something beautiful. He says that there are different ways to wash sins. First is the easiest, which is tawbah in dunya, hardships in dunya, sickness, all that. But if you don't, if you keep that stain of sin on you, then is the qabar, which is hard. Which is difficult. You don't want to do that. You want to cleanse that sin before you get to the Qabar. And if it doesn't cleanse in the Qabar, then there is the Hashar, the Day of Judgment, which is even harder than that. People will be drowning in their own sweat. People will be under that stress. You don't want to be in that. You want to be under the shade of Allah. You want to be members of Nur and light. You don't want to go. And if not, then there is the Naar, the Hellfire. And may Allah protect us. We don't want to even look at the Naar. We don't want to smell the the smoke of the Hawfar, we want to make tawbah in this dunya before we reach that place.

What's the best way of making tawbah?

The best way first and foremost is to fulfill the shuroot. What is the first shart that you should feel bad about?

Those are the rules of tawbah. Yes. People don't even know that there's actually rules of tawbah, some of them. How many of them are?

There's 3, 4 depending on the situation. So first is that you feel bad about it.

Okay.

Meaning you don't go and brag about it. You're not like, yeah, man, I used to gamble, Astaghfirullah, but you know what? I made millions. I was so good at it. Don't be proud of your sin.

Feeling bad about it.

Feeling bad about it. That's the first rule. Secondly, you turn to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and ask for forgiveness.

Okay, so you repent.

Now there is a difference between Istighfar and Tawbah.

Okay, what's the difference?

Istighfar is just general. You are asking Allah's forgiveness. After Salah, Astaghfirullah, Astaghfirullah, Astaghfirullah. Even just sitting and saying, Allahumma gfirli, Astaghfirullah. You make those Istaghfar. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), sometimes sitting in one gathering, would make Istaghfar 100 times or 70 times, depending on the hadith and so on. And daily he would make that generally. But Tawba, repentance, is about a particular sin. Right? So let's say, may Allah protect us all, somebody fell into the sin of looking at things that are haram, or touching somebody that's haram, or so whatever. Then you feel bad about it.

About the specific thing?

That particular sin. Then you turn to Allah (SWT), ask Allah's forgiveness about that particular sin. And the third shart, you make a strong intent never to go back to it. You change whatever led you to it. It's not like you're like, 'Oh, I make tawbah, but I'm planning on doing it again tonight.' No. If a certain environment, like certain companies, certain friends got you to that sin, leave those friends. If it's you live in a certain place where there's gambling and whatever and you get caught up in it, don't go there. If it's when you watch certain things at certain time, then don't go to it. So this is the third shart for tawbah. The fourth one, occasionally or at certain times, is when you wronged a person. Like if you looked at something that's haram, that's between you and Allah, you ask Allah forgiveness.

But let's say another one that involves someone, you stole from someone.

Yes. Now the fourth chart is you have to make it whole with them.

You have to fix it with them.

You have to fix it.

If you don't fix it, you can't repent.

Then no. Then Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala will then hold you accountable on the Day of Judgment with that person.

Even though you did the first three?

Yes.

Okay, so you have to fix it.

When it has to do with the haqqafa, person, then you have to fix it with them. But then you might ask, what if I lost count with that person? Meaning I lost connection with them, you know, I stole from somebody. Yeah, that's true.

Let's say maybe they did a long time ago, a few years ago, and they forgot, they don't have contacts anymore.

Then you do your best to get a hold of them. If not them, their family. Let's say you stole somebody and they died from somebody, you give it to their children, you give it to their heirs, you give it to their wife, you give it to a woman If you wronged a woman, then to her husband that's alive. If you can't get a hold of them at all, then you give it in sadaqah with the niyyah that they will get the reward from it. And I'm being brief here because we want to get through these points, but this is very important. When somebody wants to make tawbah, then they have to fulfill the shuroot, otherwise they will be held accountable on the Day of Judgment, and that's a very harsh thing. If you owe somebody on the Day of Judgment, they're not going to be lenient with you. They're going to want your deed.

Yeah, because that's the day when they're desperate for deeds.

But you can fix it in dunya. If you backbited somebody, tell them, look, I'm sorry, I backbited you, I did something haram, I apologize, forgive me. If they forgive you in dunya, that's much better. You ripped somebody off, you go give them that money. Forget it. Let that money Be settled in this dunya, otherwise it'll be from your amal on the Day of Judgment.

It's a lot easier to settle it in the dunya than in the akhira.

It is.

I'll use the opportunity. If you're watching this and I wronged you, please forgive me in the dunya. I apologize. We'll just do that publicly.

The next thing about tawba that I want to mention is that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala loves to forgive. Never think Allah cannot forgive me. Na'udhu billah. There's a beautiful hadith where a Sahabi told another man that Allah will not forgive you. Then Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says, who took an oath that I would not forgive? I forgive that person, but I will hold you accountable. Really?

So He would forgive the one that sinned?

Yes.

But hold against the one who said Allah Azza wa Jal is Subhanahu wa Ta'ala?

Yes. Allah forgives and loves to forgive. There's a beautiful hadith that mentions that All of the children of Adam, they sinned. And if they didn't sin, then Allah would bring another creation that would sin and make tawba because Allah loves to forgive. Allah loves to forgive. Allah is the most forgiving. There's a sahih hadith where the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said that Allah loves to forgive His slave so much He becomes so happy at the tawba, at the repentance of a slave coming back to him more than a person who lost their zaaad, their provisions and their camel and everything in a desert. They thought they were going to die, but then they find it. More than that. And there's a longer version of that hadith that mentions that there was an example of a man who's in a desert. Now imagine a harsh desert, sandy, rough, no water, no wells, and he has a camel, his means to get around, and he has all his provisions on that camel, his food, his water, his survival, and then he loses it. And he's going around and around, around, and he's searching for this, and he doesn't find it. And then he, in the end, he realizes he's going to die because there's no gas station, there's no petrol pump. So he lays down just expecting to die, and he looks up and he finds his camel with all his water and his food. And you know how happy he gets? Allah (SWT) is more happy than that when his Abid makes Tawbah and repents and turns back to Him.

That's an amazing point. You want to make Allah happy? Just make Tawbah.

Turn back to Allah. We all have sins. This Ramadan, you know your sins. You know what you're doing. You know what you're doing is wrong, then turn back to Allah. Make tawbah this Ramadan.

There's a beautiful point here because people might feel bad or might feel like they need to delay their repentance when they fix up or they'll do it later. Can you mention the point where Allah (AJ), what happens when a servant is walking towards Allah (AJ) to make repentance?

Then Allah (SWT) runs to them. If they come a handspan, Allah comes more than that to them. Allah (SWT) loves the Tawbah, loves the person coming. Allah is that merciful.

We need to insist on that point. If you go to Allah (AJ) walking, He comes to you running. If you come to a handspan, He would come to you an arm span. Subhanallah.

And Allah (SWT), He is so merciful, He will wipe away your sins as if they never happened. On the Day of Judgment, they won't even exist. That's how merciful Allah (SWT) is.

That's beautiful. And we don't need to speak to anyone or go to a special guru. You just— even now, if you're watching this video, honestly, just pause, take 5 minutes, concentrate between you and Allah, and just ask for forgiveness and repent on the sins that you know you're doing that you should stop. Stop the sins, make the intentions to never go back. And ask Allah (AJ) for forgiveness.

But I do want to give a warning here.

Please.

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) told us that 'Aqeel,' the intelligent person, is the one that prepares. 'Amal,' he does 'amal lima ba'd al-mawt. He does actions to prepare for what's after death. So if you're intelligent, start prepping for your akhira. The 'Aaj' is the foolish, incapable person is the one that continues to sin and says, "Allah is Ghaffurur Rahim." Don't fool yourself. Allah is the most forgiving, but you cannot trick Allah (SWT). You cannot just go and, you know, drink alcohol or do whatever haram and then be like, "You know what? Allah is the most forgiving." Now, if you're going to insist on that sin, then Allah (SWT) is going to take you to account for it. There's two other very important points that I want to make before we end. The first, Never sin openly.

Yeah, it's worse.

It's not just worse, it is where you, when you make jahr of your sin. Let's say if you have some secret habit of sin and you do it and then you ask Allah forgiveness, Allah forgives. But when you do it openly, publicly, then Allah will take you account for it.

And it's very important, we even can, you can share some examples with this one because people might even forget because things become a commodity. Something as simple as May Allah make it easier, may Allah forgive them. People who are, for example, addicted to smoking, it became such a normal thing nowadays that people would just do it outside openly. It's still a sin, and still you doing it openly.

And I'll give you one up on that is social media. Today people post videos of them drinking alcohol, post videos of them smoking, them dancing at parties, them hanging out with women in yachts and clubs. You're publicizing your sins, not just publicly, but you're posting it for the world to see.

You know, I have a super practical advice on this one. JazakAllah Khair for reminding me. Right now, open your Instagram. I guarantee you everybody's going to resonate. Open your Instagram. You probably have a story somewhere that you posted that has music in there. You probably have the previous something from 5 years ago. Go to it. I promise you, this is something everybody would catch themselves with. And if you're not in the category, may Allah reward you, may Allah bless you. Check your social media accounts, specifically Instagram, because that's a common one. Go through your stories, your pictures, every single thing. Do you have a picture where you expose your aura? Do you have a picture? Do you have some stories with music? This is so common, people don't realize it, but that's you public, making your sins public. Whoever listens to this music, you will get their sins. That's so, so important. It reminded me, BarakAllahu Fik.

So again, on social media, in person, in front of people. If you are publicizing your sin, you are making yourself have to be accountable. This is a hadith of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). That Allah continues to forgive his sin as long as he does not publicize it. When he publicizes it, he has to be taken to account for it.

SubhanAllah.

Now, the last point I will make on this subject is never, ever despair in the mercy of Allah. Even if you sin and make tawbah and you fall back in that sin, turn back to Allah (SWT) again. Intend to not do it again. Work on that. Don't just continue to sin. Make your effort. But if you do fall into it again, turn back to Allah (SWT).

And what happens if you keep falling back to it and you become desperate? You think you'll never get away from it?

Allah (SWT) can forgive all sins. Even if you do shirk, you can make tawbah for it in the dunya. If you die on kufr, that's different. But in dunya, you can make tawbah from it. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala— this is a beautiful hadith of the Prophet ���— that if you bring sins, hadith qudsi, like the foam on the ocean— imagine if you've been to ocean—

it's infinite, it's huge.

Looks like it's— I mean, to us it's infinity, right? Allah will bring more mercy than that and more forgiveness than that. And forgive all those sins.

Does Allah ever turn away forgiveness? Does He ever deny forgiveness if it's sincere?

Allah, if you're sincere and you fulfill those shuroot that we mentioned, Allah always forgives his sins, always forgives his servants, always forgives. Allah is so loving.

Does He ever make it hard on the worshipper to actually get forgiven?

Allah (SWT) makes it easy for us, but you have to make that step. You have to make that intent.

It's an easy step, they can do it now.

You have to turn to Allah. You have to make that intention. You have to remove whatever is in your life drawing you to that sin. And then you will see that Allah will make the path easy for you.

You have to make the intention of repenting and then doing the actions, and Allah makes it easy and accept the repentance. That's beautiful. BarakAllahu fi kufuruh. Any last words, any summary if they want to implement it live?

The only thing I'll mention in the end is one of the greatest scholars of Islam, Malik bin Dinar, as mentioned by Imam al-Fiqh al-Din ibn al-Qudamah in Kitab al-Tawabeen, used to be from the most sinful people. Malik bin Dinar, he tells his own story as mentioned by Ibn al-Qudamah, he used to be a drunker, drunk, an alcoholic. And a corrupt person. Some mention that he was a corrupt officer in the police at the time. Some mention that he was a bandit, but he was a horrible person at that time. And he had a daughter, a young daughter that died as an infant, as a child, and he saw her in a dream. And it's a long narration, I'm just going to summarize for the sake of time, but she warned him. In that dream and he made tawbah. And he not just made tawbah, he changed his life, he changed his environment. At an older age, he wasn't a child, he started to study Islam, gain knowledge, become a zahid, become somebody who wasn't attached to this dunya, to the point that he became from the great scholars of Islam. Malik ibn Dinar, narrator in books of hadith. I mean, his aqwal in zuhoor, quoted, his fiqh is quoted, and then he became so good. Let me give you one story from his life. One time, a robber, a thief, a bandit broke into his house. Malik ibn Dinar was making salah. Now imagine, somebody used to be a drunk, he used to be a corrupt person, but look how he changed. You can be that change. Don't think, I'm too sinful. No, you can do it. He was making salah, the thief was looking around, couldn't find anything to steal. When he made Taslim, he told the thief, 'Did you find anything?' He said, 'No.' He said, 'Let me give you something better than whatever worldly things you came to steal. Come make salah with me.' SubhanAllah. That thief, he was a Muslim, he made wudu, he started to make Qamal lil Tahajjud with him. He prayed with him, 2 raka'ah and 2 more. Until the time of Fajr. Then he told him, 'You are free to go. I am not going to press any charges. You can leave or you can come with me to Fajr.' The man said, 'I will go with you for Fajr.' On his way to the masjid, the people saw Malik ibn Dinar with somebody that was strange. And Malik ibn Dinar didn't like to be with a lot of people. He liked to be alone with Allah. So people wouldn't regularly see him unless he was with scholars or people of knowledge. He wouldn't be with a lot of people. So, people said, 'This is not a scholar, he's not a hadith narrator.' Yeah, like, 'What are you doing with him?' 'Who's he hanging out with?' So, they told, 'Who is this?' Malik ibn Dinar said, 'This is a man that came to steal from us, but we stole him from that evil life.' And that man made tawbah. So, not only did Malik ibn Dinar himself change, he became the means of change for others. So, if you're caught up in any sins, this Ramadan today, this lecture, From this reminder that Allah has given you by you watching this, make tawbah. You know you have a sin. All of us do. But from here, make the intention, 'I'm going to stop that sin. And I'm going to become a means of others stopping that sin. I'm going to be a da'i, I'm going to be a caller towards good. I'm going to do amr bil-maruf, I'm going to invite towards good. Nahi al-munkar, forbid from evil.' From this Ramadan, from this day, from this lecture, I'm changing. I'm turning back to Allah.

Let's go. May Allah accept it. You got it. Let's go.