We should repent soon after committing a sin. The greater the sin, the greater our repentance should be. Know that as time passes by you’ll begin to lose the essence of asking for forgiveness from Allah.

Repenting is something more than seeking the forgiveness of your Lord. There are many more important matters related to repentance; once you start repenting sincerely from the bottom of your heart, and only for Allah’s sake; then gradually Allah will -in sha ‘Allah- bless you and grant you a deeper understanding and make you stronger in the deen.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Alaah be upon him) said: “When a person repents, Allah 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)

The aforementioned, is a beautiful and cogent hadith which encourages us to repent.

SubhanAllah – How beautiful and blessed he or she would be in making Allah so happy? Isn’t this the world’s greatest feeling? Isn’t this what we strive for as Muslims; the pleasure of Allah?

Tawbah is something that is between you and Allah; your Creator, Sustainer, and Cherisher. It’s something that we should really do often (not just in Ramadaan or hajj), because Allah says:

“Surely, Allah loves those people who constantly repent to Him (do Tawbah to Him).” [2:222]
Notice Allah did not say: “Allah loves the Taa’ibeen (those who repent)”, but He said: ‘Tawwabeen,’ which means “those who constantly, over and over, repent to Allah.”
We are all humans and sometimes we tend to stray off the path for a while. What should we do when we realise we erred? How do we ensure that our repentance is sincere, consistent and successful?

There are three main steps one must take in order to repent sincerely:-

• Regret deeply with a sincere heart for the sin you committed.
  • Return to Allah for forgiveness.
  • Make a strong intention never to return to that same sin again.

You might have heard people saying that they have sinned so much that they don’t deserve Allah’s forgiveness… Or perhaps you, yourself, are one of those then stop right there!
How can you ever think that Allah won’t forgive you? Allah said a numerous times in the Holy Qur’an that He is The Oft-Forgiving and The Most Compassionate; how could you lose hope in Him?
A mother feels the deepest pain for her child, then Allah being the Creator of all mothers, would definitely feel and hear the slightest of pain & cry of His creation…

During the path of sincere repentance, it is almost as though your heart is blossoming like a flower, you’d feel as if your heart is being dipped in a vast ocean and that ocean is nothing but the love of Allah. The ocean of Allah’s love is scattered with seashells and pearls, our target is to find the seashells and discover the beautiful pearls which are those special secretive moments only between you and Allah.
That moment of discovering the pearls is likened to the moment when you feel content, when you feel happy and satisfied with your repentance to Allah.

Never think that Allah will not forgive us. Repent with sincerity and remember that Allah (swt) loves His servants and He will definitely accept our repentance.

“And seek forgiveness of Allah. Indeed Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” [Qur’an: Chapter 73, Verse 20]

May Allah forgive all our sins committed in the darkness of night or in the brightness of daylight. Aameen

Sis Maha Bint Nayeem,

Writer, AAT