#919: On The One Who Seeks Forgiveness From A Sin With The Intention Of Returning To Such Sin
Asalamu alaikum warahmatullah, if someone commit sin and seek Allah’s forgiveness while in his mind, he have intention of repeating the sin, would Allah forgive such a person?
ANSWER:
Alhamdulillahi!
Know verily may the blessings of Allāh Ta’āla be upon you that – one is highly recommended encouraged to seek forgiveness from Allāh Ta’āla by daytime and night.
Why not? For the Rasūl Salallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam used to seek for the forgiveness of Allāh Ta’āla and turn to Him in repentance for more than seventy times a day.
If that’s the case of our beloved prophet salallāhu’alayhi wasallam, then what about our situations which are fully engrossed in sins day and night.
However, the repentance and forgiveness cannot be accepted except when its conditions are fulfilled.
And the conditions of Tawbah is for a servant to feel regret of what has preceded of sins, to have the intention of not returning back to the sin after that, and to quit from the sin at the spot without any delay. And this is what’s called Sincere Repentance
In this regard, Allāh the Exalted said:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحًا عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَن يُكَفِّرَ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَيُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ
O you who believe! turn to Allah a sincere turning; maybe your Lord will remove from you your evil and cause you to enter gardens beneath which rivers flow,…
Sūratu At-tahrīm, Verse 8.
Meaning, a true and strong repentance that cleanses the sins that preceded it and amends the shortcomings of the repenting servant.
‘Umar Radiyallāhu anhu said:
A Sincere repentance is for a servant to repent from a sin and not to return to it nor have the intention of returning to it.
Thus, the servant who commits a sin and repented but with the intention of returning back to the sin have not done a sincere repentance and his repentance is not accepted thereof.
And his case is entirely different from the one who commits sin and repents sincerely but was lured by shaitān to go back to the sin. Allāh will forgive him for the sins even if the sins and repentance happen repeatedly since his repentance is a sincere one without any intention of going to the sin.
In this context, It is reported from Abu Hurairah Radiyallāhu anhu from the Rasūl Salallāhu’alayhi wasallam reported that His Lord, the Exalted said:
A servant committed a sin and he said: O Allāh, forgive me my sins, and Allah (the Exalted and Glorious) said: My servant commited a sin and then he came to realise that he has a Lord Who forgives the sins and takes to account (the sinner) for the sin. He then again committed a sin and said: My Lord, forgive me my sin, and Allah, the Exalted and High, said: My servant committed a sin and then came to realise that he has a Lord Who would forgive his sin or would take (him) to account for the sin.He again committed a sin and said: My Lord, forgive me for my sin, and Allah (the Exalted and High) said: My servant committed a sin and then came to realise that he has a Lord Who forgives the sins or takes (him) to account for sin. O servant, do what you like. I have granted you forgiveness.
Transmitted by Imām Muslim#2758.
Imām An-nawawī said in the Shari’ of the AHadīth:
These Ahādīth show that even if he repeats the sins hundred or thousand times or more, and he repents after everytime, his repentance will be accepted, and the sins are overlooked, and if he repents from all the sins at a time, then his repentance is also sound.
Hence, for one’s repentance to be accepted, it must be done sincerely without any intention of returning back to the sin.
Barakallahu fīkum.
Allāhu A’alām.
Jazākumullahu Khayran.
Abū Yahya.
17th Jumādal Ākhir, 1441AH.
📚 IslāmNode
