Signs of Accepted Repentance
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, and his companions, and those who follow him.
Repentance to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is among the most noble acts of worship and the greatest means of drawing closer to Him. Allah Almighty has commanded His servants to sincere repentance, saying:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ تُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ تَوْبَةًۭ نَّصُوحًا عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَن يُكَفِّرَ عَنكُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمْ وَيُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ يَوْمَ لَا يُخْزِى ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّبِىَّ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ ۖ نُورُهُمْ يَسْعَىٰ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَبِأَيْمَـٰنِهِمْ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ أَتْمِمْ لَنَا نُورَنَا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَآ ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌۭ
O you who have believed, repent to Allāh with sincere repentance. Perhaps1 your Lord will remove from you your misdeeds and admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow [on] the Day when Allāh will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believed with him. Their light will proceed before them and on their right; they will say, “Our Lord, perfect for us our light and forgive us. Indeed, You are over all things competent. [At-Tahrim: 8].
Indeed, if repentance is sincere and purely for the sake of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, and its conditions are met – which include abandoning the sin completely, regretting committing it, having a sincere resolve not to return to it, restoring rights to their owners if the sin was related to the rights of people, and that repentance must be before the appointed time of death and before the sun rises from the west – then Allah accepts it and expiates the sins of the one who repents. Allah Almighty said:
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى يَقْبَلُ ٱلتَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِۦ وَيَعْفُوا۟ عَنِ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ
And it is He who accepts repentance from His servants and pardons misdeeds, and He knows what you do. [Ash-Shura: 25].
in these lines the most prominent signs of accepted repentance, which are:
- Hate for Disobedience and hate to return to it: The repentant person feels a constriction in their heart when they recall the sin they committed and repented from. Indeed, they hate all disobedience.
- Steadfastness in Truth and Engagement in Acts of Obedience: You find the repentant person steadfast on the straight path and turning to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, with acts of obedience, hoping for forgiveness, reward, and recompense from the Most High, the All-Powerful. If the repentant person feels that their faith after repentance is higher and stronger than it was before repentance, and that they are turning to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, then this is a sign of the acceptance of their repentance.
- Feeling Deep Regret for Committing the Sin: One of the signs of accepted repentance is that the repentant person feels deep remorse for committing the sin. Indeed, they fear intensely returning to committing the sin again. It was narrated that Ibn Ma’qil said: “I entered with my father upon ‘Abdullah, and I heard him say: ‘The messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Regret is repentance.” My father said: ‘Did you hear the Prophet (ﷺ) say: “Regret is repentance?” He said: ‘Yes.’” [Hassan Grade]
- Feeling Humility and Brokenness before Allah, may He be glorified and exalted: You find the repentant person fearing Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, with the utmost fear, hoping for His mercy and fearing His punishment.
- The Effect the Repentant Person Finds in Their Life: This includes blessings in their wealth, family, and children, and ease in their work and affairs, in addition to the tranquility and serenity that fill their heart.
- Love for Sitting with the Righteous: The repentant person loves to sit with the righteous who remind them of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, and cannot bear to sit with those who commit sins and bad companions.
- Adherence to Seeking Forgiveness and Supplicating to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, for the Acceptance of Repentance and Steadfastness in Truth and Religion.
I would like to alert my repenting brothers and sisters to the whispers of Satan, who tries to deceive them by instilling in their souls that their sins are great and that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, will not forgive them. All of this is from the whispers of devils that should not be heeded. We seek refuge in Allah from the devils among jinn and humans. Remember, dear ones, that the mercy of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, encompasses everything, and that He forgives all sins. Allah Almighty said:
قُلْ يَـٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allāh. Indeed, Allāh forgives all sins.1 Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” [Az-Zumar: 53].
The best way to conclude this article is with the hadith of
Shahr bin Hawshab said:“I said to Umm Salamah: ‘O Mother of the Believers! What was the supplication that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said most frequently when he was with you?” She said: ‘The supplication he said most frequently was: “O Changer of the hearts, make my heart firm upon Your religion (يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ).’” She said: ‘So I said: “O Messenger of Allah, why do you supplicate so frequently: ‘O Changer of the hearts, make my heart firm upon Your religion.’ He said: ‘O Umm Salamah! Verily, there is no human being except that his heart is between Two Fingers of the Fingers of Allah, so whomsoever He wills He makes steadfast, and whomever He wills He causes to deviate.’” [Hassan Grade]
And the hadith of Abdullah b. Amr b. al-‘As reported that he heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: Verily, the hearts of all the sons of Adam are between the two fingers out of the fingers of the Compassionate Lord as one heart. He turns that to any (direction) He likes. Then Allahs Messenger (ﷺ) said: 0 Allah, the Turner of the hearts, turn our hearts to Thine obedience. [Sahih Muslim]
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And all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
Reference: علامات قبول التوبة
