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How To Repent In Islam: Importance And Salaat Al-
Tawbah Method

How To Repent In Islam:

Importance And Salaat Al-Tawbah
Method

July 31, 2021 39193 Views

A person repents for his misdeeds when

he wants to ameliorate his wrongdoings
with strong determination. Tawbah is
an Islamic concept of repentance to
Allah for performing any kind of sins or
wrongdoings. A Muslim has to repent
when he/she performs or does anything
that is forbidden in Islam, for example
catastrophic sins like adultery,
consuming riba/interest or murder. One
can speak to Imams to find out how to
repent in Islam and then return to
what is instructed by Allah.

In the Quran and Hadiths, the word

tawbah (to return) is focused and it
means to turn from evil and unholy
activities and firmly avoid them in the
future. It plays a main role in the
flourishing of a human soul and its
journey towards Allah. Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) narrated that God
says “As soon as My servant makes a
step toward Me, I make two steps
toward him; as soon as he comes to Me
walking, I come to him running”. It is
believed that a believer can make
tawbah not only when he/she commits
a sin but also while executing a good
deed. The tawbah signifies true-hearted
and devoted repentance that is free
from sanctimony and insincerity.

Tawbah Meaning
The literal meaning of Tawbah is ‘to
return’. The word is mentioned many
times in the holy Quran and several
hadiths. In the holy Quran, Tawbah is
related to the word ‘Nasuh’, which
means to ‘make pure’ or ‘sincere’. It
can be understood that Tawbah helps in
returning from sinful and wrong deeds.
The person performing Tawbah
surrenders in front of the Almighty
Allah and asks forgiveness from Him for
their act of swaying away from the path
of righteousness.

Importance Of Repentance
In Islam: Quran Verses
According to the Islamic scripture
Quran, those who believe that they
have conducted any wrongdoing or
misdeed that is against the
commandments of Allah, can sincerely
repent for their mistake and seek
Allah’s forgiveness. The Quranic verses
say,

“And O ye Believers! turn ye all together

towards God, that ye may attain Bliss.”
— Quran, Sura 24 (Al-Noor), ayah 31

“O ye who believe! Turn to God with

sincere repentance, in the hope that
your Lord will remove from you your ills
and admit you to Gardens beneath
which Rivers flow.” — Quran, Sura 66
(Al-Tahrim), ayah 08

“Surely God loves those who turn much

(to Him), and He loves those who
purify themselves.” — Quran, Sura 02
(Al-Baqara), ayah 222

“God accepts the repentance of those

who do evil in ignorance and repent
soon afterwards; to them will God turn
in mercy: For God is full of knowledge
and wisdom. Of no effect is the
repentance of those who continue to do
evil, until death faces one of them, and
he says, “Now have I repented indeed;”
nor of those who die rejecting Faith: for
them have We prepared a punishment
most grievous.” — Quran, Sura 04 (An-
Nisa), ayah 17–18

Suggested Read: Friday Blessings:

The Sweet Reward Of Friday Prayers In
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The Quran verses also address the

doubter and request them to turn
towards Allah and seek his mercy and
forgiveness.

“The Penalty on the Day of Judgment

will be doubled to him (disbeliever),
and he will dwell therein in ignominy,-
unless he repents, believes, and works
righteous deeds, for God will change
the evil of such persons into good, and
God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
And whoever repents and does good has
truly turned to God with an
(acceptable) conversion.” — Quran,
Sura 25 (Al-Furqan), ayah 69–71

How To Repent In Islam:

Conditions
According to the Sharia (the Islamic
law), when a person performs tawbah
with sincerity and devotion, Allah
accepts it. The tawbah comprises six
elements:

6 steps of Repentance
1. To remorse one’s evil deed;
2. To carry out saintly duties that
were overlooked;
3. To return the rights and properties
obtained from others unfairly;
4. To seek forgiveness from people
you have wronged;
5. To take responsibility for avoiding
the wrongdoing in the future; and
6. To retain himself/herself in Allah’s
acquiescence.

Tawbah is a double-edged technique,

according to which a person should be
able to acknowledge his/her mistake
and abandon it to seek Allah’s
forgiveness. Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) said,

“A believer sees his sins as if he were

sitting under a mountain which, he is
afraid, may fall on him; whereas the
wicked person considers his sins as flies
passing over his nose and he just drives
them away like this (and he moved his
hand over his nose).” — Sahih al-
Bukhari, 8:75:320

How To Perform Salaat Al-

Tawbah
Salaat al-tawbah is the special tawbah
prayer for those who want to repent. It
consists of four rakahs (according to
Shia tradition) and must be performed
in a prescribed method. Irrespective of
the gravity of the sin committed, the
repentance prayer remains the same.
The prescribed way of offering Namaz-
e-tawbah is as follows:

Niyat For Salatul Tawbah

Before offering Salatul Tawbah, one
must make Niyyah. Niyat or Niyyah is
the intention to declare that one is
aware of their sins and sincerely wants
to amend their wrongs by asking
forgiveness from the almighty Allah.

Niyyah for Tawbah Dua: Usolli

Sunnata Taubati Rak’ataini Lillahi
Taala.

Meaning
Meaning: I pray the sunnah of tawbah
for two rak’ahs because of Allah Ta’ala.

Salat al Tawbah Steps

Perform Ghusl, here it is
important to submerge the whole
body in water (called Irtimasi). If
you are not in a place where you
can get into the water completely,
you may do it in parts.
Alternatively, you can also perform
Tartibi, which is wiping the body
with water. This is suggested in
place water available for the ritual
is scarce.
The next step is to perform Wudu,
an Islamic cleansing ritual
Then perform a four rakah prayer
and in every rakah, one must
recite the Surah al-Fatiha once,
Surah al-Ikhlas thrice, Surah al-
Falaq once, and Surah an-Nas
once.
Next, one must recite
Astaghfirullah (rabbi wa atubu
‘ilayh)
After the prayer, say Astaghfirullah
rabbi wa atubu ‘ilayh
Follow it up with the following
prayers:

i) Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa

billaahil a’liyyil a’zeem; and then

ii) Yaa A’zeezo yaa ghaffooro ighfirli

zunoobi wa zunooba Jamee’il mo-
mineena wal mo-minaate. Fa innahu
laa yaghfiro illa ant.

Salat Al Tawbah Dua

While offering the tawbah prayer for
repentance, the only condition is one
has to pray from their heart;
understanding the severity of their sin.
However, if one is stuck on the
supplication to recite, here is a special
Tawbah dua for seeking forgiveness
from the all-merciful Allah.

Dua: Allahumma inni Zholamtu Nafsi

Dua
Zull-man Kasiran Walaa Yagh-firu
Zunuuba illa Anta, Fagh-firli Min indika
Magfirotan innaka Antal Rgho-fuu Rur-
rahim.

Meaning
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.

Mentioned in Hadith Bukhari, Prophet

Muhammad (PBUH) acknowledged
Sayyidul Istighfar as the most superior
supplications for repentance.

Dua: Allaahumma Anta Rabbii Laa

Dua
ilaaha illaa Annta Kholaq-tanii Wa Anaa
‘Abduka Wa Anaa ‘Ala ‘Ahdika Wawa’
Dika Maas-tatha-tu ‘Auudzu-bika Min
Syarrimaa Shana-tu AbuuU-laka
Bini’matika Alayya Wa AbuuU
Bidzanmmbi Fagh-fir-lii Fa-innahu Laa
Yagh-firudz-Dzunuuba Illaa Annta.

Meaning
Meaning: O Allah, You are my Lord,
there is no God but You, You have
created me, and I am Your servant. I
will indeed obey Your provisions, Your
promises according to my ability. I ask
for Your protection from the evils of all
my deeds, and I acknowledge all the
favors You have given and acknowledge
the existence of the sins I have
committed. No one forgives sins except
you.

Benefits of performing
Tawbah
As performing Tawbah is a sign of
immense trust and faith in Allah and
His mercy, Allah blesses the people who
seek forgiveness with pure intent. The
whole act of Tawbah makes one humble
and helps remove anxiety, worries and
distress. Tawbah imparts peace as
sinners accept their sins with pure
objective and promise to never commit
the same mistakes again. The faith
further guides the person on the path
shown by Allah that is of righteousness.
Tawbah also generates a sense of
kindness and humility when others sins
against an individual or a community.

Repentance is the way to seek

forgiveness for your sins from Allah.
Turning off or delaying tawbah is
absolutely unjustifiable in Islam. If a
person delays or reschedules
repentance till the last breath,
repentance will not be welcomed by
Allah and will be considered as a great
misdeed. It is therefore recommended
that whenever a person realises his
folly, they must repent and seek
forgiveness from the all merciful Allah.
To get the sins forgiven, one must
follow accurate steps on how to repent
in Islam but what matters the most is
intent.

Suggested Read: The Day Of Arafat:

Importance Of Fasting, Making Dua,
Things To Do, Hadiths

Tawbah/Repentance In Islam
FAQs
Q. What are some of the unforgivable sins in
Islam?

A. There are some of the

catastrophic sins that are
unforgivable in Islam. Some of
them are taking false vows,
breaking a vow, disrespecting or
disobeying parents, withholding
water from others and the crime of
adultery.

Q. What are the major misdeeds in Islam?

A. The major misdeeds in Islam

are shirk, magic, consuming
riba/interest, seizing the property of
an orphan, murder and adultery.

Q. What is Zina in Islam?

A. In Islam, Zina means adultery

or extramarital affair.

Q. Can you repent after you die?

A. There is no effect of repentance

for those who pursue evil
throughout their life and don’t
have faith in Allah.

Q. Will Allah forgive our sins?

A. Muslims believe that if they are

kind and helpful to others and
have repented for their sins, Allah
will exonerate them as he is
merciful, forgiving and
compassionate.

Q. What are the benefits of performing

Tawbah?

A. It helps a person lead on a

righteous path of faith in Allah.

Q. What are the four steps/stages of

repentance?

A. The four stages of repentance

include: i) To feel regret for a bad
deed and to perform saintly duties
which were ignored. ii) To return
the rights and property that were
wrongly taken from others iii) To
ask for forgiveness from whom you
have harmed. iv) To take
responsibility for stopping the
wrongdoing in future and maintain
yourself in acceptance of Allah.

Q. How to do Tawbah prayer?

A. Tawbah prayers steps are as

follows:

1. Perform Taribi, which is cleaning

body with water
2. Perform Wudu, an islamic
purification ritual
3. Perform four rakah prayers; Surah
al-Fatiha (once), Surah al-Ikhlas
(thrice), Surah al-Falaq (once),
and Surah an-Nas (once).
4. Then perform Astaghfirullah
prayer
5. Then recite Astaghfirullah rabbi
wa atubu ‘ilayh’ and then perform
the remaining prayers.

HOW TO PERFORM SALAAT AL

TAW B A H

HOW TO REPENT IN ISLAM

I M P O RTA N C E O F TAW B A H I N I S L A M

R E P E N TA N C E I N I S L A M

W H AT I S TAW B A H

Dr Omar Ayoub
Dr. Omar Ayoub is a tech enthusiast and a part
time researcher and accounts authorship of
several international publications. He holds a
PhD in Computer Science from USA and has an
experience of more than 10 years in Saudi Arabia
working in tourism, hospitality, education,
technology and retail sector. His interests include
traveling, writing, and exploring trending
technologies.

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Rashida Anwar Vahedna

Still his knowledge is not completely in
sequence.There are gaps in his
knowledge.Unable to satisfy.some info is
missing.
Stages of life
About which is the 1st thing Allah created.
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