Repentance is an Obligation – Imām al-Barbahārī and Shaykh Ṣāliḥ al-Fawzān

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

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Imām al-Barbahārī (رحمه الله) stated,

“[From the Islamic Creed is that we have] Belief that repentance is an obligation upon the servants (of Allāh). That is, they repent to Allāh (عز و جل) from the major and minor sins.” [1]

Shaykh Ṣāliḥ al-Fawzān comments on this statement,

It is an obligation to believe that repentance is compulsory. Repentance from sins is compulsory. Allah (جل و علا) said:

وَتُوبُوٓاْ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تُفۡلِحُونَ

‘And turn to Allah all of you, Oh believers so that you may be successful.’ (24:31)

And He (تعالى) said:

يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ تُوبُوٓاْ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ تَوۡبَةً۬ نَّصُوحًا عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمۡ أَن يُكَفِّرَ عَنكُمۡ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُم

‘O you who believe! Turn to Allāh with sincere repentance! It may be that your Lord will remit from you your sins’ (66:8)

And He (تعالى) said:

 وَمَن لَّمۡ يَتُبۡ فَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ

‘And whosoever does not repent then they are from the Dhālimūn (wrongdoers etc)’ (49:11)

Therefore, it is obligatory for the Muslim to repent from his sins and evil deeds and that he does not continue or persist or is negligent with regards to sins, and he says; ‘this is something light’ [dismissing his sins and who he is disobeying, i.e. Allāh (عز و جل)]. Do not be negligent with it, it is disobedience [of Allāh], rather he should hasten with repentance.

He (تعالى) said:

وَٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُواْ فَـٰحِشَةً أَوۡ ظَلَمُوٓاْ أَنفُسَہُمۡ ذَكَرُواْ ٱللَّهَ فَٱسۡتَغۡفَرُواْ لِذُنُوبِهِمۡ وَمَن يَغۡفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ وَلَمۡ يُصِرُّواْ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُواْ وَهُمۡ يَعۡلَمُونَ (١٣٥) أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ جَزَآؤُهُم مَّغۡفِرَةٌ۬ مِّن رَّبِّهِمۡ وَجَنَّـٰتٌ۬ تَجۡرِى مِن تَحۡتِهَا ٱلۡأَنۡہَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيہَا‌ۚ وَنِعۡمَ أَجۡرُ ٱلۡعَـٰمِلِينَ (١٣٦)

‘And those who, when they have committed Fāhishah (illegal sexual intercourse etc.) or wronged themselves with evil, remember Allāh and ask forgiveness for their sins; – and none can forgive sins but Allāh – And do not persist in what (wrong) they have done, while they know. For such, the reward is Forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens with rivers flowing underneath (Paradise), wherein they shall abide forever. How excellent is this reward for the doers (who do righteous deeds according to Allāh’s Orders).’ (3:135-136)

[In this verse] Allāh commended them and made a promise to those who repent. He (جل و علا) said:

إِنَّمَا ٱلتَّوۡبَةُ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ لِلَّذِينَ يَعۡمَلُونَ ٱلسُّوٓءَ بِجَهَـٰلَةٍ۬ ثُمَّ يَتُوبُونَ مِن قَرِيبٍ۬ فَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ يَتُوبُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيۡہِمۡ‌ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَڪِيمً۬ا (١٧) وَلَيۡسَتِ ٱلتَّوۡبَةُ لِلَّذِينَ يَعۡمَلُونَ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَهُمُ ٱلۡمَوۡتُ قَالَ إِنِّى تُبۡتُ ٱلۡـَٔـٰنَ

‘Allāh accepts only the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and foolishness and repent soon afterwards; it is they to whom Allah will forgive and Allāh is Ever All-Knower, All-Wise. And of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil deeds until death faces one of them and he says: “Now I repent;” (4:17-18)

When death arrives, repentance is not accepted and if a person continues to live then his repentance in the presence of death is (furthermore) not accepted. So, upon him is to hasten to repentance and not to delay it. As soon as he commits a sin he repents to Allāh (عز و جل)) immediately.

Man is not infallible and errors occur from him, shortcomings occur from him, sins occur from him; however, Allāh (جل و علا) by way of His mercy has opened the door of repentance. He has opened for you the door of repentance. He calls you to it and he has promised that He will forgive you, if you are truthful in your repentance. So much so, if a disbeliever repents to Allāh; Allāh accepts his repentance.

قُل لِّلَّذِينَ ڪَفَرُوٓاْ إِن يَنتَهُواْ يُغۡفَرۡ لَهُم مَّا قَدۡ سَلَفَ

‘Say to those who have disbelieved if they cease (from disbelief) their past will be forgiven’ (Al-Anfaal Verse 38)

He forgives him the sin of disbelief, shirk (associating partners with Allah), killing of people and other than that.  If he repents to Allāh He accepts his repentance.

And in the Hadith:

“Repentance nullifies that which came before it”[2]

Therefore, the Muslim needs to repent, the Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم) use to seek forgiveness and repent to Allah more than a hundred times a day.

He (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ، فَإِنِّي أَتُوبُ فِي الْيَوْمِ إِلَيْهِ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ

‘Oh People! Repent to Allāh, verily I repent more than seventy times a day’[3]

His companions (عنهم رضي الله) enumerated that in the gatherings he (صلى الله عليه و سلم) would say more than a hundred times:

‘I seek Allah’s forgiveness, I seek Allāh’s forgiveness’[4]

And he was the Messenger of Allāh he (صلى الله عليه و سلم)!

So how about other than him?!

Therefore, we need to repent to Allāh (عز و جل), man is not infallible, sins occur from him, shortcomings occur from him, and mistakes occur from him, therefore he is in need of repentance.

All praise belongs to Allāh, Who has opened the door of repentance for us, and has promised that He will accept (our repentance) and wipe away our sins.

Itḥāf al-Qārī bi at-Ta’līqāt ‘ala Sharḥ as-Sunnah pp.243-245

[1] Point 170 in his book, Sharḥ as-Sunnah

[2] This Hadith is reported in as-Silsilah ad-da’īfah of Shaykh Al-Albāni, however there are several other narrations with similar meaning such as: ‘’The one who repents from sins is like the one who has no sin.” Ibn Majah 4250, declared Hasan by Shaykh al-Albāni

[3] Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2702

[4] Abū Dawūd 1516, at-Tirmidhī 3434. Ibn Mājah 3814, Aḥmad 4726 – wording of Abū Dawūd: We used to counted that in one sitting the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه و سلم) say 100 times: “My Lord forgive me, and accept my repentance, You are at-Tawwāb (The Accepter of Repentance) and ar-Rahīm (The Most Merciful).