Prayer of repentance is not a condition for making repentance

28-3-2017 | IslamWeb

Question:

I want to know if Istighfaar (asking forgiveness) with the intention of repenting (regret, sincerity, and so on) is counted as repentance or if the only way of repenting is praying Salat At-Tawbah (prayer of repentance) . This is the fifth time I ask you this question; would it really be that hard to write me a specific fatwa instead of redirecting me to fatwas which I have already seen? Also, I find that for one of your fatwah's, No. 263200, you say that you must make Istighfaar after praying Salat At-Tawbah, but in another fatwa, No. 338983, you say you only have to make Istighfaar while prostrating. I am confused about this. Also, I would like to know how one repents from minor sins.

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

If you carefully read the fatwas that we referred you to, you will find a comprehensive and convincing answer.

You should know that Istighfaar means seeking forgiveness from Allah, and this does not mean that the one who makes Istighfaar fulfills the conditions of Tawbah (repentance).

There are pillars for Tawbah, and when they are met, Tawbah is valid. These pillars are: giving up the sin, being determined not to commit it again, regretting having done it, and giving back the rights of the people if the sin is related to the rights of other human beings.

If these conditions are met, then Tawbah is valid.

Salaat At-Tawbah (Prayer of Repentance) or anything else is not a condition for making repentance; only what we mentioned above is of the conditions.

Nonetheless, Salaat At-Tawbah is a good thing, and it is one of the reasons for attaining forgiveness, Allah willing.

Allah knows best.