Repentance: Turning to Allah in Hope

“And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.” –Surah An-Nur :31

Burden of sins are heavy on souls as souls are created pure. It would have been different if the humans were created like angels, sinless and with no free will. But Allah ﷻ created humans for a different purpose than angels. He ﷻ has not ordained human to never commit the sin, but to never live peacefully with a sinning heart.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, if you did not commit sins, Allah would replace you with people who would commit sins and then seek forgiveness from Allah, and He would forgive them.” –Sahih Muslim

As humans, we are prone to forget, slip, and fall but the true believer keeps returning to Allah ﷻ, repenting and seeking forgiveness. Repentance or Tawbah (توبة) which literally means “to return” is not merely about feeling sorry for our mistakes; it is about turning back to Allah ﷻ with sincerity, humility, and hope. Sins create distance between the servant and his Lord, and repentance is the act of bridging the distance. Allah ﷻ invites his servants no matter how far they have strayed to come back to Him.

And in truth, the servant never strays too far to return to his lord. Even the most sinful of man is just one moment of true repentance away from Allah ﷻ.

Fudayl ibn ‘Iyad (رحمه الله) was once a bandit, a feared highway robber, infamous for plundering the merchants traveling from Abu Ward to Sarakhas. And he lusted after a woman so much that one night he went to her house to climb over a wall to be with her. As he was trying to climb over he heard someone reciting:

“Is not the time ripe for the hearts of those who believe to submit to Allah’s reminder and to the truth which is revealed..” –Surah Al-Hadid:16

He fell to his knees, crying, “Yes, my Lord — the time has come!”

He abandoned his life of sin and became one of the greatest ascetics and scholars of his time, known for his deep piety and wisdom.

The Quran repeatedly assures us that Allah’s mercy is greater than our sins.

“Say, ‘O you servants of Mine who have transgressed against your own selves! Despair not of God’s mercy: behold, God forgives all sins -for, verily, He alone is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace!'” – Surah Az-Zumar :53

This verse is one of the most hope-filled messages in the Quran. It affirms that the door of repentance is always open until the soul departs the body.

Despair is a trap

Among the tricks of Satan against human are two ways he tries to stop a person from repenting. Either he makes the weight of sins so light in a person’s heart that his heart does not feel the burden of guilt at all or he traps people into despair after sinning by whispering to them: “You are too sinful; Allah will never forgive you”. This despair in Allah’s mercy is in itself a sin.

Allah ﷻ says:

“And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord except those who are astray?” – Surah Al-Hijr :56

So a believer must balance between fear and hope. A reverential fear will motivate a person to stay away from what is displeasing to Allah ﷻ and be mindful of his actions and hope in Allah’s mercy will inspire him to ask forgiveness and repent sincerely.

Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله) beautifully said:

“A believer walks to Allah with two wings, the wing of fear and the wing of hope. When both are balanced, he flies straight. If one breaks, he will fall.

Excessive fear without hope can cause despair, while excessive hope without fear can lead to recklessness. Know that Allahﷻ does not overlook even the slightest of sincerity in one’s heart. Even the thinnest of thread of sincerity may be enough for a person to be rescued from the quagmire of sins.

Bishr al-Hafi (رحمه الله) was known for his indulgence in pleasure and wine. One night, while intoxicated, a piece of paper with “Bismillah” written on it was found on the ground. He picked it up, perfumed it, and placed it in a high place out of respect.

That night, he saw a dream where Allah ﷻ said:

“You perfumed my name, so I will perfume yours in this world and the Hereafter.”

The next morning, Bishr woke up in remorse, repented, and lived the rest of his life as one of Baghdad’s most revered saints.

Repentance is a command:

Repentance is not a suggestion, it is not optional. It is a divine command for all believers.

Allah ﷻ says:

“And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.” –Surah An-Nur :31

One should never delay the repentance. Delaying repentance is a deception of Satan. Death can come at any time, and repentance after the soul reaches the throat is not accepted.

“whereas repentance shall not be accepted from those who do evil deeds until their dying hour and then say, “Behold, I now repent” –Surah An-Nisa :18

Repentance — or Tawbah is not a one-time act, it’s a life long journey.

Allah ﷻ is Al-Ghaffar, “The Oft-Forgiving” or “The Perpetual Forgiver”. No act of worship is more beloved to Allah ﷻ than when his servant turns back to him. The Prophetﷺ illustrated this with a moving parable:

“Allah is more pleased with the repentance of his servant than one of you who loses his camel in a desert, with all his food and drink on it, and then finds it suddenly.” – Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim

This hadith shows that the servant’s return to Allah ﷻ is not met with anger, but with divine love and happiness. Indeed, Tawbah should be a lifelong practice of humility before Allah ﷻ.

A sincere repentance is a complete renewal:

Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله) said:

“Tawbah is the beginning and the end of the path of the servant. It is the first step and the last station. Every believer is always in need of repentance at every stage, in every condition.”

A sincere repentance that includes Regret (feeling genuine sorrow for the sin), Abandonment (immediately ceasing the sinful act), and Resolution(a firm intention never to return to that sin) would result in a complete renewal and transformation by Allah’s mercy.

“Except for those who repent, believe, and do righteous deeds. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.”-Surah Al-Furqan :70

Such repentance would bring peace to heart and barakah in life, InshaAllah. It would remove the heaviness of guilt from one’s soul.

Ibn al-Jawzi (رحمه الله) wrote:

“The wound of sin is healed with the ointment of repentance. And sometimes, that healed heart becomes softer and purer than before the wound.”

Repentance is not just about seeking forgiveness; it is about rebuilding the relationship with the Creator. Every time we fall and rise again, we become spiritually stronger.

Allah ﷻ loves those who constantly return to Him:

“Indeed, Allah loves those who turn unto him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves.” – Surah Al-Baqarah :222

Let every day be a new beginning — a day to turn back to Allah with sincerity, knowledge, and hope.