We human beings are inherently fallible. Despite any other shortcomings in our lives, we never lack in making mistakes. Only Allah knows the extent of our sins throughout our lives. To cleanse our lives of these sins, seeking forgiveness from Allah and performing Tawbah (repentance) are our only options. No matter how great our sins are, we must seek forgiveness from Allah and repent sincerely. The Holy Quran and Hadith frequently emphasize that Allah is the Most Forgiving, the Accepter of Repentance, and that He loves those who seek His forgiveness and repent sincerely. We are guided repeatedly to seek Allah’s forgiveness. I will later present related Quranic verses and Hadith on this topic. But first, let me introduce Tawbah and Istighfar briefly.

As always I seek refuge in Allah Almighty from all kinds of harm and pray that He makes my work easy. I also pray that He considers this effort a means of salvation for us in this world and the hereafter. Whatever is good in my writing is entirely a blessing from Allah Almighty, and any faults are due to Satan (Devil) and my own lack of knowledge. JazakAllah. (Thank you).

Importance of Tawbah and Istighfar in Islam

Tawbah and Istighfar: An Introduction

Tawbah (التوبه) means to return, while Istighfar (الاستغفار) means to seek forgiveness.

Simply put, Istighfar is seeking forgiveness from Allah for any kind of sin, whereas Tawbah involves sincerely seeking forgiveness from Allah, feeling genuine remorse for the sin, and resolving never to commit that sin again. It is important to note that all Tawbah involves Istighfar, but not all Istighfar is Tawbah. Istighfar refers to a general plea for forgiveness from Allah, while Tawbah requires meeting certain conditions based on Quranic and Sunnah teachings.
To ensure that Tawbah is accepted, four conditions must be fulfilled:

• Abandon the sin and make a sincere decision not to return to it.
• Feel genuine remorse for committing the sin.
•  If the sin involved infringing on the rights of others, return their rights or seek their forgiveness.
•  Seek forgiveness from Allah.

Meeting these conditions ensures that a believer can confidently hope for forgiveness from Allah. Merely seeking forgiveness without fulfilling these conditions does not constitute complete Tawbah.
This brief introduction highlights the essence of Tawbah and Istighfar. Now, let’s explore their significance through related verses and Hadith.

Importance of Tawbah and Istighfar from the quran

Allah Almighty says in the Holy Quran,

• وَسَارِعُوْۤا اِلٰي مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّنْ رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمٰوٰتُ وَالْاَرْضُ ۙ اُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِيْنَ ۙ
  “Race with one another towards Forgiveness from your Lord and towards a paradise the width of which spans the heavens and the earth. It has been prepared for the God-fearing.”[¹]

• وَهُوَ الَّذِيْ يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهٖ وَيَعْفُوْا عَنِ السَّيِّاٰتِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تَفْعَلُوْنَ ۙ
  “And He is the One who accepts repentance from His servants and forgives evil deeds and knows whatever you do.”[²]

• اَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوْۤا اَنَّ اللّٰهَ هُوَ يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهٖ وَيَاْخُذُ الصَّدَقٰتِ وَاَنَّ اللّٰهَ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيْمُ
  “Have they not come to know that Allah is He who accepts repentance from His slaves and accepts Sadaqāt, and that Allah is Most-Relenting, Very-Merciful.”[³]

• اِنَّ اللّٰهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِيْنَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِيْنَ
  “Surely Allah loves those who are most repenting, and loves those who keep themselves pure.”[⁴]

• وَالَّذِيْنَ اِذَا فَعَلُوْا فَاحِشَةً اَوْ ظَلَمُوْۤا اَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا اللّٰهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوْا لِذُنُوْبِهِمْ ۪ وَمَنْ يَّغْفِرُ الذُّنُوْبَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ ۪۟ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوْا عَلٰي مَا فَعَلُوْا وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُوْنَ اُولٰٓئِكَ جَزَآؤُهُمْ مَّغْفِرَةٌ مِّنْ رَّبِّهِمْ وَجَنّٰتٌ تَجْرِيْ مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْاَنْهٰرُ خٰلِدِيْنَ فِيْهَا ؕ وَنِعْمَ اَجْرُ الْعٰمِلِيْنَ ؕ
  “And those who, when they happen to commit a shameful act or wrong themselves, remember Allah, then, seek forgiveness for their sins-and who is there to forgive sins except Allah?-and do not persist in what they have done, knowingly. Their reward is forgiveness from their Lord and gardens beneath which rivers flow where they shall live forever. And excellent is the reward of those who work.”[⁵]

Now let’s move on to the Hadith.

Importance of Tawbah and Istighfar from the hadith

• Narrated Abu Huraira:
  I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) saying.” By Allah! I ask for forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.”[⁶]

• Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar:
  We counted that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would say a hundred times during a meeting: “My Lord, forgive me and pardon me; You are the Pardoning and forgiving One.”[⁷]

• Narrated Zayd, the client of the Prophet:
  The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone says: “I ask pardon of Allah than Whom there is no deity, the Living, the eternal, and I turn to Him in repentance,” he will be pardoned, even if he has fled in time of battle.”[⁸]

• “And the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
  “Allah is more pleased with the repentance of one of you that a man in a desolate, barren, destructive wasteland, who has his mount carrying his provisions, his food, and his drink and what he needs with him. Then it wanders away. So he goes to find it until he is on the brink of death. He says: ‘I will return to the place where I lost it, to die.’ So he returns to his place and his eyes become heavy (falling asleep). Then he awakens to find his mount at his head carrying his food, drink and what he needs.”[⁹]

• “Anas bin Malik narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
  “Allah, Blessed is He and Most High, said: ‘O son of Adam! Verily as long as you called upon Me and hoped in Me, I forgave you, despite whatever may have occurred from you, and I did not mind. O son of Adam! Were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky, then you sought forgiveness from Me, I would forgive you, and I would not mind. So son of Adam! If you came to me with sins nearly as great as the earth, and then you met Me not associating anything with Me, I would come to you with forgiveness nearly as great as it.”[¹⁰]

Believe me, these are just a brief summary. There is a vast collection of Quran and Hadith on this subject.

Prophetic Guidance in Tawbah and Istighfar

We understand the importance of repeatedly seeking Allah’s forgiveness and repenting from the above verses and Hadith. We should strive to seek Allah’s forgiveness and repent as much as possible, and it should be done following the method of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). No deed is accepted by Allah without following the Prophet’s method. Since Tawbah and Istighfar are important acts of worship, ensuring they follow the Prophet’s guidance is a prerequisite for their acceptance. For more detailed guidance, you can read my other posts where I discuss the importance of following the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH). Here is the post, Importance Of The Sunnah Of Prophet (PBUH)

When performing Tawbah and Istighfar, it is crucial to use the supplications taught by the Prophet (PBUH) because they are the most blessed and effective. These supplications are directly from Allah, conveyed through His Prophet. While you can seek forgiveness and repent in your own words, following the Prophet’s supplications brings additional blessings and rewards. For more examples of such supplications, you can refer to my this posts (Du’a For Repentance And Forgiveness) where I have collected numerous Quranic and Prophetic supplications, complete with translations. These will be beneficial for you, as they have been for me.

In conclusion, today’s post provides a concise overview of the importance and necessity of Tawbah and Istighfar and highlights the significance of following the Sunnah in these acts. May Allah grant us the ability to stay away from all sins, and if we falter, may He grant us the ability to seek His forgiveness and repent sincerely. May He also enable us to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH) in all aspects of our lives. Ameen.