1. True repentance is the means to success in this world and the hereafter, and the source of real and lasting happiness:
Allah Almighty says: ﴿وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ﴾ (Surah An-Nur: 31)
Translation: “O believers! Turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, so that you may be successful.”
Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) says: “(Reformation of the heart and its true pleasure, delight, joy, contentment, tranquility, faith in Allah, worship of Him, love for Him, and turning towards Him can only be achieved through repentance).”
2. Repentance erases sins:
When a servant sincerely repents, Allah Almighty forgives all of their previous sins. Allah’s command is: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَصُوحًا عَسَى رَبُّكُمْ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَيُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ﴾ (Surah At-Tahrim: 8)
Translation: “O believers! Turn to Allah in sincere repentance. Perhaps your Lord will remove your sins and admit you into Gardens beneath which rivers flow.”
3. Repentance transforms sins into good deeds:
When a person repents sincerely from their heart, Allah Almighty transforms their sins into good deeds. Allah’s command is: ﴿إِلَّا مَنْ تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُولَٰئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا﴾ (Surah Al-Furqan: 70)
Translation: “Except for those who repent, believe, and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.”
For such people who repent, believe and do good deeds, Allah transforms their sins into virtues. Allah is Most Forgiving and Most Merciful.
And this is extremely good news for those who repent, provided that repentance is accompanied by faith and good deeds. Ibn Abbas says: (“I have never seen the Prophet ﷺ so happy about anything as he was after the revelation of this verse and the verse: ﴿إِنَّا فَتَحْنَا لَكَ فَتْحًا مُبِينًا، لِيَغْفِرَ لَكَ اللَّهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ﴾ (Surah Al-Fath: 1-2)
Translation: “Indeed, We have given you a clear victory that Allah may forgive for you what preceded of your sin and what will follow.”)
“O Prophet! We have given you the good news that whatever sins you committed before and whatever you commit after, Allah will forgive them all.”
4. Repentance brings the best provisions for life, rainfall, increase in strength, and abundance in wealth and children:
Allah Almighty says: ﴿وَأَنِ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ يُمَتِّعْكُمْ مَتَاعًا حَسَنًا إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى وَيُؤْتِ كُلَّ ذِي فَضْلٍ فَضْلَهُ﴾
Translation “‘Seek forgiveness of your Lord and repent to Him, [and] He will let you enjoy a good provision for a specified term and give every person of merit his merit. But if you turn away, then I fear for you the punishment of a great Day.'”
And Allah Almighty announced through Prophet Hud (peace be upon him): ﴿وَيَا قَوْمِ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِدْرَارًا وَيَزِدْكُمْ قُوَّةً إِلَى قُوَّتِكُمْ وَلَا تَتَوَلَّوْا مُجْرِمِينَ﴾ (Surah Hud: 52)
Translation: “O my people, ask forgiveness of your Lord and then repent to Him. He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in showers and increase you in strength [added] to your strength. And do not turn away, [being] criminals.”
And Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) announced: ﴿فَقُلْتُ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا، يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِدْرَارًا، وَيُمْدِدْكُمْ بِأَمْوَالٍ وَبَنِينَ وَيَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ وَيَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ أَنْهَارًا﴾ (Surah Nuh: 10-12)
Translation: “And I said, ‘Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver. He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in [continuing] showers and give you increase in wealth and children and provide for you gardens and provide for you rivers.'”
5. Allah loves those who repent and purify themselves:
Because repentance in Allah’s sight is the most beloved and pleasing of acts among His servants. Similarly, Allah has special love for those who repent, as stated in His command: إِنَّ اللَّـهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ (Surah Al-Baqarah/222)
Translation: Allah loves those who repent and purify themselves.
6. Allah is pleased with those who repent:
But when a servant repents to Allah, Allah becomes extremely pleased. The extent of this pleasure can be estimated from this hadith in which the Prophet ﷺ gave an example of a person who, after losing his riding animal, found it again. The example describes a situation where a person was traveling and his mount, which carried his food and drink supplies, wandered off while he was resting in a desolate, frightening place. After losing all hope and becoming despondent, he said:
(Indeed, Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His servant than a person who is traveling through a dangerous, fearful desert with his mount carrying his food and drink provisions. He lies down to rest, but when he wakes up, he sees that his mount has wandered off. He searches for it until he becomes exhausted from thirst and intense heat. He thinks to himself that he should return to where he was resting and lie down again. Upon waking up, he finds that his mount is standing by his head.) (Sahih Bukhari: Hadith No. 6308, Sahih Muslim: Hadith No. 2747)
And this happiness of Allah cannot be found in any other act of obedience besides repentance, nor can its extent be expressed in words, and this fact is…
7. Repentance leaves strange and wonderful effects on the repentant, which cannot be achieved through other deeds:
For when a person repents sincerely, Allah’s love, mercy, forgiveness, and every state of happiness becomes obligatory for him. In this way, Allah’s repentance (acceptance of repentance) upon the servant brings about such blessings, the completion of which, for the servant, brings wondrous effects with gentleness – provided that the repentance is real and the servant fulfills its conditions and obligations.
And among the effects of repentance in a person is the creation of humility, submission, and a sense of brokenness and neediness toward Allah. This is something that Allah loves much more than apparent good deeds. It is beloved even if these existing deeds, despite being numerous in number and quantity, are not accompanied by humility because humility and brokenness are the soul and essence of worship and servitude. It is for this reason that Allah, the Lord of Honor, is with those who humble themselves sincerely, and the state of a worshipping servant is closer to Allah than anything else because the state of worship is a state of humility and brokenness.
Similarly, the reason for the acceptance of the prayers of the oppressed, traveler, fasting person, and the one performing Hajj is the same humility and brokenness. That is why the matter of the oppressed is accepted because of their broken heart. Similarly, a traveler feels his helplessness in a state of alienation, and despite his physical and spiritual strength, he turns to his necessities.
