Prayer of repentance, the door of forgiveness is always open

In life, humans are not free from mistakes and sins. The Most Merciful Allah knows the weakness of His servant, and therefore He opened a way back through regret. One of the real manifestations of repentance is prayer regret (ṣqt AT-Taubah), the sunnah worship mentioned in the authentic hadith and the discussions of the scholars are explained in detail.

The Qur’an emphasizes the breadth of Allah’s forgiveness. In Surah Az-Zumar verse 53, Allah says:

Say, O My servants who commit disobedience against themselves, do not despair of Allah’s mercy. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, He is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.

It means: “Say: O My servants who transcend their limits, do not despair of Allah’s mercy. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, He is Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

This verse emphasizes that no sin is too big to be forgiven, as long as a servant wants to return sincerely.

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In the “Prayer of Repentance and Related Provisions in Islamic Jurisprudence”, The work of Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Jabbarin is mentioned in the hadith of Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi:

There is no servant who commits a sin, then purifies himself, then gets up and prays two rak’ahs, then asks Allah for forgiveness unless Allah forgives him.

Meaning: “There is no servant who commits a sin, even though he is an expert in his field, then stands up to pray two rak’ahs, then asks Allah for forgiveness, but Allah will surely forgive him.” (HR. Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi)

This hadith is the strong basis for the prayer of repentance as a recommended sunnah worship. Repentance prayers can be performed at any time, as long as they are not at times where prayer is prohibited (such as after dawn until sunrise, or after Asar until sunset). This shows that Allah does not delay the door of His forgiveness; once a servant realizes his mistake, he can immediately return.

Procedures for Repentance Prayer

Fiqh scholars explain that the procedures for praying repentance are similar to ordinary sunnah prayers:

1. Intention to pray for repentance.
2. Worship perfectly.
3. Perform two rak’ahs of prayer, which can be increased to four rak’ahs.
4. After greeting, make istighfar and pray with full regret.

There is no special reading in the rak’ah, although some scholars recommend reading surah al-Ikhlash, al-Falaq, or an-Nas.

Prayer After Repentance Prayer

After prayer, it is recommended to pray more istighfar prayers. One of them is general istighfar:

I ask forgiveness from the Almighty God, apart from Him there is no God who is Alive, All-Sustainer, and I repent to Him.

Meaning: “I ask forgiveness from the Almighty God, there is no God but Him, the Almighty, the Most Merciful, and I repent to Him.”

Apart from that, there is a prayer that the Prophet called Sayyidul Istighfar, narrated by Bukhari:

O God, You are my God, there is no God but You, You created me and I am Your servant, and I obey Your covenant and promise.I have complied. I seek refuge in You from the evil of my deeds. I acknowledge Your mercy towards me, and I confess my sin. So forgive me, because only sins are forgiven. You

It means: “O Allah, You are my God, there is no God but You. You created me, and I am Your servant. I am in Your covenant and Your promise is over my abilities.

The condition for him to accept repentance

The jurists, collect Mujmu’ ar-Rasā’il al-Fiqhiyyahemphasizes that repentance is not enough just to pray. There are basic conditions that must be met:

1. Forsake the sins committed (al-iqlā’ ‘anidz dzanb).
2. Regret the action (An-Nadam).
3. Determined not to do it again (al-‘azm).
4. If the sin is related to someone else’s rights, then return those rights or apologize (radd al-ḥuqqqq).

Without this condition, the prayer of repentance will only be an outward formality.

The Wisdom of Prayer for Repentance

Still quoting “Prayer of Repentance and Related Provisions in Islamic Jurisprudence”It is stated that the prayer of repentance has a number of wisdoms:

1. Make people aware that they are weak and full of shortcomings.
2. Maintain a soft heart, so that you don’t become hardened because you are used to making mistakes.
3. Get closer to God, through prayer and confession of sins.
4. Gives inner peace, because the burden of sin that is borne can strangle the soul.

By regularly performing repentance prayers, a Muslim always remembers Allah and is careful in his actions.

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The prayer of repentance is a symbol of God’s love for His servants. When man falls, God does not close the door. As long as life is still in the body, as long as the life has not reached the throat, the door to repentance is always open.

God’s Word confirms:

Allah loves those who repent and loves those who are pure.

Meaning: “Indeed, Allah loves those who repent and those who purify themselves.” (Qs. Al-Baqarah: 222)

So, don’t delay. Whenever we fall, prayer of repentance can be a hopeful way back. Make it a routine to perform the prayer of repentance every day, and see what blessings Allah will reward us with!

Also read: Three Levels of Repentance

Author: Athi Suqya Rohmah.

Editor: Muh. Sutan