The concept of repentance comes from the root “T-W-B”. In its literal meaning, repentance is a return or turning from something unpleasant to something pleasant. In some texts, it is also used to refer to returning from disobedience or abandoning sin, which is considered the most beautiful form of repentance. However, this latter meaning contradicts the use of repentance in relation to God, and for this reason, the concept of returning from something unpleasant to something pleasant is more in line with the meanings in the Quran.

“Tawab” is one of the names of God that is mentioned nine times in the Quran, once with the name “Rahim” and once with the name “Hakim”. In some verses, God’s forgiveness towards His servants is described using the verb forms “taba, atuba, yatub”. In other verses, the word “tawba” or “tawb” is used to refer to God’s forgiveness, as in one verse where it is mentioned as “qabil al-tawb” (acceptance of repentance by God), which is one of the examples of God’s forgiveness. According to a narration from the eighth Shia Imam, whoever says “ya tawab” three times a day, their temptations will be removed and their repentance will be accepted. Some have also mentioned other benefits, such as being freed from oppression, for repeating this name. The word “tawab” has both a material and a

Succeeding in my repentance.

In Islam, divine repentance in this matter, before the repentance of the servant – in the form of success in returning from disobedience, providing the means for repentance, regret for sin, guidance towards repentance, and returning the hearts of those who have strayed from the truth towards obedience and divine love – manifests. Therefore, since God is aware of the inner beings of His servants, He grants success to those who deserve repentance: “…and Allah turns to whoever He wills.” Just as He granted Adam success after leaving the first and eating from the forbidden tree: “…and do not go near this tree…so Satan caused them to slip from it.” He granted him such success: “So Adam received words from his Lord and He turned to him. Indeed, He is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful.”

Some poets have considered divine repentance to mean the creation of repentance and return in the heart of the sinner, but the Mu’tazilites have denied this meaning because in their view, such an act implies acceptance of predestination. According to many scholars, the denial of the Mu’tazilites has no basis, because the initial grace and favor of God also includes the actions and optional attributes of humans. Therefore, divine repentance leads to the repentance of the servant, because until God, with His mercy, turns towards His servant and grants him the opportunity to repent, the servant cannot regret his sins and return to God: “Then He turned to them so they might repent.”

Acceptance of repentance of the servant.

Divine repentance in this matter means the acceptance of the repentance of the servant and his return from disobedience: “…and He is the Accepter of Repentance.” It does not render his previous good deeds useless and does not prevent him from receiving the promised reward for obedience, just as Allah forgave the great sins of the Children of Israel after they repented and followed His command: “So repent to your Creator and kill yourselves…then He accepted your repentance. Indeed, He is the Accepter of Repentance, the Merciful.” Allah has also promised those who conceal His truths that if they repent and correct their wrongdoings and reveal the hidden truths, He will accept their repentance: “Indeed, those who conceal what We have sent down…those are cursed by Allah and cursed by those who curse, except for those who repent, reform, and make clear. And it is those to whom I will turn in forgiveness, and I am the Accepter

With regards to the previous and subsequent repentance, it is said that the repentance of a servant is between the two repentances of God and is encompassed by them, for the essence of a servant’s repentance is in need of divine power and all goodness and power come from Him. Therefore, the success of repentance and its permission and inspiration come from God. After the repentance of a servant, he is also in need of God’s assistance in order for his repentance to be accepted, for Him to forgive and have mercy on him, and to reward him with His grace.

According to the two mentioned forms, divine repentance is only accepted in a place where the repentance of the servant is realized before or after it, but according to some beliefs, divine repentance can also be manifested without the repentance of the servant being realized; as in verse 27 of Surah An-Nisa, God has willed to return to the believers with His mercy: “And Allah wants to accept your repentance…” In this verse, divine repentance has been realized without the repentance of the believers. One of the examples of this divine repentance is making difficult things easier and reducing the punishment, as in the prescription of having sexual relations with one’s spouse during the nights of Ramadan: “Allah knows that you used to deceive yourselves, so He turned to you and forgave you. So now, have relations with them…” Or reducing the penalty for unintentional murder, even if the killer has not committed a sin: “And whoever kills a believer unintentionally

Therefore, repentance should be considered one of the oldest divine duties that has been determined for humans in the religion of Islam, so that through it, humans can attain happiness and be saved from the punishment of this world and the hereafter. From the time of Adam, the first human being, and after him, the creation of humans increased, repentance was also created. With this description, the antiquity of repentance reaches the antiquity of human beings, and there are few divine commandments that have such a long history. As a result, repentance can be considered one of the important and fundamental doors of divine mercy, a mercy that Adam taught to all humans after him. Of course, the type of repentance for him is different from the repentance for sins, but repentance in the sense of turning from one direction to another has been inherited by humans, as humans are a mixture of good and evil. Also, the nature of humans is inclined towards the truth: “

In general, the chain of prophets has benefited from the vast gift and mercy of God and some of them have been mentioned in the Quran, but the scope of repentance was not as it is described in the Quran before Islam; meaning that repentance did not lead to complete forgiveness of sins. For example, in Judaism and Christianity, repentance means turning away from disbelief and polytheism, meaning that repentance will protect one from the impurities of disbelief and polytheism, not absolute sins and transgressions. It is stated in the principles of Christianity that repentance will not benefit the sinner and transgressor. From the perspective of believers in this religion, it is impossible for a person to achieve salvation and benefit through repentance. However, after that, the view of Christianity about repentance changed to an extreme extent, to the point that repentance became so sacred and holy among them that a sinful and transgressing person would go to their religious leader, confess their sins

Repentance in the modern era.

Now that we have a clear and brief definition of the concept of repentance and its place in the religion of Islam, as well as its history in religions, we can have a closer look at its function in contemporary society. To better understand this topic, we can refer to historical examples. Some of the most famous repentances in Shia history include that of Harith bin Yazid al-Riyahi, or names such as Abu Lubabah in the story of negotiations with the Banu Qurayza, Bushrahafeh and his story with Imam Musa al-Kadhim, Zuhair bin al-Qain and his story in Karbala and meeting with Imam Hussein, and others. But has the true concept of repentance been observed in post-revolution repentance letters and in the prisons of the Islamic Republic? How many of the repenters with a heart full of remorse have made the decision to return and repent? In any case, the most common understanding of this

In addition, a new directive has recently been approved and published by the judiciary authority, in which the conditions for repentance and acceptance of repentance by criminals are mentioned. Here, I will not criticize the articles and clauses of the mentioned directive, because if there is no respect for human dignity, beliefs, and moral principles, it will be rejected and useless. Of course, these conditions are completely rejected and unreliable, especially for political and ideological prisoners. Therefore, to conclude, I will directly refer to the principles and conditions of repentance and its important pillars, which are mentioned in the book “Freedom, Slavery, and the Purpose of Life” by Murtaza Mutahhari. In this book, it is quoted from Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib that the first pillar of repentance is remorse and regret: “The first step is that your soul catches fire, becomes inflamed, and you see yourself drowning in regret and remorse.” This book then mentions the second pillar of

Morteza Motahari also mentions conditions for true repentance from the words of Ali ibn Abi Talib. He said, “Afterwards, Ali (peace be upon him) mentioned two things that are conditions for perfect repentance. He said, ‘Repentance is when you wash away the flesh that you have nourished with forbidden things.’ And at the end, he describes the second condition for perfect repentance as follows: ‘Torture yourself for a period of time, for this body that has tasted the pleasure of disobedience, taste the pain of obedience, and punish yourself.'”