The Correct Way to Repent According to Islamic Sharia

Kapanlagi.com - Every human being must have intentional or unintentional mistakes. Even sins have their own levels, from big to small, and all will be rewarded by Allah SWT. However, all these sins will be forgiven by Allah SWT if we repent. And there are several ways to repent correctly according to Islamic law.

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There are several types of repentance, depending on what kind of repentance you do. In Islam, it has been revealed that Allah SWT will forgive sins and erase your mistakes by repenting. This is in accordance with the word of Allah SWT in Surah An-Nisa verse 31 which means:

"If you avoid the major sins among the sins that are forbidden, We will remove your minor sins and admit you to a noble place (paradise)."

And for those of you who want to repent, here are some correct ways to repent according to Islamic law. Reported from various sources, let's check it out KLovers.

1. Requirements for Repentance

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Before you repent, you must know the conditions of repentance. Yup! Indeed, repentance has conditions, KLovers, and you must know these conditions. And here is a summary of the conditions for repentance as reported by Liputan6:

- First, there is Islam. If you repent in the way prescribed by Islam, of course, you must be a believer. This has been explained in QS An-Nisa verse 18.

"And not (accepted is) the repentance of those who continue to do evil deeds until, when death comes to one of them, he says, 'Indeed, I have repented now,' or of those who die while they are disbelievers. For them, We have prepared a painful punishment."

2. Then, sincerity. When you repent, you must do it sincerely. Because with sincerity, it means that you only seek the pleasure of Allah SWT.

3. Acknowledge your sins. If you truly want to erase all the mistakes you have made, you must acknowledge those mistakes before Allah SWT. By admitting and seeking salvation through prayer to Allah.

4. Regret your actions. Besides acknowledging your sins, you are also required to feel remorse. This remorse will give you the ability to fear and act as a barrier if you intend to repeat those mistakes or sins.

5. Let go and abandon sinful actions. If the violation you committed involves doing what is forbidden and neglecting what is commanded, then you must fulfill the command as a way to abandon the sinful action. This is also mentioned in the word of Allah SWT in QS Al Imran verse 135:

"And (also) those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves, remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allah? - And (who) do not persist in what they have done while they know."

2. Types of Repentance

Then there are also types of repentance in Islam that you need to know. There are several terms used in the Quran to refer to forgiveness and efforts to establish a harmonious relationship between humans and their Lord, including taba (repentance), afa (forgiving), ghafara (pardoning), kaffara (covering), and shafah. Each term is used for a specific purpose and conveys a different meaning. And here are some types of repentance in Islam, including: - Taubat, which is repenting from disobedience and returning to obedience. For example, a person who repents after committing corruption or theft. This person belongs to the first type of repentance. - Firar, which is running away from disobedience towards obedience, from what is good to what is even better. In this category, a person who avoids gossiping (ghibah), avoids alcohol, avoids drugs, is included in the type of repentance called firar. In fact, in this category, a person who studies sincerely and diligently to achieve a perfect score on their report card can be considered a form of firar. - Inabat, which is repenting repeatedly even if one is not sinful. A servant who, with full consciousness and longing for Allah SWT, will perpetuate their repentance to Allah SWT even if they do not commit any obvious sins.

3. Form of Repentance

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In addition to types of repentance, there are also forms of repentance. The type of repentance depends on what type of repentance you will do. Because there are those who repent because they have made a mistake, and there are also those who repent with the intention of improving the quality of their deeds or goodness itself. Like what is meant by the term inabat or awbah.

And here are some forms of repentance that you can do, according to the type of repentance you will do:

- Verbal repentance or what we call formal repentance. This type of repentance is by uttering the phrase istighfar, which is "astagfirullah al-azhim". This phrase is recommended by the Prophet Muhammad SAW to be recited by Muslims every day at least 70 times.

- Repentance in the heart, which is in the form of self-commitment not to repeat actions or deeds that violate the rules of Allah SWT. This repentance of the heart is manifested in the form of sincere regret of the soul for the sinful actions they have done.

- Performing good deeds after making a mistake. The Prophet Muhammad SAW said, "Cover your sins with good deeds, and surely the good deeds will erase them" (HR.At-Tirmizi).

The meaning of the phrase "cover with good deeds" can be in the form of seeking forgiveness (istighfar), and it can also be through other good deeds that have more value, thus erasing the value of the sin. In other words, repentance can be done by showing the ability to do good deeds after committing a sinful act.

- True repentance (tawbatan nasuha). With repentance, humans should return from all intentions and dependencies on other than Allah SWT, and direct themselves only towards Allah SWT. So that what comes to the mind of the penitent (attaib) is la ilaha illallah (there is no god but Allah) and la maqshuda illallah (there is no purpose except Allah).

4. Regretting Actions

The first way to repent is by regretting your actions. If the sin or mistake you committed is considered a minor sin, then you need to repent by getting closer to Allah SWT and always seeking forgiveness. But if the sin you committed is major, then the way to repent is by performing repentance prayer and not repeating it again.

You are also required to understand how to repent sincerely and genuinely if you have committed major sins such as adultery or polytheism. Regretting and acknowledging your actions is one of the ways of repentance that Allah SWT greatly likes and appreciates.

5. Leaving the Sins that Have Been Committed

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After admitting the mistakes that have been made, the next way of repentance is by rectifying the mistakes or leaving the sins that have been committed. This is what proves whether one is truly repenting or not.

If the intention of repentance is sincere, then one needs to make improvements, stay away from sins, and strive to improve their actions towards oneself and others. A person who acknowledges their mistakes but does not rectify the situation is not truly sincere in repentance. Allah SWT judges not only based on intention but also on consistent good deeds.

6. Determined not to Repeat

Just leaving the sins that have been committed before is not enough, KLovers. Because the devil is indeed waiting for you to be careless and trying to persuade you to return to the previous sinful acts that you have done. And to truly leave and no longer repeat such things, you must be determined not to repeat them again.

With strong determination and always remembering Allah SWT, bad things like sinful acts will stay away. And Allah SWT will bring you closer to the believers, so that your faith becomes stronger and further away from the cursed temptations of the devil.

7. Increase Worship and Get Closer to Allah SWT

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To make repentance even better, then increase obligatory and voluntary worship. This is also to get closer to Allah SWT, by performing worship, it will further reduce and even erase all the sins that have been committed. It has also been explained in the word of Allah in Surah Hud verse 114.

"Establish prayer at the two ends of the day (morning and evening) and at the approach of the night. Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds. That is a reminder for those who remember."

8. Performing Repentance Prayer

One way to repent to Allah SWT is by performing the sunnah repentance prayer. This prayer is performed after someone commits a sin or feels that they have committed a sin. Repentance prayer can be done anytime according to one's desire and ability. The prayer can be performed for 2, 4, or 6 rak'ahs. After every two rak'ahs, there is one salaam.

And here are some procedures for repenting by performing the repentance prayer:

- Perform ablution perfectly

- Intend to perform the repentance prayer during takbeer by reciting "Ushalli Sunnatat Taubata Rakataini Lillahi Taala"
Meaning: I intend to perform the sunnah repentance prayer of two rak'ahs for the sake of Allah.

- Recite Surah Al-Fatihah along with a short memorized surah

- Bow (recite tasbih rukuk three times)

- Rise from bowing (recite the dua for rising from bowing)

- Prostrate (recite tasbih sujud three times)

- Sit between the two prostrations (recite the dua "robbighfirlii warhamnii")

- Perform the second prostration (recite tasbih sujud three times)

- Stand up to continue the second rak'ah following the above sequence until the final Tashahhud.

- Final Tashahhud (recite the final Tashahhud)

- Salaam

- After completing the prayer, increase recitation of istighfar (seeking forgiveness)

- Then, make a supplication seeking forgiveness.

9. Enter a Positive Environment

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To avoid returning to sinful behavior, you must enter a positive environment. A good environment will certainly have a positive impact on your life. Therefore, if you are determined to break free from all unseemly behavior, you must seek a good environment. This is also done to strengthen the repentance you have made to Allah SWT.

10. Keep the Past Well

And the last way to repent is to keep the past well. Keep your sins secret from anyone, including your closest friends or others. In a hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once said:

"Whoever is afflicted with the calamity of committing a sin like this (committing adultery), let him hide it, with the secrecy that Allah has given." (HR. Malik)

Those are some good ways of repentance that are in accordance with Islamic law. Every human being is never free from mistakes and sins, and by repenting, may Allah SWT forgive every sin committed and always bless the path you choose.

(kpl/dhm)