❖ Is Repentance from Sins Obligatory?
Source: Fatawa Ameenpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Ameenpuri
❖ Question:
Is it obligatory to repent from sins?
❖ Answer:
Yes, repentance from sins is obligatory. In order for major sins (kabā'ir) to be forgiven, repentance is necessary.
❖ Divine Commands Regarding Repentance:
❀ Allah ﷻ says:
﴿وَاَنِ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ﴾
(Surah Hūd: 3)
"And seek forgiveness from your Lord and then turn to Him in repentance."
❀ He also says:
﴿فَقُلْتُ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا﴾
(Surah Nūḥ: 10)
"So I said: Seek forgiveness from your Lord; indeed, He is ever Forgiving."
❀ And Allah ﷻ further states:
﴿وَيَا قَوْمِ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِدْرَارًا وَيَزِدْكُمْ قُوَّةً إِلَى قُوَّتِكُمْ وَلَا تَتَوَلَّوْا مُجْرِمِينَ﴾
(Surah Hūd: 52)
"O my people! Seek forgiveness from your Lord, then turn to Him in repentance. He will send down upon you abundant rain from the sky and will increase you in strength upon your strength. And do not turn away as criminals."
❖ Scholarly Consensus:
❀ Imam Ibn ʿAṭiyyah al-Andalusi رحمه الله (d. 542 AH) and
❀ Imam Ibn Ḥayyān al-Andalusi رحمه الله (d. 745 AH) stated:
"التوبة فرض بإجماع الأمة"
"Repentance is obligatory, and there is consensus of the Ummah on this matter."
(Tafsīr Ibn ʿAṭiyyah: 2/23; Al-Baḥr al-Muḥīṭ: 3/561)
✔ Conclusion:
Repentance is a religious obligation upon every sinner.
Without sincere repentance, the forgiveness of major sins cannot be achieved. The command to repent has been explicitly mentioned in multiple Qur’anic verses, and there is scholarly consensus on its obligatory nature.
