Nadm
Definition
Nadm is the acute inner grief that arises when a believer truly comprehends the magnitude of what their sin has cost them — not merely a social cost or a legal one, but a rupture in their relationship with the Most High. The Prophet ﷺ said, 'Remorse is repentance,' pointing to nadm as the emotional core of the entire act. Al-Ghazali explains that this grief must be genuine and proportionate — not performative or habitual — and that it naturally produces the other two elements of repentance: the immediate cessation of the sin and the resolve not to return. Without nadm, any verbal declaration of repentance is hollow, a shell without a soul.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
Appears in
1 book in the library
Hear the term in context.
Every book above uses Nadm the way the classical scholars meant it. Listen with the full Study Kit in the app.