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.
How the scholars use Nadm.
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"Understanding this leads to realizing that the triumph of fear over desire in some sins is indeed possible. Fear, when derived from past actions, arouses remorse, and remorse arouses resolve. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Remorse is repentance. He did not condition it upon remorse for every sin, nor did he say: "The one who repents from all sins," indicating that repentance for some sins is possible, for they differ in terms of desire and exposure to Allah's wrath."
— Imam al-Ghazali, Book 31: The Book of Repentance
Appears in
1 book in the library
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