Tawbah
توبةDefinition
Tawbah — repentance — is Adam and Hawwa's immediate response to their transgression, and Ibn Kathir presents it as one of the most important models in the entire prophetic tradition. They did not despair, they did not make excuses, and they did not blame each other or the serpent (as in other traditions). They turned directly to Allah with words of self-accusation: 'Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we shall certainly be among the losers.' Allah accepted their repentance, establishing for all of humanity that sincere, immediate, self-acknowledging return to God is always received — regardless of what was done.
As understood in the classical tradition of Ibn Kathir and the scholars of his school.
How the scholars use Tawbah.
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"This too is not repentance from repentance, but rather repentance from the lack of repentance. The portion of repentance that exists is an act of obedience that should not be repented from, while the missing portion is what requires repentance. Repentance from repentance can only be understood in one of these two ways."
— Ibn al-Qayyim, Volume One
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"This is an illogical statement and not correct in itself. There might be a flaw, deficiency, or impediment in the repentance that prevents its perfection. The person may or may not be aware of this, and they should repent from the deficiency in their repentance and from not fulfilling its rights. This too is not repentance from repentance, but rather repentance from the lack of repentance."
— Ibn al-Qayyim, Volume One
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"What they repent from might be considered among the greatest good deeds of others. In summary, the repentance of the true lovers who are knowledgeable of their Lord and His rights is the true repentance, while others are veiled from it. Beyond this is another repentance, which we should turn away from discussing. Chapter: The author of "Al-Manazil" explains that the station of repentance is not fully realized until one repents from everything other than the Truth, perceives the cause of repentance, and then repents from even seeing that cause."
— Ibn al-Qayyim, Volume One
Appears in
2 books in the library
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