Salat-ul-Tawbah (Prayer of Repentance)

Q:When I was a young man, I committed some sins. Alhamdu lillah [All praise is due to Allah], for having guided me to make Tawbah (repentance to Allah). However, I still have doubts about whether Allah has accepted my Tawbah or not. Kindly enlighten me regarding Salat-ul-Tawbah (Prayer of Repentance). May Allah reward you with the best!

A: Alhamdu lillah, Tawbah wipes out all one’s past sins. Therefore, you should give up your doubts that Allah has turned your Tawbah away. Rather, you have to expect good from your Lord and have firm belief that He has accepted your heartfelt Tawbah. This is based on the Ayah (Qur’anic verse) in which Allah says:Surah Al-Nur, 24: 31 And all of you beg Allâh to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful In the above Ayah, Allah has made success contingent upon making Tawbah. Anyone who turns in Tawbah to Allah, will achieve success. Allah (Glorified be He) says:Surah Ta­Ha, 20: 82 And verily, I am indeed forgiving to him who repents, believes (in My Oneness, and associates none in worship with Me) and does righteous good deeds, and then remains constant in doing them, (till his death). Allah is the Ever-Truthful Who never breaks His Promises. Allah (Glorified be He) also says:Surah Al-Tahrim, 66: 8 O you who believe! Turn to Allâh with sincere repentance! It may be that your Lord will expiate from you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise)

In the above Ayah Allah’s Promise, as indicated by the words “It may be …”, should be understood to mean that He will surely fulfill His Promise.

Therefore, you have to expect good from Allah and assume that He has accepted your Tawbah provided that you are sincere and full of remorse for committing these past sins. You also have to be determined not to return to doing them again. You have to be aware of incitements of Satan. In one Hadith Qudsy (Revelation from Allah in the Prophet’s words) Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says: I am near to the thought of My Servant as he thinks about Me.

Therefore, you ought to have firm belief that Allah has accepted your Tawbah. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Let none of you die without expecting good from Allah (may He be Glorified and Exalted) (Related by Muslim in his Sahih (authentic) Book of Hadith)

As for Salat-ul-Tawbah, it was authentically reported on the authority of Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

Anyone who commits a sin, performs Wudu’ (ablution) properly, and then offers two Rak’ahs (units of Prayer) wherein he asks Allah to forgive his sins, Allah will accept his Tawbah. (Related by Ahmad)May Allah grant us success!

Source : Ibn Baaz fatwas from alifta.com