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17-05-2020:13:21 #1

What is tawba?
Derived from a verb in the Arabic language which literally means “to return,” the word tawba in the Islamic context refers to the act of abandoning something prohibited (haram) by Allah (and therefore deemed sinful) for that which is in accordance with the commands of Allah. Halal is a significantly broader category comprising everything within the realm of permissibility as well as those acts which carry specific reward from Allah; these include most everyday matters as well as legislated acts of worship dedicated only to Allah.
 
Tawba is thus in essence a “return” to Allah with a humble admission of one’s fallibility in which the servant expresses remorse while seeking forgiveness (istighfar) and redemption from the Master for having erred or fallen into sin. Included within the concept of tawba is the intention of restrain, reform, and moral self-improvement going forward. Tawba is defined early on in the second chapter of the Qur’an in the story of the prophet Adam, his wife, Hawwa (Eve), and Iblis (Satan). The creation story is documented in all three scriptures: the Torah, the Bible, and the Qur’an. The Qur’an mentions it in several chapters; this story is woven throughout as a frequent reminder to us of our origin, our relationship with Allah, our fallibility, the purpose of life on earth, and our final return to Allah for judgment:
 
And We said, "O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise and eat therefrom in [ease and] abundance from wherever you will. But do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers." But Satan caused them to slip out of it and removed them from that [condition] in which they had been. And We said, "Go down, [all of you], as enemies to one another, and you will have upon the earth a place of settlement and provision for a time." Then Adam received from his Lord [some] words, and He accepted his repentance. Indeed, it is He Who is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful. We said, "Go down from it, all of you. And when guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows My guidance—there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.”[Qur’an 2:35-38]
 
Allah created Adam as the first human and subsequently from his progeny all of mankind, with the sole purpose of worshipping and obeying Him. Adam was given knowledge and instruction—to live with his spouse in Paradise and to benefit from its plentiful provision as they wished, with the exception of a single tree He forbade them both from approaching.
 
Adam and Hawwa were both tempted into disobedience by Iblis, causing them to be removed from Paradise. Yet, as a phenomenal gesture of mercy and generosity, Allah taught Adam the very words of tawba with which he and his progeny are to seek forgiveness from Him. Hence, Allah made tawba the means of forgiveness and redemption in the struggle on earth between good and evil, and the means through which one gains both His pleasure in this world and eternal salvation upon final return to Him on the Day of Resurrection.
 
Furthermore, the story of Adam and Iblis serves as the framework for the greatest challenge we will face on earth: an unrelenting battle from the cradle to the grave against a deceitful enemy who will often pose as our confidante, just as he did in Jannah, in order to mislead us into disobedience. Among Iblis’s many tactics is that he skillfully instills in us his own attributes of despair and arrogance (the first expression of racism involved Iblis thinking himself superior to Adam) to impede man from making tawba. He does so by convincing us to despair of our worthiness in the sight of Allah in approaching Him directly.
 
He may convince us that we do not need to make tawba as our worldly achievements indicate our honorable status with Allah, or that Allah’s mercy alone guarantees us salvation—all prevalent misconceptions to this day. This is our struggle on earth. To be human is to be flawed and to sin—as only Allah is Perfect; thus, falling into sin and making tawba are perpetual states for the believer. Sole authority It logically follows that the sole authority to forgive belongs to Allah —therefore, repentance can only be made to Him.