--- title: "Repentance in Islam: God Forgives Those Who Return | Islam Is Mercy" description: "Islam teaches that no sin is too great for God to forgive when a person sincerely repents. Here is what repentance means and how it works." lang: en url: https://islamismercy.com/en/core/repentance-and-forgiveness/ --- 1. [Home](https://islamismercy.com/en/) 2. [What Muslims Agree On](https://islamismercy.com/en/core/) 3. Repentance in Islam: God Forgives Those Who Return # Repentance in Islam: God Forgives Those Who Return Written by **Islam Is Mercy Editorial Team**· 4 min readAwaiting scholar review ## The short answer Islam teaches that God forgives every sin, however great, for anyone who sincerely repents before death. Repentance — tawbah, literally "returning" — means stopping the sin, regretting it, resolving not to go back, and putting right any wrong done to others. No priest or intermediary is needed; the door is open directly to God, day and night. ## On this page 1. Do not despair 2. What repentance means 3. No intermediary needed 4. The door is always open 5. Wrongs against people 6. Starting again Almost everyone carries something they wish they had not done. For some it is a small regret; for others it is a weight that never seems to lift. One of the most striking things about Islam is how directly it speaks to that weight. Its message is not “you are too far gone”, but “come back”. ## Do not despair The [Qur’an](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/quran/) contains a verse that many Muslims describe as the most hopeful in the whole book. It is addressed not to the righteous but to those who have wronged themselves: > ۞ قُلْ يَٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ﴿٥٣﴾ > Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves \[by sinning\], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful." [Qur'an, Az-Zumar 39:53](https://quran.com/39?startingVerse=53&translations=20)Saheeh International Scholars explain that this promise applies to those who turn back to God before death: there is no sin, however great, that sincere repentance cannot reach. In Islam, despairing of God’s mercy is itself considered a serious mistake, because it underestimates who God is. Among His names in the Qur’an are *al-Ghafur*, the All-Forgiving, and *al-Tawwab*, the One who constantly accepts repentance. ## What repentance means The Arabic word for repentance is *[tawbah](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/tawbah/)*, which literally means “returning”. A sinner is someone who has wandered away; repentance is simply walking back. The Qur’an describes the people of faith not as those who never sin, but as those who turn back quickly when they do: > وَٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا۟ فَٰحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ فَٱسْتَغْفَرُوا۟ لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَن يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُوا۟ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١٣٥﴾ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ جَزَآؤُهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَجَنَّٰتٌۭ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ وَنِعْمَ أَجْرُ ٱلْعَٰمِلِينَ ﴿١٣٦﴾ > 135And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves \[by transgression\], remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allah? - and \[who\] do not persist in what they have done while they know. 136Those - their reward is forgiveness from their Lord and gardens beneath which rivers flow \[in Paradise\], wherein they will abide eternally; and excellent is the reward of the \[righteous\] workers. [Qur'an, Aal-i-Imraan 3:135-136](https://quran.com/3?startingVerse=135&translations=20)Saheeh International Drawing on verses like these, Muslim scholars describe sincere repentance as having a few simple parts: 1. **Stopping** the sin. 2. **Regretting** it genuinely in the heart. 3. **Resolving** not to return to it. 4. **Putting right** any wrong done to another person, where that is possible. The Qur’an calls believers to this kind of sincere repentance (Qur’an 66:8), and promises that God loves those who repent often (Qur’an 2:222). It even speaks of God replacing the bad deeds of those who repent and reform with good ones (Qur’an 25:70). ## No intermediary needed In Islam there is no confession booth and no one who stands between a person and God. A Muslim who has sinned simply turns to God — in prayer, in prostration, or quietly in their own words, in any language — and asks for forgiveness. In a sacred saying the Prophet ﷺ conveyed from God: > …O My servants, you sin by night and by day, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness of Me and I shall forgive you.… [Sahih Muslim 6572](https://sunnah.com/muslim/45#:~:text=Me%20and%20I%20shall%20guide)Grade: Sahih (in Sahih Muslim) Muslims are even encouraged to keep their sins private between themselves and God, rather than exposing them to others (Bukhari 6069). ## The door is always open Repentance is not a one-time event. People fall, get up, and sometimes fall again. Islam does not tell them to give up; it tells them to keep returning. The Prophet ﷺ described God as constantly ready to receive them: > Abu Musa reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, Stretches out His Hand during the night so that the people may repent for the fault committed from dawn till dusk and He stretches out His Hand during the day so that the people may repent for the fault committed from dusk to dawn. (He would accept repentance) before the sun rises in the west (before the Day of Resurrection). A hadith like this has been narrated on the authority of Shu'ba with the same chain of transmitters [Sahih Muslim 6989](https://sunnah.com/muslim:6989)Grade: Sahih (in Sahih Muslim) The Prophet ﷺ himself — whom Muslims regard as the best of people — modelled this habit every day: > Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying." By Allah! I ask for forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day [Sahih al-Bukhari 6307](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/80#:~:text=I%20ask%20for%20forgiveness%20from)Grade: Sahih (in Sahih al-Bukhari) He also told the story of a man from earlier times who had killed ninety-nine people, and then a hundredth. He kept asking whether he could still repent, and set out for a town where he had been told to begin again, but death overtook him on the way. Yet God forgave him because of the sincerity of his turning (Bukhari 3470). Muslims tell this story to make one point clear: if the door was open even for him, it is open for anyone. ## Wrongs against people There is one important condition. Sins that are only between a person and God can be forgiven by God alone. But when we have wronged another human being — stolen from them, lied about them, hurt them — repentance must include putting that right: returning what was taken, or seeking their forgiveness. The Prophet ﷺ urged people to do this in this life: > …Whoever has oppressed another person concerning his reputation or anything else, he should beg him to forgive him before the Day of Resurrection… [Sahih al-Bukhari 2449](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/46#:~:text=concerning%20his%20reputation%20or%20anything)Grade: Sahih (in Sahih al-Bukhari) This keeps repentance honest. It cannot be a private feeling that leaves victims without justice. ## Starting again Islam does not ask people to be perfect. It asks them to be sincere, and to keep coming back. Each person is born pure (see [Every Human Is Born Pure](https://islamismercy.com/en/core/fitrah-born-pure/)), and repentance is the way back to that original purity. For anyone thinking about Islam, there is an even greater promise: on entering Islam, all past sins are wiped away. We explain this in [What Happens to My Past Sins When I Become Muslim?](https://islamismercy.com/en/become-muslim/past-sins-forgiven/) Whatever lies behind you, the message of Islam is the same: it is never too late to return. ![Repentance in Islam: God Forgives Those Who Return](https://islamismercy.com/_astro/repentance-and-forgiveness-info.DZ19Aj-F_Z1kHmy2.jpg) ## Key takeaways - The Qur'an forbids despair of God's mercy and promises that He forgives all sins to those who repent. - Sincere repentance means stopping, regretting, resolving not to return and righting wrongs. - Repentance is directly between a person and God, with no intermediary. - Wrongs done to other people must also be put right with them. ## Share this article [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/?text=Repentance%20in%20Islam%3A%20God%20Forgives%20Those%20Who%20Return%20https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fcore%2Frepentance-and-forgiveness%2F)[Telegram](https://t.me/share/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fcore%2Frepentance-and-forgiveness%2F&text=Repentance%20in%20Islam%3A%20God%20Forgives%20Those%20Who%20Return)[X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Repentance%20in%20Islam%3A%20God%20Forgives%20Those%20Who%20Return&url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fcore%2Frepentance-and-forgiveness%2F)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fcore%2Frepentance-and-forgiveness%2F) ## Sources - [Qur'an, Az-Zumar 39:53](https://quran.com/39?startingVerse=53&translations=20) - [Qur'an, Aal-i-Imraan 3:135-136](https://quran.com/3?startingVerse=135&translations=20) - [Sahih Muslim 6572](https://sunnah.com/muslim/45#:~:text=Me%20and%20I%20shall%20guide) - [Sahih Muslim 6989](https://sunnah.com/muslim:6989) - [Sahih al-Bukhari 6307](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/80#:~:text=I%20ask%20for%20forgiveness%20from) - [Sahih al-Bukhari 2449](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/46#:~:text=concerning%20his%20reputation%20or%20anything) ## Talk to a Muslim Have a question that isn't answered here? Ask a real person — no pressure, no judgement. [Ask your question](https://islamismercy.com/en/talk/) ## Keep reading [Becoming Muslim ### What Happens to My Past Sins When I Become Muslim? Islam teaches that sincerely becoming Muslim wipes away the sins that came before. Here is what the Qur'an and the Prophet ﷺ say, and what it means for you. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/become-muslim/past-sins-forgiven/)[What Muslims Agree On ### Every Human Is Born Pure: The Fitrah Islam teaches that every child is born pure, with a natural inclination to recognise God. Here is what fitrah means and why it matters. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/core/fitrah-born-pure/)[Islam's View On… ### What Does Islam Say About Mental Health and Hope? Islam acknowledges sadness and grief — even the Prophet ﷺ wept — encourages seeking treatment, and offers deep sources of hope and comfort. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/views/mental-health-and-hope/)[Islam's View On… ### What Does Islam Teach About Forgiving Others? Islam allows fair justice but praises forgiveness as the nobler path. Learn what the Qur'an and the Prophet ﷺ teach about pardoning people. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/views/forgiveness-in-islam/)