Mankind, the crown of creation, has the free will to do both good and evil. On the other hand, angels are free from sin. They are pure from any evil and only follow the commands of the Almighty. But humans, despite having the freedom to do good or bad, are considered noble creatures. Only if they choose good over evil, purity over impurity, Allah’s will over their desires, and the right path over wrong. Besides, the door of repentance is always open for sinners. And the reason for having this privilege over angels is that despite being able to sin, virtuous humans repent. They repent to their Creator, the Almighty, for His will. It is narrated, by our Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) :

“All the sons of Adam are sinners, but the best of sinners are those who repent often.”

[Book 16, Hadith 1520]

To repent, acknowledging one’s sin by heart is the first step. The man who murdered ninety-nine people (eventually one more) while willing to repent, was forgiven because his heart repented (quoted in a hadith). Repentance is initiated within the heart because it is the abode of spirituality. Sins like anger, depression, and anxiety act as a disease to the heart. They harm it, making it spiritually blind. The constant sins minimize the effect of kindness and the right path vanishes. As a consequence, lifelessness and hopelessness prevail. The darkness of sins overcomes the light at the end of the tunnel until it seeks repentance.

It is quoted in the Hadith:

Verily, when the slave (of Allah) commits one sin, a black spot appears on his heart. When he refrains from it, seeks forgiveness and repents, his heart is polished clean. But if he returns, it increases until it covers his entire heart. And that is the ‘Ran’ [rust] which Allah mentioned: ‘Nay, but on their hearts is the Ran [rust] which they used to earn.’”

[Jami’ At-Tirmidhi, 3334]

What is repentance? It is the activity of reviewing one’s actions and regretting past wrongs, accompanied by a commitment to his betterment. Sometimes it comes to my mind, why did Prophet Mohammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) the best of prophets, an exemplary model for all humanity in every aspect of life, the one who was already promised the place in Jannah sought repentance?

The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said:

“Turn you people in repentance to Allah and beg pardon of Him. I turn to Him in repentance a hundred times a day.”

[Riyad as-Salihin 14]

It is to express gratitude and humility. Gratitude for one’s blessings, for the gifts of faith and guidance, though it is impossible to acknowledge the blessings, they are way too many than every second we breathe, and repentance acts as one of the most significant ways of worship. Because Allah SWT likes repentance. He loves how a man repents to his Lord just to seek His pleasure.

Mufti Taqi Usmani writes that during his visit to South Africa, he witnessed a breathtaking flower. But in his attempt to pluck it, the host stopped and told him that the flower contained a thorn that causes sudden death by thickening the blood. Mufti Saheb asked why the dangerous plant is there in a public place and the government has taken no precautions. He was shown its roots that contain an antidote to the poison. And it grows every two or three days.

Likewise, if Allah SWT has planted the plant of sins, he has also given the neutralizer of repentance. When Allah does not ever refuse to forgive, why do we not seek repentance? We often see people saying that we seek forgiveness but, it is not accepted. This is Satan’s trick. He did not seek repentance from Allah, how will he let humans accomplish it? Tawba is the weapon of a Muslim. Satan is never scared of good deeds. He knows that sins can take over easily. However, he is scared of repentance because he knows that forgiveness can convert a vice into virtue. It is mentioned in the Holy Quran:

“Except the one who repents and believes and does good deeds, then Allah will replace the evils of such people by good deeds”.

Surah Furqan, Verse 70