Verse: "O you who believe, repent to Allah with sincere repentance"
Reflection:
The verse qualifies repentance with "nasuh" — from the root meaning purity and sincerity, free from all deceit. Sincere repentance is repentance free of any pretence: you cannot claim remorse while your heart longs to return.
Conditions of sincere repentance according to scholars:
- Immediately ceasing the sin
- Genuine regret for what has passed
- Firm resolve never to return
- If the sin wronged another person: restore their rights or seek their pardon
Ibn al-Qayyim said: "Nasuh is derived from nasihah (sincere counsel) — meaning a repentance that counsels its owner against returning to sin, as a true sincere advisor counsels one he loves."
God's promise immediately follows: "Perhaps your Lord will remove from you your misdeeds" — and Allah's "perhaps" is a certainty.
Lesson: Do not despair of a sin you have repeated — sincere repentance erases it entirely, and Allah rejoices in His servant's repentance more than anything.
Question: What does "nasuh" mean in "tawbatan nasuhan"?
Answer: From sincerity and freedom from deceit — a pure repentance with no return to the sin