What are the conditions of repentance, and when should one repent?
2026-09-20
F22 · Selected fatwas
Shaykh Ibn Bāz
الشيخ عبد العزيز بن عبد الله بن باز
Original Q&A · Full displayed answer
The full question asks about repentance’s conditions and timing. The answer retains haste to repent by night or day and the fourth condition involving another person’s right, illustrated specifically through backbiting and honour. It is not presented as permission to keep another person’s property merely by praying for him.
النص العربي
السؤال الأصلي
هذه أخت مستمعة -أم عبد الله- أرسلت بمجموعة من الأسئلة تقول: سماحة الشيخ ما هي شروط التوبة؟ وما هي أوقاتها مأجورين؟
الجواب
التوبة تشرع دائما في كل وقت، فمن كان فعل ذنبا وجب عليه البدار بالتوبة ليلا أو نهارا.
وشروطها ثلاثة: الندم على الماضي، والإقلاع من المعصية، والعزم ألا يعود فيها، هذه شروط التوبة، الندم على ما مضى من المعصية، والإقلاع منها، وتركها خوفا من الله، وتعظيما لله، وشرط ثالث: وهو العزم الصادق ألا يعود فيها، وإن كانت المعصية تتعلق بمخلوقين فلها شرط رابع هو تحلل المخلوق، كونه يحلك، تطلب منه أن يبيحك، فإن لم يتيسر تدعو له، وتذكر محاسنه التي تعرفها عنه في المجالس التي اغتبته فيها هذا الشرط الرابع، إذا تكلمت في عرض إنسان تطلب منه أن يبيحك، فإن لم يتيسر ذلك تذكره بمحاسنه التي تعرفها عنه الأخلاق الطيبة، والأعمال الطيبة التي تعرفها عنه تذكرها، تذكره فيها، تذكره بها في المجالس التي أسأت إليه، واغتبته فيها، تكون هذه بهذه.
English translation
English rendering prepared for SalafAlSalih.com from the cited complete Arabic answer; not an official translation.
Original question
A female listener, Umm Abdullah, asks: Honoured Shaykh, what are the conditions of repentance, and when may one repent? May you be rewarded.
Answer
Repentance is prescribed continually, at every time. Anyone who has committed a sin must hasten to repent, by night or by day.
Its conditions are three: regretting what has passed, ceasing the sin, and resolving not to return to it. These are the conditions of repentance: regret for the previous sin, stopping and abandoning it out of fear of Allah and reverence for Him, and a third condition—sincerely resolving not to repeat it. If the sin concerns other people, there is a fourth condition: seeking the wronged person’s pardon, asking him to release you from the wrong. If that is not possible, pray for him and mention the good qualities you know about him in the gatherings where you backbit him. This is the fourth condition: if you spoke against someone’s honour, ask him to pardon you. If that is not possible, mention the good qualities, good character and good deeds you know about him in the gatherings where you mistreated him and backbit him, so that these good mentions counterbalance those bad mentions.
Source and editorial notes
Official Ibn Bāz website, fatwa 18866
مشروعية التوبة في كل وقت وشروطها
Repentance at All Times and Its Conditions
Full original question and entire answer collated; replaces the historical selected excerpt. The complete substantive official question on line11 and the entire answer on25–26 are retained. Presenter thanks and related pages are excluded. The answer’s example for the fourth condition concerns honour/backbiting; no unspoken rule about keeping another’s wealth is added.