Blindspot!
From Issue: 749 [Read full issue]
Repentance
Even if one tries his best to follow all of the steps and means that help one purify his soul, the nature of man is such that, in general, he is bound to falter every now and then. When a person falters and sins, though, that is not the end of the matter. As long as he has not reached the moment of death, the door to repentance will remain open to him. He need not despair - as long as he brings himself to account and repents to Allah for the sins and transgressions he has committed.
The true repentance includes:
1. Stopping oneself from the sin that one is committing
2. Feeling remorse
3. Having the sincere intention to never again return to performing that sin
4. If the sin also involved the rights of other humans, one must also rectify the wrong that he has done
Ibn Taymiyyah points out that repentance is not just from the performance of evil deeds but also from the lack of performing the good deeds.
Compiled From:
"Purification of the Soul" - Jamaal al-Din M. Zarabozo, pp. 380-382