Allah, the Almighty, said:

{And return [in repentance]⁵⁷to your Lord.} [az-Zumar 39:54]

Returning involves three parts:

1. returning to the True One with sincere reform after one has returned to Him with apologies ⁵⁸


2. returning to Him with fulfilment after returning to Him with commitment⁵⁹




3. returning to Him with one's [interior] state after responding to His call [with his/her exterior]⁶⁰

Return with true reform may be correctly attained through three things:

1. mending the consequences [of the sins]⁶¹


2. feeling pain over the missteps ⁶²


3. making up for what was missed ⁶³

Returning to Him with fulfilment may be correctly attained through three things:

1. escaping from the pleasure of sins⁶⁴


2. refraining from looking condescendingly on the people of heedlessness and fearing for them while having hope for yourself ⁶⁵


3. being all-encompassing when observing the defects of one’s service (worship)

Returning to Him with your interior may be correctly attained through three things:

1. despair over your actions ⁶⁶


2. observing your poverty and need


3. beholding His gentleness and graciousness towards you⁶⁷

⁵⁷ This is basically a phase within the phases of true, sincere tawbah. However, since to some people tawbah may mean only an apology and determination to abstain from repeating the offense, it is necessary to describe the work binding on the believer to show that he or she is truly returning to Allah. The word ‘inâbah’ is mentioned in many verses in the Qur’an, sometimes in the form of a command, like here:

{And return [in repentance] to your Lord and submit to Him before the punishment comes upon you; then you will not be helped.} (az-Zumar 39:54)
It also appears in the form of an adjective or adverb; for example:

{Indeed, Ibrâheem was forbearing, grieving, and [frequently] returning [to Allah ].} (Hood 11:75)

{Who feared the Most Merciful unseen and came with a heart returning [in repentance].} (Qâf 50:33)
{And when adversity touches the people, they call upon their Lord, turning in repentance to Him. Then when He lets them taste mercy from Him, at once a party of them associates others with their Lord.} (ar-Room 30:33)
⁵⁸ Saying ‘sorry’ does not mean a person is truly regretful; one may be sorry but fail to show reform after extending his or her apologies.
⁵⁹ When one repents, they make pledges to Allah; Allah will hold them to their pledges. He has cautioned:

{And they had already promised Allah before not to turn their backs and flee. And ever is the promise to Allah [that about which one will be] questioned.}(al-Aḥzâb 33:15)
⁶⁰ Ibn al-Qayyim quotes al-Hassan:


“O son of Adam, you speak and act and your actions are more deserving of your attention than your speech; and you have interior and exterior and your interior determines your destiny more than your exterior.”

One may be more capable of disciplining his or her exterior, which is important but not sufficient; complete salvation will be earned when one truly purifies their interior.
⁶¹ In addition to your regrets and apologies, you must return the rights to the deserving people and fix the wrongs you committed or caused.
⁶² This could mean your own missteps, but it also means that one who truly returns to Allah with his or her heart will have a tender heart that wishes good for all people and hurts over their missteps.
⁶³ Now that you have repented, make up your missed prayers, dhikr, and times of heedlessness. If you were harsh with your spouse or relatives, compensate by extra acts of kindness, etc.
⁶⁴ And that is when your hawâ and desires conform to those of Allah and what His Messenger ﷺ brought to you. The Prophet ﷺ said:


“None of you [truly] believes until his desires are subservient to that which I have brought.” (Imam an-Nawawi says, “We have related it in Kitâb al-Ḥujjah with a ṣaḥeeḥ chain of narrators.”)
⁶⁵ When it would be more appropriate for you to be most fearful for your own salvation and safety and more suspecting of your own intentions.
⁶⁶ You will never see your actions as proofs of entitlement because you will always be concerned about whether they were accepted and how much of them was accepted. You doubt that your actions are good for any reward or can earn you anything of value. Even if they were accepted, they are still His gifts.
⁶⁷ And finally, after despairing of your actions and self, you behold His vast, all-encompassing mercy and have hope in being included among those upon whom He will bestow His mercy.