How do I make sincere tawbah (repentance)?

Tawbah is a fundamental act in Islam. Allah loves those who repent (Quran 2:222).

The four conditions of sincere tawbah:

1. Stop the sin immediately. You cannot 'repent' while still committing the act.

2. Genuine regret in the heart. The Prophet ﷺ said: 'Regret is repentance' (Sunan Ibn Majah 4252).

3. Firm resolve never to return to that sin. If your nafs falters and you sin again, repent again — but the resolve must be sincere each time.

4. If the sin involved another person's rights: - Money/property taken: return it or seek their forgiveness. - Backbiting: this is debated — some scholars require asking forgiveness, others say if mentioning would cause more harm, ask Allah's forgiveness and praise the person sincerely instead. - Physical harm or wronging: seek their forgiveness or compensate.

Allah's promise: - Quran 39:53: 'Do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives ALL sins.' - Quran 25:70: For those who repent and do good — Allah will REPLACE their bad deeds with good deeds. - Sahih hadith: Allah is more delighted by His servant's repentance than a man who lost his camel in the desert and then found it.

Don't despair: - No sin is too big for Allah's mercy except shirk if one dies upon it. - Past sins forgiven through tawbah are wiped — Allah does not hold them against you. - A sincere repenter is like one with no sin (Sunan Ibn Majah 4250).

Dua of repentance: 'Astaghfirullaha rabbi min kulli dhanbin wa atubu ilayh' — 'I seek the forgiveness of Allah my Lord from every sin, and I turn to Him in repentance.'