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an honest resolution and so also his entreaties to Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) for forgiveness.

If such a state of feeling is realized by a person in any degree he should be sure that the stain of sin has been washed away and the gates of mercy have opened for him. After such a Tauba the sinner is completely absolved of his sin, he is thoroughly sanctified and becomes even dearer in the sight of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) than he was before, so much so that sometimes a person succeeds in attaining, through Tauba, a place which would be hard to reach even after a hundred years of prayer and fasting.

All this that we have said on the subject of Tauba was derived entirely from the twin sources of the Quran and the Traditions. We are going now to consider some of the relevant verses of the Quran:

O ye who believe! Turn to Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) with sincere repentance: in the hope that your Lord will remove from you your ills and admit you to Gardens beneath which rivers flow.

And in Sura-e-ma’eda:

Why turn they not to Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa), and seek His forgiveness? For Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

And in Surah-e-An’aam:

When those come to thee who believe in Our Signs, say: “Peace be on you! Your Lord hath inscribed for Himself (the rule of) Mercy: Verily, if any of you did evil in ignorance, and thereafter repented, and amended (his conduct); lo, He is Oft- Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

Also, look at the following Traditions:

“Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) says, ‘O My Creatures! You commit follies day and night and I can forgive them all. So, seek my forgiveness. I will forgive’.”

“Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) extends the arm of Mercy and Forgiveness every night so that the sinners of the day may repent and seek His pardon and every day so that the sinners of the night may repent and seek His pardon and it shall be like this with Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) till the sun rises from the West near the Doomsday.”

“A man committed a sin and then he prayed to Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa), ‘O Lord, I have sinned. Forgive me’.

Upon this, the Lord observed, ‘My servant knows that there is a Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) who can punish him for his sin as well as forgive. I have forgiven the sin of My servant. The person abstained from sin as long as the Lord wished after which he again went astray and fell into transgression. He once again prayed to Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa), ‘O Lord, I have sinned. Forgive me.’ The Lord observed. ‘My servant knows that there is Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) who can chastise him for sinning as well as forgive. I have forgiven the sin of my servant’. He remained free from sin as long as the Lord wished and then was again guilty of it. Once again he prayed to Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa), ‘O Lord, I have sinned. Forgive me’. The Lord observed, ‘My servant knows for certain that there is a Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) who can punish as well as forgive him for his sin. I have forgiven the sin of my servant’.”

“One who seeks Divine forgiveness after sin becomes like one who has never been guilty of a sin”.