Al-Inaabah (Turning Repentantly)

And from the types of worship is al-inaabah (turning repentantly).



And the evidence for turning repentantly (al-inaabah) is the saying of Allaah, the Most High:
“So turn repentantly and obediently to your Lord, and submit obediently to Him.” [Az-Zumar 39:54]

Al-Inaabah: The meaning of al-inaabah is to return to Allaah the Mighty and Majestic at every moment from amongst the moments of life, because the believer does not see himself, except as being negligent. This is how he sees himself as long as he is striving in obedience to Allaah, due to the magnificent and plentiful bounties of Allaah upon him. So he always sees himself as being negligent of this, with whatever the word taqseer (negligence) carries of meaning. This is how he sees himself as long as he is striving with bowing (rukoo’), prostration (sujood), attainment of knowledge and as long as he is engaged in the prescribed remembrance. So the servant is negligent because Allaah the Blessed and Exalted has granted him reward and virtue. And there is no goodness that a human being does, except that Allaah grants him a reward and virtue for it and blesses him for it. This is because Allaah is the One who grants one the success to do a righteous action and He guides him to it. So Allaah is the One who separates between the doer of righteous deeds and his enemy who is always going against him and trying to sway him from the actions of obedience and bring him towards acts of disobedience.

Due to all of this, the servant must turn repentantly to Allaah at every moment from amongst the moments of his lifespan; especially when he is afflicted by heedlessness. And also when he falls into any act of disobedience, and when he falls short in an act of obedience. So at these times, he must blame himself and attempt to wake up his heart. So for the sake of that he turns to Allaah the Mighty and Majestic, utterly debased in front of Him, seeking excuse from Him, and he feels remorse to change that evil to goodness. And he intends to change that heedlessness to wakefulness. And he wishes to renew his life so that it can be a life of good deeds accompanied by the correct view, sincerity and sound creed.

So al-inaabah in reality is tawbah, because it includes conditions for tawbah (repentance), such as the abandonment of disobedience, the abandonment of the deficiency and removal of the heedlessness, and a firm resolution to perform acts of obedience. So these are from the conditions of tawbah and there is no doubt about them.

Source: The Path to Attaining Clarification reagrding Three Fundamental Priciples - by Shaykh Rabee bin Hadee