You think Allah ﷻ is angry with you. You think He’s disappointed. You think after all you’ve done, there’s no way back.
But the Prophet ﷺ told a story that should change everything you believe about repentance.
The Man Who Lost Everything
Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه reported in Sahih al-Bukhari (6309) and Sahih Muslim (2747): The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Allah ﷻ is happier with the repentance of His slave than one of you would be if he were riding his camel in a desert, and it ran away from him, carrying his food and drink, and he gave up hope of finding it. Then he went to a tree and lay down in its shade, having given up hope of (finding) his camel. Then while he was like that, suddenly it was standing before him! So he took hold of its reins and said, out of the intensity of his joy: ‘O Allah ﷻ, You are my slave and I am Your Lord!’—making a mistake out of the intensity of his joy.”
Read that again slowly.
A man in the middle of a desert. His camel—his only means of survival—runs away. It’s carrying his food. His water. Everything.
He searches. Nothing. He gives up completely. He lies down under a tree waiting to die. There’s no hope. No way out. Death is certain.
Then he opens his eyes. And there’s his camel. Standing right in front of him. With all his provisions still on its back.
The joy that floods his heart is so overwhelming he can barely speak. He grabs the reins and in his excitement says the words backwards: “O Allah ﷻ, You are my slave and I am Your Lord!” He meant to say “You are my Lord and I am Your slave” but his happiness confused his tongue.
That level of joy. That intensity of relief. That explosion of gratitude.
Allah ﷻ is MORE happy than that when you repent.
Allah ﷻ Loves At-Tawwabin
[Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayah 222]
“Indeed, Allah ﷻ loves those who are constantly repentant (at-tawwabin) and loves those who purify themselves.”
At-Tawwabin. Not “the one who repented once.” Those who are constantly repentant. Those who fall, get up, repent. Fall again, get up again, repent again. Over and over.
He loves them.
The Prophet ﷺ said in Sahih Muslim (2749):
“By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if you were not to commit sin, Allah ﷻ would sweep you out of existence and replace you with a people who would sin and then seek forgiveness from Allah ﷻ, and He would forgive them.”
Think about what that means. Allah ﷻ could have created humans who never sin. Angels who just obey. Perfect beings who never make mistakes.
But He didn’t. He created you. With free will. With desires. With the ability to sin. On purpose.
Why? Because He wants the relationship of repentance. He wants you to sin, realize your mistake, feel regret, and come back to Him. That journey—that return—is precious to Him.
He loves At-Tawwabin. The ones who keep coming back. No matter how many times they fall.
He Didn’t Create You to Be Perfect
The Prophet ﷺ said in Jami’ at-Tirmidhi (2499):
“Every son of Adam commits sin, and the best of those who commit sin are those who repent.”
Every son of Adam. That means you. Me. Everyone. We all sin. It’s not a question of “if” you sin. It’s guaranteed. You will sin.
The question is: What do you do after?
Do you drown in guilt and give up? Or do you get up, dust yourself off, and return to Allah ﷻ?
The best people aren’t the ones who never sin. They don’t exist. The best people are those who sin and then repent.
That’s you. That can be you right now.
What True Repentance Looks Like
[Surah At-Tahrim, Ayah 8]
“O believers! Turn to Allah ﷻ in sincere repentance, so your Lord may absolve you of your sins and admit you into Gardens, under which rivers flow.”
True repentance (tawbah nasooha—sincere repentance) has conditions:
1. Stop the sin immediately. Don’t say “I repent” while continuing to do it. Leave it. Right now.
2. Feel genuine regret. Not just “I got caught” but “I disappointed Allah ﷻ. I hurt myself. I don’t want to be this person.”
3. Resolve firmly not to return to it. Make a real decision: “I’m not going back to this sin.” Even if you slip later—right now, your intention is sincere.
4. If you wronged people, make it right. Apologize. Return what you took. Ask their forgiveness. Fix what you broke.
Do these four things sincerely, and Allah ﷻ promises to forgive you. Not “maybe.” Promises.
“But I Keep Sinning the Same Sin”
You repent. You sin again. You repent. You sin again. You think: “This repentance is fake. I’m a hypocrite. Allah ﷻ won’t accept me.”
Wrong.
The Prophet ﷺ explained that as long as you repent sincerely each time—meaning at that moment you genuinely intend not to do it again—Allah ﷻ accepts it.
Shaytaan wants you to think: “Don’t bother repenting. You’ll just sin again.” That’s a trap. The fact that you keep falling doesn’t mean your repentance is fake. It means you’re human and you’re in a battle.
The difference between you and the person who’s lost? You keep coming back.
Allah ﷻ says in a Hadith Qudsi reported in Sahih al-Bukhari (7507):
“O son of Adam, as long as you call upon Me and place your hope in Me, I will forgive you for what you have done, and I do not mind. O son of Adam, even if your sins were to reach the clouds of the sky, and then you asked for My forgiveness, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, if you were to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth, and then you would meet Me not associating anything with Me, I would come to you with forgiveness nearly as great as that.”
Your sins could reach the sky. The earth. It doesn’t matter. He will forgive you if you come to Him sincerely.
The Door of Repentance Is Always Open
The Prophet ﷺ said in Jami’ at-Tirmidhi (3537):
“Indeed Allah ﷻ accepts the repentance of His slave as long as death has not reached his throat.”
As long as you’re alive—as long as you can still breathe, still speak, still think—the door is open.
Even if you’ve sinned for decades. Even if you abandoned Islam completely and came back. Even if everyone gave up on you.
Allah ﷻ never closes the door. Never.
Until your soul reaches your throat—that final moment before death—you can still repent and He will accept it.
So stop saying “it’s too late.” It’s never too late as long as you’re breathing.
What You Need to Do Right Now
Stop reading. Put your hands up. And say:
“Astaghfirullah. O Allah ﷻ, I seek Your forgiveness. Forgive me for every sin I’ve committed—those I remember and those I forgot. Forgive me for what I did openly and what I hid. You are Al-Ghaffar, the Repeatedly Forgiving. I’m returning to You now. Help me stay on Your path. I don’t want to be far from You anymore.”
Say it with your heart. Mean it. Feel it.
That’s all He needs from you. Sincerity. A genuine desire to return.
And the moment you make that du’a with sincerity? He’s already forgiven you. He’s happier with your return than you can imagine. More joyful than that man finding his lost camel.
He’s Been Waiting for You
You’ve been running. Hiding. Avoiding. Drowning in guilt. Thinking you’re too far gone.
But He’s been waiting. With mercy. With open arms. With forgiveness already prepared.
Every time you delayed, thinking “I’ll repent tomorrow”—He waited.
Every time you sinned again, thinking “Now He definitely won’t forgive me”—He waited.
Every time you felt too ashamed to come back—He waited.
And now you’re here. Reading this. And He’s still waiting.
So come back. Right now. This moment. Don’t delay another second.
Because the Prophet ﷺ said: “The one who repents from sin is like one who has no sin.”
Your slate wiped clean. Your record erased. A fresh start. Right now.
All you have to do is return. And He’s waiting to celebrate your arrival with joy greater than you finding everything you thought you’d lost forever.
That’s how much He loves At-Tawwabin. That’s how much He loves you when you come back to Him.
Disclaimer: This article presents authentic hadith from Sahih collections and Quranic verses about repentance and Allah’s love for those who repent. Readers are advised to consult qualified Islamic scholars for detailed guidance. The content reflects classical and contemporary Islamic scholarship and should not replace personal consultation with knowledgeable religious authorities.