Humans are sinners. It is no doubt that men will commit sin. So the only way to purify oneself and follow the teachings of Religion is through repentance. Repentance in the biblical sense means changing your mind about you sins and forsaking them. In the Islamic point of view repentance means turning away from sins. We said three monotheistic religions, same basic teachings.
Here are two statements from the qu’ran:
O believers be repentant to God that you may get salvation: (qu’ran 24:31)
O believers, repent to God with sincere penitence (qu’ran 66:8)
In the bible it is said: True repentance is prompted by godly sorrow and it leads to salvation.
2 Corinthians 7:10
Adam was the first man and the first sinner according to the bible and the qu’ran. Adam was forgiven after disobeying God as God promised to provide a cure for sin and death (Genesis 3:15). He also provided Adam and Eve with coverings (3:21). God graciously gave Adam and Eve another son — Seth — after Cain killed Abel (4:25-26). It was after the birth of Seth that people began to worship the Lord (4:26).
All of this suggests that Adam and Eve did seek God’s forgiveness, and receive it.
It is written in Ezekiel 18:20-21:
The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes,and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live
So Adam introduced repentance . It is necessary and even compulsory for man to return to God after committing a sin. A penitent man is dear to God because he who returns to God after sinning is like he who has no sins.
Jesus said that you should forgive seven times seventy seven ( Mathew 18:21-22)
Then came peter to him and said, Lord, how oft shalt my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till 70 times? And Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto the , Until seventy times: but Until seventy times seven.
The prophet received from God and his angels the prayers and supplications for forgiveness of sin:
Minor sins are forgiven after prayers and supplications but some sins might necessitate performing selfless good deeds. Expiation of sins can be achieve through the following actions:
1-Praying two rakats immediately as you regret, praying for forgiveness to God seventy times( Saying astagfirullah), or reciting God is great with his praise one hundred times( subhanallah wa bihamdik) or to give charity(secretly) or keep fast.
2- Expiation by repentance: Thinking of good deeds for a thing can be destroyed by its opposite as cold and heat. A good deed can remove a bad deed.
Moreover if one has harmed people through his sins then if will be necessary to give back the rights of the victims though the means possible. It is stated that some strong believer might go to hell because of their oppressing of people. God has promised forgiveness as long as our souls are within our bodies. But since we do not now our last our it is better to offer the regular prayers and repent often after committing a sin and struggle to avoid sin. Loqman said to his son: O Darling make no delay in making repentance as death comes suddenly.
A well known and often repeated story from the sunna shows how oft forgiven and merciful God is:
“There was a man from among a nation before you who killed ninety-nine people and then made an inquiry about the most learned person on the earth. He was directed to a monk. He came to him and told him that he had killed ninety-nine people and asked him if there was any chance for his repentance to be accepted. He replied in the negative and the man killed him also completing one hundred.
He then asked about the most learned man in the earth. He was directed to a scholar. He told him that he had killed one hundred people and asked him if there was any chance for his repentance to be accepted. He replied in the affirmative and asked, Whostands between you and repentance? Go to such and such land; there (you will find) people devoted to prayer and worship of Allah, join them in worship, and do not come back to your land because it is an evil place.’So he went away and hardly had he covered half the distance when death overtook him; and there was a dispute between the angels of mercy and the angels of torment. The angels of mercy pleaded,‘This man has come with a repenting heart to Allah;and the angels of punishment argued;‘He never did a virtuous deed in his life.Then there appeared another angel in the form of a human being and the contending angels agreed to make him arbiter between them. He said,Measure the distance between the two lands. He will be considered belonging to the land to which he is nearer.’ They measured and found him closer to the land (land of piety) where he intended to go, and so the angels of mercy collected his soul”. [Al Bukhari and Muslim]
References:
1-Quraan made easy, ISBN 81-7231-406-X
2 -Sahih al Bukhari & Muslim
3- The Holy bible, King james version
4-Tauba(repentance By imam Al-Ghazali),
translated by Fazlul Karim ISBN 81-7231-500-7
5-AL-Ubudiyyah(Being a true slave of Allah) ISBN-13:978 1897940 88 4
