Fatwa Title : Performing Tawbah prayer for multiple sins Fatwa No. : 263200 Fatwa Date : 21/08/2014 Question: Asalamulaikum can you perform salatul tawbah for multiple sins or do you have perform one salat for each sin. Also is it ok do tawbah when Im in sujood in the salat or shall I do it in dua after the salat Fatwa: All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and messenger. Tawbah (repentance) prayer is an act determined by the Sharee‘ah as highlighted in Fataawa 84361 and 131470. We could not find any scholar suggesting that the sinner has to perform a Tawbah prayer for each sin he commits or that he can perform one Tawbah prayer for more than one sin. Apparently, there is no religious impediment to that just like it is permissible for the sinner to seek Allaahs forgiveness for more than one sin he has committed as clarified in Fatwa 177059. Verily, deeds are judged by the intentions. Scholars of Hadeeth commented on the Hadeeth on Tawbah prayer saying, “The Hadeeth reads, ‘…then, he should seek forgiveness’; this means to turn to Allaah and repent from ones sin by declaring ones regret, giving up the sin, and resolving never to commit it again.” This opinion was stated in Mirqaat Al-Mafaateeh by Al-Mulla Al-Qaari. If seeking forgiveness in this context refers to repentance, it is for all the sins one has committed and not for one sin. Therefore, you do not need to perform Tawbah prayer for each sin, but you can perform one Tawbah prayer for multiple sins and, hopefully, you will be forgiven. As for the question regarding whether the person should seek forgiveness in prostration or after ending Tawbah prayer, you are allowed to seek forgiveness in prostration since one is the closest to ones Lord when one prostates ones self before Him. However, seeking forgiveness in Tawbah prayer should be after ending it as explained by the jurists. Al-Ghurar Al-Bahiyyah fi Sharh Al-Bahjah Al-Wardiyyah reads, “Tawbah prayer consists of two Rak‘ahs; when the person commits a sin, he should [perform Tawbah prayer and then] seek forgiveness of Allaah after them [the two Rak‘ahs] as Al-Mahaamili underlined…” Moreover, Haashiyat Al-Bujayirmi ‘ala Al-Khateeb reads, “The two-Rak‘ah prayer of Tawbah is performed when the person commits sins, even minor ones, according to the preponderant opinion. He should perform Tawbah prayer and seek forgiveness after them... Al-‘Anaani, stated: The person should perform Tawbah prayer, then seek forgiveness. This is evidenced by the statement [of the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, mentioned in the Hadeeth on Tawbah prayer]: ...then, he should seek forgiveness. Moreover, Tawbah prayer is a means to have one’s repentance accepted, and, verily, the means should be done before the objective. Allaah Knows best.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 07:00:05 +0000