*   It is a water that washes sins away.

*   It is a means of attaining closeness to Allah.

*   It is a means of Allah’s mercy descending.

*   It purifies a person of sins.

*   It protects one from Hell.

    *It provides safety from the wrath of Allah.

*   It distances one from the worries of this world.

*   It ends the difficulties of the hereafter.

*   It purifies the inner state of a person.

*   Allah is pleased with the one who repents sincerely.

*   Angels also seek forgiveness for such a person.

Overall, sincere repentance is a source of many benefits in the world and the hereafter.  

How to repent

Nowadays, repentance is not given any significance. Some people place their hands on their head or face and simply say, “tawbah, tawbah”.  Some bite down on their tongue and say, “tawbah, tawbah”. This is not what it means to repent. True repentance has three pillars:

1.   The first pillar is to feel ashamed upon one’s sin due to the fact one disobeyed Allah. For example, someone dealt with interest in his business. Now he feels ashamed of doing so, but there can be many reasons as to why: the dealing of interest has caused one loss, or one feels ashamed because his friends and family are aware that he deals with interest. However, feeling shame for these reasons is insufficient when repenting. In