Aslam

TAUBA (REPENTANCE)

MEANING OF TAUBA

Tauba means repentance for a sin by taking promise not to do the same evil again and to return to God. Repentance is the beginning in the life of a person who intends to walk in the path of religion. It is the root of the fortune of those who are successful, the first step of a disciple, the key to guidance to the straight path, the weapon of purification of those who wish to come close to God and a dear thing of all prophets. So it is no wonder that man will commit sins. Hazrat Adam introduced the rule of repentance and he repented for the sin he committed in the past. It is necessary for man to return to God penitently after commission of sins. He who does good deeds is close to God and he who does always sinful deeds is close to the devil. He who does good deeds after commission of a sin is a real man.

FOUR PRINCIPLES OF TAUBA

Human nature is mixed up of two elements. Every man has got the nature of angel, nature of man and nature of devil. He who does always sinful acts keeps connection with the devil. He who does always good acts keeps connection with angels Nothing can give salvation to a man except the fire of repentance.
So repentance or Tauba has got four cardinal principles.

(1) The fist principle is form of repentance, its limit and its knowledge. It is the bounden duty of a man to make repentance after sin. If it is sincere, it is accepted.

(2) The second principle is to turn away from sins, to know the major and minor sins, to know the duties towards God and to men, to know man's progress and retrogression for virtues and vices and to know the causes of minor sins turning into major sins.

8 TAUBA Vol-IV

(3) The third principle is to know the conditions of Tauba, search into past sins, expiation of sins and the classes of those who repent.

(4) The fourth principle is to know the causes of making Tauba and the medicines of persons addicted to vices.

FIRST PRINCIPLE - FORM OF TAUBA, KNOWLEDGE AND LIMIT

Repentance consists of three elements — knowledge condition and action. Knowledge of Tauba is necessary for condition, as condition is necessary for action. God promulgated this rule in the physical and spiritual worlds. Knowledge is necessary for repentance that the harms of sin are very severe.
When you will know it with faith and truth, you will then become repentant for losing an object of love. When repentance prevails over the mind, another condition arises in mind which is called will or desire. It has got connection with present, past and future actions. Its connection with the present means that he wills to give up the sin which he has committed. Its connection with the future means that he becomes determined to give up to the last stage of his life the sin for which he is to be separated from his dear ones. It connection with the past means that he wills to make expiation for not doing an action which he should have done.