Signs Your Repentance Has Been Accepted

“And He is the One Who accepts repentance from His servants.”

“Say: O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah.”

So your sincere repentance itself is a sign that Allah has opened for you the door of acceptance. Second: How do you know that your repentance is accepted? The scholars mentioned signs which, if found, are clear indicators of accepted repentance: 1. Stopping the sin If you abandon the sin immediately upon repenting, this is the first sign.

“Regret is repentance.”

So the one who regrets and stops shows sincerity. 2. Feeling real remorse Brokenness before Allah and shame over the sin are signs of a living heart.

“And those who, when they commit a shameful deed… remember Allah and seek forgiveness.”

Remembering Allah and seeking forgiveness after a sin is a sign of acceptance. 3. Feeling peace in the heart after repenting

“Repentance brings a light to the heart and an expansion to the chest.”

And Ibn al-Qayyim said:“Obedience gives birth to light and openness, and sin gives birth to darkness and constriction.”

If you find emotional comfort and tranquility, that is a sign of acceptance. 4. Finding yourself drawn to good deeds A sign of accepted repentance is that Allah opens for you the door of good deeds.

“The reward of a good deed is another good deed after it,”

meaning one good deed brings another. 5. Distancing yourself from bad friends and the environment of sin If you find yourself disliking the place of the sin or the people who dragged you into it, this is a sign of acceptance. 6. Your heart fears returning to the sin

“Allah does not accept a servant’s repentance except that you see its effect on him.”

And the “effect” here is fear of returning and caution against the sin. Third: Do you need to see a physical sign? No. Acceptance of repentance is not a dream, a voice, or a physical sign.

it is as Ibn Taymiyyah said:“Whoever is sincere in his repentance, Allah certainly it, and it does not require any special sign.”

Certainty in Allah’s promise is sufficient. Fourth: If you return to the sin after repenting, does it mean your repentance was not accepted? No. Returning to the sin does not mean the first repentance was not accepted. Your first repentance may have been accepted, but your soul overpowered you again. And the duty is: To repent again. And continue striving against yourself

“A servant committed a sin and said: O Lord forgive me… then returned and committed the sin… Allah said: My servant knows he has a Lord Who forgives sins… let him do as he wishes.”

meaning as long as he sins and repents, Allah forgives him. Fifth: The greatest sign of all The greatest sign of accepted repentance is: That you still want to repent, you fear its rejection, and your heart is alive. Some of the early scholars said: “Your fear of it not being accepted is itself a sign that it has been accepted.”