التَّوَّابُ
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
At-Tawwaab
The Accepter of Repentance
The One who beckons for our return and turns people again and again towards repentance: that is At-Tawwaab, and its verse is Adam's story in 2:37. Al-Sa'di finds two turnings in the Name, Allah first moving the servant to repent, then accepting the repentance.
Key verse
﴿فَتَلَقَّىٰٓ ءَادَمُ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ كَلِمَـٰتٍ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ﴾Then Adam was inspired with words ˹of prayer˺ by his Lord, so He accepted his repentance. Surely He is the Accepter of Repentance, Most Merciful.
The scholar's text
The One who beckons for our return. He repeatedly turns mankind towards repentance should they journey temporarily on the wrong path. Allah is lenient and restores grace to those who repent and forgives those who seek forgiveness.
(فَتَلَقَّىٰ آدَمُ مِن رَّبِّهِ كَلِمَاتٍ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ) البقرة 2: 37
(Then Adam was inspired with words ˹of prayer˺ by his Lord, so He accepted his repentance. Surely He is the Accepter of Repentance, Most Merciful.) Al-Baqara 2:37
Note: The verse quoted above is 2:37 (Al-Baqara), as in his Arabic line; the original English line gave its number as 3:37.
It is mentioned 15 times in the Holy Quran
الذي يدعونا إلى الرجوع، ويرد الناس إلى التوبة مرة بعد مرة إن ضلوا الطريق حينا. والله رفيق، يعيد النعمة إلى التائبين، ويغفر لمن استغفره.
(فَتَلَقَّىٰٓ ءَادَمُ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ كَلِمَـٰتٍ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ) البقرة 2: 37
ملاحظة: الآية المذكورة هي البقرة 2: 37 كما في السطر العربي، وجاء رقمها في السطر الإنجليزي في الأصل 3: 37.
ورد في القرآن الكريم 15 مرة.
So He Accepted His Repentance
2:37: then Adam was inspired with words of prayer by his Lord, so He accepted his repentance; surely He is the Accepter of Repentance, Most Merciful (2:37). His turning to a servant, al-Sa'di explains, is of two kinds: first He moves the servant to repent, and then He accepts the repentance once its conditions are met. The words Adam was given, he says, were our Lord, we have wronged ourselves (7:23): Adam owned his sin and asked for forgiveness.
Arabic: فتاب عليه
قال تعالى: ﴿فَتَلَقَّىٰٓ ءَادَمُ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ كَلِمَـٰتٍ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ﴾، قال السعدي: «وتوبته نوعان: توفيقه أولا، ثم قبوله للتوبة إذا اجتمعت شروطها ثانيا»، وذكر أن الكلمات قوله: ﴿رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَآ أَنفُسَنَا﴾، فاعترف بذنبه وسأل الله مغفرته.
If They Repent and Mend Their Ways
﴿وَٱلَّذَانِ يَأْتِيَـٰنِهَا مِنكُمْ فَـَٔاذُوهُمَا ۖ فَإِن تَابَا وَأَصْلَحَا فَأَعْرِضُوا۟ عَنْهُمَآ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا﴾And the two among you who commit this sin: discipline them. If they repent and mend their ways, relieve them. Surely Allah is ever Accepting of Repentance, Most Merciful.
4:16 ends a ruling with the Name: if they repent and mend their ways, relieve them; surely Allah is ever Accepting of Repentance, Most Merciful. Repenting, al-Sa'di explains, is coming back from the sin with remorse and a firm intention never to go back to it; mending is the conduct that shows the repentance is true. And the Name: much-turning to those who sin and err, of great mercy, who out of His kindness enabled them to repent, accepted it from them and overlooked what they had done.
Arabic: فإن تابا وأصلحا
تختم آية النساء حكما بالاسم: ﴿فَإِن تَابَا وَأَصْلَحَا فَأَعْرِضُوا۟ عَنْهُمَآ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا﴾، قال السعدي: «أي: رجعا عن الذنب الذي فعلاه وندما عليه، وعزما على أن لا يعودا»، و«العمل الدال على صدق التوبة»، وقال في الاسم: «أي: كثير التوبة على المذنبين الخطائين، عظيم الرحمة والإحسان، الذي -من إحسانه- وفقهم للتوبة وقبلها منهم، وسامحهم عن ما صدر منهم».
However Often It Happens
﴿أَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ يَقْبَلُ ٱلتَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِۦ وَيَأْخُذُ ٱلصَّدَقَـٰتِ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ﴾Do they not know that Allah alone accepts the repentance of His servants and receives ˹their˺ charity, and that Allah alone is the Accepter of Repentance, Most Merciful?
9:104 asks: do they not know that Allah alone accepts the repentance of His servants? Tawwab means much-turning, al-Sa'di explains: whoever turns to Him, He turns to, even if the sin is repeated again and again, and Allah does not tire of turning to His servants until they themselves tire of it. The Prophet ﷺ himself kept turning back: “By Allah! I ask for forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6307).
Arabic: وأن الله هو التواب الرحيم
تسأل آية التوبة: ﴿أَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ يَقْبَلُ ٱلتَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِۦ﴾، قال السعدي: «أي: كثير التوبة على التائبين، فمن تاب إليه تاب عليه، ولو تكررت منه [ المعصية ] مرارا. ولا يمل اللّه من التوبة على عباده، حتى يملوا هم». وكان النبي ﷺ يكثر التوبة: «وَاللَّهِ إِنِّي لأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ فِي الْيَوْمِ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً» (صحيح البخاري 6307).
Then He Turned to Them So They Would Repent
﴿وَعَلَى ٱلثَّلَـٰثَةِ ٱلَّذِينَ خُلِّفُوا۟ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا ضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنفُسُهُمْ وَظَنُّوٓا۟ أَن لَّا مَلْجَأَ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَّآ إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ لِيَتُوبُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ﴾And ˹Allah has also turned in mercy to˺ the three who had remained behind, ˹whose guilt distressed them˺ until the earth, despite its vastness, seemed to close in on them, and their souls were torn in anguish. They knew there was no refuge from Allah except in Him. Then He turned to them in mercy so that they might repent. Surely Allah ˹alone˺ is the Accepter of Repentance, Most Merciful.
9:118 tells of the three who stayed behind, until the earth, vast as it is, closed in on them, and then He turned to them so that they might repent. Al-Sa'di reads the order closely. He turned to them first, permitting and enabling their repentance, so that it would come from them, and then He accepted it. Among the lessons he draws: Allah's acceptance follows the depth of a person's regret, and whoever does not care about a sin, or feel troubled by it, has a flawed repentance, whatever he claims.
Arabic: ثم تاب عليهم ليتوبوا
تذكر آية التوبة الثلاثة الذين خلفوا حتى ضاقت عليهم الأرض على سعتها: ﴿ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ لِيَتُوبُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ﴾، قال السعدي في الأولى: «أي: أذن في توبتهم ووفقهم لها»، وفي الثانية: «أي: لتقع منهم، فيتوب اللّه عليهم»، ومن فوائدها عنده: «أن توبة اللّه على عبده بحسب ندمه وأسفه الشديد، وأن من لا يبالي بالذنب ولا يحرج إذا فعله، فإن توبته مدخولة، وإن زعم أنها مقبولة».
After Backbiting, and After Victory
﴿فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَٱسْتَغْفِرْهُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ تَوَّابًۢا﴾then glorify the praises of your Lord and seek His forgiveness, for certainly He is ever Accepting of Repentance.
The Name closes 49:12, after the warning against much suspicion and the bans on spying and backbiting: and fear Allah; surely Allah is the Accepter of Repentance. At-Tawwab, al-Sa'di says there, is the One who allows His servant to repent, enables him to do it, and then accepts it. And it closes 110:3, at the height of success: then glorify the praises of your Lord and seek His forgiveness, for He is ever Accepting of Repentance. After victory, al-Sa'di explains, the Prophet ﷺ was told to thank his Lord, glorify Him with praise and seek His forgiveness.
Arabic: إن الله تواب رحيم
تختم آية الحجرات بالاسم بعد النهي عن كثير من الظن وعن التجسس والغيبة: ﴿وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَّحِيمٌ﴾، قال السعدي: «والتواب، الذي يأذن بتوبة عبده، فيوفقه لها، ثم يتوب عليه، بقبول توبته». وتختم آية النصر بعد النصر والفتح: ﴿فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَٱسْتَغْفِرْهُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ تَوَّابًۢا﴾، قال السعدي: «فأمر رسوله أن يشكر ربه على ذلك، ويسبح بحمده ويستغفره».
From the Sunnah
By Allah! I ask for forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day
وَاللَّهِ إِنِّي لأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ فِي الْيَوْمِ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً
A du'a with this Name
رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَتُبْ عَلَىَّ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ
Rabbighfirli wa tub `alayya innaka Antat-Tawwabur-Rahim (O Allah forgive me and accept my repentance, for You are the Accepter of repentance, the Most Merciful)
Sunan Ibn Majah 3814, graded sahih by al-Albani: Ibn Umar counted the Prophet ﷺ saying it a hundred times in one gathering
Related Names
Questions about At-Tawwaab
What does At-Tawwaab mean?
At-Tawwaab calls us back and keeps turning people to repentance when they stray, and is lenient, restoring grace and forgiving.
How many times is At-Tawwaab in the Quran?
At-Tawwaab is mentioned 15 times in the Quran.
Will Allah accept repentance if I repeat the sin?
Yes. On 9:104 al-Sa'di says repeated sins do not close the door; Allah does not tire of accepting until people tire of coming back.
How often did the Prophet ﷺ repent?
More than seventy times a day, the Prophet ﷺ said, swearing by Allah (Sahih al-Bukhari 6307).