Many People Don’t Realize This. ↩️

Repentance Is Obligatory — Not Optional

Repentance and returning to Allah is not optional — it is obligatory. Many people don't realize this. They think it's a nice thing to do, a nice thing to ask Allah's forgiveness.

Every sin you have ever committed and I have ever committed — it is obligatory to ask Allah's forgiveness, and delaying it is another sin. If you and I have delayed our repentance, then we have committed two sins.

The first: we didn't repent. The second: we delayed.

The Warning of Fir'awn — Repenting Too Late

The person who delayed his repentance until the end of his life — someone who repented too late — was Fir'awn. As he is drowning in the sea, and the angels are shoving water into his mouth, he says: "I repent to Allah. I return to Him and I believe in Him."

And Allah responds: "Now?"

This is captured in the words of Allah in the Quran:

You might wonder: why is there such a long stretch of the Aleph in ءَآلْـَٰٔنَ — "Now?" It is because he took such a long time to return to Allah.

Return to Allah — Today, Not Tomorrow

Return to Allah now, today — because tomorrow is not guaranteed.

Returning to Allah is not a one-off deed. It is a constant growth engine — every single day. Just like someone who wants to grow their muscles has to tear them. Just like an athlete has to feel the pain. Just like your immune system needs to feel disease in order to get stronger.