Salat al-Tawba wal-Ahkam al-Mutaalliqa biha fi al-Fiqh al-Islami
- Author died
- 1438 AH
- Editions
- Islamic University of Madinah
Salat al-Tawba wal-Ahkam al-Mutaalliqa biha fi al-Fiqh al-Islami (The Prayer of Repentance and Its Associated Rulings in Islamic Jurisprudence) is a specialized legal treatise by Dr. Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Jibrin (d. 1438 AH / 2017 CE) that examines the jurisprudence, textual evidence, and performance of the prayer of repentance (salat al-tawbah) .
Background and Motivation
The author, who served as an associate professor at the Teachers College in Riyadh, noted that although the prayer of repentance is an established Sunna and an exalted act of devotion through which a person seeks God's acceptance and forgiveness, it had become widely neglected and almost forgotten among many Muslims . In some cases, individuals substituted it with practices lacking scriptural basis . Observing that the legal issues concerning this prayer had not previously been systematized into a standalone, dedicated treatise, al-Jibrin compiled the research into an independent study, which was also published in the journal of the Islamic University of Madinah (Majallat al-Jami'ah al-Islamiyyah bil-Madinah al-Munawwarah) .
Structure and Contents
The treatise is organized into an introduction, four core analytical sections (mabahith), and a conclusion (khatima):
- Section One: Legality and Cause of the Prayer (Mashru'iyyat Salat al-Tawba wa-Sababuha): Covers two issues. The first addresses its legal status, recording scholarly agreement on its recommendation and evaluating its textual evidence, centered on the narration transmitted by Ali ibn Abi Talib from Abu Bakr where the Prophet ﷺ said: مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ يُذْنِبُ ذَنْبًا فَيُحْسِنُ الطُّهُورَ، ثُمَّ يَقُومُ فَيُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ إِلَّا غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ ("There is no servant who commits a sin, then purifies himself well, then stands and prays two rak'ahs, then asks God for forgiveness, except that God forgives him") . It includes detailed Hadith source-criticism (takhrij) and supporting narrations . The second issue defines its cause: the commission of any sin, major or minor, which necessitates immediate repentance .
- Section Two: Timing of the Prayer (Waqt Salat al-Tawba): Explains that the prayer is recommended whenever a person resolves to repent, whether immediately following the sin or later, as long as repentance remains valid before death rattles begin (al-ghargarah), divine punishment descends, or the sun rises from the west . It also establishes that because it is a prayer tied to a specific occasion (dhat sabab), it is permissible even during times when voluntary prayer is otherwise prohibited .
- Section Three: Placement Relative to Repentance (Mahall Salat al-Tawba): Investigates whether the prayer precedes verbal repentance, follows it, or may be performed either before or after . The author prefers the view that the prayer is prescribed before repentance and verbal plea for forgiveness (istighfar), citing the sequential particle thumma ("then") in Abu Bakr's narration, while heart-felt remorse precedes and accompanies the prayer .
- Section Four: Description and Performance (Sifat Salat al-Tawba): Details that it is a two-rak'ah supererogatory prayer (nafilah) performed individually rather than in congregation, requiring the standard conditions and integral pillars of voluntary prayer, followed by supplication for God's forgiveness .
- Conclusion (Khatima): Summarizes the research findings and jurisprudential conclusions reached in the study .
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