Here are some important principles — knowledge of which is essential and should not be neglected by anyone. They are as follows:

• Immediate Repentance Is Obligatory

Turning to Allah in repentance immediately after committing a sin — without delay — is obligatory. Delaying repentance is itself an act of disobedience.

If a person repents after delaying, he must also repent for having delayed his repentance in the first place. This is something people rarely consider.

A person may think that once he repents, he has fulfilled his duty and has nothing further to do. However, he may not realize that a second repentance is required for the delay itself.

• General Repentance from All Sins

Only a general repentance from all sins — those one is aware of and those one is unaware of — can truly rescue a person.

In fact, what a person is unaware of from their sins may be greater than what they know. Ignorance is of no benefit when one has the opportunity to learn. If a person neglects to seek knowledge, he combines two offenses: abandoning both knowledge and action. In such a case, the wrongdoing becomes even more serious.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

“Association with Allah (shirk) in this community is more hidden than the crawling of an ant.”

Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) asked:
“How can we protect ourselves from it, O Messenger of Allah?”

He (ﷺ) replied: “Say:

اللّهُـمَّ إِنّـي أَعـوذُبِكَ أَنْ أُشْـرِكَ بِكَ وَأَنا أَعْـلَمْ، وَأَسْتَـغْفِرُكَ لِما لا أَعْـلَم

‘O Allah, I seek refuge with You from knowingly associating anything with You, and I seek Your forgiveness for that which I do unknowingly.’”

• Seeking Forgiveness for Known and Unknown Sins

A servant must seek forgiveness from Allah for the sins that he knows — and for those that Allah knows while he himself does not.

It is reported in an authentic narration that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to supplicate with the following du‘a in his prayer:

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي خَطِيئَتِي وَجَهْلِي وَإِسْرَافِي فِي أَمْرِي وَمَا أَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِ مِنِّي
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي جِدِّي وَهَزْلِي وَخَطَئِي وَعَمْدِي وَكُلُّ ذَلِكَ عِنْدِي
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي مَا قَدَّمْتُ وَمَا أَخَّرْتُ وَمَا أَسْرَرْتُ وَمَا أَعْلَنْتُ وَمَا أَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِ مِنِّي
أَنْتَ الْمُقَدِّمُ وَأَنْتَ الْمُؤَخِّرُ وَأَنْتَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

“O Allah, forgive me my mistakes, my ignorance, and my excesses in my affairs, and what You know better than I.
O Allah, forgive me my serious and playful deeds, my mistakes and my deliberate actions — all of them are from me.
O Allah, forgive me what I have done before and what I have done later, what I have done secretly and openly, and what You know better than I.
You are the One Who brings forward and delays, and You are over all things All-Powerful.”

It is also narrated from Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to say in his sujood (prostration):

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي ذَنْبِي كُلَّهُ، دِقَّهُ وَجِلَّهُ، وَأَوَّلَهُ وَآخِرَهُ، وَعَلَانِيَتَهُ وَسِرَّهُ

“O Allah, forgive me all my sins — small and great, first and last, open and secret.”

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The purpose of these general and comprehensive supplications is to seek forgiveness for both what the servant is aware of and what he is unaware of.

End quote.

— Adapted from the book Tawbah: Turning to Allah in Repentance by Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (رحمه الله).