Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam
Question: Is regret a blessing from Allah?
Does Allah wait for the call of forgiveness when His slave sins?
Is there any Hadith or verse from the Quran regarding these?
Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
I pray that you are in the best of health and faith, insha’Allah.
Yes, regret is a blessing from Allah as it is a sign of sincere and true repentance. This is the reason Imam Nawawi considered it one of the conditions for a proper repentance.
And we also know that sins aren’t immediately written down by the angels, so people have a chance to repent for their mistakes, and this is from the pure Favour of Allah Most High.
Further, even if the person does not repent right away, the sin and its traces are completely wiped away if he truly repents later.
Abu Hamza Anas ibn Malik al-Ansari, the servant of the Messenger of Allah reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Allah is happier about the repentance of one His slaves than one of you would be about finding your camel which had strayed away from you in the middle of the desert.” [Agreed upon]
Please see the following reader for further discussions: A Reader on Tawba (Repentance)
And Allah alone gives success.
wassalam,
Tabraze Azam
Checked & Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani