What is the ruling on one who uttered the Two Testimonies (Shahadatayn) to return to Islam but did not remember the condition of regretting past misdeeds, which is one of the conditions of repentance?
Remorse for a sin is a state of the heart where a person feels pain and sorrow for what they have committed. It is not a condition for repentance that this sorrow be remembered [at the moment of repentance]; rather, it is sufficient that it occurred and is present in the heart. The default state of a person is Islam, and one is not judged to have apostatized except with absolute certainty. Excessive scrupulousness (waswasah) in this matter leads to great evil. Therefore, a Muslim should always uphold the original state, which is Islam, and not deem themselves an infidel based merely on delusions and intrusive thoughts.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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