Back to search

Does repentance from one sin become void by not repenting from a similar sin, or from a different sin?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Scholars have differed on the issue of repenting from one sin while persisting in another. The majority of scholars hold that such repentance is valid, and they accept a person's repentance for the sin they repented from, while requiring them to repent from the sin they have not yet repented from. In contrast, some scholars maintain that such repentance is invalid. Others, like Ibn al-Qayyim, have elaborated, stating that repentance is not valid if the sin being repented from is of the same type as the sin not repented from. We issue a fatwa in accordance with the view of the majority, affirming the validity of repentance for one who repents from a sin while persisting in another. However, such a person does not deserve the name of a complete penitent (ta'ib mutlaqah) nor the full reward promised for repentance.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy