التَّوَّابُ
At-Tawwab
The Acceptor of Repentance
What At-Tawwab Means
At-Tawwab is the intensive form of ta-ba, to turn and to return: the One who turns back to His servants in acceptance again and again, however often they come back to Him. Adam received words from his Lord, ‘and He turned to him in forgiveness; indeed, He is At-Tawwab, the Merciful’ (2:37). Ibrahim and Ismail prayed with this very name over the foundations of the Kaaba: ‘Turn to us in forgiveness; indeed, You are At-Tawwab, the Merciful’ (2:128). Scholars stress the repetition inside the form: Allah does not accept repentance once and then close the door — every sincere return is met by Him. The Prophet (saw), whose past and future sins were forgiven, still said: ‘By Allah, I seek Allah’s forgiveness and turn to Him more than seventy times a day’ (Al-Bukhari 6307). For the sinner, this name means the door is open today.
At-Tawwab in the Quran
فَتَلَقَّىٰٓ ءَادَمُ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ كَلِمَـٰتٍ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
“Then ’Ādam learned certain words (to pray with) from his Lord; so, Allah accepted his repentance. No doubt, He is the Most-Relenting, the Very-Merciful.”
رَبَّنَا وَٱجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِنَآ أُمَّةً مُّسْلِمَةً لَّكَ وَأَرِنَا مَنَاسِكَنَا وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَآ ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
“Our Lord, make us both submissive to You, and (make) of our progeny as well, a people submissive to You and show us our ways of Pilgrimage and accept our repentance. Indeed, You – and You alone – are the Most-Relenting, the Very-Merciful.”
أَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ يَقْبَلُ ٱلتَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِۦ وَيَأْخُذُ ٱلصَّدَقَـٰتِ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
“Have they not come to know that Allah is He who accepts repentance from His slaves and accepts Sadaqāt, and that Allah is Most-Relenting, Very-Merciful.”
فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَٱسْتَغْفِرْهُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ تَوَّابًۢا
“then pronounce the purity and praise of your Lord, and seek forgiveness from Him. Surely He is Ever-Relenting.”
What the Prophet ﷺ Taught Us
THE FOUNDATION OF THE 99 NAMES
“Allah has ninety-nine names, i.e. one-hundred minus one, and whoever knows them will go to Paradise.”
“Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) saying.” By Allah! I ask for forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.””
“Abu Sirma reported that when the time of the death of Abu Ayyub Ansari drew near, he said: I used to conceal from you a thing which I heard from Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: Had you not committed sins, Allah would have brought into existence a creation that…”
Calling Upon Allah by This Name
Allah Himself commands us to call upon Him by His beautiful names:
وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ فَٱدْعُوهُ بِهَا ۖ وَذَرُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِىٓ أَسْمَـٰٓئِهِۦ ۚ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
“For Allah there are the most beautiful names. So, call Him by them, and leave those who deviate in (the matter of) His names. They shall be recompensed for what they have been doing.”
Use the very words of Ibrahim and Ismail — ‘Our Lord… turn to us in forgiveness; indeed, You are At-Tawwab, the Merciful’ (2:128) — a prophetic supplication built on this name. Then follow the Prophet’s (saw) daily habit of returning again and again (Al-Bukhari 6307), and in your own words say: ‘Ya Tawwab — O Acceptor of repentance — I return to You from this sin; accept me as You accepted Adam.’
Quran translations: Mufti Taqi Usmani. Hadith texts and gradings: the DeenHub hadith library. Every reference on this page is from the Quran or from hadith graded Sahih or Hasan.