Among the lessons in these verses is that these unbelievers faulted the Muslims for only one thing: their belief in Allah, the Almighty, the Praiseworthy. Yet this is no fault at all; rather, it is the truth, and whoever denies it is himself deserving of censure. We ask Allah—Glorified and Exalted—to grant the Muslims victory everywhere, protect us from the evil of our enemies, and cause their plots to recoil upon them. Indeed, He has power over all things.
The verse also indicates that repentance erases all that preceded it. However, repentance can only be sincere and accepted by Allah if it fulfills five conditions:
The first is sincerity to Allah—Mighty and Majestic—such that a person is moved to repent by fear of Allah—Mighty and Majestic—and hope for His reward. A person may repent of a sin so that people will praise him, to avoid their censure, to attain a certain position, or to acquire wealth. The repentance of all such people is unacceptable, for repentance must be entirely sincere. As for one who seeks this world through his deeds, Allah Most High says in His Book:
﴿Whoever desires the life of this world and its adornments, We shall repay them in full for their deeds therein, and therein they shall suffer no loss. Those are the ones for whom there is nothing in the Hereafter but the Fire.﴾ [Hūd: 15, 16].
The second condition for repentance to be sincere is remorse for the sin committed. A person must not react as though he had committed no sin, feeling neither regret nor sorrow; he must feel remorse. When he recalls Allah’s greatness, he feels remorse: “How could I disobey my Lord when He is the One who created me, provided for me, and guided me?” Thus, he feels remorse.
The third is to desist from the sin. Repentance is not valid while one persists in sin, because one who repents is one who returns. If a person says, “I seek Allah’s forgiveness and repent to Him for consuming usury,” yet continues to engage in usury, his repentance is not valid. Likewise, if he says, “I seek Allah’s forgiveness for backbiting”—backbiting is mentioning your brother in a manner he dislikes—yet in every gathering he—