Said by: Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (as)
Status: ✅ Verified reference
Reference: Al-Kafi (Shaykh al-Kulayni), Volume 2, Kitab al-Iman wa al-Kufr, Chapter 191 (Bab al-Tawba — Repentance), Hadith 10.
Arabic:
التَّائِبُ مِنَ الذَّنْبِ كَمَنْ لَا ذَنْبَ لَهُ، وَالْمُقِيمُ عَلَى الذَّنْبِ وَهُوَ مُسْتَغْفِرٌ مِنْهُ كَالْمُسْتَهْزِئِ
English translation:
"The one who repents from a sin is like one who has no sin. And the one who stays on a sin while seeking forgiveness for it is like one who mocks (repentance)."
Explanation: Sincere repentance can make a person clean, as if the sin had never happened. But the second half is a warning: saying "Astaghfirullah" while happily staying in the sin is not repentance at all. Real tawba means leaving the sin, not only saying the words.
Sincere repentance can make a person clean, as if the sin had never happened.