To make tawba means to repent for your sin(s), to be resolved not to sin again, and to beg Allâhu ta’âlâ for forgiveness. Although there is not a prescribed manner of tawba, Islamic scholars recommend a certain prayer which, they say, will serve both as an invocation for forgiveness and as a protection against worldly disasters and misfortunes. The prayer is: “Estaghfirullah al-’azîm al-lazî lâ ilâha il-lâ huwa-l-hayya-l-qayyûm wa atûbu ilayh.”

One of the maladies of the heart is fondness for being praised and lauded. Psychology of the wish to be praised rests with the person’s self love and thinking of oneself as good and superior. Being praised tastes very sweet to this type of person. A person with this malady should think that this is not a real superiority and goodness or even if one presumes it as goodness, one should think that it is transitory.